12 VOLT TRANSFER PUMP

55 psi is just fine. I actually just did the same thing to my truck, I went to an RV shop and purchased a pump from them for $90. Real easy to install and it only runs when needed. It is caled a demand pump. The one I got is made by sureflow.

That one on eBay is too small only pumping 2 liters per minute, you need a bigger one that can move at least 2-3 GALLONS per minute. I will go check the specs on the pump I have and post it in a few minutes.


Here is the pump I have, it moves 2.8 Gallons per minute and works perfect for me. It is $109 on Amazon, you can probably find it a little cheaper at a local rv shop.

http://www.amazon.com/Shurflo-Standard-Automatic-Classic-2088-422-444/dp/B004MTWEZY

Like Todd says and there's also : Graingers
http://www.dultmeier.com/catalog/0.851.857
Tractor supply

I like this thread. Would anyone be so kind to post some pics of their set up? I understand that CA already comes equipped with it's own pump.

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The first picture shows the tank and the pump connected by the supply hose. The second picture is the hose on the "out" side of the pump, I have a quick connect on the end of it that connects to the truckmounts water inlet.

Yes, it is a real simple setup, just 2 hoses (in/out) and 2 wires. I did add a switch to the front of my machine for the positive wire so that I can turn the power to the pump off when not in use.

Yes the float in the holding tank shutsoff the pump, but I do not always carry my own water and often times I hook up to the hose bib. So when I am not using the pump and running direct from the hose bib I shut off the power to the pump.

How often do you not carry water Todd? I have been struggling with this same kind of thing. 90%+ of my jobs they have water available and its fine, but once I get into the student housing around the college it gets harder to find. So far i have never had a job I couldn't do with 200' of supply and some creativity, but it kind of takes it out of me worrying about having water and hunting it down on those jobs.

How much do you carry when you bring water?

I actually only carry my own water when I am going to an empty rental house or somewhere I know I am going to need it. Often times our rental homes out here have no power to them which means the well also has no power so there is no water available. I have a 55 gallon drum which cleans 8-10 rooms for me. I figure why carry an eatra 440 pounds around all day in the truck when I don't need to.

I am with you completely man! I have loved not carrying water, it is only inconvenient in exactly the situation you described. I also have problems with student housing sometimes but they can be dealt with using a water key and extra supply line.

I feel like i use a lot more water than 55 gallons on 8-10 rooms though. I wonder if I am just over wetting things. How big is your waste tank and how quick does it fill up Todd?

I have a 60 gallon waste tank that I have to dump after each job. If it is a big job I can do about 8 rooms or so depending on soiling conditions. I have had times I have filled the tank after 3 or 4 roms on nasty carpet. I never really kept track of how much water I used before getting the fresh water tank. I have noticed when I use the whole drum of water my waste tank is close to full so at least I know I am extracting most of the water I am using. There is nothing wrong with using a lot of water, just be sure you recover what you use. a lot of carpets need that extra water to flush everything out. How much water do you use?

I usually clean around 600 PSI or so. My 55 gallon freshwater tank can do a couple small jobs or one good sized house.

As to the waste tank, you can add a pump out to it so you never have to stop and dump in the middle of a job but you still need the tank. The machine uses the waste tank to seperate the air from the water you pull through the hose. All the water goes to the bottom of the tank and allows just air to be pulled through the blower from the top of the tank.

In my experience, an near empty waste tank flows more air than a near full one. A little tank would always be, almost full.

As regards transfer pumps, installing a bladder tank (the blue tank on water heaters) helps the pump switch last MUCH longer. When the switch does go, you can buy them online for cheap. The pumps themselves very rarely wear out. The switch though overheats from all the cycling. By using a bladder tank, you keep the pump switch much cooler. I use a small nerf football size one that easily adds 300% to the life of the switch.

I think that is the smallest Amtex machine (The Prowler I think). It always has water going through the blower which I am not sure is a good thing. Whenever my tank gets full and water does get into the blower my suction goes down by half.