[Rob_Mac]

This is probably the best place to ask this question on the forum.

I understand about diesel engines but do not understand about sticking a ( I believe Mike has recommended in the past) positive displacement blower onto the engine and what is required.

I have been all over the internet looking for an off the shelf option but there is no small diesel unit, they start at trailer mounted and are too big.

The system is for pressure washing waste water vacuum recovery - in a closed loop system - so reusing the same water, over and over again.

In an ideal world there will be vacuum pick up from flat surface cleaners, back down vacuum hoses to an interceptor tank (at some point here there will be additional filtration), from there it will go into the vacuum and then auto dump out back to the main water tank.

The filtration is understood, the loop system is understood, i need the vacuum unit, I don't understand CFM and lift per second and what would constitute a vacuum to suck slurry and compacted crap, both from floor level and gutters (of an industrial size)

This vacuum is going to work hard so I do not believe I am going to find anything off the shelf.

In my head it is just an engine fixed to a blower??!!!!.

Water recovery could be up to 100LPM but minimum 35LPM and the vacuum may require three outlets.

I have looked into using Truck mounts but I just don't need half of what is on them.

Really would like pointing in the right direction here.

Any help much appreciated

Rob

[gwrightson]

Rob,
Not exactly my feild and i would say yes! Mike is your man, having said that from what you are trying to do is drive a blower using a deiel engine , so u need a coupling of some sort to take the power from engine to blower ,either by a pully and belt system or a direct drive .
I,m sure mike will elaborate 

Geoff

[John Kelly]

Sticking a blower on an engine is pretty simple. Belt drive is best as any problems and the belts just slip wheras direct drive the coupling is designed to break. The problem you have is if you are expecting the water to go direct through the blower as in the Prowler then it needs to be filtered prior to hitting the blower as you can't have dirt and grit going through the blower as it will damage it.
The problem is with picking up the debris you are encountering would block any filter within minutes.
Personally I would be looking at finding a cheap truckmount and stripping it back until its just an engine, blower unit and waste tank. You could then fit an auto pump out to the waste tank. Again the main problem is catching the crap prior to the waste tank as otherwise it will just fill the waste tank up with debris and eventually the auto pump out will cease working. The answer to this would be to have a catch tank prior to the main waste tank where all the debris will fall to the bottom and the water will be sucked through into the main tank. This catch tank can then be emptied when its needed.

[Mike Halliday]

driving a blower is simple here are 3 examples that I use,  basic engine joined to a blower by belt or flexible coupling, you need a silencer on the exit port ( they are very loud) and a vac relief fitting to stop the tank imploding if the vac gets too high


the last one is a diesel, the problem is as you probably know water-cooled  diesels have a big footprint

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[Mike Halliday]

[Rob_Mac]

Thank you for the responses

I have been looking at this now for some time and it is time to get it into action.

The pre filtration will comprise of at least one drum, possibly two with bag filters of differing sizes to catch all of the crap, both drums will have auto pump outs fitted after the filtration, in each drum.

So that should take care of any rubbish getting into the blower, I think.

John

Do they not do a blower with a diesel engine, the van it will be going into is spacious - LWB Iveco.

What size engine would I need to power a positive displacement blower that could potentially feed 3 operators, similarly what size blower would I need because if I am going to do this I would prefer to go down the route of buying the bits in and making a start, rather than waiting for  a suitable unit to come up or do you know of a unit that may be suitable?

I have looked at lots of blowers but have no idea if they are suitable.

Mike

Are you using the set ups for pressure washing ?, how big are they and how well do they work ?.

Are they all second hand units that you have put together or have you been able to find someone to buy them from?

The top one looks like a petrol unit, the bottom one looks a lot bigger - I s that right?

Rob

[Mike Halliday]

top one is a GX390 13hp engine powering a 40blower
second 18hp kholer powering a 45blower
3rd is a 30hp diesel powering a 56 blower

these are all parts that i have bought of ebay or scavenged from places.

to power 3 suction over 50ft you will need minimum of a  56blower which will require min 45hp engine. if i was building such a machine I would buy this.....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/isuzu-engine-diesel-engine-generator-power-pack-isuzu-powerpack-jcb-/200876689280?_trksid=p5197.m1992&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D14%26meid%3D5336742318305568509%26pid%3D100015%26prg%3D1006%26rk%3D7%26sd%3D190792290103%26

roots dresser UK HQ is in huddersfield (I think )

[Rob_Mac]

Just a quick update on this - if anyone is interested.

I have had a lengthy conversation today with Big Brute and am looking at one of their Floodman machines.

This I am told is a 4 litres of water per second vacuum - 240 litres per minute and will auto dump out at approximately the same rate.

It has a roots blower attached and comes in 110 & 230 volt.

Not exactly what I wanted but I knew about these vacuums about four years ago and have decided to capitalise on the redundant 12 KVA generator I have sitting in the unit, for the power source.

I have been told that I ought to get 30 metres from FSC to vacuum and then possibly 20 metres on the auto dump out, so a 50 metre radius without stretching the vacuum capability, he was confident that it would do these runs but was not sure how much I could push it.

With the L/S it can be split at least two ways with no issue on collection.

I am in London next week on some works and have a pencilled in appointment to pop in on the way back up.

Not cheap at all but with filtration in the right place  it has more than enough clout to support our requirements.

Thank you to those that took the time to post.

Rob

[Mike Halliday]

if you are going for electric  and can get the filtration sorted you could have made something like this it would provide the vacuum you needed

[Rob_Mac]

Mike

What is it and have you got any figures CFM or L/S so I can see how the Big Brute stacks up against what you have posted.

The Big brute is heftily expensive and I would be silly to not look at alternatives.

Rob

[Mike Halliday]

this is a bane clene aquamount, don't have the specs of it but it is a 36blower turning at 1500rpm, which is the biggest set up you can get that will run on a 240v supply, the big brute will not be any more powerful if it is 240v

this is something that could be knocked up in a workshop in an hour. its a motor, blower, silencer and a  power switch

[Rob_Mac]

Mike

The Big Brute is 110 volt and or 230.

Put me out of my misery - Is this something that you would be prepared to knock up for me - as a project.

Rob

[Mike Halliday]

no sorry,  I've got 3 projects sat of my patio waiting for me to get round to them

[Rob_Mac]

I would be more than happy for it to be a paid project but if I can't tempt you thanks anyway

Rob

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I wonder with today's newer technology (remember that new motor you found which works at 17 amps mike?) if the blower would turn any faster?

Shaun

[richie]

For optimum performance you are going to need a petrol or diesel powerd unit.  As Mike noted if you want to run the unit with 3 guys then you are going to need a 56 blower powered by at least a 40hp engine. or run 3 smaller units. 

[PaulKing]

There a company round the corner from our unit that makes ship vacuum toilet system and have a trailer with what your looking for on it, they hook it up when they are servicing cruise ships toilets. Might be able to help you, here's the details.
 http://www.findsomeonelocal.co.uk/search/sewage_disposal_equipment_and_service/north_shields/servac_international#.URdTVREgGK0