Coolant Coalescer?

[Mickey_D]

By the end of the month I am going to be up to 6 machines with coolant tanks and I am trying to come up with something better than running running a bunch of skimmers. I saw a demo of a coalescer down at the Houstex show a couple of months ago and I am thinking about putting one on wheels and running it from machine to machine on a nightly basis. Is this worth looking at or does anyone have a better suggestion? I am presently running Ashburn semi-synthetic but the Blaser rep is going to do a free fill on the lathe to so I can try it out. The Ashburn does not stink but does turn everything brown and is a little rougher on the paint than I care for.

 

[Matt@RFR]

I have a Zebra coalescer and Blaser coolant. I couldn't be happier with the combination.

Zebra recommends no more than 5 sumps be maintained with one unit without upgrading to a diaphragm pump, but I have no idea why. To be honest, they aren't that much money...I'd put one on every machine so the coolant can be run through the coalescer 24/7. Or maybe think about a central sump?

http://www.zebraskimmers.com/oil_skimmer_products/selection_guides/MuscleSelection.pdf

 

[cnctoolcat]

Check out the units by Keller. They run using an air pump, so no electricity. And, they have models on wheels...

Greg

 

[SteveinAZ]

I picked up a neat unit from a friend that called it quits about 3 years ago that is a roll around type, similar in concept to a Keller unit, but with a pretty good sized tank, maybe 60 gallons. It uses an air pump and works quite well but I like Keller's floating skimmers better as the alluminum fines tend to muck up the float unit. The unit is made to be portable and will clean up a 120 gallon colant tank in a few hours, so it does work well. I guess I just got lazy with moving it and everything in the way, so went with a bunch of individual Keller units (plus space constraints on a couple machines made it tough to fit in easily.) I would look at the portable Keller or multiple units way over the skimmers, either belt or wheel types ( I have quite a few of these too). I'd part with any of the above since the Kellers work so well...we even use one as a partial way to remove aluminum fines from one of the sumps...not an end-all, but it does help. PM me if you are interested in the big roll around unit.

Steve

 

[Wren]

When I put a zebra coalescer on my machine with Blaser coolant, it pretty much separated out all of the coolant from the water and left me with a coolant tank full of water. I don't understand what I did wrong.

 

[Matt@RFR]

Wren, just a guess but: The coalescer's job is to separate oil from your coolant, so it seems to me that your coolant wasn't mixed right and the coalescer did its job. How are you mixing your coolant?

For reference, I mix my Blaser with their mini mixer, but used to mix it by getting a vortex going with a paint mixer in a cordless drill. Then I would slowly poor the oil into the vortex. Using either method my coalescer never did what you're talking about. And that's with the coolant sitting unused for up to 2 weeks with the coalescer running 24/7, so it had plenty of time to do it if it was going to.

 

[Wren]

Wren, just a guess but: The coalescer's job is to separate oil from your coolant, so it seems to me that your coolant wasn't mixed right and the coalescer did its job. How are you mixing your coolant?

For reference, I mix my Blaser with their mini mixer, but used to mix it by getting a vortex going with a paint mixer in a cordless drill. Then I would slowly poor the oil into the vortex. Using either method my coalescer never did what you're talking about. And that's with the coolant sitting unused for up to 2 weeks with the coalescer running 24/7, so it had plenty of time to do it if it was going to.

It was mixed with the Blaser drum mixer that mounts to the top of the drum and you hook up a garden hose.

 

[Mickey_D]

Wren, what "flavor" of Blaser were you using and what is your water like. A buddy of mine who has very hard water also reported some separation problems.