Live Laugh & Surf

Joey Tomatoes for dinner and the "French Maid" for some Looney Tossing (adult entertainment). You won't be disappointed. Another great place for dinner is the Salt Lick (its a bit pricey). For country dancing and some eye candy, try Cowboys. All are in the downtown area.

Howdy, In the process of reconfiguring my ballast system. I plan to run two Johnson reversible pumps per Enzo sac to fill and drain (eliminating the sprinkler valves for the Enzo sacs). I plan to use a single DPDT (dual pole-dual throw) switch to control the two pumps simultaneously. I have located a diagram on WakeWorld.com that may work, but I am not sure if the creator of the diagram is correct as they show an Eighth pole position on their switch and the DPDT switches I have seen only have Seven poles (7th pole for switch lighting). Looking for advice from anyone who already has this setup or anyone who has electrical knowledge. Please see attached diagram. Many thanks, Dan two pumps one switch diagram.doc

I'm holding out for a boat with a Flux Capacitor similar to the one on Back to the Future that runs off household garbage. Till then, I'll keep turning dinosaurs into noise. Cheers

Hi Duramat, According to Johnson's web site the pumps draw 14 amps each. Through other forums it appears the pumps can draw up to 20 amps when first engaged. So 20 amps per pump is my plan for fuse and relay consideration. I too like the the separate home-run idea for each. Here is a link to a web site with recommended wire capacity for a given 12v wire gauge/amperage load: http://www.rowand.net/shop/tech/wirecapacitychart.htm Dan

I agree, relays are the best way forward and I am planning to replicate the relay wiring/configuration as shown in the previous attachment to include as you suggested hooking both "red" wires from the two pumps to one relay, and the "black" wires to the other relay. Where I am uncertain is with the actual wiring of the switch. I found a couple of pictures on WakeBoarder.com (see attachment this post) of the back of a carling technologies DPDT switch. The pictures attached to this post were originally intended is to show how one would wire up a single reversible pump without using relays. As can be seen in the attached pictures of the carling technologies DPDT switch, it does not have a #8 pole/position as shown in the previous attached diagram. So here is my thoughts on wiring up the switch: 1) run the low amperage hot power wire to pole/position #2 on the switch for switch power 2) a jumper wire from switch pole/position #3 to switch pole/position #7 for the Empty Bulb 3) a jumper wire from switch pole/position #1 to switch pole/position #7 for the Fill Bulb 4) a wire from switch pole/position #1 to the first relay's position #85 as shown in the previous diagram 5) a wire from switch pole/position #3 to the other two relay's position #85 as shown in the previous diagram My questions are: Can I simply run the low amperage ground directly to position #86 on each of the three relays and bypass the switch (no ground wire to the switch itself) since the switch does not have a #8 pole/position? Will the switch function normally without a ground attached directly to the switch with the low voltage ground running directly to the relays? Thanks Any thoughts? Reverible Pump Switch Wiring.doc

I am not an electrician and I have not experienced the same issue so this may be way-off base, but worth a thought. When I added additional sprinkler valves to my system I was surprised to discover that all of the valves shared a common wire and the second wire going to each valve supplied the electrical current to open the valve. When we pulled back the plastic shielding near the valve's solenoid we found that each set of wires going to each valve had a diode (basically a one-way path for electrical current) crossing from one wire to the other. If this diode becomes inoperative or unattached it could allow electrical current to travel back through the common wire to other valves' solenoid and thus allow them to open. This of course is just a theory. As for the blown circuit breaker, I added an additional Mayfair 1000 drain pump to the port and starboard enzo sacs. The drain pumps would run for a few minutes and then pop the CB. After removing the four screw that hold the CB panel in place I found that the Port 1 and Starboard 1 CBs were only rated at five amps. Each Mayfair 1000 is rated at 3 amps for a total of 6 amp draw. I checked the associated wires on my boat and they are 16 guage. According to the electrical source I found a 16 guage wire can handle a total of 13 amps (the total amount of amps a 16 guage wire can handled varied based on which web site and electrician I talked to, but 13 was the most popular answer). So I replaced the 5 amp CB with a 10 amp CB and problem solved. Agian, I am not an electrician so please do your homework and consult an electrician before proceeding forward. On a side note I did consult Shell and Travis at Fineline, but last word I got from them was that they are still checking into it. Hope this helps, Happy Surfing

Good point! Ballast sacs are like flying cargo, they stay put and they don't complain (unlike friends).

Howdy Folks, My name is Dan and this is my first post here, but I’ve been quietly following the forum for sometime now and have purchased a couple of boards last season from WakeDoc. We sold our Malibu VLX and purchased a 09 Enzo 240 as the wake on the VLX was surfable, it just wasn’t monstrous. Our new boat has one Water Puppy and the three midship ballast tanks. Our boat to be delivered soon and we wanted the ballast system to be push button seamless, but I was concerned that the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valves may reduce the flow rate of the factory system as suggested in many posts on this forum. I also wanted to upgrade the single Jabsco Water Puppy (6 gpm) to something that would produce more flow. Our plan is to install two custom Enzo sacs and add another thru hole for a second pump. I plan to have both pumps feed a single bag at a time. I have been leaning toward an aerator pump for ease of replacement and cost. So I purchased a Mayfair 1000 aerator pump and a 1” Orbit Jar Valve from Shell at Fineline. I also had a Tsunami 1200 aerator pump from my previous boat setup and purchased a ¾” brass 12 vdc valve from ebay which can be seen here http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=300393174645 . I chose 3/4” brass vs 1” to reduce weight and the info I obtained stated it would flow greater that 20 gpm. I would prefer a 1” electric 12vdc ball valve, but the ones I have found are rather expensive. If anyone happens to know of a reasonably priced 1” electric 12vdc ball valve please share, it doesn’t have to be brass. To conduct this test I had the following: - Swimming poll (unrestricted water source) - 12 vdc Lawn & Garden Battery with 160 cold cranking amps from Pep Boys - Mayfair 1000 aerator pump - Tsunami 1200 aerator pump - 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve - ¾” brass 12 vdc valve - 1.25” OD x 1” ID vinyl hose (no kinks) - 4 orange Home Depot 5-gallon buckets measured at 1-gallon increments - Stop watch set to count down 1 minute with alarm Each setup was tested three separate times to validate the accuracy of the test and test was not begun until a maximum stream of water had commenced. Here are the results for the Mayfair 1000 aerator pump: Unrestricted: 10 GPM or 600 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve: 3 GPM or 180 GPH ¾” brass 12 vdc valve: 6.5 GPM or 390 GPH Here are results for the Tsunami 1200 aerator pump: Unrestricted: 13 GPM or 780 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve: 3 GPM or 180 GPH ¾” brass 12 vdc valve: 6.5 GPM or 390 GPH First off I was totally surprised at the less than advertized flow rates from these two aerator pumps when unrestricted and clearly the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve causes a restriction in flow. Now how much of a flow restriction will occur with an impeller style pump such as a Water Puppy or Ballast Puppy I don’t know. Impeller Pumps produce more pressure than aerator pumps and the more pressure the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve receives the more it will flow according to the tech rep I spoke with at Orbit. In fact the Orbit rep stated it takes 15 psi to flow 5 gpm and maxes out at 150 psi to obtain 40 gpm. Also keep in mind the 1” sprinkler valve has a 24 vac solenoid and in our boats it is operating on a 12 vdc source. Not sure if that has much relevance, but some folks I spoke with said the valve would not operate at all (everyone that has the factory manifold setup knows that this is not true). One would ask how can a ¾ “ valve have a greater flow than a 1” sprinkler valve? The answer lies in how the valves operate. The ¾ “ valves electric solenoid actually pulls the diaphragm up and out of the way to allow water flow where the 1” sprinkler valve merely equalizes pressure within the body and the incoming water pressure on the inlet side of the valve actually moves the diaphragm out of the way to allow water to flow. So now I must rethink my plan, but in the meantime I may purchase the 1” electric 12 vdc brass valve to test flow rate. I really would like to maintain an electric manifold system less the Orbit sprinkler valves. Cheers

Howdy, After completing the test of pumps and valves combinations, I began assembling a list of parts needed to build my ballast system. If you recall my plan is to utilize two Johnson pumps feeding into the factory 1” manifold incorporating (7) 1” Orbit vales less the internal spring. If you are not familiar with the factory setup, everything after the 1” Orbit valves come stock at ¾”. This got me to wondering if the ¾” hose and fittings after the Orbit valve would impact max flow rate to the sacs/tank. So I picked up Fly High’s 1” W743 & W746 fittings and Fly High’s ¾” W736 & W742 fittings. I first attached Fly High’s 1” W743 & W746 fittings to the 1” ID hose configuration and the results were exactly the same as the previous test of the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without internal spring: 12.25 GPM or 735 GPH (no surprise here, really just a validation test). I then attached the ¾” ID hose from the 1” Orbit valves to Fly High’s ¾” W736 & W742 fittings to see if there was any loss in max flow rate. The rate of flow was reduced by only 0.25 GPM (12 GPM or 720 GPH total flow). After much thought and time spent shopping for parts I have decided to immolate the factory plumbing and go with ¾” everything after the 1” Orbit vales. If one considers that an Enzo sac is approximately 180 gallons and if fed by two Johnson pumps at either 25 GPM total (1” ID hose & Fly High’s 1” W743 & W746 fittings) or 24 GPM total (3/4” ID hose & Fly High’s ¾” W736 & W742 fittings), the difference in time is minuscule (a mere18 seconds; 7.2 minutes vs 7.5 minutes). I then considered the cost factor and it quickly became a difference I can live with. Sorry folks, I have no plans to re-test each of the previous test configurations, but I believe we could probably assume the results would be very similar; a 0.25 GPM reduction in max flow rate. Another piece of my puzzle revealed. Happy Surfing, Dan

Howdy Folks, Today I completed the backyard test of the Johnson Ultra Ballast pump and the 1” Irritrol 700 Series Valve with and without the internal spring installed. I have incorporated the results of these tests into the previous posted test data. To conduct these tests I utilized the following: - Swimming pool (unrestricted water source) - 12 vdc Lawn & Garden Battery with 160 cold cranking amps from Pep Boys - Jabsco Ballast Puppy Advertised @ 11 GPM or 660 GPH - Johnson Ultra Ballast Pump Advertised @ 13.7 GPM or 822 GPH - Mayfair 1000 aerator pump Advertised @ 16.66 GPM or 1000 GPH - Tsunami 1200 aerator pump Advertised @ 20 GPM or 1200 GPH - 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve with the internal spring installed - 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without the internal spring installed - 1” brass 12 vdc valve - 1” Irritrol 700 Series Valve with the internal spring installed - 1” Irritrol 700 Series Valve without the internal spring installed - 1.25” OD x 1” ID vinyl hose (no kinks) - 3 orange Home Depot 5-gallon buckets measured at 1-gallon increments - Stop watch set to countdown 1 minute with alarm Each setup was tested three separate times to validate the accuracy of the test and the test was not begun until a maximum stream of water had commenced. The “Unrestricted Test” was measured with a 3’ section of 1.25” OD x 1” ID vinyl hose from the pool to the pump and a 3’ section of 1.25” OD x 1” ID vinyl hose from the pump to the 5 gallon bucket without a valve attached. Each of the pumps and valves were new out of the box. Here are the results for the Jabsco Ballast Puppy pump: Advertised @ 11 GPM or 660 GPH Unrestricted Test: 11.5 GPM or 690 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve with internal spring: 8.0 GPM or 480 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without internal spring: 9.5 GPM or 570 GPH 1” brass 12 vdc valve: 10.0 GPM or 600 GPH 1” Irritrol 700 Series Valve with the internal spring installed: 9.0 GPM or 540 GPH 1” Irritrol 700 Series Valve without the internal spring installed: 9.5 GPM or 570 GPH Here are the results for the Johnson Ultra Ballast pump: Advertised @ 13.7 GPM or 822 GPH Unrestricted Test: 13.5 GPM or 810 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve with internal spring: 9.5 GPM or 570 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without internal spring: 12.25 GPM or 735 GPH 1” brass 12 vdc valve: 12.5 GPM or 750 GPH 1” Irritrol 700 Series Valve with the internal spring installed: 12.25 GPM or 735 GPH 1” Irritrol 700 Series Valve without the internal spring installed: 12.5 GPM or 750 GPH Here are the results for the Mayfair 1000 aerator pump: Advertised @ 16.66 GPM or 1000 GPH Unrestricted Test: 10 GPM or 600 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve with internal spring: 3 GPM or 180 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without internal spring: 6.5 GPM or 390 GPH ¾” brass 12 vdc valve: 6.5 GPM or 390 GPH 1” brass 12 vdc valve: 7.5 GPM or 450 GPH 1” Irritrol 700 Series Valve with the internal spring installed: 5.75 GPM or 345 GPH 1” Irritrol 700 Series Valve without the internal spring installed: 7.75 GPM or 465 GPH Here are results for the Tsunami 1200 aerator pump: Advertised @ 20.0 GPM or 1200 GPH Unrestricted Test: 13 GPM or 780 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve with internal spring: 3 GPM or 180 GP 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without internal spring: 6.5 GPM or 390 GPH ¾” brass 12 vdc valve: 6.5 GPM or 390 GPH 1” brass 12 vdc valve: 7.5 GPM or 450 GPH 1” Irritrol 700 Series Valve with the internal spring installed: 6.25 GPM or 375 GPH 1” Irritrol 700 Series Valve without the internal spring installed: 9.5 GPM or 570 GPH The height of the 5-gallon bucket utilized was 14.5 inches, but I held the hose slightly above the bucket at approximately 18 inches. Why is this important? For those not familiar with aerator type pumps; aerator type pumps such as the Tsunami 1200 and the Mayfair 1000 move high volumes of water, but at a very low pressure. A pump’s max flow is rated at what is referred to as “Open Flow” or inlet-to-outlet, nothing attached. Anytime an aerator pump has to push water upward there is going to be a significant drop in max flow rate as can be seen with the Tsunami pump which had a tested flow rate of 13 GPM or 780 GPH at 18 inches vertical. Here is a link to the Rule 1100 aerator pump which advertises a flow rate of 18.33 GPM or 1100 GPH, but according to the chart at 3.35’ it flows 13.17 GPM or 790 GPH (a significant drop) http://www.rule-industries.com/files/itemdoc134791.pdf My first concern with removing the internal spring from the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve and the 1” Irritrol 700 Series Valve was that with no power applied to the valve (valve closed) that there may be a possibility of the inlet pressure unseating the diaphragm and allowing water to pass through the valve. The 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without the internal spring installed remained closed and no water passed through, but the 1” Irritrol 700 Series Valve without the internal spring installed initially allowed water to pass through for about 3 seconds and then reseated itself and no additional water passed through. For those wondering, the Jabsco Ballast Puppy pump came with the green colored impeller installed and the battery was recharged between test sets. As can be seen from the test data, removing the internal spring from the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve and the 1” Irritrol 700 Series Valve had a significant affect on water flow (way to go CenturionSkier!). It also appears from the test that when utilizing either of these two aerator pumps that the diaphragm type valves will have a significant impact on max flow rate. Incorporating a valve also had an impact on the max flow rate of the impeller pumps, but to a lesser degree due to the increased pressure of the impeller type pumps. As Bigshow pointed out, we can probably expect to get a slight increase in output from these pumps if they are being feed 14 vdc from the boats electrical system. So after reviewing the results of these tests here is my plan. I’m planning a five sac system; (2) Enzo Sacs (~1450#), (2) bow sacs (~ 400# each) and a factory center mid-ship tank (~ 250#). I still want my ballast system to be push-button automatic so I plan to utilize seven 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without the internal spring installed and feed each Enzo sac with two of these valves, thus taking advantage of both Johnson pumps at once. All plumbing will be 1” ID . Although the Johnson pump pushing through the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without internal spring installed tested at 12.25 GPM or 735 GPH, I expect to loose some flow due to the manifold system and bends in the plumbing. But I should easily meet my goal of filling an Enzo sac in less than 10 minutes with this setup. I prefer the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without the internal spring over the 1” brass 12 vdc valve or the 1” Irritrol 700 Series Valve due to the availability of replacement parts (Home Depot is just around the corner). In my research I came across an interesting table for max flow rates of Flexible PVC. Here is the link: http://flexpvc.com/WaterFlowBasedOnPipeSize.shtml I have seen where some have touted a 1” hose with a max flow rate of 60 GPM, according to the chart this is possible but the flow rate is at 18 fps (a high pressure not likely to be seen by these type pumps). Referring to the chart we are more likely to expect a max flow rate around 37 GPM (12 fps) based on the pressure of our pumps. Many thanks to the great folks at Texas Sport Boats. Without their help in lending a Jabsco Ballast Puppy we would have a very limited test data set. It’s awesome to have such great dealer support. This completes my tests-I’m officially out of the testing business. Hopefully this data will clear up some misconceptions and help others with their ballast build. I am not very familiar with this site, but if stickies are allowed maybe the administrator will post this one as a sticky as I have not seen any similar test data available on the net and having a sticky beats an extensive search. Best of luck in your ballast build, Cheers Aerator_Pumps_and_Electric_Valves_Test_Final.doc

Centurion uses the Orbit Model #57477 1" Male NPT Jar Top Valve, Gray which can be seen here: http://www.orbitirrigation.com/products/Valves/02/16/01/218/ Cheers

The Irritol 700 valve looks promissing. I will try and find one locally and test it once my new Johnson pumps arrive from Bobby at Max Wake. Here's a link to a spec sheet. Check out the second page where they show the difference in their design to that of other sprinkler valves: http://www.irritrol.com/pdf/sellsheet_700.pdf Thanks for sharing Volzalum I'll get back with the results of the test soon. Cheers

Just a heads-up for others who may be looking for the Johnson pumps. The Johnson pump listed on boatersworldonline for $177 is the Johnson Heavy Duty Impeller Pump Model F3B-19 12V Bronz model F3B-19 (3/8" NPT) and it is not rated at 13.7 GPM. The Johnson pump to look for is the Johnson Ultra Ballast Pump model JS 10-24690-03 (1/2" NPT) or sometimes shown as model 102469003. This is the pump that is rated at 13.7 GPM. I almost pulled the trigger on the wrong pump.

Excellent, thanks.

h20king, Can you post or pm where you found the Johnson's for $169 and if you ordered your pumps from that distributor did you experience any difficulties? Thanks

h20king, Can you post or pm where you found the Johnson's for $169 and if you ordered your pumps from that distributor did you experience any difficulties? Thanks

h20king, Can you post or pm where you found the Johnson's for $169 and if you ordered your pumps from that distributor did you experience any difficulties? Thanks

The model number for the Jabsco pump I used is 18220-5127 and here is a link: http://www.jabsco.com/files/18220_ballast_puppy.pdf

Dax, Sorry I don't know the complete answer to your question. Attached is a picture of another Enzo 240 with a five valve-two pump setup. Notice the factory connects the pump lines to the ends of the five valve manifold. this would be the most simplistic setup and would give you control over which pump-valve combinations depending on how you wire your switches. Hope that helps, Dan

Dax, I'm sorry but I don't know the answer to your question. But attached is a picture I took of another Enzo 240 with the five valve manifold which is supplied by two pumps. Notice the factory plumbs in a seperate pump and hose to each side of the manifold. This seems to be the most simple way to tackle what you are describing. This way you can wire your switches to open a combination of pumps and valves. Hope that helps, Cheers

Howdy Folks, Follow up to the follow up. For the ex-military folks, please pay attention because there will be a test following this presentation. Sorry folks I didn’t have enough time last night to complete all of tests I wanted to. So today I ran a test utilizing the two aerator pumps (Mayfair 1000 & Tsunami 1200) with the 1” brass 12 vdc valve as suggested by Folier. I also ran a test on all three pumps with the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve after removing the internal spring as suggested by CenturionSkier. My first concern with removing the spring from the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve was that with no power applied to the valve (valve closed) that there may be a possibility of the inlet pressure unseating the diaphragm and allowing water to pass through the valve. To my surprise the valve remained closed and no water passed through. For those wondering, the Jabsco Ballast Puppy pump came with the green colored impeller installed. Also I for those wondering, I did recharge the battery between test sets. To conduct this test I had the following: - Swimming pool (unrestricted water source) - 12 vdc Lawn & Garden Battery with 160 cold cranking amps from Pep Boys - Jabsco Ballast Puppy Advertised @ 11 GPM - Mayfair 1000 aerator pump - Tsunami 1200 aerator pump - 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve with the internal spring installed - 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without the internal spring installed - 1” brass 12 vdc valve - 1.25” OD x 1” ID vinyl hose (no kinks) - 4 orange Home Depot 5-gallon buckets measured at 1-gallon increments - Stop watch set to count down 1 minute with alarm Each setup was tested three separate times to validate the accuracy of the test and test was not begun until a maximum stream of water had commenced. Here are the results for the Jabsco Ballast Puppy pump: Unrestricted: 11.5 GPM or 690 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve with internal spring: 8.0 GPM or 480 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without internal spring: 9.5 GPM or 570 GPH 1” brass 12 vdc valve: 10.0 GPM or 600 GPH Here are the results for the Mayfair 1000 aerator pump: Unrestricted: 10 GPM or 600 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve with internal spring: 3 GPM or 180 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without internal spring: 6.5 GPM or 390 GPH ¾” brass 12 vdc valve: 6.5 GPM or 390 GPH 1” brass 12 vdc valve: 7.5 GPM or 450 GPH Here are results for the Tsunami 1200 aerator pump: Unrestricted: 13 GPM or 780 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve with internal spring: 3 GPM or 180 GP 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without internal spring: 6.5 GPM or 390 GPH ¾” brass 12 vdc valve: 6.5 GPM or 390 GPH 1” brass 12 vdc valve: 7.5 GPM or 450 GPH As can be seen above, removing the spring from the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve had a significant affect on water flow without any bypass (way to go CenturionSkier!). It also appears from the test that when utilizing either of these two aerator pumps that the diaphragm type valves will limit max water flow as the flow rates are exactly the same with each valve. The valves also had an impact on the max flow rate of the impeller pump, but to a lesser degree. As Bigshow pointed out, we can probably expect to get a slight increase in output from these pumps if they are being feed 14 vdc from the boats. I sure would like to run a test of the Johnson Ultra Ballast pump @13 gpm and see if there is an improvement in flow rates, but I’ve exhausted all of my means to no avail. So after reviewing the results of this test here is my plan. I’m planning a five sac system; (2) Enzo Sacs (1450#), (2) bow sacs (~ 400# each) and a factory center mid-ship tank (~ 250#). I still want it all automatic as possible so I plan to utilize seven 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without the internal spring and feed two valves to each Enzo sac. I am leaning toward two of the Johnson Ultra Ballast pump @13 gpm and hope to get better than 9.5 GPM per valve. Even at 9.5 GPM per valve that’s 19 GPM feeding a single Enzo sac, 180 gallons (1450 #) divided by 19 GPM = 9.47 minutes. My goal was to fill an Enzo sac in less than 10 minutes and this setup should work. I prefer the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve without the internal spring over the 1” brass 12 vdc valve due to the availability of replacement parts (Home Depot around the corner) and the added safety feature of having ignition protection certification. Many thanks to the great folks at Texas Sport Boats. Without their help in lending a Jabsco Ballast Puppy we would have a very limited test data set. It’s awesome to have such great dealer support. I’ll keep you posted if I get my hands on a Johnson pump. Best of luck in your ballast build, Cheers

Slid them over the outside as suggested. Thanks for the tip

Yep very expensive and doesn't list a 12 vdc version. From that web site select 1" and 24 vdc from and the cost is $448 per valve. Ouch, too cost prohibitive for me, but I like the way you're think. Please let us know if you find anything more. Cheers

Howdy Folks, Follow up to the previous test. I was unable to obtain access to a Johnson Ultra Ballast Pump (advertised @ 13.7 GPM), but I was able to get my hands on a new out of the box Jabsco Ballast Puppy (advertised @ 11 GPM) and also a new 1” brass 12 vdc valve from ebay which can be seen here http://cgi.ebay.com/1-Electric-Solenoid-Va...414081529492110 To conduct this test I had the following: - Swimming pool (unrestricted water source) - 12 vdc Lawn & Garden Battery with 160 cold cranking amps from Pep Boys - Jabsco Ballast Puppy Advertised @ 11 GPM - 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve - 1” brass 12 vdc valve - 1.25” OD x 1” ID vinyl hose (no kinks) - 4 orange Home Depot 5-gallon buckets measured at 1-gallon increments - Stop watch set to count down 1 minute with alarm Each setup was tested three separate times to validate the accuracy of the test and test was not begun until a maximum stream of water had commenced. Here are the results for the Jabsco Ballast Puppy pump: Unrestricted: 11.5 GPM or 690 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve: 8.0 GPM or 480 GPH 1” brass 12 vdc valve: 10.0 GPM or 600 GPH Below are the results from the previous tests for comparison: Here are the results for the Mayfair 1000 aerator pump: Unrestricted: 10 GPM or 600 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve: 3 GPM or 180 GPH ¾” brass 12 vdc valve: 6.5 GPM or 390 GPH Here are results for the Tsunami 1200 aerator pump: Unrestricted: 13 GPM or 780 GPH 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve: 3 GPM or 180 GPH ¾” brass 12 vdc valve: 6.5 GPM or 390 GPH As can be seen above, the Jabsco Ballast Puppy unrestricted flowed 0.5 GPM better than advertised. The 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve performed much better with the impeller pump than with the aerator pumps, but still has a flow loss (3.5 GPM) due to valve design/function. The 1” brass 12 vdc valve also had flow loss (1.5 GPM) due to valve design/function, but the 1” brass 12 vdc valve had 2 GPM less loss than the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve. My assumption for the difference is because the 1” brass 12 vdc valve electrically pulls the internal diaphragm up to allow water to flow, whereas the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve moves a pin to allow pressure to equalize on both sides of the diaphragm and then the inlet water pressure actually displaces the diaphragm upward to allow water flow. So if you are thinking of replacing the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve with the 1” brass 12 vdc valve there is one major safety issue to consider. The 1” brass 12 vdc valve is NOT ignition protection certified and the 1” Orbit Jar Top Valve IS ignition protection certified. Personally, I have a hard time seeing the 1” brass 12 vdc valve NOT being ignition protection as being an actual safety hazard if the valve is ordered with the water tight coil, but I am not an electrician and thus cannot recommend utilizing the 1” brass 12 vdc valve. You will have to decide your own level of safety here. From my research the best option for maximum flow is to run a line directly from the pump to the affected sac or for multiple sacs utilizing less pumps a manifold with manual ball valves. If you want to go with electric valves, once you get past these two electric valves the cost of valves skyrockets (electric ball valves are very expensive). I hope these backyard tests help those seeking to design their own ballast system. It certainly cleared up some of my own misconceptions. I tried to keep the tests as scientific and rigorous as possible. If I can get my hands on a Johnson Ultra Ballast Pump in the near future, I’ll be sure to post the results. Cheers

I spoke with the valve supplier. These valves are made in China and as far as he is aware the valves have not been ignition protection certified. Although not the same, the supplier did point out that these coils are a water tight coil so that nothing gets in and nothing gets out concept.