Releaser Vacuum Issue Help

[ccmx1066]

I recently picked up a Lapierre vertical double releaser for cheap as the previous owner had dropped it and broken some of the pieces. I don't need a double, so I took all the good pieces and turned it into a single, but I am having a few issues. The first being that the valve will switch one direction fine but gets hung up in the middle coming the other direction. I assume this is due to a bad seal around the actuator shaft?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12lP...w?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AhG...w?usp=drivesdk


The second issue is that the valve doesn't seem to seal well between the upper plate and the lower plate. I am only getting about 10" vac unless I put a lot of downward pressure on the valve and then I can get it up to about 18". The pump will do 22". Is there supposed to be any sort of gasket that goes between the upper and lower sections besides the nylon plate?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ezy...w?usp=drivesdk

[darkmachine]

I hope you got your issues sorted out. I can give you my experience with the mechanical releaser that I have been using. It came to me second hand, and it needed a rebuild. I chased down lots of leaks, replaced the nylon plates and i still had leaks and some issues with switching between barrels of the releaser. To address the switching between barrels on the releaser I had to build a frame and make sure I got all the stress off the slip joint where the vacuum attaches to the top of the releaser....I mean ANY added friction can cause it to bind and fail to fully actuate. My unit didn't' come with the elbow so i made one out of some pvc parts and cut 2 grooves for 'o' rings it slips in just right, I believe the food grade lubricant that I have is called molykote, you can get it in a spray or in a tube or tub. I've been known to use a dab on the nylon plates, but not too much. Also check to make sure the tension isn't too much on your pivot bolts. The last place where i know i'm leaking is the seal inside the actuator piston. I may have to bite the bullet and buy a replacement if i want to tighten it up any more. OH I also have to install some pins in the float guides on the top of the barrels to keep them from popping down into the barrels when the plastic would shrink and expand due to temperature.

[ennismaple]

Is the rubber gasket that goes around the actuator shaft still there and pointed in the right direction? From hard earned experience I can confirm that installing the little gasket the wrong way means it won't cycle properly.