sifu
starting to shine!
Member since September 2010
Posts: 35
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Post by sifu on Nov 28, 2016 10:55:49 GMT -5
I finally took the plunge and bought a cabbing machine. I'd like to plumb it up to my cold water line, which should be easy to do Shark Bite style. My question, for anyone who has done this or who knows more about plumbing, is: do I need a pressure regulator between my cold line and the cab machine? We have pretty high water pressure and there is already a whole house regulator to take the pressure down a notch. I don't want to overload the machine - it's a Cab King - by supplying it with more water pressure than it can handle.
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bushmanbilly
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Member since October 2008
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Post by bushmanbilly on Nov 28, 2016 11:10:39 GMT -5
If you use needle valves you don't need a regulator. Plumb it to your hot water line. Your fingers and joints will love ya. The airflow of the wheels will cool it down.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Nov 28, 2016 11:12:42 GMT -5
I would want a regulator for my setup if I plumbed it direct. I doubt the little valves and push on water tubing are designed to hold much pressure. I would also want a hard piped shutoff before the cab station that I could turn off when not in use.
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Tommy
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Post by Tommy on Nov 28, 2016 12:28:17 GMT -5
I have mine plumbed direct to both hot and cold washing machine lines with a tee so I can adjust the temperature arriving at the cab machine. Warm water in the winter, cold in the summer - awesome. I have individual needle valves stationed above each wheel and it works out great. Lots of water if I need it or almost none if I'm trying to get the surface temp up on a stone.
You didn't mention what you plan to do with the waste water and I'm not familiar with cab king but if it doesn't have a recirc/filtration system I highly recommend building one. I was hauling buckets for a while when I started and that s**t got old in a hurry - not to mention the disposal problem.
Edit to add: since I built the recirc I no longer go direct to the needle valves - but I can still fill the reservoir with toasty warm water that lasts a good long time. Not quite the same as warm water direct but still nice.
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bushmanbilly
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Post by bushmanbilly on Nov 28, 2016 13:03:47 GMT -5
I would want a regulator for my setup if I plumbed it direct. I doubt the little valves and push on water tubing are designed to hold much pressure. I would also want a hard piped shutoff before the cab station that I could turn off when not in use. Using piping and fittings not rated for the line pressure would be stupid and an accident waiting to happen. Do it right the first time. Don't be cheap! As for the waste water. If your setup is close to a drain. Use a gravity solid separator. Sound complicated and expensive. But its not. All you need is a five gallon bucket and some rubber tubing. Its the same as a saw sucker bucket. Attach a hose to the drain on your cab unit long enough so it goes into the pal to about half way down. Now attack another hose to the side of the bucket about 3 inches from the top. Solids will go to the bottom and waste water to the drain.
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Post by Peruano on Nov 29, 2016 8:25:47 GMT -5
Bushmanbilly clearly knows what he is talking about, but its worth emphasizing. Needle valves work for regulating water flow much better than ball valves (good for shuting off water but not for controlling amount of flow). I sometimes get frustrated with needle valves because they foul and leak but for my lapidary equipment they are much preferred. I too use a gravity feed (not plumbed to pressure) so a hot water infusion is both easy and desired on a winter day (an electric pot of nearly boiling water in a gallon of cold comes out about right). With filling the gravity feed, its important to control the flow (not waste the effort) and this reduces splash etc when working. I can work some days without an apron, but I know some students who need hip boots because they use so much water. Go figure - if they had to fill the tank they would adjust the water more carefully.
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Tommy
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Post by Tommy on Nov 29, 2016 10:51:50 GMT -5
I would add that another reason why I built a recirc is I live in CA where we are in perpetual drought and have been under water restrictions for several years. I tend to use a lot of water and my prior usage got the better of my conscience.
I don't have any pictures but I built a combination drip/pressure system. The water is pumped up from a 25 gallon tank by a light weight aquarium pump where it goes into a manifold with drip lines falling to a needle valve above each wheel. If I need more water I have a main ball valve that I close and the manifold becomes pressurized. The tank is plumbed for refills to the hot/cold water lines at the washing machine as I mentioned earlier.
For filtration, the waste water falls into a Home Depot bucket located inside the tank. The bucket is weighted down with rocks and drilled with many holes around the bottom and stuffed with the fiberfill from a $5 Walmart pillow and I change it about every six months.
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Post by greig on Nov 29, 2016 13:12:05 GMT -5
If you are running the output onto a drain, are you not worried about the build up of sludge? I recently changed the plumbing in my downstairs washroom, where I sometimes did a final cleanup from tumbling or cutting. I did not think I was washing too much waste rock down that drain, but upon inspection, noticed that there was quite a bit in the trap (solid like cement).
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Post by johnjsgems on Dec 1, 2016 13:27:35 GMT -5
I would check the Cab King water tubing. If push on tubing connections they likely won't handle much pressure. They also may not handle hot water. Pumps are often used to supply volume with low pressure. The supply to the machine can be copper tubing or plastic tubing. The tubing used for refrigerator ice makers holds plenty of pressure. I'm in the "metal good" generation so use copper tubing with compression fittings.
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inbtb
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Member since May 2016
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Post by inbtb on Dec 1, 2016 14:32:45 GMT -5
I looked up Shark Bite plumbing and it looks similar to RV plumbing. RV water systems need to handle a variety of pressures at different campgrounds. Most RV'ers carry and use pressure regulators to maintain about 45 lb. pressure which should be enough for cab machine plumbing. Oh and the water lines in RVs, plastic. If your water is hot enough to melt plastic water lines, you won't be able to stick your hand into the water stream. Just sayin. You could also use a 12 volt RV water pump if you want to pump from a tank.
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Post by jakesrocks on Dec 1, 2016 15:55:00 GMT -5
I use the KISS system. (Keep it simple stupid). A 2 gallon pump up garden sprayer on a shelf above my machines. I removed the original hose from the tank & replaced it with enough plastic hose to reach a copper feed line. Reducer tees run 1/4" copper tubing to each wheel, & needle valves control flow. Most of the time I leave the cap/pump on the top of the tank loose for gravity feed. If I should need more pressure I tighten the cap & give it 2 or 3 pumps.
For waste water it's just simple drain lines to a 5 gallon bucket. I keep a couple of empty buckets handy. When a bucket is about 3/4 full I swap buckets. I let the full bucket sit for a couple days. all mud settles to the bottom, & I siphon off the clean water for house & garden plants. The mud in the buckets gets poured down gopher holes. The gophers hate it & will soon move to your neighbors yard.
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Post by johnjsgems on Dec 1, 2016 19:27:09 GMT -5
I have RV'd for years and know about RV tubing. My concern was the tubing on the unit itself and how it attaches. I have had issues with hoses popping off on slip on fittings on my wet polisher. I would think slip on fittings would be more likely to pop off if they are hot. An RV regulator would be a low cost option if your water pressure is high. Standard hose fittings too.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2016 20:20:53 GMT -5
Water pressure in a home is regulated at 60psi.
Higher and faucets and toilets leak.
If you are battling leaky faucet and toilets, changing out the regulator by where the water comes in solves this every time.
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Tommy
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Post by Tommy on Dec 1, 2016 22:59:46 GMT -5
I used all 1/4" ice cube maker type lines and fittings and valves - no pressure problems other than the usual leaks that have to be fixed whenever I tackle plumbing.
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bushmanbilly
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Member since October 2008
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Post by bushmanbilly on Dec 1, 2016 23:19:43 GMT -5
If you are running the output onto a drain, are you not worried about the build up of sludge? I recently changed the plumbing in my downstairs washroom, where I sometimes did a final cleanup from tumbling or cutting. I did not think I was washing too much waste rock down that drain, but upon inspection, noticed that there was quite a bit in the trap (solid like cement). Use a gravity solid separator. Sound complicated and expensive. But its not. All you need is a five gallon bucket and some rubber tubing. Its the same as a saw sucker bucket. Attach a hose to the drain on your cab unit long enough so it goes into the pal to about half way down. Now attack another hose to the side of the bucket about 3 inches from the top. Solids will go to the bottom and waste water to the drain. They work very well. Had mine for years with no problems. Read more: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/76846/piping-water-cab-machine#ixzz4ReQ7Kk8D
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frankbymonster
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2016
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Post by frankbymonster on Dec 19, 2016 10:40:10 GMT -5
Agree with comment above^ When I had new water pump I called to Plumbers Toronto to set it up and they explained me some things in plumbing and draining stuff. But if you are mot sure in your skills I advise you to ask professional help to avoid possible future problems and to now pay twice
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textriguy
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Member since February 2020
Posts: 15
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Post by textriguy on Oct 17, 2021 9:17:57 GMT -5
Does anyone have images of running water direct. I'm no plumber and just getting my cabking setup again at the new house. Unfortunately outside so will ne linking to hose line and cold water
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