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| Resurrection of a CFEI 100 KVA Induction Furnace |
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| awemawson:
A bit of a scrappy day today - odds & sods. I had to make room to cut the slot in the concrete, which involved moving the large blue plastic barrels of glycol solution that I've been keeping for re-use all this time - trouble was that pallet had rotted and by heck they are heavy to shift onto new pallets. This is the second time in thirteen years that they've been re-palleted ! Also went hunting for shuttering timber for the small slab for the pump dog house - found some scaffold tower boards with rotten ends that will still be long enough when trimmed. Then I redrew and cut a replacement 'bottom shelf' for the new chiller. I've never been happy with the fit of the old one. Now is the time to sort it as I'm about to make the fixings for the tank, and bolt the motor down. So sort it or put up with it! The frame is not exactly square so I had left a rather large wiggle space where the notches for the frame uprights are. Well today I experimented with a very large and stout sash cramp that I have to see if I could pull the frame square - yes I could although of course it springs back without the clamp. A bit of 'over squashing' improved things - better but not perfect. So I drew up another base with only 1 mm excess space for the uprights. It went in slightly reluctantly and is holding the frame square. Twelve M8 bolts later and it's fixed down :thumbup: All will need dismantling for painting but at least now it looks OK to put my name to! |
| awemawson:
So my friend came round after work with his diamond saw and deftly cut a slot through the concrete path avoiding cutting the re-bar that joins slabs. We were able to clear enough space below the bars to slide two lengths of 40 mm waste pipe to act as conduits for the SWA cable that will power the pump, and a 25 mm MDPE water pipe that will branch off the pump output and feed the horticultural areas. Next he cut another slot in the rim of the borehole to be one brick course above the overflow. This again will take two lengths of 40 mm waste pipe, one for the pump suction pipe, and the other for the return water from the heat exchanger that will be tucked down the overflow. Bless him he is returning on Monday evening to make a start on the pump house, that will be based on a 900 x 600 mm flag stone and about 12 courses of bricks high. |
| awemawson:
Another bits and pieces day. I wanted to finalise my plumbing order from BES because I have decided to go with 68 mm down pipe tube as the conduit from the new slot in the well to the 'pump house' to take the actual suction hose - the 40 mm was a bit tight for the hose. Now I had a suitable bit of 68 mm down pipe but no 90 degree bend (well actually 91.5 degrees in rain goods!) to take it from below ground into the pump location hence having to order and I might as well sweep up the rest of the bits needed. Trying to concentrate on what was already to hand and allocated and what was on shortage proved impossible with a flock of geese honking and people milling about shearing sheep so I used the expedient of threading allocated bits of plumbing on baler twine and tying them where they will be used - I think I got there in the end but interruptions like 'the power is off' when in fact a shearer had plugged into but not switched on a socket tried my patience that was getting shorter by the minute ! OK order placed - next job check that I have enough SWA cable and appropriate glands and pick a source and a route - done (tick) Next check where I will be able to cut the feed to the horticultural taps and connect them to well water. This involved a bit of digging and to my horror I discovered an underground Tee joint and branch that I had no recollection of (but I must have installed it!). A lot of faffing about, turns out one pair of taps must have been connected before the rest, and before these concrete slabs were poured, but the routing of the new feed and isolation of the old shouldn't be an issue. Done (Tick!) Next - sort the overflow fitting on the chiller tank. This is solvent weld and of a size not easily available, so I cut the old tank connector, mounted it up in the lathe and bored out the stub of old pipe so that I can re-use the fitting with a salvaged length of the old pipe. Done (Tick!) Next - dry fit the connection from the chiller tank outlet to the Grundfos pump so that the location of the tank is set. Done. (Tick!) Next - make four 'tank location brackets' - drill and tap chiller frame base and fit brackets refit tank - done (Tick!) |
| awemawson:
First job this morning was to bump out 120 bricks and two 900x600 flag stones ready for when my friend arrives on Monday evening to make start a start on the 'pump house' masonry. Then taking my life in my hands I decided to have a crack at soldering the big 54 mm connections that I've been so concerned about. At the time of soldering it needs a flow and return 28 mm pipe already in the reducer so that they could be all done in one 'heat'. A bit of a mock up first to make sure that the 28 mm pipes were the correct length, and a bit of adjustment in the lathe with emery cloth as they were a bit too tight for comfort in the 54 mm to 28 mm reducers. I suspect that this is actually Imperial 1" pipe not 28 mm - I've had it a long time ! So all cleaned up, heat exchanger on the welding bench solder and flux to hand, my big butane torch set up and my small propane torch to hand (my concern was getting enough heat into the beast) and off we go. All joints fluxed up, both torches on the first joint and we are getting there :thumbup: Solder started to flow nicely - a wipe again with the flux brush and a tad more solder and the joints seem good. Rinse and repeat on the second side, let it cool, take it outside for a good forward and reverse flush out to hopefully get rid of the zinc chloride flux, a blow out with the air line, and refit it to check that I got the pipes in the right holes and of the right length - phew yes :clap: As you may imagine completing the soldering on these big 54 mm joins is a big weight of my mind - the rest is more normal sized plumbing. Time for a coffee :coffee: :coffee: |
| awemawson:
After this mornings excitement I had an easy afternoon, just cutting a top cover / lid thing for the chiller frame to keep the muck out if it has to go back into the foundry before the roof is fixed. Just a 750 mm square of 1.2 mm Zintec sheet with twelve holes in, and appropriate holes drilled and tapped into the top of the frame. I actually cheated, and used the drawing for the 'bottom shelf' but deleted the notches for the uprights as they are not needed as it sits on top. I must have made a slight error in the original drawing, as to my surprise the hole pattern isn't symmetrical. I've suitably stamped the frame and panel so I can get them back together after painting, and must remember to do the same to the 'bottom shelf' before it is removed for painting. Out of curiosity I'm now off to look at the Autocad drawing - not that the error matters one jot ! |
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