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Fivetide
02-12-2012, 08:20 PM
My 2nd water pump has failed after only 15 mins of running .. don’t ask me why because I have no idea. Anyway what I want to know is .. as I’m only cutting / routing / engraving wood do I need the water cooling running.. I ran it on a long job last night for 50 mins and it barely got warm, am I doing it any harm?

ptjw7uk
02-12-2012, 09:55 PM
The problem with the heating is that it will eventually run away and that will be expensive!
Better to over cool - save the motor! The motor will take more power when you start to cut material and by then you will be busy watching - best to keep the water flowing!

Peter

wilfy
02-12-2012, 10:03 PM
i'd imagine that in small bursts on easy material your ok but if you do anything longer it will get warmer and warmer..

when you say it's not warm you have to consider you are touching the bit on the outside, you have no way of knowing what the temp is inside..

i'd imagine even if you have some kind of syphon system running where you can fill the spindle up with some water and then syphon it off and put fresh in mid job it will help more than just doing nothing

Fivetide
02-12-2012, 10:16 PM
Thanks guys , ill go to my local garden center in the morning and see if i can get a fountain pump, that way if it stops working I can go back with it and get it replaced.

martin54
03-12-2012, 01:37 AM
Are these pumps supplied as part of the system or pumps you have bought elsewhere? Are they failing electrically or mechanically, something you are going to have to get to the bottom of as you can't just keep taking pumps back for a replacement lol.

Fivetide
03-12-2012, 03:42 PM
Fixed , crappy plug adaptor

Jonathan
03-12-2012, 04:27 PM
Since most of us use these spindles at nowhere near the rated current, just look at the current readout whist it's running to confirm that, you can get away without pumping the coolant for some time. If the body of the spindle is cool, and it's full of water, then it wont be much hotter inside. You should still use the pump in general, but for 'emergency situations' it's fine to run it just not at 100% duty cycle or at a high current.

JAZZCNC
03-12-2012, 04:49 PM
No problem using for short runs without cooling I do it often when 5 mins jobs like marking holes for drilling on drill press. I accidentally cut without cooling for 55mins in Alu and it only got warm and no were near hot.