| Vacuum
Pumps |
| Vacuum
pumps are part of every A/C recharge or repair. The vacuum portion of the
service is important because it removes air from the system
and also removes any moisture too! (Water boils in a vacuum).
But the important question is, "How much or how low does the vacuum have
to be?" This information should help you better understand the importance
of pump maintenance and regular vacuum pump oil changes. |
| An
important part of your A/C Service |
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Probably one of the most neglected pieces of equipment on
the A/C service shop floor is the vacuum pump. Why? Because when you flip
the switch, the pump turns on... and that's good enough! Not really. How
well is your vacuum pump performing? Is it pulling the proper vacuum? Is
it pulling 'deep vacuum'? That's what we've decided to take a closer look
at. |
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| Is
your vacuum pump suffering? |
| Now
you can quickly restore deep vacuum performance to your vacuum pump with
this conplete service kit. Kit includes Poly-Clean™ Vacuum Pump Cleaner
and Conditioner (32 oz.); Poly-Vac™ Premium Vacuum Pump Oil (32
oz.) and Poly-Protect™ (4 oz.) Anti-Friction Additive to provide
'low micron' performance to your vacuum pump. Get all the
details at the COOL ZONE! Your
on-line A/C Connection! |
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| What's
deep vacuum? |
| You've
heard the expression before... almost every A/C service manual talks about
pulling 'deep vacuum'. But what's the difference? Isn't vacuum vacuum? Just
the absence of air? Not according to proper A/C service procedures for recharging
your A/C system.
The
conventional method for measuring vacuum when servicing your A/C system is
it to read the vacuum scale on the low pressure
gauge (also known as a compound gauge because it provides both pressure
and vacuum readings). It's a quick and usually reliable method to determine
when the system is under vacuum, but what it will not tell you is
a true measure of just how much vacuum you're actually pulling.
In
order to get a better understanding of just how much vacuum you're actually
creating, it's important to use a 'micron' vacuum gauge. A micron gauge is
simply a far more accurate method of measuring vacuum.
'Microns'
are a unit of measure. A micron is 1 millionth of a meter (a meter is a metric
measurement equal to about 3.28 feet). In short, the micron vacuum gauge
is putting the readings on a much more detailed scale that provides a more
accurate reading. Using a micron vacuum gauge you can quickly see the true
measure of vacuum. To better understand the differences, we've compiled a
chart that compared micron vacuum readings to inches of vacuum as read on
a conventional vacuum gauge. You can see those
details here. |
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| Initial
Vacuum Pump test: |
| Before
any vacuum pump service, we connect the pump directly to our micron vacuum
gauge to get an accurate reading of how 'deep' a vacuum the pump is
pulling.
The
micron vacuum gauge is calibrated under vacuum. It's a very delicate instrument
that utilizes a special coupler to convert the vacuum into an electrical
current that can be read on the scale. |
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Traditionally,
the micron vacuum gauge would be 'spliced' into
the gauge set to confirm the vacuum reading. For the purposes
of our test, we're connecting the pump direct to the micron gauge. |
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| After
10 minutes of vacuum pump operation: |
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For
the purposes of our tests, we operated the vacuum pump for 10 minutes and
then recorded the level of vacuum attained. This was prior to any service
or vacuum pump oil change.
Why
a micron vacuum gauge? It's the only true measure of vacuum. Have a
closer look here. |
As
a starting point before any service, this particular vacuum
pump produced rather good results. According to the
chart,
this pump is pulling in the range of 99.9% vacuum. |
We've
completed several vacuum pump tests. You can review the details of
another vacuum pump that wasn't
in as good a condition. |
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| The
vacuum pump service starts: |
| Starting
with a clean container to catch old vacuum pump oil, we drain the oil that
the pump came into us with. |
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| Although
the old oil removed from the pump didn't appear all too dirty (based on color)
we did find that it had debris and particles of dirt and grit. Keep in mind
that this pump was pulling great vacuum when it started, and the service
tech advised that 'it really didn't need a service'. Looking at the debris,
we're glad we got to it! |
Besides
the particles of debris and grit, we did another test
on the vacuum pump oil. Have a closer look
at what we found. |
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| The
rest of the service: |
| For this vacuum pump service, we used a new Service Kit developed
to clean and improve the performance of vacuum pumps. Following the
manufacturer's instructions, after draining the vacuum pump oil, we added
the 'Cleaner and Conditioner'. This is a specially formulated oil that is
designed to help remove varnish and lacquers from the pump as well as 'suspend'
debris and contaminants. The vacuum pump is operated for a maximum of 10
minutes with the cleaning oil and then it's drained. |
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The
rest of the service is simple. We added the 4oz. bottle of an Anti-Friction
additive (included in the service kit). It's designed specially for vacuum
pumps in order to provide the maximum performance and 'deep micron' readings.
Following that, we just filled the pump with the new Premium Vacuum Pump
Oil from the kit. |
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| The
final test for vacuum pump performance: |
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After
refilling the vacuum pump as outlined above, we performed the same test that
we did before starting any service. The pump was connected direct to our
micron vacuum gauge and operated for 10 minutes. Here's a look at the results
(micron gauge reading) after 10 minutes. |
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| Vacuum
pump service summary: |
| Overall,
keep in mind that the service tech already advised that the pump was performing
properly and he didn't think it required service. After draining the debris,
it's a good thing we got to this pump. Although it performed well (under
200 microns) when we first started, the debris and grit can cause real problems
with the 'vanes' and internal surfaces.
Overall,
there was still an improvement in the vacuum pump performance. Although our
10 minute before and after test only showed an improvement of about 40 microns,
it was still an improvement. Also keep in mind that this pump was pulling
great vacuum to start.
Since
these tests were conducted, we've done others that will be posted soon, so
please check back for further tests and test results. In the meantime, take
care of your vacuum pump. It's quick... easy to do... and regular service
will keep your pump operating at peak performance when the heat is on!
| Here's
a look at another vacuum pump test and service
we completed. The results after pump service were a little more
dramatic! |
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See
how the simple Polymax™ Vacuum Pump Service kit restored deep vacuum
performance to this vacuum pump. At the start of our test, we were not able
to pull 500 microns!
See the up close results of what happend right
here. |
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| Vacuum
Pump Service Kit : |
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Polymax
Vacuum Pump Service Kit; 32oz Cleaner/Conditioner; 32oz. Vacuum Pump Oil;
4oz Anti Friction Additive - AR 4477
NEW!!
Now it's easy to get the maximum performance from your vacuum pump! The Polymax
Vacuum Pump service kit provides a cleaner and anti friction additive that
provides the 'lowest micron' formula!
$24.95
each Kit -
DETAILS
Add
to Cart |
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| Other
tools and manifold gauge sets available from your best direct source...
the COOL ZONE! : |
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Gauge
Set
AR 6245
All
brass manifold includes sight glass; metal hand wheels; hook to hang up gauges.
Hoses not included.
See details. |
Gauge
Set
AR 6239
Aluminum
manifold with site glass; front mounted on/off valves; hoses not included.
See details. |
Gauge
Set
AR 6246
Excellent
value for the Professional on the go or the DIY'er! Complete set includes
GAUGES, HOSE SET and R-134a COUPLERS plus rigid storage case!
See details. |
Gauge
Sets for R-134A
Professional
quality hose sets for R-134a gauge sets. Available in 3 lengths; see details.
Fits all R-134a hose sets.
See details. |
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All
gauge sets at the COOL ZONE include
calibration screw and low pressure gauge with 'retard'! |
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R-134a
Couplers
AR 6247
90°
chrome coupler set; manual 'open' and 'close'. Fits all R-134a hose sets.
See details. |
R-134a
Couplers
AR 6235
90°
all brass coupler set; Quick connect couplers snap onto charge ports. Fits
all R-134a hose sets.
See details. |
Couplers
- Converts R-12 hose set to R-134a
AR 6248
Chrome
coupler set; manual 'open' and 'close'. Fits all R-134a hose sets.
See details. |
Gauge
Set
AR6245
All
brass manifold includes sight glass; metal hand wheels; hook to hang up gauges.
Hoses not included.
See details. |
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See
more auto A/C service products at
the COOL ZONE On-line A/C Warehouse!
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Jump
to other Fast Track
Auto Air Conditioning information |
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