Saving $ on electric filler pump (ideas?)

[Inspector507]

If this is strictly for diesel, then there should be no worries. Diesel is a Type II Group D liquid. It also has a flash point above 100°F, taking it out of the volatile flammable liquid classification. Any liquid whose flash point is above 100°F is considered combustible, not flammable. It must be heated above 100°F to burn.

Had to edit the (C) to an (F).......sorry if I confused anyone

 

[TBAR]

DiskDoctr, It seems like you are going to alot of trouble there. On my tractor I have wires running from the pos and neg terminals of the battery to a female electrical plug. On the cord coming from the pump I have the male electrical plug. I just pull up to the tank, put the nozzle in the tank and then plug the two terminals together.

If you are filling mobile equipment IMHO this is the way to go.


TBAR

 

[DiskDoctr]

Thanks to all for the good ideas and input.

Spiker- I like the timer idea. Then no chance of leaving it on.

The pump has a builtin bypass, but the docs caution not to let it run more than 10mins without pumping fuel. This is probably a guideline, but the timer could prevent burning out or premature failure, or whatever would happen.

Inpector507- Thanks for confirming the reduced static concern. I will be attaching an electrical grounding rod to the skids of the tank, but your post still makes me feel better about it.

TBar- Thanks for the suggestion. I originally considered something to connect to tractor for power (banana plugs or such), but then figured since it was all a new installation, may as well spend the extra $10 - $20 or so to make it more finished. The added security of not having any exposed terminals of the pump outside the bldg to prevent theft was also attractive.

New garage, tractor, etc. Trying to make it a nice setup, had to improvise/compromise for so long in past, decided to do things differently upon my return.

So many GOOD IDEAS on this site, I just want to quit my regular job and start making stuff! Oh, and moving dirt, mowing grass, etc.

It does sound strange to "miss" dirt, but some of us have it mixed right in our blood /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

-JC

 

[Soundguy]

Guess that all depends on whether there is a bypass in the system or not / whether the handle is triggered or not.

(edit )

well.. since there is a bypass.. sounds good.

As a second thought as well.. for any of the DC switches you can add an electrolytic capacitor across the switch terminals ( observ polarity ) and it will be a good/cheap/easy switch debouncer... Something in the correct voltage range and 100u or so should be great... as for the ac switches.. a debouncer is harder to make.. but possible

Soundguy

 

[missourihick]

Use a 12 volt lawnmower battery and a half amp trickle charger. The battery is $20 at wal mart and those little chargers are less than 10 bucks at harbor freight. You will kill the pump motor running it directly off the charger.The charger puts out 12 volt dc but it is not real dc power,it is half wave dc which is sort of +_ +_ +_+_ + ,theres gaps in the dc.Sort of hard to explain with a keyboard.

 

[Soundguy]

Half wave is as decent a descript. as it gets... I guess you could call it pulsed dc...

That said... some motors are fine with pulsed dc... that's the whole concept of a PWM motor controller, as opposed to the variable resistor controllers which waste power and reduce current..

Soundguy

 

[uhmgawa]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I never thought about the charger not outputting clean power. )</font>

If the charger has a full wave bridge rectifier neither the pump motor nor
you will notice the difference between using it vs. a 12 battery.
Frankly I'd worry more about the hydrogen out gassing from the battery
than I would about the volatility of diesel fuel.

One point of caution is the running amperage draw of pumps in this class
is around 20A. So you may want to verify the charger/transformer can supply
this for at least the intermittent basis the pump will be running. It would
also be a good idea to size for current draw on both motor startup and
when dead-headed with the relief valve bypassing.

The other issue related to current draw irrespective of the power source
is to size whatever switch will be in DC path suitably w/r/t contact
make/hold ampacity. You may find it simpler to use an inexpensive
30A 12V automotive relay to do the actual switching and use whatever
manual switch/timer is otherwise appropriate.

 

[Gil]

What I did was set my fuel storage tank higher than my tractor fuel tank, use hose and nosel like service station letting gravity do all the work. A shut off valve at the tank helps reduce accidentle spills. Been working for over 20 years without any problems. No electrical power of any kind to worry about sparking.
I wish you well,
Gil

 

[uhmgawa]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( As a second thought as well.. for any of the DC switches you can add an electrolytic capacitor across the switch terminals ( observ polarity ) and it will be a good/cheap/easy switch debouncer... Something in the correct voltage range and 100u or so should be great.. )</font>

An electrolytic capacitor of this size placed across the switch
contacts will intensify the switch closure spark. Reason being
is the capacitor will charge to battery voltage via the motor load
while the switch is open. When closed the capacitor energy is
dumped into the short formed by the switch adding to the energy
being drawn by the motor through the switch.

However a capacitor will serve to snub the inductive discharge
between switch contacts when opened. Substituting a smaller
capacitor in the 0.01 to 0.1 uF range will do as well without the
energy storage problem seen at switch closure time. A reverse
biased diode in place of a capacitor will also suffice and is a
common solution to this problem.

 

[DiskDoctr]

Thanks for all the input and great ideas.

I found a rotary timer 0-30mins on Ebay for $2, so it should be here soon. Once I get it, I'll see what circuit and components will work best.

I like the idea of using the generator battery, which is on trickle charger anyway.

Dumb question, though. If the trickle charger is left attached to the battery, as is the line to the rotary switch, then to the motor, will the high current draw harm the trickle charger? Is there some component I have to add to protect the trickle charger during the usage of the pump?

Thanks.

-JC