My GW tank had dropped well below 4000 since I had been filling a 3600 psi TT tank on a condor so I decided to top it off. It was a cool day (76 degrees F) and I decided to use the YH as it would be a good time to test a cooling question. I had no ice in the shop so I started with the usual 2 gallons of water and squirrel cage fan only. Temp reached 63 degrees C in about 5 minutes. I went inside and got a gallon of crushed ice and added it to the 2 gallon tool box that functions as my reservoir as I drained some water out. The temperature fell to 48 degrees C in about 2 to 3 minutes and held there until the tank reached 4400 where I stopped. Ice helps cooling. The question of whether it is necessary (many state that it isn't) is another issue and running the unit at 65 degrees is probably OK. I prefer cooler and added ice does lower temperature.
Yong Heng Cooling
- Thread starter bandg
- Start date
Ice is key, here is my method because if I did not ice my water I would not be able to top off my tank in one run without overheating the pump.
I use old 1-2 gallon plastic containers [pretzel rods, cookies, etc.] and put them in the freezer the night before. I use a 5 gallon water bucket. Then I put the ice block in the water and stick the pump outflow right into the floating block [I drill a hole because I happen to have tools handy and OCD]. You can have the outflow just aimed at the top of the ice block too. If you just let the outflow run back into the bucket and not on top of or into the ice block your water will be much hotter than it would be otherwise. I can run by yong heng for 25 minutes with this setup and top off my tank from 3000psi to 4300 psi
I use old 1-2 gallon plastic containers [pretzel rods, cookies, etc.] and put them in the freezer the night before. I use a 5 gallon water bucket. Then I put the ice block in the water and stick the pump outflow right into the floating block [I drill a hole because I happen to have tools handy and OCD]. You can have the outflow just aimed at the top of the ice block too. If you just let the outflow run back into the bucket and not on top of or into the ice block your water will be much hotter than it would be otherwise. I can run by yong heng for 25 minutes with this setup and top off my tank from 3000psi to 4300 psi
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Nobody ever discusses those Blue Ice or similar packs, soft-sided or hard. They are cheap(ish) on sale and have plenty of uses in the summer. Any reason why? I ask cuz I got a mess o'them and they keep their cold SO well.
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Hey guys are you talking about the actual water temp or the temperature gauge on the compressor,and what is the maximum allowable water temp that is safe? I understand cooler is better,just looking for the safe range. Thanks
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Dead wrong. The entire point is that before adding the ice the water wasn't much above room temp-it had not even gotten noticeably warm in 5 minutes run time. Yet the compressor T gauge was climbing through the 60's. Added ice dropped the water temp greatly as seen by the roughly 15 degree drop in indicated temperature in just a couple of minutes after adding the ice. What you state would be sensible if the water had gotten noticeably hot before the ice was added but it had not. And it isn't much harder to handle the smaller water volume even with the ice than to handle 5 or 7 gallons of water. Ice dramatically lowers the water temperature and that lowers the compressor temperature. Smaller overall water volume means a smaller amount of ice is needed. And I have tried blocks of ice as well. It seems that smaller cubes can lower the water temperature more but such may not be needed. The real question isn't whether this works (it does) but whether it would extend compressor life. Is running below 50C going to make one last longer than running one at 65C? Over 2 years on mine so I'm happy with the method. If 7 gallons makes yours last as long then that's great.
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Perhaps you should. The coolant temp is the most important data when figuring out whether the machine is overheating or not. The thermometer probe is in an irrelevant location and doesn't give a true reading of the actual coolant temperature. Mine runs just fine on just plain old water. I just topped of a 6.8-litre bottle from 2500 to 4500 psi. It took about half an hour and the temp gauge held at 50 deg. The return water was only lukewarm. I think that if the manufacturers of these things thought it was a good idea to run ice in the coolant they would be recommending it in the instructions.
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Interesting take on the Yong Heng temperature probe placement- I always wondered about how good an indicator that actually was. I don't let it go above 55
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My YH still fills fine after 2 years of use but it won't "hold 50 deg." (and never has) unless there is ice in the water. Try reading the above-the temp went into the 60's in about 5 minutes with return water that was not hot so it seems return water temp is not a particularly good indicator when it is around ambient or just a bit warm. Add some ice to the smaller water volume and the water temperature drops A LOT and that lowers indicated compressor temperature. The same would work with 5 or 7 gallons but would take a lot more ice. This works as described but whether it is helpful to have a temp in the 40's vs. one in the 60's is a valid question. I'm not certain but I prefer to err on the side of cooler for the small amount of effort it takes. I also am not at all certain that the probe location is ideal but it is what we have as a reference and as you imply if the manufacturers placed it there they must have thought it was a good idea-you can't have it both ways on "what the manufacturers thought". Personally, I don't care what the water temperature is as long as the compressor runs cooler.
Logic behind not using "crush ice" ? Can't understand why that is stated and what you believe would be better. I believe that a smaller reservoir full of smaller cubes cool the water more than larger blocks or "freeze paks" floating in the water. Yes, one has to drain off water and add ice as it melts but it lasts a good while with each fill of ice.
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