Which one of these for board repairs, vacuum pot, and de-watering boards:
2.2 CFM ($290)
8 CFM ($490)

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ikw777 said..
Which one of these for board repairs, vacuum pot, and de-watering boards:
2.2 CFM ($290)
8 CFM ($490)

Without any idea of what the ratings really mean, the $290 one will do the job.

Is the 8 CFM one a 2 stage pump?

The only disadvantage with a typical single stage pump is that the initial draw-down of the bag takes a while, and if there is a leak, it can take ages to find it. in theory a 2 stage one should draw it down quicker and then switch to the second stage for the real work. I have used a vacuum cleaner to do the initial draw down instead.

I think I paid around $130 for a vacuum pump from ebay, and they are usually sold for airconditioning use. The guy I bought mine from doesn't live too far away and also had fittings to go from the hose set to a brass nipple that I then tapped into some PVC pipe I used for a water-trap. It makes the connection of the pump pretty easy.

For what its worth a cheapo aquarium pump can generate about 2.2m H2O suck (a bit less than 1/4 Atmosphere). That's enough for dewatering and probably enough for repairs.
this one: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Aquarium-Pump-Aqua-Air-Oxygen-Fountain-Pond-Marine-Water-Fish-Tank-2-Outlet-/131167

It's full ghetto. Because the pressure is limited you don't need any fancy pressure lines and fixtures just vinyl tube from Bunnings and silicone and PET bottles.
Because they are designed to blow and the air inlets are annular rings around the outlets you have to put the pump in a bottle to blow the air out of the bottle and make the bottle suck. I used a plastic bottle for fish oil caps. It collapsed but the pump inside was a close enough fit to maintain enough structural integrity for it not to leak.

It works but I have yet to use it for a repair.

^^^ oooh I am liking this idea !!!!!

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Mark _australia said..
^^^ oooh I am liking this idea !!!!!

for a $40 investment it's probably worth a try, besides a little bit of knowledge can get you into a lot of trouble , a little bit of vacuum wont get rid of all the water, and a lot of vacuum wont get rid of all the moisture + moisture =delam

Not sure how much vacuum you need but a many DIYer has been known to just get an fridge compressor off the site of the road? Ask the owners first to see if there is still gas in the lines before you go cutting things.

Keef, I am talking for vacuum bagging general small moulding projects, not a whole board or moisture removal.
So no, won't get into trouble thanks.

NotWal the link does not work - maybe the item ended? - so it just shows suggestions which is typical eBay (every damn item they have listed). What sort of pump? They vary from about 4W to 25W......

Freddo, we have all seen those projects but still costs $100 plus.
NotWal has a great suggestion for a $20 option

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jangles said..

the only problem I can see there is it will suck the plastic container in , here I have laminated a jar lid with carbon , would cost an extra $15

$100, bugger!

Anyone know how much a vacuum a kite double action pump generates? If you installed an inline one way valve would that work?

make one out of a old fridge compressor !

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keef said..


the only problem I can see there is it will suck the plastic container in , here I have laminated a jar lid with carbon , would cost an extra $15

NotWal already said he used it in a plastic bottle and whilst it sucked it in a bit, it didn't matter as the pump itself keeps the bottle from squeezing in too far
so can't see the tupperware container is an issue.

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Freddofrog said..
$100, bugger!

Anyone know how much a vacuum a kite double action pump generates? If you installed an inline one way valve would that work?

no, cos it needs to turn on every now and then to maintain vacuum

My best effort so far is draining from a board 600ml in 4 days..

Needless to say, I'm using a bit more horsepower than a fish tank bubbler!


*Edit* I should ad that I stopped drying the board once it got back to the original weight.. Pulling 600mm from a board with 6L in it is less impressive than 600ml from a board with 600ml in it.

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Mark _australia said..
Keef, I am talking for vacuum bagging general small moulding projects, not a whole board or moisture removal.
So no, won't get into trouble thanks.

NotWal the link does not work - maybe the item ended? - so it just shows suggestions which is typical eBay (every damn item they have listed). What sort of pump? They vary from about 4W to 25W......

Freddo, we have all seen those projects but still costs $100 plus.
NotWal has a great suggestion for a $20 option

Sorry. Can't edit my post. It was this one: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/5W-220V-240V-Twin-Outlet-Air-Pump-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Pond-Oxygen-Oxygenation-FOZ-/131343951379?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item1e94b5a613

Cheap as chips but a bit noisy for an aquarium.

Thanks for all this great info! I will try the aquarium pump first.

apparently a third of the weight of salt water is the salt which can't be removed by pumps or vacuum thingys certainly i have never been able to return a board to its original weight after it has sucked in seawater.

I just left my board in the back yard for a week in the sun then put the plug back in.