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Bricklayer
10-19-2024, 11:21 AM
Just getting my new Busch R5 vacuum pump setup inside the vacuum shed and was wondering if it is better to install the moisture trap outside or inside the heated area the pump is at.
It’s kept at about 10-15 degrees C when the pump is off and gets up to about 23-25 when the pump is running due to the heat from the pump. Have a fans in there as well
To exchange fresh air from outside but seems to stay pretty constant when vac is running.

I noticed last year that even with my smaller pump that the moisture trap inside had buildup of moisture a lot more then when I had it outside. This I would assume is because the cool air or gasses the pump is pumping in from the lines hits the warm sides of the moisture trap and it condenses.
Is this a good thing ? I assume that it is saving the pump from getting that moisture when it enters.
And I also didn’t have to clean the pump vanes and rotor like I usually do at the end of the year due to that sludgy Mapley buildup on the rotor and vanes.

Just wondering what others have done and what works best.

maple flats
10-20-2024, 07:00 PM
I never had a pump shed but the moisture trap worked well outside.

JoeJ
10-25-2024, 04:02 PM
I installed my moisture trap inside the building. The first year I used a mechanical moisture trap that had some sort of trip lever in it. That went by the wayside as being unreliable. I purchased an electric moisture trap that has worked perfectly for 10 years. Expensive but very reliable. I fell that after my experience that you need a very, very good moisture trap to protect the R-5. I also have a R-5. Mine only holds 2 quarts of oil so a little water in the oil will screw it up pretty easily.

Bricklayer
10-25-2024, 09:49 PM
I have an electrical moisture trap as well. I have it wired to the emergency stop on the VFD. So it will shut pump down when it trips. Going to try to have pump turn on and off with a thermostat this year. Will hopefully save me some time going back and forth.