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The Milwaukee addiction thread! :)

GeoBruin

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A long hose? For sure. But I don't know if a short hose (enough to get down in a rain barrel spout) would have a significant impact. I'll test it and report back.
Results are in: stock I measured 7 GPM. With the hacked end on it but no hose, flow was identical (7 GPM). With a 25 foot hose on the inlet side, I measure just over 4 (4-1/4?) GPM. I didn't have a short hose other than a narrow diameter washing machine hose to test but I need to pick one up anyway so I'll test that when I get it.
 
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GeoBruin

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many thanks @GeoBruin . Sounds like the flow penalty is reasonable. While I have the m18 transfer pump with a 25 foot hose the darn thing sounds like a dying wookie.
I can run a similar test on the M18 to see what the flow reduction is with a 25 foot hose.
 

GeoBruin

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Thanks. Would be interested to know the flow difference if its easy enough.

Also are you using a 5/8th standard garden hose?
Yes, 5/8" ID garden hose. Mine is a 25' Eley polyurethane hose. Anyhow, I just did this test. With a very short (3') piece of 3/4" pex on the inlet, just to get it in the bucket, I was measuring almost 10 GPM. With the 25' hose on the inlet, it was reading right at 6 GPM.
 

Odd-job

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Yes, 5/8" ID garden hose. Mine is a 25' Eley polyurethane hose. Anyhow, I just did this test. With a very short (3') piece of 3/4" pex on the inlet, just to get it in the bucket, I was measuring almost 10 GPM. With the 25' hose on the inlet, it was reading right at 6 GPM.
Many thanks. Doesn't seem like much of a penalty for the m12 especially for the smaller jobs. 2/3 the voltage for 2/3 the power. I'll take quiet any day for emptying rain barrels. M18 with larger battery capacity definitely the way to go for draining a flooded basement if you have to go cordless.
 

Odd-job

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Wishing some of the Milwaukee lights had a built in motion sensor. Wouldn't mind leaving the radius light in my shed and have some instant light whenever I walk in. My solar lights last like a year before the solar panel either degrades or falls off the light.
 

1320

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I used my M18 transfer pump today to pump some 85W140 gear oil into an axle. I've pumped plenty of hydraulic fluid, diesel, engine oil, gear oil, etc with it over the years without too many issues. Today, for some reason, I had trouble with the output side being pretty turbulent and foamy.

My input hose size has always been 1/2". A year or so ago, I switched the output hose size from 3/8" to 1/2" and I'd like to think it helped, but today's work made it seem like it was a problem. I noticed that when I shut the pump off and let the oil in the output hose drain back towards the pump, it would let all the air gaps out and then typically work better once that side was "primed."

Today, I did not do something I typically do, which is set the oil out in the sun some hours before pumping it. I figured being late May in Arizona, I didn't really need to, but 85w140 is still pretty thick when not warmed up. This was perhaps part of my problem.

From a general fluid knowledge standpoint, should I have moved up to a 1/2" output hose or down to a 5/16" hose? Or is there something else going on here? The input side flow fills the hose and acts like you think you'd want it to, but the output gets foamed up and has air in it.

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BroncoAZ

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20250524_145537.jpg

I used my M18 transfer pump today to pump some 85W140 gear oil into an axle. I've pumped plenty of hydraulic fluid, diesel, engine oil, gear oil, etc with it over the years without too many issues. Today, for some reason, I had trouble with the output side being pretty turbulent and foamy.

My input hose size has always been 1/2". A year or so ago, I switched the output hose size from 3/8" to 1/2" and I'd like to think it helped, but today's work made it seem like it was a problem. I noticed that when I shut the pump off and let the oil in the output hose drain back towards the pump, it would let all the air gaps out and then typically work better once that side was "primed."

Today, I did not do something I typically do, which is set the oil out in the sun some hours before pumping it. I figured being late May in Arizona, I didn't really need to, but 85w140 is still pretty thick when not warmed up. This was perhaps part of my problem.

From a general fluid knowledge standpoint, should I have moved up to a 1/2" output hose or down to a 5/16" hose? Or is there something else going on here? The input side flow fills the hose and acts like you think you'd want it to, but the output gets foamed up and has air in it.

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My friend is looking for a battery powered solution for extracting engine oil out of a pair of Yamaha F350 outboards. Ideally he needs to be able to change the engine oil at the dock rather than pulling the boat. He’d be limited to a 5/16” hose going down the dip stick tube. Based on your usage of the M18 pump with oil, do you think it could perform this function? I recently got him to swap from Makita to Milwaukee.
 

tarmy

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My friend is looking for a battery powered solution for extracting engine oil out of a pair of Yamaha F350 outboards. Ideally he needs to be able to change the engine oil at the dock rather than pulling the boat. He’d be limited to a 5/16” hose going down the dip stick tube. Based on your usage of the M18 pump with oil, do you think it could perform this function? I recently got him to swap from Makita to Milwaukee.
Get this. I have used this for years…best tool for that job. I use it on my boats…it hooks up to the boat battery to operate…IMG_5170.png
 

1320

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^^^How do you clean/decontaminate that pump when using it for different fluids?

I've really only run petroleum stuff through it, so I'm unconcerned with the minute amount hydraulic fluid or 15w40 that may get into an axle. I let the current stuff run for a moment to push what remains of the older stuff out.

I've heard of people cleaning them out with water in between uses, but I'd rather have a tiny bit of gear oil in my engine than water, so I've never cleaned it out with anything.
 

1320

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My friend is looking for a battery powered solution for extracting engine oil out of a pair of Yamaha F350 outboards. Ideally he needs to be able to change the engine oil at the dock rather than pulling the boat. He’d be limited to a 5/16” hose going down the dip stick tube. Based on your usage of the M18 pump with oil, do you think it could perform this function? I recently got him to swap from Makita to Milwaukee.
I think it'd probably work fine. I change oil on stuff with it when it makes sense to do so.

There may be reasons that its not ideal, like that presumably the M18 pump was made to move only water.

I was in the milwaukee ecosystem already, I got the pump cheap, and it worked reasonably well for me so far. tarmy's suggestion of the Jabsco pump is probably superior for a good number of reasons.
 

BroncoAZ

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Get this. I have used this for years…best tool for that job. I use it on my boats…it hooks up to the boat battery to operate…IMG_5170.png
He’s tried a few different pumps over the years, but I don’t think that specific unit. There is a similar looking unit but with a black bucket sitting in his shed. The issue is speed, something that takes 15+ minutes per engine to drain isn’t ideal. He’s looking for a sub 5 minute for 8 quarts solution. He’s a charter captain and is doing a 100 hour service every couple weeks, and typically at the end of a 10-12 hour work day likely getting eaten by mosquitoes or noseeums.

I think it'd probably work fine. I change oil on stuff with it when it makes sense to do so.

There may be reasons that its not ideal, like that presumably the M18 pump was made to move only water.

I was in the milwaukee ecosystem already, I got the pump cheap, and it worked reasonably well for me so far. tarmy's suggestion of the Jabsco pump is probably superior for a good number of reasons.
I suggested he get one of the pneumatic suction tanks like they use at the car dealerships. He is one who likes to poke holes in ideas, that one was that running the pneumatic hose 150’ out to the boat was a hassle. He has 110v power next to the boat parking spot and tried a 110v pump. I think the small diameter of the suction straw is the limiting factor regardless of pump.
 

tarmy

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I think it'd probably work fine. I change oil on stuff with it when it makes sense to do so.

There may be reasons that its not ideal, like that presumably the M18 pump was made to move only water.

I was in the milwaukee ecosystem already, I got the pump cheap, and it worked reasonably well for me so far. tarmy's suggestion of the Jabsco pump is probably superior for a good number of reasons.
Thanks…
 

tarmy

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He’s tried a few different pumps over the years, but I don’t think that specific unit. There is a similar looking unit but with a black bucket sitting in his shed. The issue is speed, something that takes 15+ minutes per engine to drain isn’t ideal. He’s looking for a sub 5 minute for 8 quarts solution. He’s a charter captain and is doing a 100 hour service every couple weeks, and typically at the end of a 10-12 hour work day likely getting eaten by mosquitoes or noseeums.


I suggested he get one of the pneumatic suction tanks like they use at the car dealerships. He is one who likes to poke holes in ideas, that one was that running the pneumatic hose 150’ out to the boat was a hassle. He has 110v power next to the boat parking spot and tried a 110v pump. I think the small diameter of the suction straw is the limiting factor regardless of pump.
I have spent a bunch of money on various versions. I have 5 boats…so I get his concern. I really haven’t seen a better one. It does take time…but I learned there is ALWAYS something else on a boat that needs doing while he is waiting. Good luck
 

Odd-job

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My friend is looking for a battery powered solution for extracting engine oil out of a pair of Yamaha F350 outboards.

For a more expensive solution. Maybe one of these + an M18 Compressor. M18 Compressor can be used for other things like filling trailer tires, etc.

Something like this should hold 2 oil changes or so...

1748271540663.png
 

BroncoAZ

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For a more expensive solution. Maybe one of these + an M18 Compressor. M18 Compressor can be used for other things like filling trailer tires, etc.

Something like this should hold 2 oil changes or so...

1748271540663.png
That is exactly what I recommended to him. I hadn’t thought about the M18 compressor though.
 

Odd-job

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That is exactly what I recommended to him. I hadn’t thought about the M18 compressor though.
Something with a metal tank is nice as it tends to hold up and doesn't compress from the vacuum. A Mityvac handpump one (only buy with an external pump) works well if the oil is warm and gravity is on your side. Have to say even though my compressor has been a bit of a turd in terms of a diva pressure switch, its convenience still makes it worth it.
 

Rusty67

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Has anyone else had the newer M12 Fuel shop vac kill their M12 batteries? I've had 2 6.0s die after being used in that vac. Almost had a 3rd one die but it was just overheated. I think the vac overheats the batteries and then they don't recover after. I was thinking of giving Milwaukee a call about this. The 3rd battery wouldn't take a charge last night but it cooled off and I was able to charge it this morning. Just me?
 
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Odd-job

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would be curious about the voltage to see if the vac somehow over discharges the battery so the charger thinks its dead. Also might be able to open the pack to check the voltage of each cell individually.
 

Rusty67

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I've been wanting to do this on the first battery pack that died. I've not had the time with my kitchen remodel and all the other BS I've been working through. Kitchen remodel is FINALLY done though and I'm moved back in. Hopefully I'll be able to check it out now sometime soon. I'm just wondering if anyone else has run into this. I put a 5.0 battery in it this time so I expect that one to survive. If it kills my 5.0 I'm gonna be pissed off and calling Milwaukee for sure.
 

BroncoAZ

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Has anyone else had the newer M12 Fuel shop vac kill their M12 batteries? I've had 2 6.0s die after being used in that vac. Almost had a 3rd one die but it was just overheated. I think the vac overheats the batteries and then they don't recover after. I was thinking of giving Milwaukee a call about this. The 3rd battery wouldn't take a charge last night but it cooled off and I was able to charge it this morning. Just me?
Describe how the battery is dying. The 6.0 batteries kind of ****, I have 3 of them that do the flash red and green on the charger and won’t take a charge. I much prefer the new 5.0 HO batteries.
 

Rusty67

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The first battery that died I ran until the vac stopped and I put a new battery in. That battery does the alternating red/green flashing when I put it on the charger, I've tried to charge the battery a few times since, same behavior. The second battery that died, I noticed the vac losing power so I grabbed a new battery in advance of it being run down all the way. Same behavior as the first battery. I also tried letting that battery sit over night, no love/still won't charge. Third battery that I thought died ran all the way down and was rather warm when I pulled it out. It was doing the same red/green flash last night but this morning it took a charge and is back to max now/working again.
 

BroncoAZ

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The first battery that died I ran until the vac stopped and I put a new battery in. That battery does the alternating red/green flashing when I put it on the charger, I've tried to charge the battery a few times since, same behavior. The second battery that died, I noticed the vac losing power so I grabbed a new battery in advance of it being run down all the way. Same behavior as the first battery. I also tried letting that battery sit over night, no love/still won't charge. Third battery that I thought died ran all the way down and was rather warm when I pulled it out. It was doing the same red/green flash last night but this morning it took a charge and is back to max now/working again.
Sounds similar to my experience with the 6.0 batteries. I have tried several of the recommended methods to recover them, including charging another battery with them in parallel, but nothing seems to work.
 

darkzero

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Has anyone else had the newer M12 Fuel shop vac kill their M12 batteries? I've had 2 6.0s die after being used in that vac. Almost had a 3rd one die but it was just overheated. I think the vac overheats the batteries and then they don't recover after. I was thinking of giving Milwaukee a call about this. The 3rd battery wouldn't take a charge last night but it cooled off and I was able to charge it this morning. Just me?
It's not really the vacuum's fault, well sort of. There are certain M12 & M18 batteries that have poor performing cells. M12 CP3.0 & XC6.0 are a part of this group. Both of these packs use Samsung 30Q cells which are rated for 15A but in the real world they they can't handle that high of a draw. These cells are known to be underperformers.

When used in higher demand tools, say like like a vacuum or blower, the cells often become unbalanced. Which results in a loss in capacity/runtime. Since MW charger don't balance charge, they will eventually get more & more unbalanced to the point where one or more cells will drop so far out of balance the charger will indicate the battery is bad. You can easily check this by checking the voltage of the pack after coming off a charger. You should get at least 4.1V per cell x3 for a M12 or 4.1V x5 for M18 packs. If you are aren't getting those total voltages it's a good indication one or more banks are out of balance.

Chances are you can fix yours by rebalancing manually but eventually it will happen again unless you use it in something low draw like a flashlight, radio, soldering iron, etc. If you attempt to fix, please don't "jump start it" like many YT videos show, that's the most ghetto way of trying to revive a battery! Please do it the right way! But if it's under warranty, might as well send it in.

M18 8.0 HO & M18 12.0 HO is also part of this group, they both use Samsung 40T cells which also aren't great performers. My M18 8.0 HO "died", luckily it was still barely in warranty so I sent it in, MW replaced it but I don't have any confidence in it nor my M18 12.0 HO.

I also own M12 XC6.0s as well M12 CP3.0s with the dreaded Samsung 30Q cells. My 6.0s haven't gave me issues yet but I barely use them (I don't have very many M12 tools). However my M12 CP3.0s would always eventually get unbalanced when used in my high speed ratchet at work. I rebalance them manually but after a few cycles they become unbalanced again.

Finally I got tired of them & instead of buying new batteries, I sent all four of my M12 CP3.0s to get rebuilt by a 3rd party rebuilder (was cheaper overall rather than buying new ones). I specifically told them I did not want 30Qs put back in them & they already knew what I was talking about. They rebuilt them with BAK 2500mah cells, a cheaper brand & now they are only 2.5ahr but I can already tell they perform so much better & haven't had balancing issues yet.

Sorry for the novel but that's most likely what is going on with your packs. It a shame but I will never buy newly released versions of tool batteries nor will I buy the highest capacity ones either. They tend to always underperform unless used in low current draw tools. I will always wait a while to see if failures get reported before buying.
 
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Rusty67

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I think my vac is the only M12 high draw tool. I've had zero problems with the 6.0 batteries in all my other M12 tools. What battery would you suggest going with in the M12 vac? The 5.0 or maybe the 4.0?
 

darkzero

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The M12 5.0 HO is supposed to be the best performing battery right now. But I'm still leary so I won't buy any just yet. Haven't seen any reported failures yet so they seem to be ok.

M12 XC4.0s & XC3.0s seem to be ok, these have been out for a long time & no commonly reported failures on them. If you can find a deal on XC4.0s go for it but right now the 5.0 HOs go on sale somewhat often.
 

Rusty67

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I ended up with a 5.0 in a package deal so I've got the one. I've got several 4.0s so I will stick to those in the vac from now on. Thanks for the advice on that.
 

ecotec

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Isn’t there supposed to be something that makes the tool stop working when the battery gets too low? Do the vacuums not have those?
 

GeoBruin

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Would you please explain “right way”?

He probably means disassembling the pack, identifying the cells (or banks of cells) that are at a low state of charge relative to the others, and charging just those banks back up to the level of the cells with a higher state of charge. Then, the whole pack should resume normal charging if needed.

Notably you would need a charger or power source capable of charging at a variety of different voltages depending on how many banks need charging or, at a minimum, one capable of charging at the voltage of a single bank.
 

Rusty67

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What variable rate power supplied do you guys like for recharging batteries? AvE uses some generic ones and also uses a Rigol one I think?
 

darkzero

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Yeah, properly balancing charging the culprit banks. I use a RC charger cause I have one & it has more safety features which a variable power supply does not. Still should be supervised for at least cell temp even with a smart charger. I have a variable power supply also but I much rather use my RC charger.

I also have load/capacity tester that I use for discharging batteries. Although my RC charger has a discharging function I primarily use the load tester. I use it to discharge packs when taken out rotation & put into semi short term storage.

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FTWingRiders

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Thought I’d share a quick modification to my new M18 vac.. I recently upgraded from my original M18 vac, I always hated the whine but it does quick work of a mess..
The new vac is a nice improvement, more powerful and no annoying whine.. but it’s a pain to swap attachments when walking around with it.. gotta put it down, lower handle, raise lid, swap, close lid, raise handle then rinse and repeat every time. Plus they never have room for a brushed attachment.

So looking at it I came up with a solution using pole holders that, so far, I’m loving it. Being able to swapping nozzles quickly was a game changer for me.. YMMV..

IMG_3998.jpegIMG_3997.jpegIMG_3996.jpeg

Still plenty of room with the handle up so I’m not knocking them with my hand while carrying it.
 

Bad Mojo

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Thought I’d share a quick modification to my new M18 vac.. I recently upgraded from my original M18 vac, I always hated the whine but it does quick work of a mess..
The new vac is a nice improvement, more powerful and no annoying whine.. but it’s a pain to swap attachments when walking around with it.. gotta put it down, lower handle, raise lid, swap, close lid, raise handle then rinse and repeat every time. Plus they never have room for a brushed attachment.

So looking at it I came up with a solution using pole holders that, so far, I’m loving it. Being able to swapping nozzles quickly was a game changer for me.. YMMV..

IMG_3998.jpegIMG_3997.jpegIMG_3996.jpeg

Still plenty of room with the handle up so I’m not knocking them with my hand while carrying it.
Now that you upgraded would you do it again? I have the original one as well and even have the adapter kit to make it Packout compatible, but I find myself looking that these a lot especially when they are on sale.
 
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