Help needed with my vacuum pump

[Alain M Deschenes]

I bought a old Robinair Vacuum pump to make a vacuum chuck.
I had to fix some problems (oil leaking) and clean the motor
(oil leaking in the motor make flames...) So, now I just have to
fill it with new oil but what kind of oil? Does compressor oil work?

Second question: What is the use of the black plastic cap plug à left ?
(???? on the picture)

215702215704



Last question: I also have a other vacuum pump, smaller but working good.
I wonder if this can work for vaccum chuck ? It seem to is a small
oiless pump (piston pump). I dont see any rating on it, according to you,
better or worse than Robinair (the Robinair is supposed to do 5cfm)

215703

[Sid Matheny]

Do you have a model number for the Robinair? Might be able to find a manual online.

Sid

[Alan Trout]

I would just buy Robinar vacuum pump oil. Did a quick search and it is available at a bunch of places. Here is just one. http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/RBA0/13203.oap?ck=Search_N0491_-1_-1&pt=N0491

I use a HVAC vacuum pump be aware that some of them will mist a lot of oil out of the exhaust and will need a mist filter. I put one on mine and it works fine. The nice thing about HVAC pumps is that they really SUCk. The will pull a deeper vacuum than other types of pumps.

Alan

[Alain M Deschenes]

Do you have a model number for the Robinair? Might be able to find a manual online.


No, the label are missing... I only can read "5cfm"...


I would just buy Robinar vacuum pump oil. Did a quick search and it is available at a bunch of places.

I prefer to buy locally if possible, I live in Canada, ordering oil from usa can be pretty expensive...
I already looked at many local store but any have it. So, I already have compressor oil, it would not work?

[Steve Schlumpf]

Alain, finding info on old pumps is always a hard thing to do but here is a link that may help in your search.

Robinair 5 cfm (http://www.interchangeablecomponents.com/Connecticut-/RFQ-/Robinair-3-5-cfm-vacuum-pump-for-hvac-ovens-machinery.HTML)

The Creek does not allow links to eBay, but a pump similar to yours was sold and they had the model number listed as : Model 15101-B

Also found this - which may help explain what that black cap was for.

215741

Hope that helps. :D

[Ryan Baker]

compressor oil is not the same thing. You really need to find vacuum pump oil, which among other things is made to withstand the high temperatures the pump can generate. It can be hard to find locally, depending on what sources you have locally. You need to keep a supply of it around too, because the pump will blow it out fast enough that you will need to refil the oil fairly often. It can be an expensive extra detail. I stopped using my oil-based refridgeration pump and switched to an oilless pump. It's so much nicer to work with, you'll never want to go back.

[Alan Trout]

Find a local HVAC supply and they will have it. Or talk to a local heat and AC company and they can tell you where to get it. It will only blow out if you do not have anything to catch it. Like I said before mine is fitted with a mist filter that catches and allows it to drain back down the handle. I have recently put mine to a lot of use and have lost no oil at all. It works great. Also most of the oil type units only blow mist when full open flow with no vacuum being pulled. When under load most do no blow mist. Mine is an older design a JB branded unit but I have a friend with a brand new Robinair and it does not blow any mist even under open full flow.

Alan

[John Giem]

I would just buy Robinar vacuum pump oil. Did a quick search and it is available at a bunch of places. Here is just one. http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/RBA0/13203.oap?ck=Search_N0491_-1_-1&pt=N0491

I use a HVAC vacuum pump be aware that some of them will mist a lot of oil out of the exhaust and will need a mist filter. I put one on mine and it works fine. The nice thing about HVAC pumps is that they really SUCk. The will pull a deeper vacuum than other types of pumps.

Alan
The HVAC vacuum pumps I have seen have been rotary vane pumps. The three basic pumps used with vacuum chucking systems in order from highest to lowest max vacuum achievable are: rotary vane, piston and diapharam.
All three types of pumps are suitable for vacuum chucking systems.

[John Giem]

I bought a old Robinair Vacuum pump to make a vacuum chuck.
I had to fix some problems (oil leaking) and clean the motor
(oil leaking in the motor make flames...) So, now I just have to
fill it with new oil but what kind of oil? Does compressor oil work?

Second question: What is the use of the black plastic cap plug à left ?
(???? on the picture)

215702215704



Last question: I also have a other vacuum pump, smaller but working good.
I wonder if this can work for vaccum chuck ? It seem to is a small
oiless pump (piston pump). I dont see any rating on it, according to you,
better or worse than Robinair (the Robinair is supposed to do 5cfm)

215703
You can also get vacuum pump oil at NAPA.

[John Giem]

Be aware that vacuum pumps like to 'drink' any water that is available that will mix with the oil in those pumps that use oil, Robinair, HF, Daton, and others. Oil usually gets milky when it gets water in it. If the water is allowed to remain, significant corrosian damage can occurr. The 'long' shutdown proceedure that Gast has for some of their pumps seems to be deisgned to remove the water from the oil. That is one reason why I prefer oil less vacuum pumps.

[John Giem]

Last question: I also have a other vacuum pump, smaller but working good.
I wonder if this can work for vaccum chuck ? It seem to is a small
oiless pump (piston pump). I dont see any rating on it, according to you,
better or worse than Robinair (the Robinair is supposed to do 5cfm)

For a vacuum chucking system, sizing the pump depends upon what you place between the pump and the vacuum chuck. If you do not have any leaks anywhere, then you can use a small pump. With leakage, you will need a larger pump and it depends upon where in the system the leaks are located. Some people have stated that they do no worry about leakage since they have a large capacity pump and will just over power any leaks. That is a false statement. In the worst case, the leakage is at the vacuum chuck and all of the inflow of air must go through all of the hoses, connectors, valves, manifold, filter, etc. Even with a 6 CFM vacuum pump, you may be limited to 2 CFM at the vacuum chuck because of all the vacuum losses of the air going through the hardware.
If you are interested in finding and fixing leakage in your system, see the vacuum chucking article in the Febuary 2011 issue of the American Woodturner.