Inline pump newb.

[TreehouseJ]

Since I moved into the crawlspace, I no longer have the vertical clearance to lift my modular scrog lids out and place them in new buckets for their bi-weekly nute changeout during flower. With my worsening sciatica, I figured I'd buy myself a nice inline pump and some nice fittings for my bday to finally set up the end-all top drain system for my buckets, with quick connect fittings and all. I own a dozen submersibles, but I don't really know a whole lot about inlines, despite my efforts all these years to find out exactly what I should buy myself.

I'm only draining 10 gallons at a time... but I wan't to be able to do so quickly enough to where my 6' tall sciatic ass isn't hunched over in a 5'6 crawlspace any longer than it has to be. I also have to regularly drain my ice water tubs which I submerge my buckets in. I've bought myself the battery powered hand pumps, but they are very very slow and they leak a bit, and I can't really use them to drain my flowering buckets without some serious finagling and 20 minutes to burn.

I just don't want to buy an overpowered pump that'll tear my roots up, or one isn't self priming or something wacky like that. With all the stupid videos lurking around on the internet I'm surprised I haven't been able to find an aquarium pump demonstration that validates my assumption that an inline water pump will "dry pump" air to clear the line before taking hold of the water without having to be manually primed.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[TreehouseJ]

Diagram of what I am trying to accomplish. The pump would have to be able to clear 4-5' of air from a 3/4" line. I've tried using one of my 500 gph pumps that was advertised as submersible/inline for this application and it obviously didn't work.

 

[queequeg152]

i dont get it.... the box is the pump?

or is the cylinder the pump?

either way... pushing or pulling, just get a check valve. self priming pumps are necessary for shit like trash water pumps, but you dont need one in this case.

you could also install a flow switch in the event the check valve fails.

 

[TreehouseJ]

I knew I should have labeled the pump. The box is the pump. I am not concerned with water continuing to siphon out of my pump. The pump and hose are removed after use. So the pump would be pulling from the hose which I would want to latch into a fixed pvc pipe running to the bottom of each single cell bucket. I'm just in the dark as to how these nice aquarium drainers prime themselves, or how they are manually primed. Or if I should perhaps buy a dry-wet vac or a specialized centrifugal water pump as you are describing if I intend to simply stick a run of hose through the top of my bucket and blast all the water out.

 

[TreehouseJ]

I'll add that my sciatica really is a nightmarish hell, and my tent door is super tiny, so if I have to spend a few hundred bucks for a self priming pump and some quick-disconnects so that I am not hunched over priming and spilling and mucking with barbed fittings, I'll spend it in a heart beat.

 

[mojave green]

I knew I should have labeled the pump. The box is the pump. I am not concerned with water continuing to siphon out of my pump. The pump and hose are removed after use. So the pump would be pulling from the hose which I would want to latch into a fixed pvc pipe running to the bottom of each single cell bucket. I'm just in the dark as to how these nice aquarium drainers prime themselves, or how they are manually primed. Or if I should perhaps buy a dry-wet vac or a specialized centrifugal water pump as you are describing if I intend to simply stick a run of hose through the top of my bucket and blast all the water out.

i've always had a few problems priming the inlines when air invades. i'd say the best so far as ease of priming is concerned has been this one:
http://www.eheim.com/en_GB/products/technology/pumps/universal

 

[TreehouseJ]

I was hoping for something more compact, but it looks like my best option is probably a wet/dry vac. My old one shat out and needs replacing anyways. So I'm running to the HD in the morning and buying a higher end model, assuming that I might need a little more kick since I'll want to reduce the size of the 2.5" hose at the bucket hopefully all the way down to an inch if possible, so I'm not dealing with having to move my lids around to stick the hose directly into the buckets, or with any gigantic bungholes that I would have to drill out and lightproof somehow while they aren't in use. Now to figure out the most logical way to reduce the hose and plumb it 90 degrees from the top of the lid into the bottom of the bucket so that draining is as easy as latching the wet vac straight into a port facing the user, above the bucket and under the screen. If an old man with back and hip problems can't just plug it all in and turn it on.. it's not the end-all solution I'm looking for.

 

[TreehouseJ]

i've always had a few problems priming the inlines when air invades. i'd say the best so far as ease of priming is concerned has been this one:
http://www.eheim.com/en_GB/products/technology/pumps/universal

I have what I think is a similar model, but I cant get it to pull as much air as I need to in order to pull from the buckets as shown in the diagram, despite priming (it might just be broken). I'm sure there a million ways to skin this rabbit, but I'm still curious what the absolute easiest solution for the end user. I would figure with aaalll the different types of water pumps out there, there has got to be one <$400 that is designed specifically for this type of application that someone could use to empty 100 single cell units out in 30 minutes. I might be wrong, or I might just be describing a nice wet vac..

 

[queequeg152]

just get a diaphragm pump. they are the size of a coke can.

 

[TreehouseJ]

just get a diaphragm pump. they are the size of a coke can.

THANK YOU! I just back from spending 200 bucks on a gigantic 16 gallon 6.5 hp wet vac, lol. Oh well. I'll use it tonight since it's dump night and order myself a diaphragm pump like a smart boy. I doubt anyone is particularly interested but I'll post back later with how it all went.

 

[queequeg152]

THANK YOU! I just back from spending 200 bucks on a gigantic 16 gallon 6.5 hp wet vac, lol. Oh well. I'll use it tonight since it's dump night and order myself a diaphragm pump like a smart boy. I doubt anyone is particularly interested but I'll post back later with how it all went.

the rigid 16 gallon? from home depot?

thats a great vacuum... not exactly compact, but its the only vacuum i have now. i dont have any carpet though.

i dont think you will regret that vacuum. get the filter bags that they sell too, you can suck up like 30 lbs of sawdust with them... but DO NOT suck up any water with the bags installed, they will get trashed.

 

[queequeg152]

but yea a diaphragm pump will self prime easily... probably 10+ feet, but they ARE NOT 100% duty cycle. they are not good for constant circulation or any thing like that.

you also can look into a flexible impeller type pump... though i cant really reccomend them. they need constant oiling and generally dont last very long.
i think alot of people use them for shit like diesel fuel pumping though so maby there is something to them.

check with the manufacturers... my shurflo pump says to not run for more than like 90 minutes at outdoor temps.

 

[TreehouseJ]

the rigid 16 gallon? from home depot?

Yep. The universal tool attachment (sold separately) steps down from 2.25" to 1" in half inch increments, so it does look like I will be able to step down and hook up to 3/4"-1" pvc no problem. I also bought special wet only filters and boxed the dry filter for the time being. I forgot to remove a dry filter once in a panic when a pipe bursted and irreparably funked up my 9 gallon.

 

[TreehouseJ]

65 seconds to drain 6 gallons of water. The unit is so easy to maneuver around and drain that I am thinking it might be easier to wheel the waste water 40' to the drain every dump than it would be to have to run hose every time and then have to coil it all back up. Still buying a small diaphragm for comparison, and to possibly free up my nice new vac for other purposes.

 

[queequeg152]

i believe they also sell a pump attachment for these things... screws onto the drain in the back.
i suppose you could keep the shop vac in the same place and just bring a coil of hose back and forth?

 

[TreehouseJ]

Jesus.. Christo.. Craziest vacuum I've ever used. I forgot to mention yesterday that 6 gallon pickup per minute was from an oversized length 3/4", from maximum distance allowed by the hose (~10'). If using one of the included attachments directly in the water, I'm pretty sure this 16 gallon tank would fill in 15 seconds flat. The vacuum itself isn't nearly as loud as I was expecting it to be, but the WHOOSH from my universal tool adapter nearly gave me a f*cking heart attack last night when I detached it from the bucket. I went all fight or flight like I was in serious imminent danger. It took me half a second to realize my house wasn't being sucked into a black hole or some shit. I've never used a Kirby, but I am pretty sure this ridgid would rape it before eating it whole.

 

[mojave green]

Yeah I like mine too. Like you said surprising quiet to.

 

[Drop That Sound]

The rigid 16 gal rules, using only to clean house now instead of regular style vacuum that has to be cleaned all the time. Sucks the carpet right up off the ground, so you know its workin' good!

Anyways I would go to a junkyard or find an old RV and get the 12v water pump out of it. Then hook up a free or cheap 12v 6 amp battery charger or inverter to it. Walla

 

[queequeg152]

The rigid 16 gal rules, using only to clean house now instead of regular style vacuum that has to be cleaned all the time. Sucks the carpet right up off the ground, so you know its workin' good!

Anyways I would go to a junkyard or find an old RV and get the 12v water pump out of it. Then hook up a free or cheap 12v 6 amp battery charger or inverter to it. Walla

yea lol... i cant vacuum all the rugs infront of my doors because it just fucking lifts them up.

kinda annoying, but any hard surface it works wonderfully.

i got that 12" wide sweeping head with the brush... i use that + the tiny flattened corner one for 90% of cleaning.

your point about the pump is a good one... id never thought of goiing to a junk yard.

i disagree about the battery though. a battery and charge controller would cost more than a cheap powwer supply.

i use a little 350 watt power supply made by meanwell. it was like 30 bucks.

 

[Drop That Sound]

Ya I'm lucky to have so many RV's laying around , those pumps can be spendy to buy new, especially the 120v ones. I'd rather save that money and buy a nice RIGID vacuum.. aaaand also have a trusty 30 year old SHURflo rigged up to a rusty old car battery charger (with or without a battery for backup) on the side than to buy some cheap harbor freight utility diaphragm pump for under 40-50$. All you even need is to salvage at least a good running motor to work with, and the rebuild kits for the pump itself are pretty cheap if you ever need it! You can add a little water hammer arrestor line mod to silence it some too.

I'd consider them to be in unlimited supply, old trailers everywhere.. same with 12v power adapters, hell the trailer already has the inverter built in just snatch that out too, and the water tank while your at it. Some of the tanks have electrodes built in going to a panel to tell you what your different water levels are, which could be handy and possibly be setup to automate pumps!