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Howdy guys! Finally decided to pre-order the PowerCool W300 and wondered what the general consensus is of this machine? Is it quiet, well built, reliable etc. or otherwise?
I've read a few opinions on here but nothing recently. I'd really be interested in folks opinions and/or updates of previous posts. Any long time users? Please let me know!
Zoom
Really? Nobody has one of these to review? Everlast indicates they've sold quite a few of them...
Zoomie,
We have had almost no reported problems. The pumps are stainless and the radiator is copper. They do work well.
Sorry I was planning to post something. But have been a bit busy.
Here are some pics of the guts of the power cool.
In my opinion a very impressive machine.
Italian made pump from a well known maker of espresso machine components. 9 liters a minute output, direct drive pump and fan on same shaft, simple uncluttered design with a 2 gal coolant cap and a cross flow radiator.
Moves allot of air and water and looks like it’s made to hold up to the long haul.
The Geek.
Attachment 752Attachment 753Attachment 754
Very nice. I'm working on my own DIY cooler right now, but I have a feeling in the end I'll be sorry I didn't pony up for the W300.
Oh and Zoomie,
As far as the noise level, did I mention it moves allot of air?
LOL, I think it's quieter than the welder, but, well about the same. :)
Kewl. Excellent review Ray! Yeah, I'm alright with the whirring of a fan or the like I just stuggle with the tinny sounding racket my Dads old Miller cooler makes. It is a thousand years old and the bearings are bad in the pump and/or motor...
Ray, the only thing I see from your photos I might change or upgrade is possibly an inline particulate filter to help keep from wiping out the pump. Your thoughts?
Not a bad idea, but I would be carful what you use, it would have to have a high flow capacity, something like a fuel filter would not be enough. An inline screen filter of some type would be good.
But truly the only way something is getting in there would be from maybe dragging the torch leads on the floor. And even then I don’t think it will harm much, I’ve had a couple of guys put those stick on fish aquarium thermometers on the site part of the tank to monitor the temp.
Got carried away. Rapidly approaching $300 in parts and I don't even have an enclosure yet! Moral of the story: buying the Everlast W300 would have been a lot smarter. You made the right choice, Zoomie!
http://s16v.com/photos/2011/02-20/P1010105_resize.JPG
Angular, After looking at your pic's , I would substitute that motor for a cheap bench grinder motor so you can have a fan and a pump drive, I have had many projects that have out smarted me in the final cost, so not to worry, you are not alone, bottom line, never build what you can buy, unless you have all the parts lying around. Looks nicely built and it should work. I can see it with a diamond plate aluminum box which would really make it look cool.
IF I were to build one, here is the pump I would use(and motor). Simple, cheap, effective, and on demand. http://www.agrisupply.com/78205/p/78205/cn/4200034/
Yeah, this was a pretty acute flare up of "DIY disease". It's pretty hard to find exactly the right components for something like this. Couldn't really use a bench grinder motor because the carbonator pump uses a v-band attachment to the motor (which makes it a breeze to attach to a standard carbonator motor). I've got a 10" 230VAC electric fan on order so hopefully that will do the trick. It's a slippery slope. So far I've spent $90 on the motor (new), $55 on the pump, $18 on the reservoir tank, $70 on the tube & fin heat exchanger, $32 on the fan, $20+ in hose, and a ridiculous amount on various brass fittings.Quote:
Originally Posted by geezer
If I had seen the pictures of the W300 internals sooner (before I started ordering parts), I'm pretty sure I would have just coughed up the dough for one.
Bradley
I actually looked at various Flojet and Shurflo pumps, waffled back and forth on it for a few days, then finally decided on the carbonator pump/motor since that's what is used in several "real" (commerical) TIG coolers and the DIY welder crowd seems keen on them. I certainly didn't realize how big & heavy the carbonator motor is until I actually picked it from my local Grainger store! In retrospect, it really does seem like overkill. Another goal was to have this thing run off 230V so it can plug in to the outlet on the back of the welder.Quote:
Originally Posted by performance
Grainger? There's your problem right there....
Oh really? It's a common GE/Marathon motor you can get from any number of places. For a heavy item like that paying sales tax is cheaper than shipping, so Grainger makes sense and the location is convenient for me.
Anyway... the whole contraption does actually work, so at least now I don't have to worry about damaging the torch if I crank up the amps.
Angular,
What are the approximate dimensions of your heat exchanger ?
Would you know the heat removal capacity (BTU's/hr) ?
Also the water temp Delta T at a given welding current ?
And the pump GPM ?
Sorry for all the questions.
Thanks,
Rivets
I can't find any BTU data on it, but this is the heat exchanger I'm using:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DER-13300/
Unfortunately I don't have any temperature sensors rigged up and I'm not sure of a practical way to measure & quantify thermal performance. I'll see if I can do some kind of basic test like measuring the temp of the water when "cold", then running 200 amps through the torch for a minute and seeing what the delta is.
The Procon pump part # is 111A100F11AA and it's rated at 100 GPH (@ 100 PSI) so that would be 1.67 GPM.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=230582068842
The internal bypass valve on the pump doesn't seem to go low enough (without completely unthreading), so I'm using an adjustable relief valve to bleed off excess pressure.
http://www.mcmaster.com/#8088k14
That relief valve is actually pretty nice for the money and easy to adjust by hand, so I'm glad I got it. Excess flow from the pump gets routed through the heat exchanger, so would I imagine around 1.5 gallons per minute are flowing through it at all times.
Hope that helps.
Bradley
Bradley,
Thanks for your time. Much appreciated.
Cheers,
Andy
Angular,
I really like your build. Looks pretty compact and well arranged. You might consider an in-line temp gage and a recycled computer case or something.
Grainger usually charges up to 100% plus of full retail. I can usually buy almost anything cheaper anywhere else. Maybe in your area they are a good deal, but nothing I have seen in my area or in the catalog for that matter screams bargain, or even decent price.