Water Cooled Platen set-up

[J. Hoffman]

I know it's been discussed here before, but my searching has not found it. I have Nathans chiller, but I'm looking for the set-up on the other end. What kind of pump are you using for the water and how are you connecting everything. I would like to make the chiller water lines quick disconnect, but my local hardware store doesn't have anything like that. Photos of your set-up would be great.
Thanks in advance.
Jess

 

[jdm61]

Fish pond pump from Home Depot, hose they sell with it, screw hose clamps and the infamous Homer bucket work for me. I just treat the chiller and hoses as a semi permanent unit and disconnect from the pump if I need to. Make sure you get the more powerful one.

 

[SinePari]

Thread bump for interest in Nathan's fluid cooled platen as well. That vertical grind setup is genius "think outside the box" ingenuity at it's finest!

 

[Nathan the Machinist]

push-to-connect fittings and tubing work well for a simple quick disconnect.

 

[jdm61]

push-to-connect fittings and tubing work well for a simple quick disconnect.

One important tip. Keep the water in your supply bucket clean as the chiller can get a little clogged of you have grinder dust in your bucket. For sure do NOT use your slack bucket as a water supply.

 

[PT Doc]

Hydraulic fittings that are brass will work. They are used in the carpet cleaning industry and when you disconnect they won't leak. Parker makes these fittings and couplers.

 

[i4Marc]

I use a cheap aquarium pump that lives in a Home Depot bucket and run lines to and from through holes drilled in a tight lid that are exactly the same diameter as the tubing so no contaminants get in. No charge for the run on sentence.

 

[Britt_Askew]

One important tip. Keep the water in your supply bucket clean as the chiller can get a little clogged of you have grinder dust in your bucket. For sure do NOT use your slack bucket as a water supply.

Now you tell me
I was using the slack bucket for my water supply and the pump got clogged up and the platen had got a little warm by time I noticed.

Sticking with my grinders rat rod theme, for hoses I am using the hose off an old busted compression gauge and a piece of surgical tubing for the other.

I am on my second pump ( I guess if I start keeping it in clean water ??? ) first one wasnt strong as I would have liked. I think my current pump is around 315 gph and that seems to work good.