Electric pump suggestions?

[peeby]

My dr kaplan electric pump broke. Pretty sure I had it for a couple yrs and pretty sure I played a big part in killing it by pushing it as hard as I did. Before I buy another, I wonder if there are other options I should be looking at. What other electric pumps are guys using?

[drew_uk]

I use the Frohle electric pump it’s not programmable lurks the Pulsar etc. However, it is inexpensive, quiet and can take a good long session.

Mac pressure is 10hg which is enough for most.

[SFBallpumper]

I use a pump made for moms to breast feed their babies. I know it sounds kind of wacko, but it works great! You don't have to modify the pump in any way. The model I have is a Bellema Mango Plus. You can run it off of batteries or you can plug it in to the wall. Just use rechargeable batteries. It will quickly eat regular ones. It comes with a lanyard so you can hang it from your neck and be totally portable. Since moms use them only for a short time, they show up on eBay a lot. I got mine for $20. Attached is a diagram of my set up.

[biller]

Hi I use a converted asperator it has a water trap which was were the fluid
was caught it pulls 30 plus hg has a controller on it so I can set the vac ,it will run night and day .i found it on eBay on the used medical section I also have a frole set in a converted asperator the type the paramedic use it has a water trap plus a controller .some guys use converted fish tank pumps hope this helps

[peeby]

Thx, all good suggestions, although I kinda gagged when I looked up what an asperator was and read the mucus part. Am leaning toward fooling around with the aquarium air pump. Liked that Froehle site. Thx again

[red_king]

I use a pump made for moms to breast feed their babies. I know it sounds kind of wacko, but it works great! You don't have to modify the pump in any way. The model I have is a Bellema Mango Plus. You can run it off of batteries or you can plug it in to the wall. Just use rechargeable batteries. It will quickly eat regular ones. It comes with a lanyard so you can hang it from your neck and be totally portable. Since moms use them only for a short time, they show up on eBay a lot. I got mine for $20. Attached is a diagram of my set up.

What an excellent idea! I've been shopping around for electric pump options myself and this is the best I've seen suggested. Sorry if it's a daft question but what is the function of the stopcock being added on the right hand side there?

[SFBallpumper]

The aquarium valve or stopcock is used to fine tune the pressure.

Some background: Since this is a breast pump, it has a pulsating vacuum, similar to how a baby nurses. It's not a steady vacuum like a converted aquarium pump. The pulsations aren't that big, but you can feel them. The pump has two modes: Stimulation and Expression. When it's in Stimulation mode, the sucking is fast but shallow, the way that a baby would start a nursing session. In Expression mode, the sucking is slow and deep, the way that a baby would nurse when the mother's milk is flowing. The pump also has a Plus and a Minus button to adjust the pressure. Using these also increases or decreases the number of pulsations per minute.

I prefer the slow, deep pulsations of the Expression mode set to as high as the pump will go. With the check valve installed as shown*, that can get up to about 9 inHg (about 23 cmHg). My balls don't like that much pressure, so I use the valve or stopcock to bring it down to about 4 or 5 inHg (about 10 to 12 cmHg). That gives me the slow, deep pulsations at a comfortable pressure.

Some tips:

1. In the past few days, I've found that an aquarium valve works better than a stopcock. I used a stopcock because I earlier had problems with aquarium valves leaking air. The trick is to take apart the aquarium valve, give it a tiny bit of lubrication with some chapstick and then reassemble it (see the attached photo). Of all of the lubricants I've tried, chapstick seems to work the best. If the washer or the valve ever wear out, they're cheap enough to replace easily.

2. The tubing that comes with the pump collapses, folds and kinks too easily. I use tubing that's the same size that I got from a hardware store. Hardware stores are more likely to sell it by the foot. Big home improvement stores almost always want to sell you a giant roll.

3. The fitting that connects the tubing to your cylinder can be hard to find. It's a Colder PMC2202 (Colder is the brand name. If you look at the connecter on the top of your cylinder, it usually will say "CPC" on the chrome tab. That stands for the Colder Products Company). These connectors are used by a wide range of vacuum pumping companies. Anyway, lately, I've been getting fittings from freshwatersystems.com in North Carolina. They sell them for about a dollar apiece.

I've used this setup for about a year and the pump has proven to be extremely reliable and durable.

SFB

*Without the check valve, the pump doesn't keep enough vacuum pressure for pumping.

[SFBallpumper]

One more thing. This pump has a built-in timer that shuts it off after 30 minutes. It reminds me to take breaks. If you want to keep going, just press the On button again. If you don't wait too long, it will start up again with the settings that you last used.

[stjpumpfan]

if you look in the old posting here, you will find plans for converting a fish aquarium pump to suck. again you can use a fish tank valve to regulate. check walmart or any discount store. Should run less then 20 bucks

[stjpumpfan]

here is the link for how to convert a rena fish tank pump.
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=13991

[red_king]

The aquarium valve or stopcock is used to fine tune the pressure.

Some background: Since this is a breast pump, it has a pulsating vacuum, similar to how a baby nurses. It's not a steady vacuum like a converted aquarium pump. The pulsations aren't that big, but you can feel them. The pump has two modes: Stimulation and Expression. When it's in Stimulation mode, the sucking is fast but shallow, the way that a baby would start a nursing session. In Expression mode, the sucking is slow and deep, the way that a baby would nurse when the mother's milk is flowing. The pump also has a Plus and a Minus button to adjust the pressure. Using these also increases or decreases the number of pulsations per minute.

I prefer the slow, deep pulsations of the Expression mode set to as high as the pump will go. With the check valve installed as shown*, that can get up to about 9 inHg (about 23 cmHg). My balls don't like that much pressure, so I use the valve or stopcock to bring it down to about 4 or 5 inHg (about 10 to 12 cmHg). That gives me the slow, deep pulsations at a comfortable pressure.

Some tips:

1. In the past few days, I've found that an aquarium valve works better than a stopcock. I used a stopcock because I earlier had problems with aquarium valves leaking air. The trick is to take apart the aquarium valve, give it a tiny bit of lubrication with some chapstick and then reassemble it (see the attached photo). Of all of the lubricants I've tried, chapstick seems to work the best. If the washer or the valve ever wear out, they're cheap enough to replace easily.

2. The tubing that comes with the pump collapses, folds and kinks too easily. I use tubing that's the same size that I got from a hardware store. Hardware stores are more likely to sell it by the foot. Big home improvement stores almost always want to sell you a giant roll.

3. The fitting that connects the tubing to your cylinder can be hard to find. It's a Colder PMC2202 (Colder is the brand name. If you look at the connecter on the top of your cylinder, it usually will say "CPC" on the chrome tab. That stands for the Colder Products Company). These connectors are used by a wide range of vacuum pumping companies. Anyway, lately, I've been getting fittings from freshwatersystems.com in North Carolina. They sell them for about a dollar apiece.

I've used this setup for about a year and the pump has proven to be extremely reliable and durable.

SFB

*Without the check valve, the pump doesn't keep enough vacuum pressure for pumping.

Just wanted to say thanks for posting this idea - I added a carburetor pressure vacuum gauge so I can keep an eye on what hg I'm pulling, but otherwise copied your design - works amazingly well and the pulsing feels great! And so much cheaper than the DP-4000 I'd been eyeing off haha

[SFBallpumper]

You're welcome!