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Spot Free pump - advice?

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Mchas

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My spot free pump right now is a Cat 5CP2150W and a Baldor motor. The pump is vibrating enough to be noticeable in the bays so I need to either repair it or replace it. I haven’t had a chance to take the valves out yet but I am guessing it is probably washed out?

If it’s not washed out I can replace the valves and/or seals but if it’s washed out I need to either replace it or go with a different setup. A new head or pump is $600+ but seems like switching to a different style pump+motor would not be much less?

I run about 200-250psi in the 5 bays.

Any advice? Thanks!
 

MEP001

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Since you're only running 200-250 PSI in the bays, just replace the pump and motor with a Procon. It will do 250 and the whole changeover will cost about $600. The biggest variable is the cost of the motor. I wait until there's a 20 or 25% off sale at Zoro and get two, then with free shipping it's a really good deal.







 

Mchas

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That might be the way to go. Then I could keep the existing Baldor motor as a spare for my bays since it still works fine.

I have 3 phase power at this location - are there any good 3 phase motors? They tend to last a lot longer.

Do I need all of those attachments you linked to? Some look identical?
 

MEP001

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I have 3 phase power at this location - are there any good 3 phase motors? They tend to last a lot longer.
You can get the same motor I linked in 3-phase.

Do I need all of those attachments you linked to? Some look identical?
The photos are the same, but the parts are not. One part is for the motor shaft, one for the pump shaft, one is the bushing for between.
 

ICEMAN

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5CP2150W might have a one time warranty replacement for washout ,,,, call cat
 

Mchas

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5CP2150W might have a one time warranty replacement for washout ,,,, call cat
Interesting - hadn’t thought of that. Thanks! I’ll take it apart soon and see if it’s washed out and then decide what to do from there.
 

MEP001

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Interesting - hadn’t thought of that. Thanks! I’ll take it apart soon and see if it’s washed out and then decide what to do from there.
He's right, there will be a raised "W" in the center of the manifold if it has a replacement warranty. If it has been exchanged, there will be an "R" stamped in it.
 

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5CP2150W might have a one time warranty replacement for washout ,,,, call cat
What does wash out look like? I put my first set of seals in today and I need to learn what to look for. Thanks
 

MEP001

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Washout is more obvious in what it does. If you change your valve o-rings and a week later the pulsation is back and there's a missing piece of o-ring, the manifold is probably washed out. Look down into the opening where the o-ring contacts the brass - it can be hard to see because of the angle, but once you see it it's obvious. Washout in the seal area is pretty obvious.
 

Mchas

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Looking at the pump now - seems to have a “W” stamped on it, so I guess it’s already been warrantied before?

Dumb question but could I use a Cat 310 instead of this one for my spot free? I have several of those lying around and it would be easy to put one in instead of converting to a different Procon setup.

(Edit: guessing not since the 310 runs at 950rpm vs the 5CP2150W at 1725, so the 310 wouldn’t be able run at a low enough pressure?)
 

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MEP001

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The "W" means it still has a warranty. An "R" stamped to the right would mean it's been warranty replaced.

You could use a 310 if you change the pulleys, but you're not going to get the flow to run more than two, maybe three bays at a time. If it were me, I'd put the 310, change just the pump pulley to the correct 8", and run it a little over recommended RPM while you send off the 5CP manifold.
 

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Looks like this one is washed out? The rest are smooth but this has pitting in a few spots where the valve should sit flush. Can someone confirm this is what it looks like when it is washed out?
 

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MEP001

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It's definitely damaged, but it looks more like cavitation damage than erosion, which means the pump may not be getting enough flow. Also make sure it's plumbed where the flow doesn't have to change direction in the pump. You shouldn't for example have the inlet and outlet on the same side of the pump and the regulator bypass and return on the opposite side.

I've marked the area where erosion/cavitation damage will affect the valves and their seals. It does look pretty bad there. Does it eat up valve o-rings?

Valve washout.jpeg
 

Mchas

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Thanks for the reply. Something is definitely not right because I decided to try a brand new head and it still pulsates/vibrates. Here is a picture of how it is plumbed if it helps. I just put a new unloader on there and am about to try again. Anything else I should try?

The valves and their orings seemed ok when I pulled them out.

In the photo, the incoming water is on the bottom right and the outgoing to the bays is on the top left. The bottom left blue hose goes back to the spot free tank.
 

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Mchas

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I think that backflow preventer on the incoming side might have been the problem. I just removed it and have the water coming straight into the pump and it seems much better. Do I need that backflow valve in there or can I just leave it off?
 
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MEP001

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Since you already have a check valve on the outlet of the pump, you definitely don't need another on the inlet. The flow routing looks fine, wouldn't hurt to replace the hose to the pump with 3/4".
 

Mchas

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Thanks! Makes sense.

As for the picture of the slight damage to the old head, would it be worth sending it to Cat to be repaired?

Now that I know the problem was caused by the old swing check valve I could try putting that old head back on and see if it works fine. The valves and seals were pretty old looking though so I would want to replace them but don’t want to do that if the uneven surface will cause premature wear.

Any suggestions what to do with the old head? Thanks again!
 

Randy

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Thanks! Makes sense.

As for the picture of the slight damage to the old head, would it be worth sending it to Cat to be repaired?

Now that I know the problem was caused by the old swing check valve I could try putting that old head back on and see if it works fine. The valves and seals were pretty old looking though so I would want to replace them but don’t want to do that if the uneven surface will cause premature wear.

Any suggestions what to do with the old head? Thanks again!
I wouldn't try putting that pump head back on until I got it sleeved with stainless steel inserts. We've been sending them to IDS for repair. http://idspumprepair.com/resleeving.php
 

Randy

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Looks like they can do 5CP2120W, but unfortunately this is a 5CP2150W. Are there any other companies that might be able to repair it?
Call or e-mail them and ask them if they can repair a Cat 5CP2150W pump head.
 
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