Building a TIG watercooler, what pump?

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I am building a small portable watercooler for my TIG torch and was wondering what pump I should use.  I was thinking of a basic fish pump since the water flow doesn't need to be too great.  Then having the hot water go directly into the tank and the water that gets sucked up will go through a small automotive heater unit or little transmission cooler or something that has a fan on it.Any ideas from people who have built one?  I have some stainless sheet metal that I will be building the housing and tank out of.  I am making it look like a factory unit.It only needs to handle up to 50 amps or so.  It won't get too hot.  I will only be tigging on light stuff, anything thicker will get wire or Stick.  I want the unit to be about 1' long, 8" tall and about 8" wide and have about 3/4 gallon capacity.  Just a little teeny one for on the road repairs.
Reply:For that you don't need a cooler, just a pump and a holding tank.Anything worth doing is worth doing RIGHT
Reply:olddad, I thought about that, but it would be nice for it to be able to handle more if I needed it to.  Plus, it would be a fun project to do.
Reply:For under 50A why not go air cooled? Size?Me!
Reply:Me!, I already have a watercooled TIG torch.  I just sold my nice 3gal watercooler to buy myself an LN-25.  But I wanted to make use of the nice small torch and build a new watercooler.But like I said, most work will be under 50a but the torch handles over 250amp, so I want a watercooler so if I ever need to do some TIG on heavy material I can.  But I don't need anything for a lot of heavy welding, just something that can handle a minute at a time of up to 150amps if I need to.Yes, size had to do with it too.  See the difference from the watercooled and air cooled?
Reply:Break your tungsten in 2 or 3 pieces and lose that long back cap. What's the function of the toggle ?Anything worth doing is worth doing RIGHT
Reply:Originally Posted by olddadBreak your tungsten in 2 or 3 pieces and lose that long back cap. What's the function of the toggle ?
Reply:I would use one of the vane or gear pumps, they are on eBay most of the time at a decent price.Me!
Reply:I used a Procon carbonator pump like they use in soda machines. Follow the link to my earlier post and pictures.http://www.weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=9123Sure, I can fix it... I got a welder!!!
Reply:Thanks fwalz3
Reply:for occaisional jobs like you say, why not use something more like a "cool can" than a trans cooler with a fan?what i am talking about is taking aluminum hard line and coiling it around inside something like a coffee can with the ends going out through the top, fill that can with water and some ice and snap your lid on. then circulate your water with your pump through the tubing and the torch.  I was just thinking then youll be using a couple bucks worht of aluminum or copper line and a pump... and nothing to get damaged easily like fins and electric fan could... Ice is cheap enough and the extra ice keeps your drinks cold too!I dont know a lot about water cooled TIGs though....
Reply:I built my tank out of 1/8 aluminum and it holds about five gallons of water/antifreeze mixture.  The bronze gear pump I bought from MSC.  It has an adjustable by pass (spring loaded ball) so the hoses won't be over pressured.  It has served me well for many years.
Reply:Maybe this one? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=47117or http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=45305???Those seem pretty small for a portable cooler.
Reply:I've been lurking on this forum for half a year now, but I think I can help or at least show you mine.  It's a cornelius keg for beer or soft drinks.  The pump was from grainger but it actually pumps too fast for the small hoses so I made a bypass loop.  I'm just a hobbyist btw and I think my waterflow is actually set up backwards but it works.  I've felt the tank after welding for a while and it's never been hot but I don't pull too much juice or I'll trip the breaker anyway.  Hope this helps.  Brett Attached Images
Reply:I believe that the usual supply pressure for a water cooled TIG torch is in the neighborhood of 45 to 60 PSI.   You've got 15 feet or more of fairly small hose, one with a cable taking up a lot of its flow area, and a torch with small water passages that you have to push the water through.  A typical fish tank pump is very inadequate for such service, even for low current welding.  I think a typical fish tank pump is a small centrifugal designed to work against a head of a few feet of water, at most.  Figure about 1/2 PSI per foot of water head and you see how low the back pressure is on a typical fish pump installation.I think your best bet is a Procon or similar "carbonator" style pump or other pump capable of providing the required flow against about 45 PSI back pressure.  Even if you don't intend to use more than 50 amps today, it seems like poor planning to go to the effort of putting together a tank and pump incapable of providing for normal welding currents when you need it.There's an interesting article on requirements of torch water coolers here:http://reviews.ebay.com/Maximize-Per...00000000798652They say 60 PSI and 1 quart of water per minute or 1 pint of water per minute for a "micro torch."  So select a pump providing at least 4 GPH at, maybe 30 PSI.  This would not be adequate for the full current capacity of your torch, but would probably be fine for 50 amps.Don't make the mistake of buying a pump with larger than required displacement.  Excess flow produces excess pressure that unnecessarily stresses hoses and is just vented through the pressure relief valve (if present) and dumped back into the tank or worse, back to the pump inlet.  That just erodes the pressure relief valve over time and wastes energy by heating up the "cooling" water and the pump.  I think the smallest Procon pump (15 GPH) is adequate for torch cooling.Have fun.awright
Reply:A simple centrifugul fountain pump with 1/4" fittings works fine. You only need a few PSI to make the cooler work. Unless you are running all day, a 5-gallon reservoir will suffice for cooling. If you run all day, add a small heat exchanger such as one for an auto tranny add-on with a small "muffin" fan into the line before it dumps back to the bucket.
Reply:I love the idea of trading some that you have and need but could make yourself for something else you also need. Us poor people have poor ways. I also like the idea of making something that could run full rated power all day just incase the need comes up. Every time I got something that just enough to get by a bigger job was not far off. I would think that the fountain pump would last for years and the carbonator pump might still be working when your boy needs it someday. Most of cheap parts washer just have a cheap fountain pump in them and I seen them pump dirty solvent for years.
Reply:I'm not sure if it will work but have you thought about computer water cooling supplies. They have pumps, radiators, and other things that might help. Heres a link. http://petrastechshop.com/watercooling.htmlhope it helps
Reply:Here's a good article about building a water cooler:http://www.thefabricator.com/ArcWeld...le.cfm?ID=1275Watch some of the pumps you get on eBay. They are for soda fountains and don't have the intregral strainer which is designed to keep crud out of your TIG torch.Here's everything you need to know about pumps:http://www.proconpumps.com/-----------------------Carmen Electrodewww.CarmenElectrode.comand the boss blogs at  www.JoeWelder.comall powered by  www.Arc-Zone.com
Reply:I just scored a carbonator pump off a coke machine, I will post a pic of it when I get home tonight.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:I don't know if George (Sundown) is on here or not. He's built several and has been published in national trade publications for his simple solutions. He's over on the Miller message board.  I wish I still had the links for his stuff....I'll go ask him for them again.
Reply:Procon makes good pummps. You can use a fuel filter wit a nylon insert for your line. Most of the pumps have internal pressure adjustment within limits. The lower pressure and lower GPH ones are best for water cooler use.Miller Millermatic 252Miller Syncrowave 200Liincoln AC-DC 225Victor O-A Set
Reply:If this is a stupid idea excuse the ignorance, but why not a automotive fuel pump? It would have to be new and clean but seriously, find a way to run it off a 12v power source like an old battery charger, even small factory units should flow enough gph to do the job no? Pressure could even be adjusted with a cheap automotive fuel pressure regulator?Ryan
Reply:I'm seeing a lot of 12V powered pumps on eBay but no 115VAC powered pumps...any suggestions?If fish-tank pumps aren't enough, what about boat bilge pumps?  Too high pressure?  It seems like with a 25' torch, you'd be removing some of that pressure by pumping the coolant/water at least 50 feet.....correct?I realize that doesn't solve my 12VDC vs 115VAC issue, but it's another alternative I would think.
Reply:Do a search for "carbonator pump".  This is the same type of pump found on some commercially available water coolers.Something like this just needs you to add a finned cooler and fan and you are almost there:Timhere one cooler i made the pump is 12Vdchttp://www.weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread...ghlight=coolerChuckASME Pressure Vessel welder
Reply:WelderBoy Me!, I already have a watercooled TIG torch.  I just sold my nice 3gal watercooler to buy myself an LN-25.  But I wanted to make use of the nice small torch and build a new watercooler.
Reply:I just liked the LN-25 and the price was fair.  Plus, my generator/welder is Lincoln, so I decided to match the two.Just get a toggle switch, buy a foot petal connector for your welder (14-pin in my case for my Miller).  Then find out what wires go where, hook it up, tape it to your torch.  Viola!
Reply:Originally Posted by WelderBoyI just liked the LN-25 and the price was fair.  Plus, my generator/welder is Lincoln, so I decided to match the two.Just get a toggle switch, buy a foot petal connector for your welder (14-pin in my case for my Miller).  Then find out what wires go where, hook it up, tape it to your torch.  Viola!