Cheap 12v Pump Review (4K)

**tsbrownie** · Apr 10, 2021, 01:36 AM

Bought a cheap 12 volt water pump advertised for campers, fountains, RVs, and such. It's supposed to be good to 0.8 MPa or 116 PSI. It won't work for me and may not work for you. Here's why.

**jdurand** · Apr 10, 2021, 06:37 PM

I have one of those pumps that I use to keep our hot water heating system pressurized. The one I have is for potable water systems and the pressure switch on it is preset to 35psi. The one I got just has hose barbs with no threaded piece so I just have normal hose clamps on it. I used automotive fuel line because I had it and 35 psi doesn't bother it.

It's hooked to a 12V, 5A AC adaptor that's zip-tied to a piece of handy wire conduit passing by. The pump sucks through a screen mesh (also for potable water) out of a 1 gallon jug of pre-mixed anti-freeze/water.

It's been connected for several years, works GREAT. The jug slowly goes down as the slow leak in the system loses water and the pump puts it back.

Our new house has a water loop heating system too, I might look at something similar for keeping the pressure up if there's any slow leaks. With all the pipe under concrete, it would be more than a little difficult to find and fix a leak.

This last winter was the first time the new heating system was on and they turned it up extra WARM to dry the walls as they were finishing up the interior. This while there was 2 feet of snow outside. They had to check the water daily to keep the pressure up but it seems to have stabilized now.

**Toolmaker51** · Apr 11, 2021, 12:02 PM

tsbrownie reports: Bought a cheap 12 volt water pump advertised for campers, fountains, RVs, and such. It's supposed to be good to 0.8 MPa or 116 PSI. It won't work for me and may not work for you. Here's why.

I've mentioned repeatedly an article from "Machine Tool Blue Book", their predictions of results we'd suffer when offshore products became the norm. One of those details centered directly on proprietary nonsense just like this, non-conformal fittings.
Haven't been able to relocate it, but when I do, it'll be scanned and re-presented everywhere possible, and one on the wall; under glass...