i'm in the market for a flojet type pump to run off of a 5 gal bottle, and was wondering what i should be looking for as far as features and performance. i would be using it with older manual fill commercial lever machines in the short term, but would like to have it be suitable (if possible) for a newer plumb-in vibe or rotary pump machine.



will this one do the job?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0355186177


are there other brands that i should consider?

thanks in advance

That's what we also suggest to a lot of home user customers and is solid and easy to set up

cool...thanks for the quick reply.....is that a reasonable price?

it is a very good price

thanks for the votes of confidence, and thanks dan for the tips on the accumulator, i've only heard them mentioned, but never knew what they were about. i went ahead and bought the flojet system. now to do some reading on accumulators

That's the Flojet system I'm using with my setup. I don't have the accumulator so the Flojet pump cycles quite a bit during extraction. This causes a pressure fluctuation on the espresso machine. I'm getting decent espresso this way but my barista skills (still learning) are likely a bigger factor in not getting stellar shots.

I haven't gotten the accumulator because I haven't decided yet if I want to leave it as a bottle-driven system or just plumb thing in. If I stay with the Flojet, I'll be getting an accumulator too.

HB wrote:For those who are wondering what we're talking about, Jon's espresso machine used a Flojet without an accumulator in this video.

For contrast, here is the same machine with the same Flojet pulling a shot after the accumulator was added to the system. If you listen closely, you can hear the Flojet running continuously at the end of the cooling flush to charge the accumulator. The machine is then fed by the accumulator so (in this case) the flojet doesn't run at all during the shot.




EDIT: That's how an accumulator works to smooth the flow, by storing hydraulic power on the line. The machine is fed by the accumulator and the Flojet then just needs to maintain the fluid charge on the accumulator.

Accumulator is even better so the line will always stay pressurized in case you run out of water as well

for my immediate need of using the flojet system to supply water to lever operated, manual-fill boiler machine(s), i should be ok sans accumulator; if i move to a pump driven machine, i should get the accumulator. does my reasoning check out?

I have what is called a 'water heater expansion tank' inline with my flojet. It is maybe 1ft tall and 8in diameter, I have it hooked inline with guest fittings. On my 4L boiler it will usually kick the flojet on to recharge the pressure tank once every three automatic boiler fills.

Without this I was getting about 2bar of pressure shift every 1-2 seconds during a pull, with it there is no shift at all. The tank itself plus the fittings and adaptors ended up being just about $80.00 at the local Home Depot. And there was no wait for shipping.

Hope this helps.

-Cecil

HB wrote:Heck, you could simply use a hand pump and skip the Flojet.

i know i need more exercise, but that's not what i had in mind

I use a Flojet with my Conti Lever at home and when doing a gig. I have also used it to refill the reservoir on the Astra when I do a charity gig with that machine. Yes, I could plumb the Astra but that would be a hassle to redo it at home. Internal piping access rather than external.
Cheers!
-Richard

CRCasey wrote:I have what is called a 'water heater expansion tank' inline with my flojet. It is maybe 1ft tall and 8in diameter, I have it hooked inline with guest fittings. On my 4L boiler it will usually kick the flojet on to recharge the pressure tank once every three automatic boiler fills.
-Cecil

Be careful to get one that is safe for potable (drinking) water.
I bought one on the bay and when it arrived, it stated on the box..DO NOT USE FOR POTABLE WATER.
FBN fleabayer too so I have one I can't use and no recourse.
Richard

Richard wrote:Be careful to get one that is safe for potable (drinking) water.
I bought one on the bay and when it arrived, it stated on the box..DO NOT USE FOR POTABLE WATER.
FBN fleabayer too so I have one I can't use and no recourse.

This is a great point. There are many different types of tanks available. The one I have is an air bladder style tank that is for residential potable hot water. It is lined inside to prevent corrosion, and I am guessing that it most likely uses a specially treated rubber to withstand the pressure expansion from the hot water heater.

So, If you do not feel up to doing the research pay a bit more and get one of the little beauties like Dan posted the picture of from EPNW. They are a great company and I have ordered from them several times, including my flojet set up. Less tank ofc .