The Importance of a Comprehensive Vacuum Pump Repair Program

There are many different kinds of vacuum pumps available in the market from those that are used to move air in and out of a system to those that removes gas from an area leaving a partial vacuum. In industrial settings, vacuum pumps are used for many purposes that include vacuum packaging of food evacuation and environmentally friendly charging of refrigerators and air conditioners including the manufacture of picture tubes for flat-panel displays. Since vacuum pumps are critical to your business, it is important to ensure that they function at optimal levels with a comprehensive Vacuum Pump Repair program to prevent downtime.

Vacuum Pump Repair program

It is highly important to undertake regular maintenance and inspection of vacuum pumps through qualified technicians in order to provide a cost saving alternative to purchasing new equipment. Vacuum pump maintenance usually includes the following services:

-        Minor Vacuum Pump Repair

-        Helium leak detection

-        Vacuum pump performance optimization

-        Preventive maintenance programs

It is also important to keep in stock vacuum pump fluids and consumable parts in order to keep the vacuum pump components at their optimum condition at all times. Consumables include fittings, O-rings, gaskets, pumping traps and filtration elements.

Maintenance tips for vacuum pumps

1.       In rotary vane vacuum pumps, the vanes should be replaced when it is ¼ inches shorter than new. The best way to measure the size of the vane if a new one is unavailable is to measure the slot where the vane belongs since the slot is normally the size of a new vane.

2.       Bearings should be replaced if any play is detected. When replacing bearings, the bearing surface on the rotor shaft and in the endplate should be checked. It is common to find a new bearing is not tight on the shaft or in the endplate but it can be fixed by welding and machining the shaft and the endplate to have a new sleeve installed.

3.       Seals are one of the reasons for Vacuum Pump Repair because the pump will eventually fail. If the seal is worn out and no longer fits tight on the shaft, it will allow vacuum to be pulled in causing the oil dripper to pull air upward instead of drawing oil to the bearing. If this problem is overlooked, it will cause the pump to lock up.

4.       When an oil reclaiming system is neglected, it would be better to have a standard dripper system. All the steam and vapor carryover from the wash and rinse cycle will typically get trapped in the reclaimer. This is avoided by changing oil and filter on a regular basis. During winter months, it is important to drain water off the bottom to prevent it from freezing which could prevent oil from getting into the pump.

5.       Belt tensioning is very critical to the vacuum pump system since belts that are too tight can take a shaft out in short time. In most cases the damage will be on the shaft and not on the bearing. This is because the bearings are made from harder material than the shaft.