Are you taking proper care of your High Vacuum Pump?

Are you taking proper care of your pump?

Fischer Technical Company Vacuum Pumps have been a staple in the industry for over 20 years now.  you can find these pumps in high school classrooms, research facilities, and numerous other industries.

Aside from wholesaling these pumps through are valued distributors, we also service the vacuum pumps.  About seven years ago, we started offering a high vacuum pump with a bourdon tube gauge attached (LAV-3/G).  This came about due to the large number of pumps we were receiving in for repair that were in perfect working order.  We determined that most of these pumps were not pulling the desired vacuum due to a leak in the vacuum system, not a problem with the pump.  The pumps that have the gauge on them can easily be tested.  Simply disconnect the pump from your system and put a rubber stopper over the hose barb and turn on the pump.  If your pump quickly shows close to 30" on the gauge (slightly different if you are above sea level), the pump is in working order.

What are you pulling into the pump?  Clean air is ideal as it can filter through the pump on a 24/7 continuous basis in a closed system.  If you are introducing other gasses, such as water vapor, you'll need to keep an eye on the oil. Once the water vapor is introduced into the pump, it will condense back into liquid and mix with the oil (sometimes leading to smoke coming out of the handle).  It's best to change your oil once you see smoke or the oil level changing.  The pump oil is the life blood of the pump and keeps it cool and lubricated.  You can purchase replacement Fischer Technical Company Oil from our distributors.  If you need to find one in your area, please contact us at JGura@fischertech.com.

Our pumps are not designed to have a regulator added to them.  Not running the pump on a closed system will lead to a very costly repair as the pump will overheat and the motor will burn out.

Are you having trouble with oil leaking into your system when you shut the pump off?  This occurs when the concentration of molecules attempts to even itself out after the pump is shut off.  The simple solution is the break the vacuum before turning off the pump.  Be sure not to run the pump though without it being hooked up to a closed system (again, this causes the pump to overheat).

Is your pump working fine, but you're still not getting the pull you'd like to see?  Make sure you have hose clamps on the vacuum tubing.  At high vacuum, even the smallest of leaks can affect performance.  Tight hose clamps over the hose barb and "system side" of the tubing does a great job of creating a tight, closed system.

Whether you're demonstrating in a classroom how to boil water at room temperature or your in a laboratory using a vacuum oven, enjoy your Fischer Technical LAV series vacuum pump and remember the golden rule...Change the oil!

Until next time.....