New vacuum pump :)

General Composites Discussions Equipment Talk
#1

So i got this “new” vacuum pump. I’m liking it so far, but haven’t had the chance to use it yet. It sucks down to 28hg. It’s an Amana refrigerator compressor.

It has three tubes… one was crimped off by the manufacturer of the compressor, one sucks, the other blows. ( insert dirty joke here).

I wired it directly to 120v so it runs constant for now. I want to get a timer for it so i can have it run 12 hours then cut off.

I’m hoping i can infuse with it… we will see. I was using a Robinair 15600 6cfm. Robinairs are loud and smoke. The refrigerator pump is dead silent and blows no smoke. It pukes out a tiny amount of oil from the blow side, but just add compressor oil once and a while and it should be fine. I’ll probably just use Robinair pump oil in this one lol. I paid $40 for the new pump. If it works out well i will get 3 more.

#2

Your RA 15600 smoked? Was that from long times spent running? How long is it ok to leave it running before bad things happen?

And the Amana, thanks for sharing I will have to visit my local fridge shop and see what they have. But I am wondering why you want to wire it up to run 12/12? Wouldn’t you just want a on/switch for the weekends or days off? Then again it is a fridge pump and I don’t ever turn my fridge off… :rolleyes:

#3

the smoke depends on how much air you are pulling in the pump, and if it’s an oil-free, or not. Our hardcore belt driven Welshes give off smoke and oil mist when pumping out the air. Once the leak is fixed, it runs clean. I hate oil pumps!!! I have a nice Gast rocking piston that is almost maintenance free, and oil free!

#4

I’m with you … i hate oil burning pumps… stinks like hell and we are breathing that junk in. Like a machine shop that uses oil in their CNC’s… smokey.

I only want the refrigerator pump running 12 hours because that is the cure time for the resin. Plus the pump is no longer running a closed system like in a refrigerator it will keep recycling the oil the blow side spits out. The blow side is open to atmosphere so oil slowly spits out and 24 hours of that it could burn up the pump if it pukes enough oil out.