Reply With QuoteCall Don, get it, install it and never touch it again. Don't adjust the bolts, don't expect to see any water dripping into the boat, don't worry about it.
I am starting to gather the parts to reassemble my pump and was wondering about this seal unit.http://www.donspumpservice.com/products.htm
After doing a search about about I did not find any info on life expectancy of this unit VS the standard packing.Is there any issues with shaft wear after long term usage?Does the seal unit require any maintenance?Is there a service rebuild kit or is this a throw away deal when it wears out the seals?
Call Don, get it, install it and never touch it again. Don't adjust the bolts, don't expect to see any water dripping into the boat, don't worry about it.
Rope seals are supposed to drip 1 or two drops per minute while running, the water lubes the seal. We regularly rebuild pumps from the 70s with the original rope seals. Whatever..... TIMINATOR
I just spoke with Don about purchasing one of these units $99.95.He informed me that it may not fit in my early Dominator 12S due to the bore in the suction housing being less than perfect with the early pumps and it wont seal on the od of the seal pack.I have to measure the bore in the suction housing looking for 2.125".Has anyone run into this problem?
I have nothing against these things, but I went through all of this a few months ago when I rebuilt my pump and came to the conclusion that there is no way those things are worth the $$$. Do a cost-benefit analysis: the only advantage I could see is the "no maintenance" feature. But how often do you have to maintain / tighten up standard packings? Once a year? Every three years? Not much anyway, and either system will probably last longer than the impeller. There's not even a bling factor since they are buried inside the pump. Spend the extra $$$ on another 15 gallons of gas. . . . My 2c
Well, I like it. I've installed several at this point over the past several months with absolutely no problems. This probably doesn't mean a whole lot to the lake boat crowd, but I believe there is a fair amount less HP loss turning the shaft through the seal pack as opposed to a standard rope packing setup, maybe as much as 20 HP. I promise you that is important in a PGJ, PLJ, or even our BAJ's.
If you want your pump to spin freely and perform at it's best, why would you tie a rope around your shaft? [Friction & Drag]. I've sold over 50 of them and haven't had a complaint or problem yet. Time will tell. I like and sell them to the customers who want them. You know the jet boat industry has tunnel vision, (no pun intended). It takes them a long time to adjust to a new product or idea no matter how well it works.
. . . I believe there is a fair amount less HP loss turning the shaft through the seal pack as opposed to a standard rope packing setup, maybe as much as 20 HP. I promise you that is important in a PGJ, PLJ, or even our BAJ's.
20 HP might be a very good reason to spend a few extra dollars, but is this claim of HP increase true? I don't doubt sdba069's sincerity, but unless there are good reasons for his belief I am not convinced. I used graphite packings in my pump and could turn the shaft pretty easily by hand. Without some facts to convince me otherwise I just don't believe that amount of friction could consume 20hp.
I have rebuilt a total of ONE jet pump and realize where that puts me on the pecking order of expertise, but common sense rules until facts prove otherwise. This seems like something that wouldn't be that hard to test scientifically. If there were real data showing a 20 HP increase I would have bought one. Stories or theories without data just aren't convincing to me.
Hey EP....... I haven't tested that theory but I consider it a pretty good educated guess. I know that in our higher HP boats that we run the packing fairly snug to prevent pulling air by the shaft through the packing on hard launches and that makes the shaft a little snug turning. As a comparison, this I do know, spinning a Vertex mag in a pretty good 500 inch BBC eats up almost 30 HP at 7000 RPM as compared to a normal distributor. That, I have tested.
Welll, I just got one from duane and I personally think that its a very nice piece. I think don designed this piece to keep the maintnence down on the pump. Sure I could install some old school packings but I hate adjusting them and watching them leak. Hell, its enough for me to adjust valves all the time so I dont need anymore on my plate. $99 isnt too much to spend considering the fact that you dont need to worry about it anymore. Let say that you put $2k in your pump, why not add another $100 to have the best??? Me personally dont like to "halfass" stuff so I buy good schitI smoked 2 pumps last year because I "halfassed" my pump. Everything was set up properly but I underestimated my hp and now Im paying for it again :220v: This time around that wont happen again! I have the best of everything in my pump for a fast lake boat. Just for piece of mind and durability
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