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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Maintenance and Repair / August 2007

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A/C techs: will a venturi vac pump work well enough for occasional use?

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AWN - 21 Aug 2007 15:50 GMT
Good day,

I was wondering if a venturi (air actuated) vac pump will suffice for
pulling 28inHg to evacuate moisture from my A/C system in a project Nissan?
I have heard of shadetree mechs using engine vac as well for this task in a
pinch.  I don't want to rip apart an old fridge nor do I want to shell
several hundred bucks out for a decent electric vac pump.  Can anyone with
experience tell me whether or not these air venturi pumps will work?  My
compressor in 7HP 70gal with 100% duty cycle so I'm sure it's up to the task
for an hour or so.  Oh yeah - CFM @ 90 PSI - 10.3 (if that helps)...

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Andrew.
cuhulin@webtv.net - 21 Aug 2007 17:27 GMT
I have one of those little venturi vacuum pumps I bought for $20.00 at a
pawn shop (I love pawn shops) about 15 years ago.I hooked it up to my
aircompressor.(Sears cast iron two cylinder aircompressor) The little
vacuum pump doesn't have much of a vacuum.J.W.Whitney will sell you one
for $73.99.In my opinion, they are too much money for the amount of
bread.
cuhulin
Steve - 21 Aug 2007 17:39 GMT
> Good day,
>
> I was wondering if a venturi (air actuated) vac pump will suffice for
> pulling 28inHg to evacuate moisture from my A/C system in a project Nissan?

It will if you have a big enough compressor. I have a venturi vac pump
that I have used with success to pull 28+", but it takes everything my
5-horse 220V compressor can throw at it. My little 110V portable won't
cut it.

  My
> compressor in 7HP 70gal with 100% duty cycle so I'm sure it's up to the task
> for an hour or so.  Oh yeah - CFM @ 90 PSI - 10.3 (if that helps)...

That should do it if the ratings aren't fudged.
cuhulin@webtv.net - 21 Aug 2007 18:44 GMT
My old Sears aircompressor has a 2 horsepower motor, it will pump up to
about 140 psi.I think Harbor Freight sells those little venturi vacuum
pumps too.
cuhulin
Steve - 21 Aug 2007 20:46 GMT
> My old Sears aircompressor has a 2 horsepower motor, it will pump up to
> about 140 psi.I think Harbor Freight sells those little venturi vacuum
> pumps too.
> cuhulin

Doesn't matter how much pressure it can pump up to, it matters how many
cubic feet per minute it can deliver *at* over 90 PSI. 2 horsepower
won't cut it. And the venturi pump I use is a POS Harbor Freight, and it
works fine. Even Harbor Freight can make something as simple as a
venturi pump that works. Just don't buy any Harbor Freight tools that
actually have moving parts! :-)
cuhulin@webtv.net - 21 Aug 2007 22:47 GMT
I never have bought anything from Harbor Freight.I can buy better tools
in the pawn shops around here.I remember when I bought my venturi vacuum
pump and I got home with it, I looked inside of the houshing, nothing to
it but a little venturi tube.I felt like I spent too much money on
it.One pawn shop in paticular about four miles from me (it used to be
gas station many years ago) you have to be careful when you walk inside
because there are tools strewn eveywhere and you might trip over
them.That's the kind of old pawn shops I like.I bought a compressed air
needle scaler for $10.00 at that pawn shop a few months ago.It works
great for knocking off heavy rust.
cuhulin
Rich B - 21 Aug 2007 18:50 GMT
> > Good day,
>
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> That should do it if the ratings aren't fudged.

Your compressor meets the requirements to use this part
http://www.beachtradingco.com/servlet/the-12610/Air-Vacuum-Pump/Detail.
this should pull 29" and it's $33.
aarcuda69062 - 22 Aug 2007 01:37 GMT
> Good day,
>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> Thoughts?

Atmospheric pressure is roughly 760,000 microns.
A proper AC evacuation would be to 500-700 microns.

Your 28 in.hg. evacuation comes out to be 48768 microns.
Not even close, by a bunch.

Will it work, will it blow cold?
If the moon and stars are aligned right, you replace the
receiver/dryer, replace ALL of the oil and minimize the amount of
time that the system is exposed to atmosphere, maybe.

Forget anything you may have read about water boiling at XX
temperature at 28 in.hg.  Boiling doesn't mean squat if the
moisture isn't being removed.

Air venturi vacuum pumps are a joke.
nottoooily@hotmail.com - 22 Aug 2007 16:50 GMT
> In article <C2F073E1.2517%anix...@REMOVETHEcogecoDOT.ca>,
>
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> Your 28 in.hg. evacuation comes out to be 48768 microns.
> Not even close, by a bunch.

Last I heard, 28in Hg = 710mm Hg = 94% of atmospheric pressure. Which
is pretty impressive for just a tube with a hole in it! Must be madly
innefficient though.
Steve - 22 Aug 2007 18:46 GMT
> Last I heard, 28in Hg = 710mm Hg = 94% of atmospheric pressure. Which
> is pretty impressive for just a tube with a hole in it! Must be madly
> innefficient though.

ANYTHING powered by compressed air is madly inefficient. For starters,
as soon as you compress the air, approximately 1/2 of the energy that
went into the compressor gets converted into heating the air. Before you
use the air it usually cools off again so all that heat energy is lost.
50% efficiency right off the top. THEN you get to start factoring in the
losses in the air hoses, the tool iteslf, the compressor belts, motor,
etc. All in all, if you get 10% of the energy out of the tool that you
put into the compressor, its doing pretty damn good!

But people don't use air power because its efficient- air power is good
because its rugged. No cooling of the tools is needed, no electrical
hazards, dirt and filth tolerant, etc. etc. Venturi vacuum pumps can
pull vacuum on very wet or dirty loads that would contaminate the oil
and corrode conventional vacuum pumps, so they do have a place in the world.
aarcuda69062 - 23 Aug 2007 01:33 GMT
In article
<1187797858.234184.241910@r23g2000prd.googlegroups.com>,

> > Your 28 in.hg. evacuation comes out to be 48768 microns.
> > Not even close, by a bunch.
>
> Last I heard, 28in Hg = 710mm Hg = 94% of atmospheric pressure. Which
> is pretty impressive for just a tube with a hole in it! Must be madly
> innefficient though.

Impressive is an Inficon Shark vacuum pump that will pull a
system down to 25 microns.

I wouldn't dream of shipping a car that could only be pulled down
to 28 in.hg.
 
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