Find the Best Hand Vacuum Pump for Long-Term Use

[leroyjenkens]

I have a hand vacuum pump I'm using to evacuate air out of a container and hold the vacuum for a long period of time. This pump came with a valve that eventually failed. I bought a few more just like it and those failed as well. I guess the diaphragm inside the valve is too weak to hold a vacuum for extended periods of time. I think this hand vacuum pump is for pools or something. I'd get a stronger hand pump or stronger valve, but I'm not sure what kind of company would be in that business. I don't necessarily have to get just a stronger valve. I'll buy a new hand pump if I need to. But does anyone know if there's a manual pump that won't fail from having a decent vacuum for extended periods of time? Thanks.

 

[turbo]

Do you need to keep the pump hooked to the vacuum source? It sounds to me like you might want a pump and piping configuration that allows you to disconnect the evacuated chamber from the pump. Just a guess.

 

[leroyjenkens]

Do you need to keep the pump hooked to the vacuum source? It sounds to me like you might want a pump and piping configuration that allows you to disconnect the evacuated chamber from the pump. Just a guess.

It doesn't have to stay hooked up. Just the vacuum needs to stay in the container. I was thinking of a hose clamp, but that may weaken the hose after a while, because the hose has to be pretty rigid not to collapse from the vacuum.

What kind of pipe could I use that would allow me to disconnect the pump?

Thanks for the response.

 

[turbo]

I was imagining an external hand pump evacuating a chamber. A rigid pipe with a nice block valve (ball valve would be ideal) would be enough to hold the vacuum in the chamber. Not knowing the exact configuration of your pump and chamber setup makes it hard to come up with anything more useful. Good luck.

 

[leroyjenkens]

The check valve I've been using, I think, just has a rubber diaphragm. That diaphragm appears to weaken over time from holding a vacuum. Here's an example of a valve I could work with:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-4-inch-one-way-check-valve-AIR-RIDE-Bags-bagged-air-compressor-male-female-/161104279396?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2582903764&vxp=mtr

So that thing has a ball valve inside of it? A ball valve wouldn't fail as easily as a rubber diaphragm, would it? I assume there's some kind of rubber inside for the ball to rest on to create a seal, and for it to fail, that seal would probably have to get old and crack or whatever, or just have a ridiculous pressure that crushes the rubber and ruins it. I don't need anything that strong. A rubber diaphragm held up for quite a while, so this seems like it would work a lot better. What do you think?

 

[turbo]

I still haven't seen a sketch of your set-up, so I'm in the dark. I can tell you that well-machined ball valves with integral seals are just what lots of people use in vacuum situations.

 

[edward]

The check valve I've been using, I think, just has a rubber diaphragm. That diaphragm appears to weaken over time from holding a vacuum. Here's an example of a valve I could work with:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-4-inch-one-way-check-valve-AIR-RIDE-Bags-bagged-air-compressor-male-female-/161104279396?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2582903764&vxp=mtr

So that thing has a ball valve inside of it? A ball valve wouldn't fail as easily as a rubber diaphragm, would it? I assume there's some kind of rubber inside for the ball to rest on to create a seal, and for it to fail, that seal would probably have to get old and crack or whatever, or just have a ridiculous pressure that crushes the rubber and ruins it. I don't need anything that strong. A rubber diaphragm held up for quite a while, so this seems like it would work a lot better. What do you think?

The one on ebay is a good price if it will work. They are made to hold pressure in air ride vehicles.

Vaccon makes vacuum check valves for industrial purposes but they are about $30 in that size range.

http://www.vaccon.com/Check-Valves-Home.aspx