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Help with Flojet fittings

Etowah
A

APW

Well-known member
My question is why do you need the push lock for the air. he standard fitting works fine. I use Braided 1/2" poly line to supply block, barbed fittings an hose clamps work fine. but it depends how many solenoids you have . Look at the exit side of the solenoid. Actual hole (Not the fitting) my be only 1/8"
 
Only wanted to use push fittings to keep everything looking uniform with no hose clamps. Not that it matters because I will be the only one to see it.
 
I don't think you'll find a push connect for the air fitting on a FJ...If you look closely, it also incorporates an air check valve....

What I did was use 3/8 OD LLDPE tubing for air...It has a 1/4" ID and fits the barb fitting on the FJ nicely. Just need to use a small hose clamp. At least you can use a push connect on the other end.

I use 1/2" OD push connects on the output side of the FJ and 1/2" push connects on the manifolds. I already had bard fittings on my chemical tanks, so used the original 1/2" poly braid from the tanks to the FJ's. I'll swap the poly braid out with 1/2" LLDPE when a FJ fails, but for now, if its not broke, I don't fix it!

BTW, do yourself a favor....Incorporate air cutoff solenoids to the FJ's...I only flooded the Pump Stand twice with PS before I fixed the issue! Actually waisted more PS than the air cutoff system cost. You can use an IDXMX8 or a bank of relays like I did...The relays are a lot cheaper and works just as good.

Here's some pics...

flojet_1.jpg


lp_new_3.jpg


flojet_air_solenoid_4.jpg
 
BTW, SMC or John Guest has 1/4" npt x 1/2" push connect fittings. I use both, but like the SMC since they are brass. I don't have as much trouble with leaky fittings...The P/N is KQ2H13-35s..

I get mine off Ebay...Much better prices!
 
Etowah
2Biz what caused your leaks? I don't have any cut offs on my air at my other location but i've never had a leak.
 
When we first hooked up a new Air Logic foam brush system one of the liquid side solenoid valves had some dirt or something in it and wouldn't shut off. It just kept pumping soap into one bay. We cleaned the dirt out of the valve and it's been fine since but should install an air cutoff just in case.
 
This is why you want to put a solenoid valve on the air inlet of your Flo-Jet pumps. A run away pump is caused by the failure of the hose on the downstream side of the pump. Since there’s pressure on the pump all the time when the hose fails the pump pumps until there is nothing left in the chemical drum or pail. A few years ago there was a new car wash owner who knew it all and was a “cheapster”. He installed a tire cleaner system and used the ½” vinyl Hydrominder suction hose for the discharge hose off the pump, ½” vinyl Hydrominder suction hose is not a pressure rated hose. After about 2 weeks it grew to about 2” in diameter, I told him he needed to replace the hose, “to busy” was his answer, I had gone there to fix his bill changer. About a week later it broke on a Sunday morning. He had plugged up the floor drain, because cold air was coming into the equipment room. So once the equipment room was flooded with this beautiful green liquid, that looks like anti-freeze it was coming out of the back door of the car wash and running into the storm drain in the back lot of the car wash. The Storm drain went out the back lot into a small creek. A customer called 911 because there was anti-freeze coming out of the door, fire department was dispatched and they see anti-freeze coming out from under the door of the car wash. They used there chop saw to cut the door open, the car wash owner had an elaborate stainless locking device on the back door. The fire department gets into the equipment room and sets off the alarm so they take a fire axe to the alarm panel until the alarm stops. The alarm company notified the owner that there was an intruder alarm and dispatched the police, the owner was about 50 miles away. The fire department secured the Flo-Jet pump and see an empty 30 gallon drum and what they think is anti-freeze looking stuff running into creek and call the hazmat cleanup crew, the guys in the white suits. The fire department blocked off the creek and the hazmat cleanup crew pumped the green water out of the creek for hours, I don’t know how many tanker truck loads of water the hazmat crew pumped out of the creek but it was a lot. The owner shows up and he is PO’d because they ruined his back door and smashed in his alarm panel and closed the car wash. When it was all said and done the damages and clean up was right around $45,000. He turned a claim into the insurance company and it was denied, because he had blocked off the floor drain and used a non-rated hose on the discharge of the pump. This is why we used a solenoid valve on the air inlet of your Flo-Jet pumps. He’s no longer in the car wash business.
 
Randy, that story is a lot better than mine! LOL At least all the PS went down the ER drain when it happened to me! It was several thousand gallons of water before I discovered it both times. A FJ can pump about 300 gph….Doesn't take too long for the water volume to add up. I also had a piece of debris in a FB solenoid valve and had FB liquid flowing across the bay floor. Not near as bad as the PS in the Er.

APW: My pump stand is an old Mark VII. Both PS and FB manifolds were originally plumbed using a series of 1/2" PVC pipes connected by 3/8" LLDPE tubing and brass compression fittings. There was also a barb fitting supplying each manifold. The first time it let loose was when the barb fitting eroded through from the inside and broke. The next time was when one of the compression fittings eroded from the inside and let the tubing slip past the nut. Both times it emptied a new 5 gallon pail of PS and luckily all the water and PS went down the drain. It didn't cause the damage Randy described! I'm sure that's pretty extreme, but I can see it happening the way things are now. Needless to say, I made the necessary changes to make sure it never happens again. BTW, when the pump stand gets soaked, the belts get wet and nothing works let alone the risk of damage to the pump stand motors and pumps....Going back through the video, I also had some pretty upset customers...The new setup is well worth the effort that gives me piece of mind.
 
2Biz said:
I don't think you'll find a push connect for the air fitting on a FJ...If you look closely, it also incorporates an air check valve....

What I did was use 3/8 OD LLDPE tubing for air...It has a 1/4" ID and fits the barb fitting on the FJ nicely. Just need to use a small hose clamp. At least you can use a push connect on the other end.
Click to expand...

I slip a piece of 3/8" ID hose over the 3/8" to spread the clamping pressure better. I've tried a clamp right on the 3/8" tubing but it usually starts to leak after a while. I've also taken a 1" long piece of 1/2" OD tubing, slipped it over the 3/8" OD, pushed the barb into the 3/8" then forced the 1/2" over that. It's always held, looks cleaner than a clamp and there's nothing sharp to handle when you're changing a pump.
 
I was looking for same part for the cleaner install. Finally got it. Part # 21000233b at kleen-rite. Packs of 12.

https://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-8866-flojet-21000233b-14-poly-tube-fitting-for-5100-and-g-series-pumps-12-pack.aspx
 
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