Accumulator Tank

814jeffw

Active member
If running a Delavan 5850 with an accumulator tank and you nozzle down to say 5 GPM,..how long can it spray without causing an issue? I know nothing about how these work, and am just wondering if they can be sprayed continuously at 5 GPM or if the accumulator gets "caught up" with and then needs to be allowed to recover?

Jeff
 
An accumulator will not allow you to dial down. It will cycle just the same. Save yourself the trouble and minus the accumulator. IMO they are worthless. Delevan pumps are unpredictable so no one can really measure the difference with or without an accumulator. Ive had some pumps (without accumulators) last 2 seasons and we clean a lot of roofs. Any accumulator Ive ever had has leaked and made more problems than it was worth.
 
The only thing an accumulator does is prevent the pump from cycling on and off every time you squeeze the trigger. It's exactly the same as an expansion tank in a well fed home water system.

In other words, It will give you a very brief draw down time before the pump kicks back on. You can't over work it. It won't care if you run it for 5 min. or 10 hrs...
 
We always ran 2gpm nozzles when we used 12V w an accumulator and never had a problem. My experience with accumulators is exact opposite of Ed's.
 
Jeff, It's going to be very brief due to the capacity of the accumulator. Even with smaller nozzles, The accumulator only has but a small reserve capacity. Like I mentioned earlier, They do the exact same thing as a expansion tank on a well-fed domestic water supply.

Say you are cleaning a roof and after your dwell time, You notice a small spot which needs a little extra shot of SH, If you squeeze the trigger and let off quickly, The accumulator will provide just enough reserve pressure to keep the pump from cycling on and back off.

Mike
 
Thanks Doug,..when running the smaller nozzles,..is there a limit to how long you can stay on the trigger before it runs out of "reserve" in the accumulator?

Jeff

I have never noticed, or been aware....we use it just as we would use 5GPM nozzles.
 
Jeff, It's going to be very brief due to the capacity of the accumulator. Even with smaller nozzles, The accumulator only has but a small reserve capacity. Like I mentioned earlier, They do the exact same thing as a expansion tank on a well-fed domestic water supply.

Say you are cleaning a roof and after your dwell time, You notice a small spot which needs a little extra shot of SH, If you squeeze the trigger and let off quickly, The accumulator will provide just enough reserve pressure to keep the pump from cycling on and back off.

Mike

Not if you have an accumulator like this.
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Wow Al...Is that a standard "well system" expansion tank and if so, what kind of lining is in the tank?

Mike
 
Wow Al...Is that a standard "well system" expansion tank and if so, what kind of lining is in the tank?

Mike

Yes and I can't remember. I've been using it for a couple years now with no problem. Cost about $30.00. Works like a charm. Going to swap it out for a new one in January. Just a little preventive maintenance. This actually lets me run 08 tips continuously without the pump even cycling.


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Not being able to see the other end, What size is the tank? 5,8,10 or so Gal.? One thing is for sure, That capacity is Sweeeet...

Mike
 
Not being able to see the other end, What size is the tank? 5,8,10 or so Gal.? One thing is for sure, That capacity is Sweeeet...

Mike

This is the 2 gallon tank. I was going to go with the 5 gallon, but I figured I'd start at the bottom and work myself up. Well the 2 gallon worked so good that I stopped there. If you decide to try a higher capacity model, give me a report on how it works.


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No problem. I would most likely do the same as you did. I wouldn't want to go too much larger than a 2 gal. Anything larger could possibly work the fatboy a little too much??? Mine just has the accumulator which came with the Bandit which is Waaay smaller than your set-up....

Mike
 
Not sure. That was my question when I put this one in in March 2013. Still going strong. Never had one of the plastic ones last this long. I may do a post mortem on this one when I swap it out.


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The tanks generally have an epoxy type coating on the inside. Keep in mind, They are used for the domestic water supply on well fed homes so there wouldn't be any water to "raw" steel. As for the bladder, I'm not sure if it is simply a rubber bladder or some sort of urethane material??? If Al has gotten two years out of one, It's got to be fairly robust...
 
Forgot to mention. On the little ones I ran 50 lbs of pressure with my 60 psi fat boys. The large tank seems to work better with my setup at 40 psi with the same pump. I just bought 2 of the 100 psi fat boys. Haven't run one yet. I'm thinking I may have to raise the pressure on the tank. I currently run 200 ft of 5/8 hose.


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100 PSI would be great! Yep, You will need to crank up the psi on the accumulator. Hope she can handle the higher 60 to 70 psi for the 100psi pump. If not, You will need the new tank a little sooner. I'm anxious to here how much more "throw" you will gain with the stronger pump. Keep us posted with how it works out!!!

Mike
 
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