[jonisondell]

sounds very much like pump problem, is the pump is turning and no pressure must be pump, i had the same over christmas,

my fault was pump turning no water pressure then a trickle, couldnt understand because pump was turning.
to check pump, disconnect from your setup, connect input to pump to a bucket of water see what comes out other end, if nothing/trickle its the pump seals (diaphram) they are either knackered or a bit of crap has got into it and this will stop pumping.

very easy fix, first take head off pump to inspect diaphram 3 screws its very simple dont worry only a few bits in pump head, clean with water and toothbrush to get bits out, re-assemble test.

i had to do this a couple of times before cleared fault, ive got a detailed diagram of how pump goes together if you get stuck

if this doesnt clear fault you could try to get a new head at a cost of about 25 from williams pump

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

TBH the pump will be working against massive back pressure on 2 lengths of 100m microbore. The pump you mention will really only supply 1 100m micro with a decent flow rate. To run 2 reels you really need 2 pumps or 1 bigger pump of 8l/m flow rate. The flowrate that some are happy with is a lot less than what others are pleased with.

As for the fluctuation in flow, try the pump on it's own without the controller to isolate the problem. Also take 1 reel off to cut down on back pressure to see if it makes a difference.

Simon. 

[Mike 108]

See some of the replies to the topic '2 poles one van'.

Also, It might be worth mentioning that I, and some colleagues, have all experienced poor water flow when first running pumps from 'dry' (even when it has been gravity feed to the pump - so you wouldn't expect air locks).

After switching the pump on for a few seconds, and then off and then on again, repeatedly, the flow eventually increased and eventually reached maximum.

Once working properly, we've not had any problems since (none of us has a 'varistream').

It might be worth persevering for a bit.

Mike

[marcoboyle]

hi guys thanks again for suggestions, ive ordered another pump and controller as i cant find the problem, if there is one!
basically is says on the pump 1.8 gpm which i assume to mean gallons per minute which equates to nearly 8.2 litres per minute if im right. maybe not, i did get told it does about 5 litres per minute. which sound more reasonable. Either ive got my sums wrong or not understood the gpm, either way its not enough to do the 2 reels of (sorry i wrote it wrong) 8mm mini bore.

I did a quick test thought to check,i put the pump on for 1 minutes just straight into a bucked and measured what came out - 4.3 litres in that minute.  tried it again coming out the di and it was exactly the same.  out one length of the 100m hose and it went down to 3.7 litres per minute. that seems plenty to me! when its like that it comes out the jets at the end no probs. it still drops down and becomes poor at times.
i just tried putting it out of the hoselock y splitter before the hosereels (as i was going to use this for the two hose reels)and it will only come out one of the two exits, maybe im wondering if i had some kind of minibore splitter if it would work better?
is it a easier to push the water through when its all on the reel or when its all laid out, like 100m away? or does that not make a diffference?
Im thinkin i give in, we can live with this one as long as it doesnt drop too much or too often, i will perservere and see if its improves more, it has a bit so far and ill compare to the new one when i fit it.

[jonisondell]

yes its a pump problem if its intermitant, did you try to clean it out??
dont throw it away, you van buy a new head for 25 quid, very easy to fit.
just out of interest what is the model number

or could be a voltage drop, you say its connected to your van battery, monitor voltage when pump pumping, a drop in voltage to pump will cause also reduced flow. could be your battery is on its way out

[AJ]

instead of having two hose reels coming off the splitter, try using one hose reel with the splitter at the pole end, and plug two poles into the splitter.
i sometimes use this with a 60psi pump and its, lets say, adequate.

[marcoboyle]

thanks but that aint gona work    we are looking to go with two reels going seperatly as in opposites directions up the road so we can work up to 200meters worth of houses at one time before having to move the van. thanks tho!

[tomo]

just a thought, i had intermittent pressure from my van mount, took the hose off the pump and it flowed fine , ergo i thought my pump was gone but when i started the van the pressure came back fine ,
 i have a split relay but my battery was knackered! wasnt charging or holding charge,  once i changed the battery no problem's every thing working fine hope this helps

[luther1]

When my pump was faulty it worked perfectly until i plugged the hose in,after investigation the head had gone.4 screws and a two minute job.Another time my leisure battery was knackered.

[marcoboyle]

it really shouldnt be the pump that has gone cos it and all the fittings are brand new, just been bought! Cant be the battery cos the controller shows the battery voltage - it sits at a steady 12.2 when the ignition is off and when its on it goes up to 14.4 volts. Its so annoying how it should all work but it just isnt!!
Thanks again for all your suggestions and brain storming! 

[jonisondell]

it can be pump, i had bits of plastic in mine i thought it was knackered it stops the diaphram working and stops water flow, the nice blokes at williamsson pumps confirmed this when i tried to buy a new head, quite a common fault apparently,

[jefftemperley]

did you disconnect the built in pressure switch?? it will still work even with  the varistream

if i get an airlock i run the pump then disconnect from the di inlet to let it run thru  10 secs and the flow comes on then click back on and away

[Londoner]

The controller senses voltage changes in the pump and identifys it as an overload and swithes off.

The Sureflow 100psi is a great pump (probably the best) but flat out will pump more water than you can get down a microbore hose and out through the jets. The water gets backed up and the pump starts struggling to fight the backpressure.
The controller detects the struggling because the voltage/current to the pump changes and the controller does what it is supposed to do and shuts off to protect the pump. You should see the green light turn to red when it shuts off indicating that the overload has kicked in.

Turn the speed down to minimum and then turn it up slowly until the pump starts running at its slowest speed. it should now run continuously but probably not delivering enough water. Then nudge it up a little at a time until you find a setting thats OK . It will probably be around 25-35% of the max setting but its quite sensitive.
When you find the right setting leave it there. I find its better to turn it on and off with a separate switch to aviod having to fiddle with the controller any more than I have to.

If your pump still has its cut out connected then disconnect it because it will be competing with the controller to see which will cut out first.

[MNWC]

It sounds like the flow controller to me.

you say that water flows at an ok rate for short periods then falls off .....this is what the flow controller is meant to do.

Once the back pressure builds up to a set amount determined by the user  the flow controller kicks in and cuts the pump off until the correct  pressure has resumed hence your stop and start characteristics.

have you tried just using the pump on its own ?

Adjust the flow controller

Marcus

[tomo]

marco so was my battery showing proper voltage my brother in law put a testing element over the terminals to put it under a heavy load it heated up the elemnt  and it droped from 13v right down to 4v which means knackerd battery. it should stay around 8volts hope this helps you never know it could be simple hope you get it sorted soon mate i know what its like

regards
tomo

[marcoboyle]

ah ok, that could be a possibility. having poured over the forum for 2 days im not sure at all tho, so many ppl, so many solutions to what seems to be the same problems. im thinkin it might be my di vessel, i noticed the flow rate drops from about 4.5 litres per min to 3.7 when i introduce the di,  maybe its leaking air its quite old, bad seal or something. when i connect the 100m it could be causing problems pushing it all the way to the end with the back pressure in that surely it will cause a drop in pressure in the di vessel if theres even the smallest gap?