Vacuum pump switch

[kostantin]

For many of us using a cheap homemade set up running the little fridge pump for a full 24hrs while the work cures may cause it to overheat and fail. Having the pump turn on and off at acceptable vacuums saves the pump and means less chance of failure during lay up.

PS The average home set up is a wet layup with vac bagging. Not a resin infusion.

I use the fride solution also. When the vakuum is not propper, the fride pump tends to overheat. Usually the fride pumps have a overheat switch that shuts down the pump when a specific temperature has been reached. I am not a electricity nerd. I asked a fried to remove the switch. Also the pumps are not made to run dry. You should add one or two drops of bicycle chain oil one in a while ( I do this twice a year ).

I hope this was helpful for you


tks

kosta

[plummet]

Removing an overheating safety feature so you can continue to run a pump not designed for continious running is a bad idea. For one it is likely to fail mid job and wreck your board or worse catch fire and burn your house down.

Leave the safety feature in there, install an accumulator and vacuum switch. You can set the vacuum switch to turn on and off at acceptable vacuums. The pump will not overheat and you will have a far greater chance of your work being completed without pump failure.

I personally don't rely on vacuum for the full 24hr cure. I use a mechanical press with vacuum assist. So I only need to run the vacuum until the resin has gelled off.

[Johnny Rotten]

Very low teck but I have made quite a few foil wings with this and it seems ok.
A syringe with a spring inside adjustable with hose clamps.
the switch is just a spring loaded on, off push in=on out=off
When enough vacume is got the plunger pulls away from the switch and turns off the pump.
When vacume is lost or low the spring presess the plunger against the switch turning it on.
Easy to build, super cheap, a fairly high level of adjustability by sliding the caes of the syring either closer or farther away from switch.
The best idea I have found for vac sacking is to have an in line tank that also has vacume so when you open up at your part it sucks alot to start.
I once adjusted to high and the part was to dry, so I go for about half a bar now.
Just an idea.
R H

P1070001.JPG

Rev head, not sure how you're drawing TOO MUCH vacuum?
what are you using on top of your lay up? peel ply + breather?
perf ply will control the bleed rate very well.

I use perforated release ply and breather on all my parts and pull down as much pressure as possible using a robinair AC pump and actively try to suck out as much resin as possible, I'm hitting Vf of 45 % consistently sometimes upwards of 55% if I go nuts at it

Parts are super strong and light I do test the structure in both impact and bending when I make test panels when trialling/researching different construction methods or materials.