Lately my guys in the shop have a habit of turning on the water to add to the coolant tank and then forgetting about it until it overflows and then creates a mess on the floor. Has anyone tried some automatic floats on their coolant tanks, or what's a simple solution besides the obvious? I've even done this myself so I know you can forget about it quite easily. I was going to try a basic garden watering timer and see if something like that works. What is everyone using in their shop? Any ideas are appreciated!
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Coolant Overflow
- Thread starter Richdad
- Start date
- Replies 27
- Views 6,223
Larry Dickman
Titanium
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2014
- Location
- Temecula, Ca
This is something I've been considering. I was going to get a couple plastic 55 gal drums, mixing coolant in a 5 gal bucket is bullshit. My plan was to mount a float valve in the drum. Seems like whenever you start to fill a bucket, that's a cue for the phone to ring.
Gobo
Titanium
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2013
- Location
- Oregon, USA
Simple. Do not walk away until finished.
Milland
Diamond
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
- Location
- Hillsboro, New Hampshire
You'll have to come up with some way to stop the float valve from dumping coolant in when the machine is running and the tank is drawn down. If it fills up, then gets the machine enclosure coolant draining back in you'll have the same mess all over again.
A solenoid valve with interlock to prevent filling while machine is running, perhaps with a time delay to allow for machine drainage might work.
For keeping larger drums filled with coolant mix - beware of bacteria buildup in stored, static drums. Use an aerator or other agitation method to help keep the coolant fresh. Smaller refresh quantities is a pain, but unless you do through the drum within a week you may be better off with small mixes.
A solenoid valve with interlock to prevent filling while machine is running, perhaps with a time delay to allow for machine drainage might work.
For keeping larger drums filled with coolant mix - beware of bacteria buildup in stored, static drums. Use an aerator or other agitation method to help keep the coolant fresh. Smaller refresh quantities is a pain, but unless you do through the drum within a week you may be better off with small mixes.
Larry Dickman
Titanium
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2014
- Location
- Temecula, Ca
When we started using Trim 585, all our coolant issues went away.
Philabuster
Diamond
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2006
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Spring loaded ball valves. You CANNOT walk away without it shutting off. We had to install these in the shop after a rash of coolant related incidents. Boss also said we would be fired on the spot if we used something to prop open the valve and created another spill.
It worked. No spills and nobody got fired due to coolant spills.
I make a line of wet air scrubbers and we often put low water alarms and automatic fills with them. I don't know how big you want to go, they for sure don't give that stuff away, but its all readily commercially available. Set a low level alarm where you want it and a high shut off.
@ Larry - is that one of those types you match with your way oil....or just a really good coolant? Do you do anything to maintain it, other than checking the concentration? I'm building the Mark II coolant "server" with pump, UV light, air bubbler and tramp oil skimmer all in the attempt get the coolant last. If there was an awesome coolant that wore cape it be a lot easier
@ Larry - is that one of those types you match with your way oil....or just a really good coolant? Do you do anything to maintain it, other than checking the concentration? I'm building the Mark II coolant "server" with pump, UV light, air bubbler and tramp oil skimmer all in the attempt get the coolant last. If there was an awesome coolant that wore cape it be a lot easier
A stock tank valve is what you need for a simple overflow preventer. Rig up a few fittings to connect the hose to it during fill up time, and a bracket to suspend it at the level you want. There's lots of different styles available.
Amazon.com : Little Giant Rubber Trough-O-Matic Stock Tank Float Valve TM825 : Automatic Float Valve : Pet Supplies
Edit: I see Larry already mentioned a float valve.
Amazon.com : Little Giant Rubber Trough-O-Matic Stock Tank Float Valve TM825 : Automatic Float Valve : Pet Supplies
Edit: I see Larry already mentioned a float valve.
Larry Dickman
Titanium
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2014
- Location
- Temecula, Ca
Our mills don't use oil, so that's not a problem. But even in our lathes and grinders, which sometimes sit unused for months, and they do use hyd oil and way oil, there's never any smell or crap floating around.
As far as coolant maintenance, we do about as shit job as you can imagine. We have a jet mixer set to mix a little light to account for evaporation. Other than that we just top up the tanks everyday. About once a year we suck the tanks out and clean the chips and crap out, but since we started using the 585, we put the old coolant back in. The stuff never seems to go bad. Without a doubt the best coolant I've ever come across.
72bwhite
Titanium
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2012
- Location
- California, Ventura county
Kind of have the same experience with the trim E206
just drained the vmc tank after 4 years no stink, only drained it cause sold the machine.
most of it will go in the lathe tank
just drained the vmc tank after 4 years no stink, only drained it cause sold the machine.
most of it will go in the lathe tank
Tonytn36
Diamond
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2007
- Location
- Southeastern US
garyhlucas
Stainless
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2013
- Location
- New Jersey
Lets see, about $32 for the valve plus about a buck a minute to stand there holding it open! I added a float valve after the manual valve on our cleaning tanks. You can go do some useful work and return to a correctly filled tank, then turn off the manual valve.
Ox
Diamond
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2002
- Location
- Northwest Ohio
I don't have this issue with 5 gal buckets of coolant as our water (usually) comes screaming out, so it's not something that you walk away from.
However - yrs ago when I was getting cutting oil in 55 gal drums, I just had them tipped up with a 3/4 ball valve on the small bung, and it took long enough to fill (oil) that I would walk away to try my hand at that woman thing (multi-tasking). Bein' a fella, I pretty much suck at it, and I would all too often forget about it and overflow the bucket. (oil is a bigger mess than coolant)
No-body else walked away from it, and so I was the only one that had this issue. I once drained a brand new 55 gal drum.
So - I fixed that issue when we moved into a bigger building. I put a 500 gal tank up on the ledge and it has 2" piping. You don't walk away from that one! Problem solved!
--------------------------
Think Snow Eh!
Ox
However - yrs ago when I was getting cutting oil in 55 gal drums, I just had them tipped up with a 3/4 ball valve on the small bung, and it took long enough to fill (oil) that I would walk away to try my hand at that woman thing (multi-tasking). Bein' a fella, I pretty much suck at it, and I would all too often forget about it and overflow the bucket. (oil is a bigger mess than coolant)
No-body else walked away from it, and so I was the only one that had this issue. I once drained a brand new 55 gal drum.
So - I fixed that issue when we moved into a bigger building. I put a 500 gal tank up on the ledge and it has 2" piping. You don't walk away from that one! Problem solved!
--------------------------
Think Snow Eh!
Ox
ewlsey
Diamond
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2009
- Location
- Peoria, IL
Put a dead man valve on the hose.
D Dubeau
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2007
- Location
- Ontario, Canada
Toilet valve would be pretty easy to fit to a coolant tank. Cheap and easy to find as well.
And yeah, I've done the fill and forget before too. Staying late to get a job running for the weekend, I was sitting at my desk and the water started pouring in through the door. I ended up having to stay WAY later than I had planned for....
Is there some secret that I'm missing about mixing coolant? Does it really need to be mixed that thoroughly? I've always just added a bit to a 5gal pail, and filled with water. If the tank is really down, I'll run the hose, and add concentrate. Run the pump for a bit, and it's mixed enough to check concentration. Why all the fuss about mixing?
And yeah, I've done the fill and forget before too. Staying late to get a job running for the weekend, I was sitting at my desk and the water started pouring in through the door. I ended up having to stay WAY later than I had planned for....
Is there some secret that I'm missing about mixing coolant? Does it really need to be mixed that thoroughly? I've always just added a bit to a 5gal pail, and filled with water. If the tank is really down, I'll run the hose, and add concentrate. Run the pump for a bit, and it's mixed enough to check concentration. Why all the fuss about mixing?
Mud
Diamond
- Joined
- May 20, 2002
- Location
- South Central PA
I posted this before - a Hudson valve. Not sure if it will stand up to coolant though. I saw a shop using gas pump nozzles - they fill up then shut off, they won't reopen when the level drops.
Bobw
Diamond
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2005
- Location
- Hatch, NM Chile capital of the WORLD
Its apparently a big deal, that is why a proper mixer is like $900..
OIL!! Oil In Last!!
From Uli, the Blaser Guru, and there is a Blaser guy floating around here, maybe he can explain it
better.. It has something to do with the emulsion..
If you add water to your oil, you end up with a reverse emulsion. I'm not sure on the whole thing,
but it apparently has worse heat distribution properties along with other issues..
Just from my own experience.. Put some oil(coolant) in a bucket, or use a small amount in a cup.
Then add a small amount of water, approximately the same amount... You end up with Curds, chunks.
I don't understand it all, or even a little bit of it, but, YES, it apparently is a big deal to get
the best performance out of your coolant.
