G'day,
Bill here from Brisbane, Australia. I've just purchased a second-hand PFT Monojet 2.13. The machine has seen (much) better days, but it was very cheap and I'm and hoping I can knock it into functional shape for a straw-bale build I'm in the middle of, hence my visit here.
For starters, the machine's purpose will be pumping and spraying a clay/lime/sand mix onto the straw-bale walls to a maximum height of around 8 metres. I can move the machine around close to where the mix is being applied so maximum distance shouldn't exceed 15 metres.
This is actually the second straw-bale house I've done - the first was single story and we used a home-made stucco sprayer (the scoop with handle connected to a compressor hose type) and it worked really well, but was heavy going and not really viable with this build as most of the wall is high set and will be done off scaffold. The mix we used was quite wet, and judging by a few pumping related posts I've read here about how to know if a mix is pumpable (squeeze a ball in your fist/water settling to the top when left in a bucket etc), I believe it will be. We're using sieved sand with a max size of 2 or 3mm, very sticky processed and sieved clay, and lime putty made from slaking hydrated lime for several months.
Anyway, back to the monojet. It's a 2.13 model with a 3.7kw Variable Frequency Drive that converts single-phase (240v here in Aus) to three phase and also allows for speed control. The main motor and compressor seem to run fine, though the booster pump seems to be seized, though I'm not too worried about that. The plan is to mix separately and tip wet mix into the hopper, so I'm guessing (correct me if I'm wrong) that I wont even be using the water supply side of the machine, apart from maybe the clean up process. Not sure about the various pressure gauges yet.
I've pulled most of it apart and am in the process of cleaning out all of the mix contact areas of rust and dried gunge etc. I'll then rust-convert and paint where applicable.
My first concern is the rotor/stator. Given the amount of rust and crap that was sitting in the bottom of the mixing chamber, I'm going to assume that it's stuffed. It's a D6-2, and the type that is held by the orange clamp (see pics). I've had a look at the various online PFT supplier sites and it seems the D6-2 isn't an option anymore, but the D6-3 is and appears to be suitable for this type of job. Would that be correct?
If anyone has any tips on other things to look out for as I go, then I'm all ears. I'll post as I go just in case it's helpful for anyone else looking to revive an old machine.
Cheers,
Bill.
Bill here from Brisbane, Australia. I've just purchased a second-hand PFT Monojet 2.13. The machine has seen (much) better days, but it was very cheap and I'm and hoping I can knock it into functional shape for a straw-bale build I'm in the middle of, hence my visit here.
For starters, the machine's purpose will be pumping and spraying a clay/lime/sand mix onto the straw-bale walls to a maximum height of around 8 metres. I can move the machine around close to where the mix is being applied so maximum distance shouldn't exceed 15 metres.
This is actually the second straw-bale house I've done - the first was single story and we used a home-made stucco sprayer (the scoop with handle connected to a compressor hose type) and it worked really well, but was heavy going and not really viable with this build as most of the wall is high set and will be done off scaffold. The mix we used was quite wet, and judging by a few pumping related posts I've read here about how to know if a mix is pumpable (squeeze a ball in your fist/water settling to the top when left in a bucket etc), I believe it will be. We're using sieved sand with a max size of 2 or 3mm, very sticky processed and sieved clay, and lime putty made from slaking hydrated lime for several months.
Anyway, back to the monojet. It's a 2.13 model with a 3.7kw Variable Frequency Drive that converts single-phase (240v here in Aus) to three phase and also allows for speed control. The main motor and compressor seem to run fine, though the booster pump seems to be seized, though I'm not too worried about that. The plan is to mix separately and tip wet mix into the hopper, so I'm guessing (correct me if I'm wrong) that I wont even be using the water supply side of the machine, apart from maybe the clean up process. Not sure about the various pressure gauges yet.
I've pulled most of it apart and am in the process of cleaning out all of the mix contact areas of rust and dried gunge etc. I'll then rust-convert and paint where applicable.
My first concern is the rotor/stator. Given the amount of rust and crap that was sitting in the bottom of the mixing chamber, I'm going to assume that it's stuffed. It's a D6-2, and the type that is held by the orange clamp (see pics). I've had a look at the various online PFT supplier sites and it seems the D6-2 isn't an option anymore, but the D6-3 is and appears to be suitable for this type of job. Would that be correct?
If anyone has any tips on other things to look out for as I go, then I'm all ears. I'll post as I go just in case it's helpful for anyone else looking to revive an old machine.
Cheers,
Bill.
