Got my cooler made

[WILD BILL]

I finally got all the parts to build my cooler. I had ordered the quick connects for the lines some time ago but even with those I think the entire build cost with everything was less than $200.







I opted to not build an enclosure and just build it directly onto the cart. With the small space available building it right on to the cart left just enough room for the pedal to sit in front of cooler and the bottom self.

Initial test show the pumps flows coolant adequately through the Everlast torch. I'm still waiting on the new power cable for my WP 20 to test that one.

Unfortunately I have not yet done any welding with it to make test it's cooling performance as I found a leak at one of the quick connect fittings.

[DiabolicZ]

You don't have a radiator to cool down the water after it starts to get hot?

[WILD BILL]

I don't do a lot of welding and what I do is mostly light work. My hope is that the quantity of coolant is enough to keep the temps reasonable but I will keep an eye on and have left enough room on the cart and in the hose to add a heat exchange system if it turns I'm wrong.

[geezer]

I don't do a lot of welding and what I do is mostly light work. My hope is that the quantity of coolant is enough to keep the temps reasonable but I will keep an eye on and have left enough room on the cart and in the hose to add a heat exchange system if it turns I'm wrong.

Plenty of guys have built them without heat exchangers, if your water tank is large enough 3 or/4 gals you can get away with out one on reasonable duty cycles, should you decide to use an old fridge heat exchanger look for the cooling fan and motor on some of better made fridges, that little motor is indestructible and can blow air through the system for years on end without being turn off, it's probably the best electric motor ever made. Gave one of those to afriend he put it on the skirting of his mobile to move the air under do control moisture, he installed it forgot about it and a year and a half later it was still running happlily along, the ground under his mobile is dryer than a popcorn fart

[Wookie]

automotive heater core works awesome for a heat exchanger and is what lincoln uses on there units

[Ram48]

Nice clean project. I agree that if your water temps are cool enough for your needs you don't need a heat exchanger. but its good that you have the room to incorporate it into the design if it is needed. Now all you need to do is paint the cart Green

[WILD BILL]

If I do anything I'll paint the welder blue

I have what some might call an obsession with it

[Ram48]

If I do anything I'll paint the welder blue

I have what some might call an obsession with it

I'll say you have an obsession with Blue (my Favorite color also) but It looks like you only race other blue cars. THAT is truly an OBSESSION

[WILD BILL]

I never noticed that in that pic before

[Zoomie]

Looks like a nice clean setup! Which pump did you go with Wild Bill?

[WILD BILL]

THis one

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/LIT...ner-Pump-2P018

[eide]

Nice work, looks like it'll do the job! What did the setup cost you?

[WILD BILL]

I didn't keep all the receipts for the fittings but best I can recall I have about $150 (give or take) into it.

[wruehl]

Nice work, too bad they discontinued your pump. Anybody know what the flow rate of the average torch cooler is?

[wruehl]

Nice work, too bad they discontinued your pump. Anybody know what the flow rate of the average torch cooler is?

Answering my own question here: Miller seems to be around 60 GPH with a max torch output of 200A (Coolmate 1), the Coolmate 3 is ~65 GPH @ 500A. So the pump in these units are not that big. I found this one on eBAY:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Overkill @ $55 bucks

Add a cheap heater core, fan and a tank and you're almost there....

[WILD BILL]

Othe places sell that pump although for a little more $$

When I ordered it the site said while supplies last and that was 2 weeks ago

[WILD BILL]

Tonight I finally got the new power cable for my WP20 and was able to get some real testing for my cooler as I'm pretty sure the water passages in it are smaller than the Everlast torch.

First was the flow tests. I don't have a flow meter so all I could do was watch the return line and monitor the flow. It didn't appear to change at all for the flow test with the Everlast torch. Then, to really test the pumps performance, I hung the torch to ceiling in my garage (about 7 feet up) to test if it had enough pressure to push the coolant that high. Flow looked exactly the same as the first 2 tests.

Next it was time to test the cooling ability. For this I took a piece of 1/8" thick, 4"x2" steel and proceeded to lay down bead after bead only stopping long enough to reposition for the next pass. I had the amps set at 160 was was running pretty much full pedal the entire time.

The temp prose from 53*'s to 72*'s (Don't tell the wife I used her oven temp probe )

I have to admit I'm little surprised it rose that much but also I have to remember that this (for me) was an extreme test and that I'll probably never be doing any welding like that. At least nothing I can foresee.

Over all I'm pleased with it's abilities and I'm fairly confident it will be more than adequate for my needs. I am just a hobbyist after all and my needs aren't that great.

At least now I can weld with out my torch hand starting to smoke and FWIW, I think my welds are getting better.





I really need to get the hang of welding round pipe before I have to weld on my daughters dragsters.

[wruehl]

That's awesome, you could still stick a cheap heater core and a muffin fan in the loop if you wanted. Less that $30 bucks I bet.