Waterjet Cleanout

A sure sign that the Omax 2626 waterjet needs its sump emptied of spent garnet is when the air ballast system stops working. You will simply get big air bubbles when you try to raise the level, and the level will not drop when requested.

What you'll need: submersible pump with short hose, scoops, shovel, buckets, and cart.

The clean-out should be timed so that it occurs immediately after the garbage dumpster is emptied so you are able to use the open end to walk the garnet into the dumpster, which is much easier than lifting buckets overhead to dump over the walls of the dumpster.

Clean out procedure:

  1. Park the nozzle in the extreme right, rear corner of the table with the Z axis all the way up. This should be the least obtrusive place for it to be during the clean-out.

  2. Shut down the machine and lock the power disconnect in the off position

  3. Wearing appropriate protective gloves, very carefully remove all the material support slats. They just slide into notches in the tub, but are a snug fit. Due to the waterjet cutting process these slats can have extremely dangerous razor sharp spikes on them.

  4. Use the submersible pump to evacuate the water from the tank: Unscrew the filter screen from the drain and place the outlet hose from the pump into the drain pipe. Drop the pump down into the tank and plug it in. Observe all electrical safety precautions - make sure the cord is safely routed so the plug cannot fall in the water, do not reach into the tank while the pump is plugged in, use a grounded extension cord, etc. Unplug the pump when the water level gets down to the garnet level - you need to be very careful to not pump any garnet into the drain. Remove the pump at this point and replace the filter on the drain pipe.

  5. Use your choice of scoops or shovels to remove the garnet from the tank and place it in 5 gallon buckets. Use a cart or hand-truck to haul the buckets out to the dumpster. Be careful to not slosh on the trip as the splash will contain garnet and make a huge mess.

  6. You do not have to remove every last spoonful of garnet from the tank - get what is reasonable with the scoops and call it good. Make sure to also clean the shelf at the back where the drain is - garnet gets trapped back there and also along the top side of the tank.

  7. Re-fill the tank with water. You can disconnect the supply hose next to the sink and connect a regular garden hose to speed the refill process. While refilling, make sure to flush out the pockets where the support slats are located so all the slats seat evenly. When done refilling, replace the waterjet supply hose and tighten snuggly with pliers.

  8. While the tank is filling you may install the support slats (wear gloves). Scrap any that are severely cut - there should be new ones on the floor under the water tank. If the slats are cut less than halfway through simply reinstall them upside down for more use.

  9. Make sure the drain is correctly positioned to not overflow before returning the machine to use.

  10. Using the hose outside the SCC, rinse the garnet from all the tools, the pump, and buckets.

  11. Clean up any garnet on the floor around the machine. This is easiest if you allow the floor to dry and then use a shop vac.