Pumping Again + Elec. Pump Ideas

[PocketPool]

I've just started ball pumping again after a 3 year break. Prior to that, I had been pumping for 4.5 years before stopping and abandoning my equipment. Never could get pumping off my mind the past 3 years, so I got some new equipment and am back at it. Boy it feels great!<br><br>I had a few ideas for the vacuum pump arrangements this time around you might find interesting. I definitely wanted an electric pump again, but also definitely wanted to do wet pumping which I hadn't done before because of the electric pump. I found a solution I'm comfortable with and which was pretty cheap to set up if you're handy with tools.<br><br>Turns out there are lots of electric vacuum pumps of the "industrial" kind always up for auction quite cheap on eBay. I managed to get an electric vacuum pump in unused condition for under $50. It's a Gast vane pump, 1/10 HP, 1.5 CFM flow rate. I had to mount it, add a cord and switch, and a hose bib.<br><br>To get around the potential problems of water getting sucked back into the vacuum pump from wet pumping, I came up with a solution that works for me. I put a "water trap" into the vacuum line that prevents any water from going up the line. I got a 2 quart (7 cup, actually) acrylic storage container with wire bail top at Walmart. I drilled two holes in the sides near the top and inserted hose bibs. Works like a champ. Any water that accidently goes up the line drops into this trap. In pump sessions I've been getting a few teaspoons of water collected from when I'm not paying attention and accidently let the vacuum connection go below the water in my cylinder. After I'm done with the session, I flip open the top of the container and wipe out the accumulated water with a paper towel. The storage container seals very well, as the top is pulled tighter when under a vacuum.<br><br>The last idea was to put a vacuum storage tank into the vacuum line. Several reasons for this. One is a kind of buffer for the pressure. Second is to be able to shut the vacuum pump down and just run off the stored vacuum in the tank... it's a lot quieter. Third, I had a tank that I was just going to throw out anyway. I had an old 20 lb. propane tank (the gas grille variety) that didn't have the new required overfill protection on it and can't be refilled anymore. This works great and I can pump my balls in perfect quiet now if I want. It takes just a couple minutes to evacuate the tank with my vacuum pump, then I have more than 30 minutes of pump time without the pump noise (first test running just off the tank). The only problem at first is the lingering smell of the safety odorant put into the propane. If I can get the darn valve off the tank, I will flush it out with some solvent. I suppose the smell will eventually dissipate, but for now I'm just running a hose from the vacuum pump outlet out my window.<br><br>This time around I'm using the ASTJ with seal from Pump Toys for a cylinder.<br><br>I've been getting some pretty good results, but unfortunately don't have a digital camera to show them off here. In my excitement, I was able to exceed my prior maximum after a few sessions, which was about 14.5" around. I'm going to take it a little slower for a bit... the skin on one's sac can only stretch so much so fast!  :) The wet pumping is definitely a huge improvement over the dry pumping I did a few years back.<br><br>Though I won't have any pictures to post until I get a camera, I really do appreciate everyone else who has posted pictures. They have been a real inspiration to me, and helped me get back into this... Thanks, everyone!<br>

[humble]

That set up you have come up with sounds awesome. I'm pretty handy with building things and the set up you have is the exact thing I am going to put together someday. Everything you described is the way I have thought of my idea as well. I never thought of checking Ebay though. Thanks for that.<br><br>One thing though, put an old towel, sponge, or some paper towels in your water trap (water seperator is a common term for that). It will absorb any water in the trap, and help keep it from vaporizing, and going through your pump.

[PocketPool]

[quote author=humble link=board=balls;num=1096502757;start=0#1 date=09/30/04 at 00:15:44]I never thought of checking Ebay though.[/quote]<br><br>It seems that if something exists, there will be someone selling one on eBay. I've gotten all kinds of strange things there. The trick on eBay is to be patient and figure out what a good price to pay is and not get caught up in a bidding war. Another of the same item will come up again. I've seen some things I've bought go for six times as much.<br><br>Speaking pricing, that vacuum pump I got unused for under $50 is a Gast 1531. I took a look at Grainger.com, and they have that model for just over $300.<br><br>I can just see speaking with a customer rep. from one of the vacuum pump manufacturers trying to explain my application... just what size vacuum pump do I need to pump my balls?  ;D<br><br>Thanks for the tip on putting something in the water separator to absorb the water.<br>

[mRuss]

Hey PocketPool, were we separated at birth or something? <br><br>I got my vacuum pump off of eBay as well, for less than 50 bucks, it's an awesome little unit and it can pull up to 17" Hg, way way more than anybody would ever need.  I'm not sure of a brand of pump, because there's no logo of any kind on it.  I rigged it up with 1/4"ID line, with a T for my vac gauge and another T for my main bleeder.  <br><br>I was just thinking about putting some kind of water trap on the line because about a week ago i did get a little bit of water in the line (usually i'm very careful) and i was worried about what might happen to my pump, but thankfully it all beaded-up on the inside of the line before it could get tothe pump.  (i use about 15 feet of tube)  I just switched the line to the exhaust side of the pump and blew the moisture out.  I'm going to have to rig up a trap now <br><br>Cheers, <br>Russ.