coolant pump recommendation

[Earl]

I need a recommendation for a coolant pump for my grizzly g0695 mill. I have a metal tank from my old mill and a 5 gal bucket of Rustlick but need a pump.

Thanks,
Earl

 

[blacksmithden]

I've been using a $20 bilge pump out of the boating section at Walmart for over a year now. They're cheap...they're sealed and oil proof....you can run them dry and it won't hurt them...they don't have so much pressure that you'll spray coolant everywhere.....they will allow small bits to pass through them without jamming up (I put an automotive fuel filter in the output line of mine to keep any chips from getting into my coolant nozzle.) For the price, you just can't beat them. I just run mine off a 12 volt battery charger...they're low enough current that you don't even need a battery.

 

[Earl]

I've been using a $20 bilge pump out of the boating section at Walmart for over a year now. They're cheap...they're sealed and oil proof....you can run them dry and it won't hurt them...they don't have so much pressure that you'll spray coolant everywhere.....they will allow small bits to pass through them without jamming up (I put an automotive fuel filter in the output line of mine to keep any chips from getting into my coolant nozzle.) For the price, you just can't beat them. I just run mine off a 12 volt battery charger...they're low enough current that you don't even need a battery.

Thanks, I will take a look at that this evening.

 

[Bartonius]

I am running a pump from a wet tile saw. Barb fittings, submersible and cheap as well. I got mine from Homedepot.

 

[Rapscallion]

Some hardware stores and garden places sell different sizes of water pumps for garden water features, you may want to look at some of those. All the best.

 

[kd4gij]

I perfer a mister when setup right no mess and mist in the air. Flood coolant is such a mess. Now if you are running CNC then you will need flood.

 

[Ray C]

I perfer a mister when setup right no mess and mist in the air. Flood coolant is such a mess. Now if you are running CNC then you will need flood.

So true. On "open" machines, flood coolant is messy. If I had a proper shield, drain pan and doors that close, I'd reconsider flood coolant but, I've had such good luck with koolmist that there's no reason to change. I am looking at some high-end CNC machines and flood coolant is absolutely necessary there for two reasons. It washes the chips down and, it travels through the spindle as a coolant before it's discharged and sprayed on the part.

Ray

 

[Rapscallion]

I perfer a mister when setup right no mess and mist in the air. Flood coolant is such a mess. Now if you are running CNC then you will need flood.

You have a good point there as far as conventional machines go. :thinking: You and Ray have got me considering it for my small lathe and maybe my pantograph too.

 

[mgalusha]

I recently added a Koolmist setup to my mill, loving it so far.

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[Ray C]

I recently added a Koolmist setup to my mill, loving it so far.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

I suspect you'll like it a lot. Quick tip... Put the supply tank at about the same height as the discharge nozzle. I suspend mine from a wire dangling from a nearby shelf. I use a quart size water bottle. This way, you can vastly reduce the air pressure and still supply a stream of water droplets. Also, when you're done, spray the lathe with a light spritz of WD40 to retard any possible rust. All water based coolants can cause a little surface rust -no matter what the directions and glossy brochures say... If you don't mix it just right, if the PH changes from storage or, given the proper humidity conditions, it can make surface rust. I don't find this to be a terrible chore or price to pay given the benefits.


Ray