sluggish vacuum pump

[tcross]

i'm having a problem with my vacuum pump upon start up. it's a BB4 dairy pump hooked up to an electric 220v motor. it's always been very reliable and have never had any issues with it. 2 seasons ago it would pull 28" but this year i'm at 26-26.5". Currently it is very sluggish to start up. it bogs way down and takes a few minutes to get up to speed. seems the colder it has been, the harder it is to get it up to speed. in previous seasons i've just flipped the switch and it was instantly up to speed. i have changed the oil a few times to make sure there's no water in it that could have froze up. good there. anyone have any ideas? only thing i can think of is it's possible my motor needs some help/work?

[BAP]

i'm having a problem with my vacuum pump upon start up. it's a BB4 dairy pump hooked up to an electric 220v motor. it's always been very reliable and have never had any issues with it. 2 seasons ago it would pull 28" but this year i'm at 26-26.5". Currently it is very sluggish to start up. it bogs way down and takes a few minutes to get up to speed. seems the colder it has been, the harder it is to get it up to speed. in previous seasons i've just flipped the switch and it was instantly up to speed. i have changed the oil a few times to make sure there's no water in it that could have froze up. good there. anyone have any ideas? only thing i can think of is it's possible my motor needs some help/work?
Check your voltage and amp draw at the pump. Sounds like you possibly have a poor connection causing lower voltage or high amp draw. Check all the electrical connections to make sure that they are clean and tight. Also, you could have a start capacitor going bad. They are easily replaced.

[maple flats]

I used a BB4 (or Babson Bros #4, they eventually became Surge) for over 10 yrs, no issues ever. Did you change the vacuum oil? Are the belts good condition and not slipping? Check the wiring, is something loose or corroded?
However it's also possible the pump needs rebuilding, the BB4's were made back about 65-80 yrs ago. It could be a valve partially stuck or other issue. Many Surge dealers might be able to help, but parts will likely be extremely hard to find.

[tcross]

thanks for the tips guys! i'm guessing/hoping it's the motor that needs some maintenance. I do have a spare motor but not 100% sure it's wired up for 220v... hopefully it can get me through the season and i can get it looked at/fixed this summer... looking like after todays cooler temp there won't be enough down time to fix it during the season.

[Ultimatetreehugger]

I used to run a Sp22 and I would have to run a light bulb underneath the pump to warm the oil. Worked fine afterwards.