Freezing temp and pump
- Thread starter scuzy
- Start date
d0ughb0y
Active member
you need to find out why it does not spin when temp falls below freezing.
I cannot think of a reason why an AC pump will not spin if the water is not frozen.
maybe put a heater set to lowest setting?
I know pipes above ground here in bay area needs insulation cover to prevent them from bursting when temp goes below freezing. A trick done when I was living in the east coast is to leave the kitchen faucet dripping. So maybe you can program pump to turn for a few seconds every half hour or so.
so pumping almost freezing ATO water to tank does not affect tank temperature?
I cannot think of a reason why an AC pump will not spin if the water is not frozen.
maybe put a heater set to lowest setting?
I know pipes above ground here in bay area needs insulation cover to prevent them from bursting when temp goes below freezing. A trick done when I was living in the east coast is to leave the kitchen faucet dripping. So maybe you can program pump to turn for a few seconds every half hour or so.
so pumping almost freezing ATO water to tank does not affect tank temperature?
d0ughb0y
Active member
maybe try a DC pump.
most/all cars use DC motor to crank start engines, and works in sub zero temp, as long as the car battery can still put out the required amps at low temp.
one theory I can think of is the water maybe starts becoming dense, even though not quite freezing, so the pump starting torque is unable to handle the added load. I believe the DC pump controllers will retry with higher torque if initial startup does not spin the impeller.
how big is the ATO reservoir? you can use water heater insulation on the container.
a water heater in the container will definitely solve the problem, though probably not economical/efficient.
most/all cars use DC motor to crank start engines, and works in sub zero temp, as long as the car battery can still put out the required amps at low temp.
one theory I can think of is the water maybe starts becoming dense, even though not quite freezing, so the pump starting torque is unable to handle the added load. I believe the DC pump controllers will retry with higher torque if initial startup does not spin the impeller.
how big is the ATO reservoir? you can use water heater insulation on the container.
a water heater in the container will definitely solve the problem, though probably not economical/efficient.
d0ughb0y
Active member
if pump is at the bottom of the brute container, and it is full of water, that will definitely add pressure to the pump if water is really cold, and requires higher torque to start.
not sure if the pumps can self prime if you move it higher. when it gets above the water level, it needs to be able to suck water up from the hose/pvc pipe going to the bottom of the container.
or you can tee off the brute connections and operate the pump external. not sure if this will require less torque though, the pressure would still be the same as pump is at bottom inside container.
not sure if the pumps can self prime if you move it higher. when it gets above the water level, it needs to be able to suck water up from the hose/pvc pipe going to the bottom of the container.
or you can tee off the brute connections and operate the pump external. not sure if this will require less torque though, the pressure would still be the same as pump is at bottom inside container.
skiingfast
New member
Yes putting the pump temporarily higher may help quite a bit. Leave it in the top 10 gallons instead of the bottom. If the ground is frozen then the pump sitting in the bottom could get frozen water inside it, regardless of the air temperature.
Is it really freezing? Is there any ice around? That can cause cavitation if flow is blocked and lead to a burned out motor.
Water is not getting much denser at 34 degrees compared to 80 degrees, and gets less dense at 32 degrees than it was at 80 degrees.
Any pipe that is pressure rated would be your best bet, they have the highest starting torque and HP
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Julius Chen
New member
Could it be the pump housing contracts with low temp to constricts impeller movement? Remove the cover and see if pump spin up?
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