Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Waterproofing pump

I am displaying my pump outside. I am not too concerned about the elements because its not a valuable pump. However, nothing really fits tight, especially the doors, so there is a gap there near the top, and I am a little worried about water and snow getting inside.
Anyone have the same problem? Im thinking about rubber weatherstripping for the winter. Any other suggestions? Thanks,
John

Move the pump inside.

or I could build a shed around it

Hi John,

How much snow do you get?Depending on that,I would think about snow and ice buildup on the bottom of your pump.Personally,I agree;move it inside.

How much snow in Vermont? Lots lol
I guess you have to worry about rotting out the bottom, but this one was sitting outside since 1954 and it only had surface rust. Were they even meant to be water tight? I dont see how the doors would ever really be water tight because of the design (the top doesnt hang over the doors)

You can also put it up on some 2x4s and cover it with a large heavy duty garbage bag. That's what I do for my outside pumps during the rainy season.

I'm not that familiar with Tok 300s, but a lot of pumps had door gasket material in addition to the window and ad glass gasket that sealed them up pretty tight. Check into that. One of the gas pump supply places will have it if your model came with it.

If no repop door gasket is available, you could always get stick-on weather stripping from Home Depot. Won't be historically accurate, but it should keep most of the elements out.

The Tokheim had a rubber gasket that was on the inside top of the door.....use self sticking weatherstrip from Home Depot.. It came into cantact with the door stop thereby keeping most of the rain out. Most pumps were never completely water tight. They just had a way of channeling the water away from the very top. Good lock, Paul www.severngaspumps.com

When doing any kind of restoration, pump/car etc just look at any place that had weatherstripping. That's almost always where some of the worst corrosion is. If the paint is good inside the pump it shouldnt be a problem. Just weatherproof your electrical connections and you could also spray something like WD40 on the inside sheet metal if you feel the need.

thanks guys. I think I will try a little weatherstripping at the top of the door this fall and see how it holds up. I am wondering if the rubber for the glass might work out well. Wish I didnt throw my old stuff away now.
John