HEAVY DUTY TIG COOLER BUILD With Common Parts-- 350 AMP DESIGN!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ย. 2024
- In this video I will show you how I built my own Industrial strength Tig water cooler. This design is built off the larger commercial Tig cooler designs that are out on the market. Hope you enjoy this project and thanks for watching!
Here is a list of the main parts used in the build of this cooler.
Tig Quick connectors amzn.to/3NzgDQ5
Carbonator pump motor amzn.to/3wSE1C8
Procon Brass pump amzn.to/3uLcbFc
Pump mounting clamp amzn.to/3wQdDZN
Bleed off needle valve for pressure adjustment amzn.to/3rdFP5l
Mesh inline filter amzn.to/3qNMmn2
2 copper computer radiators amzn.to/3J2V3jG
4 high output low noise computer cooling fans amzn.to/35qF80z
There are more fittings and hose that I used and as I get time I’ll add those to the list. Many of these parts I found on eBay at a greatly reduced price so my build cost is substantially lower than the total of these items due to my bargain hunting.😁👍
That is an absolute unit, you can run half a dozen torch with it.
Thanks! It works great and welding up over 300 amps, it still has plenty of cooling to spare! 😊👍
Love the sliding fixture mounted to the edge of the table. I had actually just ordered a similar rail and slider, but was thinking about mounting to the top in a removable way, like 5/8 fixture holes. I like how out of the way yours is and adjustable wrist rest height, mine would not have had that. Now I gotta re-think it!
Thanks! It has really helped me with my longer welds. I have morphed it again since then. Look on my fuel tank video and you will see my latest variation with it. I still use it on the edge of my bench as well. Here is a link to the tank video. Go to 4:40 and you will see the adjustable rail mount I made that spans the length of my bench. th-cam.com/video/q_kn-MeR6uo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=WGYVHodDHHduEFPp 😊👍
Great job! I got lucky I purchased a used commercial grade pump (STAINLEES) with bronze pump for $300. USA made. I use a current sensor to turn on the pump only when I am welding and a delay off.
Hi Paul! Congrats on a great deal! That is a smoking price for that cooler! 😎👍
Copper radiators + Al tank is a recipe for galvanic corrosion, hence the plastic tanks often used. Might be fine for a few years, but if you want it to last forever and not potentially cause clogs, you'll want to add a corrosion inhibitor/biocide such as Potassium 2-ethylhexanoate or something similar. I believe prestone makes a fairly good one.
Thanks for the info! I appreciate it! I have noticed some discoloration of the fluid over time and I’m sure that is the reason. I have been considering flushing the system and switching it over to Evans waterless coolant. It’s supposed to eliminate any corrosion in cooling systems in vehicles. It’s kinda pricey but worth it to me because I have a lot invested in this cooler and multiple custom tig torches.
@@PranaTech For sure, things add up quick. That will prevent freezing as a bonus!
Yes, you are correct. Although here in Arizona there’s not much chance of freezing!😁👍
Honestly, I'd strongly advocate switching to an aluminum radiator and away from copper. Galvanic corrosion is a real bear to deal with, and even with good corrosion inhibitors, it can still cause a lot of problems.
The other direction, would be to replace the aluminum tank with plastic.
I don't know for sure how your torch is designed, but my budget torch has the water running through the power lead on the return flow, so that it cools the wire, and lets them use a thinner gauge copper conductor. In this case, it might make more sense to move to a plastic tank, and stay with the copper radiators.
I realize neither option is appealing, but it is something I'd suggest at least considering so that your system can last as long as possible.
Regardless, you built an amazingly high quality cooler, and it looks like it works fantastically well!
I like your shirt!
Saludos desde Argentina
Gracias mi amigo! Saludos!😊👍
Looks amazing, but you could probably use a pump a fraction of that size, even for 350 amps. You dont need any pressure, and barely any flow.
I agree! This cooler is way overbuilt. I basically copied the commercial versions that are out there for big Tig setups. They run 35-40 psi and these carbonation pumps last forever at that low pressure compared to what they are designed to run at. I do believe you could easily run a small pump at low pressure and be perfectly fine. I do mobile Tig welding and this cooler is not very portable, so I have a garden hose setup to just run tap water through the torch and the flow is plenty to keep the torch cool. 😊👍
Good *Lord* this is overbuilt.
This is awesome and it's probably nice to know you will never have to worry about your torch overheating no matter what, but I've been looking at various DIY tig coolers while I plan mine and plenty of folks have had zero issues with systems not even a quarter this robust.
Still, definitely awesome, and it's nice to have this as a build guide if I ever need to cool a TIG robot, haha.
Hi Dane! You are correct that this is way overbuilt. When I built it I knew I was going to buy a big Tig and this past summer I bought an Everlast 325 amp Tig and this keeps it perfectly cool. If you want a smaller cooler you could just use a Carbonator pump with just one of the radiators with just two fans and I’m sure that it would work great. 😁👍
Use a fish pump and a 5 gal bucket
I’m all for using whatever works😁👍
Excellent job! In future build projects it would be highly useful if you included links to the major components. It would also be useful to know the settings you used on your welder.
Hi there, yes I am compiling the links now for the components. Once I have them all done I will list them in the description of the video. I usually do this with all my builds, but it usually takes me a couple days to compile all the links. Thanks for your nice comment!🙏😊
@@PranaTech Thanks!
Oh a very nice job on your project. They are all professional design builds
Thank you! I appreciate that!😊
Neat build. I may have to try tig some day.
Nice effort and result. I have ideas for building a compact cooler that can hang or mount vertically on the side of a welding cart. I think all current coolers are sized much bigger than they need to be. I believe there are not that many BTU's generated by the thermal transfer into the torch head, and therefore much less flow and cooling capacity is needed. I'm thinking 1-1.5 gallons of liquid and 1gpm would be quite adequate. Space conservation is one of the goals.
I definitely think you are right about the average water cooled torch not needing any where near what this cooler puts out. Most of the time I weld at 150 to 220 amps with my size 20 torch. The torch never even gets warm with this cooler. But sometimes I have to weld over 300 amps with my big torch that is a 350 amp size and this cooler is just the right size for that torch. I like your idea for the small compact cooler on the side of the cart 😊👍
@@PranaTech I'd like to send you an email
@funone8716 my email is pranateq@gmail.com 👍
Neat build. I may have to try tig.
Great job! 👍🏼 Thank you 🙏🏼
Thank you for your kind comments! 🙏😊
Excellent job my friend, thank you for sharing this we us. How did you calculate the water flow & pressure needed for this application? The volume of water your pump flows is huge! I just ordered a water-cooled torch myself and will be making something soon and would appreciate any advise. Thank you again,
Hi there, so the bleed off valve allows you to adjust pressure and volume is limited by the small size of the cooling lines in the torch head itself. The as you can see puts out way more volume and pressure than the torch can handle so most of it gets bled off back into the tank. The only thing I would change is that I would probably make the tank out of stainless because the Cantesco fluid seems to be reacting to the aluminum tank and turning a yellowish brown color over time. Also I would mount my adjustment knob for the bleed off so it was on the control panel so I could adjust the pressures on the fly because I recently set up a 20 size torch and the flow through the smaller torch is much less, increasing the pressures and I had to open the cooler up to readjust the thing. Let me know if you have any other questions and I’ll be happy to answer them. 😊👍
Are you still big on Yes welders? I haven't seen ads lately. Are they still in business?
Hi there, yes, I still love mine. The Tig is amazing and I’ve been welding with it a bunch over the past 6 months and not one problem ever. They are still doing well and coming out with a new welder I think in May sometime. 😁👍
@@PranaTech
I may get in touch with you when I buy if that's OK. I've done some welding in the past, but only enough to realize how little I know.
No problem at all. I’m sure I can help you get set up and get welding.😁👍
Great build! Thanks for the video. Could you explain how you hooked the water cooled torch to the Yeswelder? I have the same model and recently bought a CK20 torch. Trying to figure out how to get it properly hooked up. Thanks
Hi D G! I’m working on a video showing how to convert Chinese welders to upgraded US torches. I first converted mine to a CK200 air cooled torch and then realized I wanted water cooled so I never have to stop welding because of heat. Ok, since you have the torch already I’ll just describe how I did my conversion. I began by buying this adapter for the water cooled torch red line to mount into. amzn.to/3N1fyir This allows you to combine power and water into the one line. You will then need to get a dinse 35-50 cable to draw power from the welder to this adapter. The easiest way to get one is to just cut the connector off the end of the stick welding lead that came with your Tig. Leave about four feet so you have some slack cable to play with. I hardly ever stick weld so this was a quick and easy solution. You then solder or crimp a copper wire eye fitting on the end of the cable so you can bolt the power cable to the hole tab on the 45v11z adapter block that the red cable is attached to. You then attach the dinse power cable that you just made into the connector on the far left of the panel. This outputs the same Tig power as the 16mm fitting your factory torch screwed into just to the right of the Dinse cable you just plugged in. Now we need a short hose to clamp to the nipple fitting on the 45v11z power block and about 4 feet long to go to the water cooler. I set my cooler up with quick fittings so I could swap torches easily. Here is a link to the fittings I used. amzn.to/39vlXom. To attach your argon hose to the welder, you will need this fitting. amzn.to/3zHsUxt You will need to snip off the CK fitting on the black hose and install this fitting on your argon hose so it will attach to the welder where the old factory torch was attached. You will then snip off the CK fitting on the blue line and install the other quick fitting for your cold water line to plug into the cooler. I use these clamps that I got on Amazon to do all of my clamping on my Tig cooler and these fittings. amzn.to/3HAbdl6 They look clean and clamp very tightly. I then put the whole power block adapter assembly into this box so no one touches it when welding. amzn.to/3tH1vI2 I just notched the sides so the cables slip down in and the lid secures everything. I Hope this helps and if you have any questions just let me know. 😁👍Don
Wow thanks for the quick and detailed answer! The links are very helpful! I appreciate the response and look forward to the video!
No problem at all! Let me know if you have any questions when you get going.😊
You running water or glycol in your cooler
Good morning! I’m using Cantesco cooling fluid designed for tig coolers. Hers a link.www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T46Z13M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 😁👍
Wonderful build but why? The money you spent on all of the stuff you might could have bought one. I use a 5 gallon bucket and fish pump.
I agree! This cooler is way overbuilt. I basically copied the commercial versions that are out there for big Tig setups. They run 35-40 psi and these carbonation pumps last forever at that low pressure compared to what they are designed to run at. I weld up over 300 amps with this cooler and my Tig torch costs over $350 so I just want to protect my investment. I do believe you could easily run a small pump at low pressure and be perfectly fine. I do mobile Tig welding and this cooler is not very portable, so I have a garden hose setup to just run tap water through my cheap torch and the flow is plenty to keep that torch cool. 😊👍
nice cooler, and a very nice job. But that will not keep a 350amp torch on long runs cool, here is the scoop most coolers are a joke i have a cool arc 40 it was like 900.00 dollers and i got scamed like every one els, now Lincoln wonts like 2000 dollers for the cool arc 40 stand alone. IF U WONT TO DO LONG RUNS AND KEEP YOUR TORCH COOL U HOOK IT UP TO THE GARDEN HOSE AND RUN THE DRAIN TO THE YARD. THATS STRAIGHT OUT OF THE 1970 WELDING TEXT, even my old Hobart HF 250 had a water cooler that was 3ft x 2.5ft x 1.5 ft didnt keep the torch cool on long runs. Iam not downing your prodject i wood like to have one like yours just bigger. lol
Hi Danny! Thanks for the great info! I always enjoy hearing from other welders especially ones with different experiences than I’ve had. I’m currently running this cooler with my Everlast 325 amp Tig and it is working great. I don’t do a lot of long runs except when building aluminum tanks. Most of these are 1/8” or thinner aluminum so not a lot of amps.(175 most of the time) I run a Weldcraft WP-18 torch for the heavy duty welds on thick stuff and it has never gotten overheated, even when welding full amperage on 1” thick aluminum with multiple passes. These are not long welds like you’re talking about and I would definitely consider the garden hose method if I ever have to do that type of welding. Thanks again for your great comments!😁👍 Don
Awesome job wow could you list the part I would like to build