Super Sucker Vacum Questions

[safflowerpower]

I am looking to build a super sucker and I did not see the CFM, of the vacum pump (or CFM of pumps in series) needed to power a 250 gal. super sucker????Also does the suck hose enter the top of the tank??? Thank you, I am so greatful to forum and the volumes of info in the past postings...

[girlmark]

The issue is more than just CFM- vacuum pumps vary in how low of a vacuum they're able to draw down.

erm, my background with vacuum pumps is to head to the junkyard and get a bunch of them for $15 each or so and see which one works best. They are readily available on eBay and so forth. I don't tend to look for specific specifications so I can't answer the question well, sorry.

[airfooter]

I've been using a Robinair (sp?) 5.7 cfm vacuum pump (for auto A/C) for over a year now w/VO. I used some 134a conversion fittings on my vacuum vessels - they screw on to a flare fitting (1/4" i think?). This gives me quick connectability using the A/C gauges and I can still use my pump to work on auto A/C systems.

Lots of folks use salvage refrigerator pumps, cause they're (disposably) cheap and apparently get the job done. I've seen new off-brand auto a/c vac pumps as low as $45. The higher the cfm, the faster it'll pull down.

I use my vac pump for collection, transfer and occasionally dewatering - it works well for all of these. It'll pull a 40 gal h2o heater down to 24+ in.hg. in 20 min or less. This will collect almost 35 gallons of VO thru a 3/4" ID hose in under 5 min.

Change the vac oil frequently to avoid moisture contamination issues.

I'm looking for a FREE 250+ gal propane tank close to home right now. I'll put it on a skid that I can load/unload onto my truck w/forks on the tractor - I don't wanna mess w/a trailer cause of where I gotta go for VO...

[yaric008]

I got my two pumps from a local surplus store for 45 dollar each. They're actually supposed to be used as compressors but we have them hooked up backwards and they actually pull a vacuum down to about 27" which is pretty dang good I think. The CFM's aren't important because you're not going to be using this like a shop vac. You're going to pull a vacuum, store it, then unleash it on the oil. Basically the CFMs will just determine how long you have to stand around and wait to build your vacuum. For my 60 gallon propane tank, it takes roughly 20 minutes to pull a 27" vacuum with one pump. It fills completely with oil, if i turn the pump back on half way through the sucking of the oil, in about 3 minutes. We use a 1.5 inch hose which comes into the propane tank through a 1.5 inch port. The hose is just a blue pool hose. It was the only hose we could find that wouldn't collapse under the vacuum. The hose is 50 feet long and to kinda pre prime the system we pull a vacuum on the hose aswell. We just have a valve at the end of the hose that we open to pull the oil in.

To get the oil out of the propane tank, we have a tube that runs to the bottom of the tank, like a straw in a drink, so when the oil gets sucked in, it fills the tank from the bottom up. So to empty it we just pressurize the propane tank and push all the oil back out and up that tube. Emptying the 50 gallons of oil takes about 45 seconds as we pressurize the propane tank to 90psi.

Anyways, just look for a pump that can pull a large vacuum, not necessarily fast. http://www.gastmfg.com/literature.html

That is the people that make mine. They're nice because they're oilless so can be mounted anywhere.