Vacuum Trial Run

[Brian Ryther]

With the temps in the lower fourties today I tested my vac pump and new sap ladders. My pump is a Universal Massport that I took form a old milk house. With the system closed it had no problem with mantaining 25". The only thing that seemed wrong was the smoke coming from the muffler. The pump seemed to be over heating. Or maybe I was giving it to much oil. It still smoked when I set the pressure reilf @ 20". Is the smoke normal? Was I giving it too much oil? Was I over working the pump with 20".
Thanks Brian

[royalmaple]

Was it smoke or a fog? They will fog with too much oil, it isn't bad for them to have a bit too much oil, they will puke the oil out of the exhaust and some will get out in the vapor. I turn my exhaust over with a few 90's and put a bucket below to catch the extra oil, or you'll have some interesting looking snow and oil slicks come the end of the season. If you touch it you'll know if it was over heating. If that sucker is burning up you can put a box fan on it and if that is still too hot, then definately give it a break on the regulator you're more than likely working it too hard.

[Parker]

Are you oiling it with adjustbel dripers or the electric box oiler??,,Like royal maple said you can tell if you are overheating the pump (cant touch it),I never had any luck running a vane pump over 18"for any period of time,,,16" I seemed to be able to hold-maintain,,,the more oil you give them =the cooler they run=higher you can maintain vacuum=more mist out the pipe= I went thru 18 gallons of hydrulic oil on my Massport Major last year in Hill,,,,,but it worked perfectly for 2 seasons,(a lot more than I can say for the Surge vane pumps),,I had the exhaust going into a oil reclaimer then into the top of a 55 gallon drum with a 2" pipe to the bottom and holes in the top,,,I collect the oil out of both of these reclaimers.from my experiance they work flawlessly around 16" but they us oil.

[danno]

Hey Parker -

Based upon what others here have suggested, I run a box fan right next to the vacuum and it keeps the temps down. Don't know if you have power to run a fan.

Mine smokes a ton as it is exhausting oil. I put a large coffee can under my exhaust and catch over a quart a day of oil. I'd like to run the exhaust pipe further away from my holding tank, but I'm afraid of heating of the pump with a long exhaust. The fan also works to blow the oil vapors away from the holding tank.

[Brian Ryther]

I am using needle valves with a sight glass below the valves so I can see the flow. The body of the pump was also smoking. I could touch it, but it was very hot. I think I need to turn the regulator down to around 16 - 18, I had it running for an hour between 22 and 25". About how much oil are you putting through the pump in a day? When these pumps were in milk houses where were they designed to be run at?

[royalmaple]

Around 15inches, might even be as low as 12 in come cases. 22-25 for one hour running that hot was too long. Be careful, it can become a boat anchor very quickly. I'd be working with the oil and get a good flow into the pump and definately lower the vacuum with the regulator. Especially if the pump itself was smoking. Hopefully you didn't hammer it too hard already.

[Parker]

I ran the drippers so I got a drop about every2 seconds,,,Also I added a dripper on the vacuum intake for a total of 3 drippers,,,that definatly helped cool it down,,,there should be a plug in the pump casting on top just in back of the intake pipe,,I was able to unscrew that and add an oiler,,,
I am not sure how it is done but the massport pumps make a great "Flood" pump,,

[maplecrest]

parker, your cheep flood, is putting oil in the intake. brian if you catch the oil in a tank that also is the exhast and drain it thru a oil filter [spin on type] and back thru the pump using the tank as your oil resevior. and hook that to your oil set up now you can run higher vac levels by running large amounts of oil thru the pump. and as parker said add an oil line to the intake to flood the vanes. i had one that worked well but traded for a liquid ring, to wish i never traded. i think the other had more cfms. if you took a wood splitter hydro tank and cut an exhast pipe hole for pump, use fill hole for exhast exit. and use the return pipe to feed the pump thru the filter, you have a cheep flood system that work well and eviromentally friendly.

[Parker]

I have one of those tanks with the filter, ect that came with another massport I had,,I can take some pics of it if there is interest,,,

[Brian Ryther]

I would like to see the pics of the massport with the flood system. The exhaust for the one I have is a six inch pipe six feet tall with a muffler on the top. I put a 1/4" drain valve on the bottom so I would be able to recover the oil. I think the photos would help me understand how to make it into a flood. I think I will need as much Murcury as I can get. One line to the releaser has a 12' ladder on it, another has one twelve foot feeding another ten foot ladder.

[maplwrks]

Parker----- Do you want to sell that reclaimer? I'm looking for one for my Delaval 76.
Mike

[Parker]

Everything is for sale for a price :),,,I have to go get it-bring it back to my barn,,,its up in Hill,,and I have a BB-4 piston pump for there this year,,,seems like they would not be too hard to fab up?? gonna look into it,,,
Brian-how many taps on that system?

[Brian Ryther]

400 Taps on the system