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About the ARC
FROM THE FIELD
Look after your vacuum pump
With summer imposing a heavy workload on you and your equipment, it is important to keep up your equipment maintenance – and a good place to start is your vacuum pump.
The single best thing you can do to increase the performance and life of your vacuum pump is to change the oil on a regular basis. Oil both lubricates the pump and collects moisture and contaminants from evacuated systems. Key reasons to change it frequently include:
- Oil that is saturated with moisture can’t absorb any more moisture, which affects the vacuum you can achieve.
- Contaminated oil eventually becomes sludge, which reduces your pump’s efficiency.
- Oil that’s saturated and contaminated doesn’t lubricate well, which will lead to your pump wearing out prematurely, and may cause internal corrosion.
Depending on your pump’s manufacturer, the recommended time between oil changes may vary from 10 to 50 hours of use. Regardless, you should always change the oil when it becomes contaminated or discoloured, when condensation is present, and before and after the pump is stored for a long period of time.
An oil change is also needed when the vacuum pump is not pulling the required vacuum. A compound gauge alone is not an accurate indication, but this can be tested by evacuating an empty cylinder or pressure vessel with a vacuum gauge or Vacrometer attached, or with a Vacrometer placed directly on the pump. Check the reading against manufacturer’s specifications – ideally, the vac pump should be able to achieve a reading of under 100 microns. Before testing or evacuating a system, always run the pump to get it to operating temperature.
Frequency of oil changes can vary depending on your oil type, application and possible contaminants, and on the frequency of use and types of systems being evacuated. This could range from daily, weekly to quarterly or even six monthly, and it may need to be changed more frequently in high humidity regions.
Use the oil recommended by your vacuum pump manufacturer and remember, oil is cheaper than a new pump.
As a final point, record your pump maintenance at least once a quarter to ensure compliance with the conditions of your ARCtick permit.
