How to test water 220v pump?

Thread Starter

pancake95

Joined Feb 13, 2019
25
Hello all, I am planning on making automated greenhouse so I got this waterpump that was laying around from my grandfather. The problem is that I do not know from what it was and if it needs something extra to be powered. On the back it is written that runs on 220v and that was the old standard in my country for mains. So I suppose AC. But other from that, I do not know what else it needs. That cables with which I found it are too thin I think for the mains, but again this depends if the amps are low the cables might be that thin. Also I suppose it is not for using it under water. Should I get power adapter with fuze and plug the water pump and see if it runs or should I add some components to the pump in order to function? Pictures(I have added the text on the label of the pump too they are in russian and I understand only 220V and 50Hz) :
15830787074182757076102430876900.jpg15830787746474041040695550726886.jpg15830788328257822646140101725768.jpg
 

Dodgydave

Joined Jun 22, 2012
11,284
Put water pipe on the inlet and into a bucket, put 220V AC on, and pray...!!!

If you're going to use it outside in a Water envionment, i would use a 12V DC caravan pump... Not Mains..
 
Last edited:

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,617
It obviously was not a submersible pump.
If operating on 60Hz, it will run that much faster.
I would test it with a water source, not run it dry.
Provide a head of water to the input to prime/test.
Max.
 

dl324

Joined Mar 30, 2015
16,845
Hook up a water source and connect power. I have a couple pumps of that style and the inlet is the horizontal connection. I don't have to worry about priming my pumps because they're submersible; which yours isn't.
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,617
If this is used in a Greenhouse then obviously there is a lot of moisture in the air, I would place the pump away in a vented container away from direct moisture.
The present wiring and connector appear to be from some kind of controller unit, so I would re-wire with a suitable 240vac connection type.
Also it may be worth running a earth/GND wire to the metalic part of the pump and also feed it off a GFCI outlet.
Max.
 

Thread Starter

pancake95

Joined Feb 13, 2019
25
Oh yea...one more thing...make sure the impeller is free before powering up :)
By free you mean freely spinning? The only way I could check this was by turning by hand the fan on the back of the pump and it felt somewhat free(for a pump laying around so many years in garage).
 

Thread Starter

pancake95

Joined Feb 13, 2019
25
If this is used in a Greenhouse then obviously there is a lot of moisture in the air, I would place the pump away in a vented container away from direct moisture.
The present wiring and connector appear to be from some kind of controller unit, so I would re-wire with a suitable 240vac connection type.
Also it may be worth running a earth/GND wire to the metalic part of the pump and also feed it off a GFCI outlet.
Max.
Yes I was thinking of putting it outside of the greenhouse in a container. But I was not thinking of making it vented, because in foggy weather the connections might get rusty. I think of using separate fuze for the pump. What do you mean by suitable AC connection? Also the pump does not have that many metal parts.
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,617
If the motor housing itself is not metallic, then you may get away without, but i would still use a GFCI.
The connectors shown in the OP appear to be those that may plug into a PCT board etc, indicating it may have been is some kind of non accessible enclosure.
I would cut the present connectors off and if necessary crimp on two wire butt splices and cover with heat shrink tube and connect the other wire/cord end to a suitable CGCI outlet.
Max.
 

oz93666

Joined Sep 7, 2010
739
looks like it's been salvaged from a washing machine , the water connections are push on , often leak , right next to mains wiring !!!

I wouldn't bother , it's not very powerful , low voltage brush-less pumps are very cheap
 

Thread Starter

pancake95

Joined Feb 13, 2019
25
Hello all again! I know the topic is already old, but I do not know if I should continue this one or open a new one so I will write here. I have made connection to the pump through cable, bought fused contact and tested the pump by putting the end supposed to suck water in water and even poured a little bit of water in the end where water was supposed to come out. Unfortunately nothing happened, the pump is working, I see the rotor spinning, because the fan is spinning too. But no water is coming out. What could be the problem? Should I post a video here of the pump working?
 

Tonyr1084

Joined Sep 24, 2015
7,852
Few years back I scavenged a pump from a dish washer. Small pump for draining the tub. Hooked up some plumbing to the pump and to a tub (not bath). Used the pump to pump water into an overhead tank. Excess water spilled back into the tub while the remainder in the overhead tank would drip irrigate outdoor plants that couldn't survive in cold weather. Added timers to control the pump and a greenhouse lamp for light for the plants. Worked beautifully. Let me peruse my files and see if I still have a drawing of the system.

Nevertheless, I'd highly recommend not using that pump if it's been sitting around in a garage for a long time. Chances are it's not compliant with current safety regulations, and therefore might pose a hazard to life, limb or property.
 

Tonyr1084

Joined Sep 24, 2015
7,852
Wasn't able to find the original drawing so here's a quick scribble of the system (done on paintbrush)
1584807735721.pngThe pump would run for a minute, twice a day. Excess water drained back into the tub via the overflow tube. What was reserved in the tank would drip irrigate the plants. (not pot!) I'd NEVER do that! (hehe). No actually, they were outdoor plants we wanted to preserve for the next season. Keeping them indoors allowed them to be used again. Following spring they would be placed on the porch once again to be drip irrigated by the regular irrigation system. Elevation (how high the water was pumped) approximately six feet.
 

Reloadron

Joined Jan 15, 2015
7,501
Hello all again! I know the topic is already old, but I do not know if I should continue this one or open a new one so I will write here. I have made connection to the pump through cable, bought fused contact and tested the pump by putting the end supposed to suck water in water and even poured a little bit of water in the end where water was supposed to come out. Unfortunately nothing happened, the pump is working, I see the rotor spinning, because the fan is spinning too. But no water is coming out. What could be the problem? Should I post a video here of the pump working?
Some pumps won't "draw" water, they are designed as a circulatory pump. So even with a prime they won't actually draw from a supply. They will move water when placed below the supply water level but won't draw from a supply below them.

Ron
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,167
The pump is obviously a centrifugal pump and also is clearly not self priming. In a dishwasher application it would be filled with water prior to being powered. But also for a dishwasher application it would have a larger clearance so that it would not jam up with some food particles. Thus it will not be as efficient as other types of centriugal pumps. So the usefulness will depend on how you wish to use it. You do need to be careful to properly ground the metal frame for reducing the possible shock hazard, and also know that it is not a very high capacity pump.
 
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