Wand bypass valves

I'm going old school (I'm old so it is okay) and decided to bring back wand bypasses for my tools. I used to have them back when I started out and really like having the ability to keep the water flowing to maintain heat. They might look ugly and adds another item that can develop leaks, but being able to set the wand down without losing heat sounds good to me.

I had been using a "wash downer" to just bleed off some water into a bucket during the winter, by why make it messy? I will be setting up my old PCQ and my Ti wand tomorrow, but will probably avoid the carbon fiber wand for fear of causing damage.

I have never worked with titanium before, any issues with drilling the tube?

If you use a good drill bit, I don't see you having an issue drilling the Ti tube.

I've always liked the idea of having a bypass on my wand, but never had one.
Can you make a video or post pics of the process and the finished product?
Seems Joe's new lil 1/4" valve would be perfect for this.

Davey Cracker wrote:If you use a good drill bit, I don't see you having an issue drilling the Ti tube.

I've always liked the idea of having a bypass on my wand, but never had one.
Can you make a video or post pics of the process and the finished product?
Seems Joe's new lil 1/4" valve would be perfect for this.

I think I can manage that for a holiday activity

Dave
Bring the wand over
I am able to put a bypass valve for you

Great.

You got any pictures I can see of your bypass, Tony?

Installed my bypass valves today.  Job takes maybe 10 minutes per wand and should be really valuable.  The trick is sourcing the parts...after failing to find what I wanted at my local hardware stores, I just went on-line and bought a couple of valves.



Simply install the first piece beneath the QC and then thread on each piece at a time from there, mark the location for the hole, drill it out and tap in the pipe.....done.





Surprisingly, the Ti wand was a whole lot easier to drill than that PCQ wand due to the much thinner wall. It was really simple and the only mistake you could make would be drilling the hole too far away. On the Ti wand, it was about a thread too far and I had to loosen the fitting above the valve 1/2 a turn to get it correct.

They worked great, no leaks and I will hopefully see the benefits Monday night for the next 8 hour cleaning event.

Wow, great tips and pictures Rob, care to share where you get those parts ? And whether you need to weld that tube into the wand ?

No welding required. The 1/4 inch bit was just barely large enough to fit the tube...actually had to tap the tube in with a rubber mallet, it was that snug. Will still run a little plumbers goop at the opening, but didn't notice any air leak with the install.

There are plenty of resources, I would be glad to tell anyone where I purchased the valves if they PM me. I don't want to endorse another retailer in the posting.

Cool deal, Rob!

But where did you get the J bent tube at?

I've nerved much cared for the extra fittings and crap hanging off the wand to create the by-pass. But I guess if I want a by-pass I'll have to put up with it........thanks Rob!

Davey Cracker wrote:I've nerved much cared for the extra fittings and crap hanging off the wand to create the by-pass.  But I guess if I want a by-pass I'll have to put up with it........thanks Rob!

I do agree with that sentiment, just another thing to leak down the road, but for the next 4 months it will be valuable enough to accept it.

If you mount the bypass to the other side of the wand, it really isn't even noticeable when you wand. There is some extra weight, but I haven't noticed any real difference so far.

A special update:

Don't use the mini shut-off valves for your bypass. Both of mine have sprung leaks at the lever and one even had the lever seperate from the valve when cleaning at 400 psi.

I will be converting them over to standard shut-off valves (Joe's actually) this week. It really sucked having one wand go down on the job and the back-up only a whisker away from joining it.

I do like having the bypass valves during winter cleanings at night. It sure makes it easier to maintain heat, but you do have to pay attention if you have a small waste tank.

I sat the wand down one night while I was setting up some traffic cones and the valve was left open. When I came back in, the water was blazing hot, but I probably went through 20 gallons of water.