DIY TIG cooler project

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Since I've finished my garage sale MIG welder project ( http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=41861 ) I have now been inspired to get my TIG attachment working. I've owned it for a long time and when I first got it I just ran tap water through a regulator and let it drain down the driveway. I never used it much though, so never had a chance to build up deposits. So anyway, the torch works fine, I just need to cobble together a recirculating cooler for it.Step 1 is where I'm at - the planning stage.However I have been thinking about doing this for a long, long time - since I moved to my house 12 years ago. (Holy crap! This has got to get done!). So in the interim I have picked up a few bits & pieces. I bought a pump from Harbor Freight which should do the trick I think - 300 GPH and 115 feet of lift - that should be more than ample for a cooler pump shouldn't it? A friend gave me a heater core from something to use for the radiator, so my first real question is whether that should work or not. I'm thinking it should be fine unless it's just too small, but it is about the same size as commercial coolers I've seen IIRC.So I just need a fan and some kind of tub. The odd thing is that the biggest hassle about this is figuring out where the thing will sit for it to do it's job. I'm kind of thinking maybe my high-freq attachment and the cooler could be set up on its own dedicated cart, but to do that right might mean coming up with some quick-release power connectors so it can be easily connected/disconnected from the power supply - The Lincoln Idealarc 300 amp sweetness (Well I'm liking it anyway).So since I'm still planning and not yet building, this thread will probably move a little slowly for a while, but if anybody has opinions on my heater core as a radiator or the pump being way the wrong size or something, please feel free to advise - I just want to do this once if I can and any words of wisdom will be appreciated.p.s. I did see a recommendation for the pump for about 1.25 qt/min at about 50 PSI. It was just in a forum post somewhere and it sounded authoritative, but let me know if you have differing opinions on that.If I can get the TIG going, I'll have TIG, MIG, SMAW and Oxy/Acetylene capability here at the house, and eventually maybe even a little spot welder. I'll feel like I have finally arrived, just a little later than I expected.Thanks for any advice. I'll post pictures of progress as I go, and I'll start with a picture of the parts I have piled up as soon as I get the chance.Last edited by tyrone shewlaces; 05-24-2010 at 10:08 PM.
Reply:Here's an article from The Fabricator that includes some info what what you'll needhttp://www.thefabricator.com/article...of-two-weldersGood luck! and have fun!-----------------------Carmen Electrodewww.CarmenElectrode.comand the boss blogs at  www.JoeWelder.comall powered by  www.Arc-Zone.com
Reply:I'm pretty sure that the pump you have won't work from the sounds of it. You do need a minimum of 50psi and I think that 80psi is the norm but don't qoute me on that.  The high pressure is needed to push the water through the small passages in the torch.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:50psi is the norm. anything more than that and you can blow out all those tiny passages on your torch.-----------------------Carmen Electrodewww.CarmenElectrode.comand the boss blogs at  www.JoeWelder.comall powered by  www.Arc-Zone.com
Reply:If the pump I have is rated properly, then 115 feet of lift translates to 49.8 psi, so that should be just about right I think. It's been a really long time, but it seems that I set my regulator to drop the house tap pressure down to about 40 or so psi and it worked OK back then. I certainly don't want it to starve and burn things up, but honestly it seems like the bigger problem would be from pushing too much pressure than too little, and I would seat-of-the-pants guess even 30 would work though maybe not optimum. Anyway, this pump is beefier than I've seen on a couple commercial TIG coolers I've seen (not necessarily indicative, but maybe somewhat).I'm just thinking out loud here and not shooting down advice (which I appreciate). It doesn't hurt to hash these numbers out and see what stays afloat.I'll gather up the stuff I have pretty soon and snap a photo to illustrate what I've got going so far, which admittedly isn't much right now.Oh, and another thing I figger might be good to put into the system is a filter of some kind. That would be pretty cheap and good insurance for my torch.p.s. thanks for the link too. There is some useful info there.(edit - took some quick pictures)OK, here's the "radiator" and pump. The pump motor is supposed to be 1/2hp. Right of those is the pressure regulator I used back in the day.Dollar bill for scale.Here's one of the TIG boxAnd just because I'm proud to own it, here's my Idealarc 300 with the TIG dealie on top.Last edited by tyrone shewlaces; 05-25-2010 at 10:26 PM.
Reply:Ok. That's a lot better pump than I thought it was.  What was the part number? I might be interested in one.  I know that the article calls for 50 psi and that's probably enough. I'm just basing my response to some experiments I did a while back (and memory of a similar discussion on RCM a few years ago). I would like to build a small very quiet cooler for my Dynasty 200DX. I was experimenting with a small gear pump I had to see what it would take to circulate a little water. It took a lot more pressure to get any real amount of water through than I expected. Anyway in the previous discussions on this subject that I've followed there's been a lot of guys who've gotten by just fine without the radiator. Just a bucket of water is usually enough especially for the home shop. My plan is a tank of some form (possibly stainless that I'll build) on my cart for the Dynasty and just the pump. If I ever do a TIG job where that won't be enough I could add a small basic radiator to the system. Now keep in mind that I've got a good Bernard water cooler already. It's just that it's a lot bigger and noisier than I want for the low amp TIG that I do.   Yes I would recommend a filter based on what the experience I've had with the Bernard. I'm just not sure what would be a good filter to use. It would be better if it was on the output of the pump and not the return from the torch IMHO. You never want a filter on the inlet of the pump (maybe a screen but not a filter).Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:The pump is a Harbor Freight 01479 clear water pump. (link)I don't know for sure if it will work or not, but it does appear to be decent enough. Unfortunate that it's HF import, but maybe it's OK anyway. Since I have that regulator with a gage, I'll hook it up and see what kind of pressure reading it can generate first. I have no idea at all if it's quiet or noisy having never even wired it up yet. They're cheap enough. You know everything at HF goes on sale every month or two, so you just have to wait a little while and the thing will be 20 or 30 bucks instead of 40.It may be a while before I have a chance to hook it up and give it a test, but as soon as I do I'll report back and let you know unless you beat me to it.It makes sense that you could just circulate the water without running it through a radiator. No wonder the ones I've seen always seemed so small - they must not have to do all that much.I figured just a basic sediment filter in a canister from the hardware store would be more than adequate for filtering. (something like this) It would be a little bulky, but not too bad, especially since I'm figuring on mounting the TIG unit and cooler onto a kind of self-contained cart. There should be room for it. And I agree - put it on the output, not the return.Oh yea and BTW:I've burned up a TIG torch before due to lack of coolant flow. It took less than a minute. (gone in 60 seconds!)So I was even thinking about adding some sort of flow meter safety circuit which will at least sound some sort of alarm if the coolant decided to quit working or I forgot to switch it on or whatever, and hopefully switch things off too if possible. That's something I will definitely post about here in case anybody else might want to add that to their system. I fiddle with electronics a little and that would be a useful item and kind of fun to design.Last edited by tyrone shewlaces; 05-25-2010 at 11:24 PM.
Reply:Hmm. Well I think I'll wait and see what happens when you try it. Now that I can see what type of pump it is I again have doubts about it's pressure capability. Centrifugal pumps generally aren't good at creating much pressure. At least the smaller ones aren't. I've worked on pumps that could but that was when I was a firetruck mechanic in the Air Force.  The filter looks good. I wasn't even thinking about those. They're more than capable of the pressure.  I've burned one up as well.   There's two ways I know of to do the job. One is a pressure switch wired so that you can't turn on the power for the welder (probably wired to the foot pedal or the like) and the other is a fuse. I've not seen one of the fuses yet but I've heard about them and think that would be a pretty good idea.Last edited by irish fixit; 05-25-2010 at 11:24 PM.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Oh yea. Sure man. Make me do all the work! hehe.This weekend I'll probably wire it up and plumb it enough to power it up and give it a pressure test of some kind then. I don't think you'd be able to expect a ton of pressure out of an impeller pump, but it seems to me that 50lb isn't really all that much, at least for fluids. I'm just guessin' here and could be totally wrong. But we'll both have a little better idea after I do some testing. I'll certainly report what I find out.
Reply:tyrone, I know its cooler here in Alaska, but I keep the shop above freezing all year round and I've got a little simpler system that has worked for a long time.Our 30+ year service TIG cooler on a 300 A torch is just an aluminum tank with the pump pulling from the tank and the return emptying into the tank.An aluminum tank (6 gallon) has stayed warm to the touch once or twice (six hours at 300 A welding) but the torch didn't get hot or stay overheated- I think you can skip the intercooler/radiator and just make an aluminum tank of plate that would cool the circulating water adequately?Maybe you're in a much warmer climate so the radiator is important but we just use the tank to cool the water and it's worked well.Cheers,Kevin Morin
Reply:You mention it but would be a good idea to work some sort of auto shutdown so you don't roast another torch if the pump fails, possibly utilizing a thermister.Got a friend that has a brake, finish it up with a cover to keep things clean.
Reply:I hope that F-series heater core works better for tig cooler than it does for its original application.  I average one every two years in my older trucks.   Thankfully they are easy enough to change and its more of an annoyance.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:Here is a link to the one I built a couple of years ago.  Yes, I already know that the welds look like a combination of bird poo and JBWeld.  They were my first attempts at Aluminum welding.   Anyway, the cooler works very well.  The fan is rated at 300cfm.  The Procon pump is set for 50-60 psi.  Although I do not have a pressure gauge in the system, I do not believe that the pressure is that high.   If I were to do it again, I would not use Aluminum (stainless tank & either stainless or brass fittings).  I have found that locating (official) TIG coolant that is a happy mix with Aluminum is impossible.  http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...ghlight=coolerI estimate that I have somewhere between $250 & $300 in the cooler.  Remember that things cost more in Alaska than in the US, plus shipping is very high (we do not get any of those "free shipping" deals that the residents of the US do.One final thought:  I connected my cooler directly into the cord for the Dynasty.  That way, you can never forget to plug it in or turn it on.Best to youJerry in Anchorage