Cooling tig water

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Vance Nickerson
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Joined: Fri Feb 16, 2007 9:01 pm
Location: Normangee Tx

Cooling tig water

Post by Vance Nickerson »

Has anyone ever used a radiator of some type to cool their tig water? After thirty minutes or so I am having to stop and let my water cool down. I am running two hundred amps and the water is heating up quickly. It holds ten gallons but I guess my next project is a larger tank. The old Syncrowave 500 isn't even breathing hard yet.
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Harold_V
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Location: Onalaska, WA USA

Re: Cooling tig water

Post by Harold_V »

A radiator is very much a part of the commercial cooling systems for TIG. However, I chose to not invest in one. Instead, I run my cooling water to waste. For me, that's a satisfactory solution, as I don't do much welding. May not be a good idea for the guy who pays a high sewer bill (often based on water consumption), and welds on a regular basis. That's not a problem for me, as I have a well, and the waste water doesn't go to my septic system, but to a rain catch basin instead.

Harold
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10KPete
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Re: Cooling tig water

Post by 10KPete »

Back in the early '80s I had a SynWave 350. It was mounted on a Bernard cart which was a water tank holding about 40 gal.
There was a finned cooler mounted where the exhaust fan in the SW would blow across it. Sorta like on of those add-on
transmission coolers for cars. Return water from the torch went through the cooler before the tank. Never had a hot water
problem.

Try an auto parts store or wrecking yard. I'll bet you could add something like that for cheap.

Pete
Just tryin'
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steamin10
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Re: Cooling tig water

Post by steamin10 »

I ran a trickler from a hose for years for tig. 100 amp torch. I have since bought ( on Fleabay) a real Bernard cooler. It came in basically bent, so I had to take the hood off and straighten up all the components.

Here's the flash- - Its a SS serving tray, (steam table) with a lid gasketed on, and holds 2 gallons of water. + or - . It has a 1/3 horse twin shaft motor, with a fan on one end, and a brass carbonator pump on the other. A cooling radiator, like an automotive heater core has the fan blowing through it. The water goes to the torch, and returns through the cooler, to tank. Since the whole thing is metal, it all sheds any heat above the environment, and it runs 100% it is on, so any service breaks on the torch lets it shed heat. The low volume of water sheds the heat as quickly as it builds up. The cover serves as a duct to direct the air, and hide the moving parts. Biggest problem we had building tank cars, was the little rubber paddles in the pump wearing out.

Really a simple system that can be cobbled together from 'stuff' around the shop.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
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hammermill
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Re: Cooling tig water

Post by hammermill »

i run mine thru a evap coil out of a old cooler case even came with a couple fans.
boaterri
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Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2004 2:28 pm
Location: Florida

Re: Cooling tig water

Post by boaterri »

An automotive heater core (or a Red Dot Heater) with a 110 volt electronics muffin fan behind it would be just the thing for a tig cooler.

Rick
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