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I'm an electrical engineer building a pump system to transport various disinfectants from large drums into smaller bottles for my parents' family gym business. I've realized that I need something that's made to transport chemicals, probably magnetic drive, otherwise the seals and/or diaphragm may dissolve. I'd also like it to be usable in a sprayer application for spraying gym equipment, so a higher psi is needed. I was looking at this pump, but the psi is very low.

Here are some additional questions:

  • For isopropyl or ethyl mixes, what type of pump internal materials should I look for?
  • I'm also considering this, which contains 13% alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, 13% alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chloride, and 73% other (probably inert)
  • Should I be looking at diaphragm pumps or something else?
  • Any disinfectant mixes other than alcohols that you could recommend that might work with more pumps on the market?

Desired specs:

  • Ideally, the pump would support up to 100psi so that we can use it as a sprayer for some equipment and surfaces.
  • Ability to run dry, or just shut off if dry
  • Not gigantic in size
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  • $\begingroup$ You have two different applications in mind - 1) filling smaller bottles & 2) spraying equipment? For 1) do you allrady have a plan to control dosis? Will both applications have the exact same medium? $\endgroup$
    – mart
    Aug 24, 2020 at 8:32

2 Answers 2

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peristaltic pumps are available from a variety of sources, not just stenner. you can buy either fixed-rate pumps or variable-rate pumps as either stand-alone units or computer-controlled (RS232, USB, etc.) devices. you can also select the tubing material for compatibility with the chemicals you wish to pump. Finally, note that you can buy motorized pump drives which will accomodate several pump housings simultaneously so that several fluids can be metered at the same time. a popular brand in the US is Masterflex. Cole-Parmer sells them.

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  • $\begingroup$ Should I specifically be looking at peristaltic vs. other types? I'd be worried about the pump tube failing, but santoprene looks pretty resistant to ammonium chloride. $\endgroup$
    – jonnyd42
    Aug 25, 2020 at 3:22
  • $\begingroup$ How about one like this? kleen-ritecorp.com/… $\endgroup$
    – jonnyd42
    Aug 25, 2020 at 3:34
  • $\begingroup$ this is a diaphragm pump. these are more difficult to control for precise metering. A peristaltic (MASTERFLEX) pump is preferred. $\endgroup$ Aug 25, 2020 at 3:52
  • $\begingroup$ Understood. If I were to just build a sprayer (and remove the metering use case), diaphragm would be totally appropriate, right? Which materials should I look for? Viton + santoprene? $\endgroup$
    – jonnyd42
    Aug 25, 2020 at 21:44
  • $\begingroup$ yes, but I do not know what materials to specify. $\endgroup$ Aug 26, 2020 at 5:44
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A Stenner pump might be a good fit. It's a peristaltic pump that comes in various sizes and some have adjustable flow rates. They can pump up to around 2-3 gph and will go as high as 100 psi. I use one to inject a chlorine solution into a fresh water supply at about 80 psi. It is self-priming. Chlorine is pretty harsh, so I imagine they'd hold up against mild disinfectants as well. The rubber tube needs to be replaced every 500 gallons or so, but they are cheap and easy to replace.

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  • $\begingroup$ The tube material varies but I don't think it is rubber any more... $\endgroup$
    – Solar Mike
    Aug 24, 2020 at 6:00

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