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Flojet stall

Jerry33

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How can I add an air and pressure bleed to my flojet setup? I've fought this problem for, well, ever. I've tried all of the suggested solutions (I think) that I can find on this forum but I still get stalls. I have run the air supply over a rafter and added a dryer just in front of the Flojet and an automatic bleeder from the air tank. I get very little moisture from the dryer, if any. I've replaced pumps; put in dual pumps in case one stalls; increased and decreased air pressure. Oddly, it is always my foamy brush pumps that stall and my tire cleaner pump feeding off the same air supply has worked for years without stalling. A gentle tap on the pumps starts them operating if the pressure is relieved from the demand side and if I also shut off the air to the supply line for a few seconds and turn back on the pumps work fine. How can I bleed the air supply and demand line after each use? If there was only a single bay, I could figure it out but trying to isolate all 8 bays to keep from turn on all 8 if one is activated is beyond my imagination. Thanks
 

F100

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I have the same problem 5 years ago and I installed a air drier with automatic drain from granger and my problem on my foam brush flot jet is history. I have the same pump since.the flot jet pumps istricly needs dry air to perform.
 

water guy

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I installed a Coalescing filter with a moisture filter from grainger with very good results it increasesd the life of my flojets.
 

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Jerry, It sounds like you've done just about everything you can do to get dry air, an air dryer before the pump a automatic drain on the compressor tank. You could be running your pressure a little high if they stall out and you tap the pump and they start, try lowering the pressure a little. We only have 1 Flojet pump left on the Foam brush and it gives us very little problems, we use Procon pumps for everything else. If you want to add a air shut off valve/air bleeder your going to have to install a IDX MX-8 controller https://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-24000-idx-mx8-controller.aspx to control a solenoid valve on the air supply feeding the pump, there fairly easy to install. I don't have any filters or air dryer on my air compressor.
 

PaulLovesJamie

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Jerry is it humid where you are located? How often do you drain the compressor, and how much comes out?

What kind of dryer did you add in front of the flojets, is it a filter regulator or is it an actual dryer/extractor ?
Asking because the first type does remove some water, but it's really more of a filter than a dryer. Using those, on humid busy days I used to still get flojet stalling issues with them.

As a side note, I had an old old compressor that worked but I knew it was worn out. When I eventually replaced it my humid air flojet issues totally disappeared.
 

Jerry33

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I have the same problem 5 years ago and I installed a air drier with automatic drain from granger and my problem on my foam brush flot jet is history. I have the same pump since.the flot jet pumps istricly needs dry air to perform.
thanks. Several people suggest i change to a dryer so I will try that.
 

Jerry33

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Jerry is it humid where you are located? How often do you drain the compressor, and how much comes out?

What kind of dryer did you add in front of the flojets, is it a filter regulator or is it an actual dryer/extractor ?
Asking because the first type does remove some water, but it's really more of a filter than a dryer. Using those, on humid busy days I used to still get flojet stalling issues with them.

As a side note, I had an old old compressor that worked but I knew it was worn out. When I eventually replaced it my humid air flojet issues totally disappeared.
It is very humid here but the compressor is drained every 12 hours and I manually drain each time I stop by and there is always moisture. The filter I use is the glass bowl type with a drain and it rarely has moisture and the 3rd Flojet on the same supply line never stalls. Odd. Appreciate the info and I will try the Flojet dryer. Didn't know they had one and I'll also add the supply line discharge suggested. Surely that will work. thanks
 

Jerry33

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Jerry, It sounds like you've done just about everything you can do to get dry air, an air dryer before the pump a automatic drain on the compressor tank. You could be running your pressure a little high if they stall out and you tap the pump and they start, try lowering the pressure a little. We only have 1 Flojet pump left on the Foam brush and it gives us very little problems, we use Procon pumps for everything else. If you want to add a air shut off valve/air bleeder your going to have to install a IDX MX-8 controller https://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-24000-idx-mx8-controller.aspx to control a solenoid valve on the air supply feeding the pump, there fairly easy to install. I don't have any filters or air dryer on my air compressor.
 

Jerry33

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I think that is what I want and I guess I will need a 3-way valve to relieve the the output (liquid) pressure. I'm going to try it. thanks.
 

MEP001

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I think that is what I want and I guess I will need a 3-way valve to relieve the the output (liquid) pressure. I'm going to try it. thanks.
Three-way solenoids are expensive. You can accomplish the same thing by adding a tee to the air supply to the Flojet and putting the smallest Hydrominder tip in it to always bleed some air after the supply solenoid.
 

mac

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Three way valves are not that expensive. If you do install a solenoid be sure to use one with a high flow rate, such as a MAC valve. I've had some of these last close to 20 years and I'm in south FL where it's always humid.
 

Jerry33

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Three-way solenoids are expensive. You can accomplish the same thing by adding a tee to the air supply to the Flojet and putting the smallest Hydrominder tip in it to always bleed some air after the supply solenoid.
good idea. thanks
 

Randy

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I really don't understand why you guys keep fighting these air driven pumps. We got Procon pumps on everything but the Foam brush system and when we run out of Flojet pumps we'll install a Procon pump on the Foam brush. We have very few problems with the Procon pumps.
 

Greg Pack

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I really don't understand why you guys keep fighting these air driven pumps. We got Procon pumps on everything but the Foam brush system and when we run out of Flojet pumps we'll install a Procon pump on the Foam brush. We have very few problems with the Procon pumps.

True- the Procons are maybe a $400-$500 project for each function but will work for a decade.
 

MEP001

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I have no real trouble with Flojets. They're all dead-headed and last five to seven years. FWIW I'd rather have a Flojet where the only problem you can have with it is the Flojet than have a Procon where the pump, the motor, the controller, the breaker, or sometimes just randomly the fuse (on Coleman Super Saver systems) can fail.
 

Randy

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When you install a Procon pump you want to make sure your using the correct pump seal for the application or the pump seal will fail and the pump will leak, not all Procon pumps are the same. In 20 years I’ve never replaced a motor, I still have the original MX-8 installed. I’ve only replaced the pump head once and replaced the seals in regulator once. We have one Flojet pump in service.
 

Jerry33

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Three way valves are not that expensive. If you do install a solenoid be sure to use one with a high flow rate, such as a MAC valve. I've had some of these last close to 20 years and I'm in south FL where it's always humid.
Not familiar with a "MAC Valve". Is that just the brand name of a solenoid valve? I checked Kleen-Rite and it looks like they don't have a 24V AC and only come in 110v and 24v-DC but they are certainly cheaper than other solenoid valves, if that is what they are.
 

Jerry33

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Jerry is it humid where you are located? How often do you drain the compressor, and how much comes out?

What kind of dryer did you add in front of the flojets, is it a filter regulator or is it an actual dryer/extractor ?
Asking because the first type does remove some water, but it's really more of a filter than a dryer. Using those, on humid busy days I used to still get flojet stalling issues with them.

As a side note, I had an old old compressor that worked but I knew it was worn out. When I eventually replaced it my humid air flojet issues totally disappeared.
It is an old Ingrasoll-Rand compressor with small tank so kicks on a lot and I even leave the drain line slightly open so it spits water all day long and I drain each time i visit. The strange thing is that I have 3 Flojets hooked to the same supply line and one has not failed once in over 5 years. I've replace the other two a couple of time (tied together so at least one continues to work if one fails - but often they both do). The filter I have now just in front of the pumps (glass bowl with drain) rarely has moisture in it since i looped the supply line over a rafter so I'm guessing the moisture is bleeding back into the compressor. I'm going to try the Flojet air filter and rig air shut off / bleed suggested and see what that gets me. thanks
 

MEP001

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Not familiar with a "MAC Valve". Is that just the brand name of a solenoid valve? I checked Kleen-Rite and it looks like they don't have a 24V AC and only come in 110v and 24v-DC but they are certainly cheaper than other solenoid valves, if that is what they are.

If you use one for your Flojet controls, I would recommend 120V since you can just plug it in and not have a separate transformer to worry about. I prefer to use a separate wall plug for each system so you can unplug just the one I'm working on instead of shutting everything down. You would need a valve with one port venting the outlet to atmosphere when it's off and closed when it's on.
 
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