newbie peristaltic setup questions

[pgf]

hi -- i'm experimenting with using a small peristaltic pump (sold for aquarium use) as a semi-automatic chain-oiler on my motorcycle. i think i understand basically what i need to do, but have two questions. (i searched the
web for a "Beginner's Guide to Peristaltic Pumping" but came up short.

a) what kind of tubing should i use for motor oil? i believe the norprene that the pump came with is inappropriate, correct? inexpensive and readily available at my corner hardware store would be ideal, of course. ;-)

and b) how does one keep the tubing from "walking" through the pump? the supplied tubing has some larger-diameter sleeves at the ends which simply get tugged against the pump opening. how does one solve this for an arbitrary piece of tubing? it seems like the pump is tugging pretty hard, so it has to be a strong mechanism of some sort. (hmmm -- should the outside of the pump tubing be lubed somehow?)

thanks very much, in advance...

paul

 

[stressriser]

I usually use this...

http://www.masterflex.com/Products/tubing.asp

 

[ChasBean1]

pgf -

Usually the tubing that undergoes peristalsis comes with the pump. For peristaltic pumping, surviving repeated compression from the rollers would usually outweigh material compatibility.

These pumps come with (or manufacturers suggest) tubing that fits into the pump assembly. These are small, thick-walled tubes with high elasticity. Changing tube type to suit chemical compatibility with the oil would probably result in a tube that can't handle rollers repeatedly compressing the same spot, or "walking" of the tube as you mentioned.

I would keep the portion of the tube that undergoes peristalsis as provided or recommended by the manufacturer. That said, more chemically appropriate tubing can be barbed at the immediate inlet and outlet of the pump - but the tubing that undergoes compression should not be altered based on the material's compatibility unless you are handling a substance that degrades the tubing quickly.

Lookup - neoprene versus oil. I'm not sure...

Best luck. -CB

 

[pgf]

CB -- thanks. i guess i sort of thought that part of the point of a peristaltic pump was that you could use different tubing formulations for pumping different fluids. the place i got my pump only had norprene available, and the places i've looked it up, it seems like it's incompatible with "mineral oil" -- i assume motor oil would fall in that category? (i confess i bought this particular pump because of its cost and size, on the assumption i could get the right tubing for my application. sure hope i was right!

 

[fitzy]

PGF, how is progress with the peristaltic pump? does it have a 12V drive attached? I have been looking at 12V solenoid pumps, of the type used in the Hawkeoiler,

http://www.hawkeoiler.com,as

I am attempting to make a M/C chain oiler.The only one I have sourced so far is from germany, and fairly expensive. There is a small manually operated pump from one of the Ryobi electric chain saw models, which I was considering operating with a small solenoid, but am unsure how robust the pump is in the long run. Have you had any experience with the solenoid type pumps?
Fitzy

 

[pgf]

fitzy -- i've made some progress. yes, i has a motor. i was hoping to not have to use the motor -- the pump works great with just a twist of the shaft if i put a knob on it. but i can't find an appropriate easy-to-reach place to mount the knob (i'm reluctant to put a hole in my
fairing yet, and it would be hard to reach in any case) so i'm using the motor that came with the pump. i think pressing the button for at most a second will put a couple of drops of oil on the chain.

i got some tygon fuel and oil tubing from mcmaster-carr that will work pretty well.

i'm familiar with the hawkeoiler -- we have one on anotehr bike. remember that his pump is not anti-siphoning -- he supplies a check valve with the kit to keep oil from continuously draining from the reservoir. that's one reason i'm playing with the peristaltic pump. i found his pump on the web, btw. for that url, and for the source for my pump, feel free to send me mail: pgf at foxharp dot boston dot ma dot us .