How to convert an aquarium compressor into a vacuum pump

Vacuum pump FOR 100 RUBLES

Let me share my experience of converting a 100 ruble aquarium pump into a vacuum one
. There is nothing tricky here, but you never know.. maybe it will be useful for someone.

(I saw a topic here somewhere about a water jet pump made from a syringe and two needles... someone was interested in the same thing)

So, the pump turns out to be a little more powerful than a water-jet from a syringe and, moreover, does not require water.

This is a compressor. On the market in Moscow time it costs 100 rubles:

Kompssor1. Vacuum pump FOR 100 RUBLES. Instruments and electrical equipment. Kompssor22. Vacuum pump FOR 100 RUBLES. Instruments and electrical equipment.

The design is extremely simple. We disassemble the indicated node.

Here is the part of it that is hungry for modernization:

Kompssor3. Vacuum pump FOR 100 RUBLES. Instruments and electrical equipment.

In it you just need to swap the valves (in my case, it was also necessary to saw off a corner of the part’s body, apparently the Chinese designers protected themselves from accidentally turning the compressor into a vacuum pump)

Kompssor4. Vacuum pump FOR 100 RUBLES. Instruments and electrical equipment.

So that. It's time to put it back together. In case of liquid penetration or condensation accumulation, I drilled holes in the bottom wall. Also, if you have a tube and glue, you can drain the pumped gases from the pump.

This canoe can be useful for completely getting rid of the smell during distillation; for experiments involving the creation of a slight vacuum in a distillation cube or fermentation tanks.

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Preparing for therapy

Before starting the session, you need to consult with a specialist. Only a specialist will be able to examine the patient and identify contraindications to the use of vacuum therapy. Sometimes the cause of contraindications may be psychological aspects that can be easily eliminated.

Before using the pump, it should be washed with warm water and soap. It is forbidden to boil or pour boiling water over it. Also, the pump should not be used by more than one person. The pump is quite a fragile thing and should be used carefully and not thrown. The vacuum should be stored in a dark and dry place at a temperature of no more than 35 degrees.

Algorithm for performing the procedure:

With systematic use of the pump every two days

significant results can be achieved.

For the first 14 days, it is recommended to use a vacuum at night two hours before bedtime for 30 seconds. In subsequent weeks, you can increase the impact of the pump to 60 seconds, while taking a break for 2 minutes. If immediately after the session the erection weakens, then you need to use an erection ring. It is attached to the base of the penis.

To quickly and reliably improve potency, our readers recommend a natural remedy that has a comprehensive effect on the causes of erectile dysfunction. The composition contains only natural ingredients with maximum effectiveness. Thanks to natural ingredients, the drug is absolutely safe, has no contraindications or side effects...

DIY vacuum pump from a compressor

Previously, few people thought about what a vacuum pump was and why it was needed. But this is a necessary thing both in everyday life and in industrial production, small-scale production of various products, for packaging and for solving many innovative problems. Basically, these devices are made only in production conditions, but if specific abilities and parts exist, it can be done with your own hands.

By the way, if you are interested in repairing refrigeration compressors, go to the website, professionals work here who will repair your refrigerator quickly and, most importantly, efficiently!

To work with larger volumes, you need to use either more efficient pumps with different modifications, or a compressor. The power of the compressor depends on the need to use a vacuum motor, and the compressor can be either compact, for an aquarium, or more powerful - for inflating car tires, and for work related to painting. But the meaning of the alterations does not change.

Introduction

Everyone knows what a pump is, and almost everyone has used one for personal purposes. But with a vacuum pump the situation is a little different. Many consider it a specific device, manufactured and used in industry. Therefore, this information does not seem interesting to the average person. Despite this, a vacuum pump for pumping out air serves very well for personal purposes, but such equipment costs a lot. For home use, such prices are inappropriate, so the question increasingly arises: how to make a vacuum pump for pumping air with your own hands?

We use a membrane compressor from an aquarium

For example, for use as a vacuum pump for a compressor from an aquarium with low performance, it is enough to modify the unit in which the valves are located and install a tube to drain condensate and trapped moisture.

To do this, you need to swap the valves, then the membrane pump will not aggravate the air, but pump it out from a specific volume. The designs of diaphragm pumps are different, but the principle of reconstruction is the same. An example of converting a small aquarium pump into a vacuum pump is shown in the photo.

For more significant tasks, it is necessary to use a more powerful compressor. For example, you can use a device from an old refrigerator. Basically, with the help of such an oil-type compressor, you can achieve a pressure of about 5 atm, which is quite enough for domestic needs. The assembly diagram of the device is very simple.

Process description

The vacuum pump is made as follows:

• First, cut off the top of the compressor with a hacksaw.
• Then the motor suspended on springs is removed from the housing. No tools are needed here - it is not secured.
• The copper tubes located in the housing are connected to oil-resistant tubes, connecting to the “” and “-” lines on the motor. Excess elements are cut off.
• The opened case must be equipped with a lid. It should be slightly smaller than the sawn-off fragment so that the oil can flow into the container (along its edges). The lid is best made from brass foil using a soldering iron. Its inner side is equipped with stiffening ribs, and its outer side is covered with linoleum (for sound insulation).

Important! Often a breather is installed in the lid. This is an additional means of protecting against leakage if the connections between the tubes were not made very carefully.

During operation of the compressor, a certain amount of oil is certainly lost and is released into the discharge line as oil mist. A tubular level gauge helps track costs. It should be located behind a transparent tube, which is connected to the container using a hose. The tube can be replaced with the body of a ballpoint pen.

The level gauge is covered with a cap to protect it from dust, leaving access for air. Make marks on the mechanism yourself, indicating the maximum and minimum oil levels. The junction of the tube and hose is sealed with sealant.

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The finished structure is placed in a box. Its frame is made of a steel angle measuring 2.5x2.5 cm. Any sheet material can act as a cladding. A door should be mounted into the side wall in order to take readings from the level gauge without removing the vacuum pump from the box. A simple latch will be enough to secure it.

High efficiency oil and oil-free compressors

The oil compressor is connected to a receiver, which can be any small gas cylinder or similar vessel. The pump has three outputs:

• for filling oil;
• for air intake;
• for air supply.

Then everything is simple - simple motor oil is poured into the compressor through the necessary tube, a dust filter is connected to the air intake tube, and a receiver is connected to the air supply tube through a splitter. Now the device can be used both as a compressor with a receiver and as a vacuum pump with very high efficiency. To use it as a compressor, you only need to connect the air supply hose to the splitter from the receiver. If the device is needed in the form of a vacuum pump, then the hose is connected to a section of the air intake pipe.

These are by no means all the methods and variations of converting compressors into vacuum pumps. In the case of an oil-free compressor, there is no need to install an oil separator, but a filter on the air supply pipe must be installed. Try it, and to solve any problem you can concentrate a vacuum pump from the means at hand.

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Following actions

Important! When choosing a pressure gauge, keep in mind that the pressure level can reach 6 atmospheres.

Excessive pressure is completely unacceptable when starting the engine. The requirement is due to the specifics of the starting circuit. During startup, the current that arises in the working winding turns on an electromagnet in the starting relay. It attracts the core with contacts. The contacts close and supply current to the starting winding. At normal pressure, the engine spins up in the shortest possible time. As a result, the current in the working winding drops, the electromagnet opens the starting winding and releases the core. If there is excess pressure in the discharge mowing line, the high load will lead to rapid wear of the starting winding.

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This phenomenon can be prevented by installing an electric pneumatic valve on the mowing line, followed by a check valve behind it. The first one is connected to the motor circuit and then it will be open while the installation is not operating, and when it is turned on, it will close.

Vacuum pump from a car compressor / DIY Vacuum pump Converting a 12V Air Compressor

Such precautions do not make sense if the compressor will be used for simple purposes, for example, for purging. However, if you plan to connect any device for accumulating pressure, you cannot do without an electric pneumatic valve and a check valve.

Important! When the electromagnet in the starting relay is turned off, the core falls, so installing it on its side or upside down is completely unacceptable.

The vacuum pump is ready, all that remains is to connect the electricity through the fuse.

Applications of hand air pumps

To solve simple problems associated with creating a shallow vacuum, any device for pumping air is suitable - a manual or foot-operated car pump, or even a medical syringe. Using the latter as an example, we will show the assembly of a simple vacuum pump. For work you will need the following materials:

• syringe with a capacity of 10-20 ml;
• plastic check valve – 2 pcs.;
• transparent tubes from the IV;
• tee.

Reference. Small check valves are sold in pet stores, in the aquarium accessories department. The prices are literally peanuts.

Assemble the manual air pumping apparatus in this order:

1. Cut 3 pieces 5-6 cm long from the dropper tube.
2. Place the pieces on the tee outlets and connect the syringe to the middle one.
3. Install check valves at the ends of the 2 remaining tubes so that the arrows on the body point in different directions.
4. To the valve outlet whose arrow is directed towards the syringe, connect the tube leading to the evacuation object. You can check the operation of the pump with a liter plastic bottle.

The principle of operation is as follows: when you pull the piston, air passes through the valve on the bottle side, the second line is blocked. After pressing the rod, the valve of the first tube no longer lets air in, but the second one is open. If you work intensively with the piston, a vacuum will quickly form inside the bottle, as shown in the video:

More productive manual units are made from various piston attachments. A regular pump designed for inflating car tires will do. To convert a simple device into a vacuum pump, follow the instructions:

1. After unscrewing the ribbed nut on top of the body, remove the rod with the cuff.

2. Using a 10 mm wrench, unscrew the cuff mounting nut and move the element with the skirt up, as shown in the photo. Tighten the fasteners back.
3. Assemble the device and install a check valve on the supply hose.
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After the modification, the pump will draw air through the main hose and exhaust it through a hole in the housing. If you need to inflate your car wheels, it is easy to return the cuff to its original position. How to make a vacuum pump from a small bicycle pump, watch the video:

Valve installation

Check valves for homemade vacuum pumps can be purchased at a store that sells aquarium equipment. This inexpensive plastic part is installed in an aquarium compressor. Perhaps friends or acquaintances have such a non-working compressor. In this case, nothing happens to the check valve (because there is nothing to break there). Thus, it can be taken out and placed in our homemade vacuum pump to pump out air.

The valve is fixed in a special hole in the device, and a tube is connected to it, which leads into the container. Of course, this element must be installed correctly - air must flow from the container into the pump. To check the direction of operation of the valve, before installing it, you need to blow into it, but no air should pass through, this will mean that this end of the valve is connected to the pump. If the part is of high quality and all manual connections are carefully sealed, then using a manual vacuum pump it is possible to provide a residual vacuum pressure of up to 200 Mbar.

How to make a unit from a compressor

Not all problems can be solved with the help of hand-held devices that are unable to create a deep vacuum (minus 1 bar). To increase productivity, you should use electric pumping devices - compressors.

Various types of similar units are suitable for the manufacture of homemade vacuum pumps:

• aquarium oxygen blower;
• compressor of an old refrigerator;
• Chinese car electric pump;
• multi-purpose compressor of a household series with a capacity of 350 l/min.

Note. On the Internet you can often find instructions for making a liquid ring type vacuum pump. The device is difficult to assemble (some parts need to be machined) and to operate, since it requires organizing the cooling of the feed water and intake air. We do not recommend adopting this idea.

Aquarium blower conversion

The device is a plastic case containing a membrane micropump with two valves and a small motor powered by electricity. Modernization is carried out in the following order:

1. Using a screwdriver, unscrew the screws and remove the housing cover.
2. Using a wrench and tweezers, disconnect the rod that moves the rubber membrane. Pull the blower element out of its socket.

3. Disassemble the assembly into 2 parts - a membrane and a valve group.
4. Swap the valves and carefully file one corner of the plastic cover as shown in the photo.

5. Reassemble the elements in the reverse order and arrange for the air pumped inside to be vented through the hole.

Advice. To protect the membrane assembly from dust, debris and moisture, install a car gasoline filter on the supply hose.

If you did everything correctly, the supercharger will be converted into a homemade air intake of average performance. The device will not create a deep vacuum, but it will definitely help solve various small problems. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to repair and return the compressor to its original state - you need to change the valve group.

Using a refrigeration compressor

A working unit from any old refrigerator is suitable for assembly. Moreover, such a vacuum installation, made by hand, retains the ability to act as a compressor. Before assembly, prepare additional structural elements:

• frame welded from corners or twisted with bolts;
• receiver - a propane or freon cylinder;
• pressure gauge (in this case, a vacuum gauge);
• connecting hoses;
• filter - moisture separator;
• wires and circuit breaker;
• the collector can be a regular cross.

Note. If you plan to use the installation as an air blower, then you will additionally need a pressure switch to ensure timely shutdown of the engine.

Before reassembling, drain the unit of old oil by turning it upside down. At the same time, you will find out which of the three pipes is the oil pipe. Then fill in new special lubricant for compressors in the amount indicated on the nameplate or directly on the housing.

Assembly is carried out in this order:

Screw the receiver with the compressor to the frame. The latter must stand strictly in a horizontal position, secured through anti-vibration pads.

Unit assembled with filter and automatic shutdown

Advice. For the receiver, it is better to choose a small cylinder with a capacity of 25 liters.

If you need a compressor more than a vacuum pump, do the connection differently. Place the crosspiece on the discharge side, attach a receiver, a pressure switch and a pneumatic hose to it. A filter and vacuum gauge are installed on the suction side. More details about the assembly of the unit are described in the video.

Modernization of other devices

Portable Chinese pumps used for inflating car tires are not suitable for conversion into a vacuum apparatus; their performance is too low. It’s easy to check this fact: disassemble the plastic housing of the unit and look at the dimensions of the cylinder with the piston. The latter is driven by a connecting rod mounted on the electric motor shaft.

To convert such a supercharger into an intake, it is enough to solder a plastic tube to the opening of the intake valve. The simplest way is to use a glue gun. Then follow the previous instructions - install the filter and pressure gauge on the suction side.

The tube must be glued to the opening of the suction valve

Note. To use a vacuum pump made from a mini-compressor at home, you will have to find or install a 12-volt DC source.

A multi-purpose compressor on wheels (mainly made in China) is the best donor for making a vacuum pump. Thanks to a hardware capacity of 350 l/min, the supercharger is capable of instantly creating a vacuum effect with a depth of up to 1 bar. This is enough to operate various homemade machines - a vacuum packer and a molder.

Making the unit is quite simple:

1. Unscrew the air filter installed on the cylinder head. Instead, connect a hose or pipe leading to the receiver, pressure gauge and vacuum object. Don't forget to put a filter on the same line.
2. In the standard receiver, remove the condensate drain plug.
3. If necessary, make a button to remotely turn on the unit.

A large propane cylinder with a capacity of 50 liters should be used as a receiver for this vacuum pump. It will serve as a dryer for the pumped-out air and smooth out the pressure surge when the engine starts.

Which pump should I buy to use?

You can purchase a vacuum pump without a prescription at a pharmacy kiosk. Before using it, you should consult a urologist. The doctor will give recommendations on whether there is a need to use a pump depending on the individual characteristics of the patient. The specialist will also tell you which brand of vacuum to buy so that it meets the man’s requirements.

You need to pay attention to pumps equipped with safety valves

. This device will help reduce the risk of injury during the procedure and will keep the vacuum pressure normal.

Before use, read the instructions for use thoroughly. The device must not be given to other people. For the first 14 days, the session should not exceed 2 minutes. To maintain the result obtained, you should put an erection ring on your penis. More than 80% of male respondents speak positively about using the pump.

Where is vacuum used?

The manufacture of vacuum pumps is of interest to home craftsmen who know how to use them. For most ordinary people, the unit is of no value. In fact, with the help of air pumping, many useful things are realized:

1. Long-term storage of clothes and food. Just put them in a plastic bag, connect the pump and immediately seal them. The packaging will turn into a reliable container, free of bacteria and harmful microorganisms.
2. Vacuum canning in jars.
3. Filtration of various solutions through the smallest meshes.
4. Removing air and moisture from the evaporator and condenser units when installing a domestic air conditioner.
5. Oil extraction when repairing an automobile diesel or gasoline engine.

Similar devices are also used for vacuum body massage and operation of machines - presses, packers and molders.

Troubleshooting

A vacuum pump for pumping air, like any other mechanism, can break or malfunction. We have listed the most common breakdowns above, and now you need to figure out how to fix them:

• Motor faulty or incorrectly connected. The most common mistake is a broken connection diagram. Initially, you need to check the power, that is, the integrity of the network cable. To do this you will need an indicator probe. If the probe lights up and the motor rotates after power is applied, this means that this is not the cause of the breakdown. If not, then this means the engine is faulty and will have to be sent in for repair.
• Inconsistency between the drive and the injection mechanism shaft. This problem is most often solved by installing a gasket under the engine or under the injection mechanism. If after this the pump does not resume operation, then you need to inspect the coupling for displacement or deformation. In this case, the part is installed in place or changed.
• Jamming of the working element in the discharge mechanism. Typically this problem occurs due to contamination of the pumped medium. To eliminate the malfunction, you need to disassemble the product and clean it.
• Breakage of bearings in support units. This problem is accompanied by loud noise and strong vibration. This means that the bearing has failed and needs to be replaced.
• The appearance of scale on working elements. This problem usually appears on liquid ring pumps in which the working medium is water. To resuscitate the unit, you need to get rid of salt deposits using a special composition.
• Overheating of the pump and subsequent wear of parts. This problem is especially relevant for oil-free rotary vane units. Even the most modern materials, such as Teflon, are unable to fully compensate for the missing lubricant. This is why it is so important to observe the temperature regime. If overheating does occur, the damaged parts will have to be replaced.
• Excess or leakage of working fluid. If the liquid ring pump has reduced its performance, you need to check the pressure of the service fluid. It could have fallen due to its leakage. The solution to the problem is to replace the seal in the hole.

If the seal is in satisfactory condition, then the problem is in the flange connections - you need to replace the gaskets there.

Also, the intensity of fluid consumption may be due to severe wear of parts. This usually happens when the pump has already served its purpose and needs to be replaced or the unit needs to be checked; perhaps it is still repairable, and only the most worn parts need to be replaced.

If the pressure of the service medium is high, due to its excess or overheating, the device may also break down. If you set the optimal values, the pump will work perfectly again. If the temperature is maintained, then you need to reduce the water supply or close the valve on the pressure pipeline.

The simplest devices

If you need the device urgently, you can quickly make a simple vacuum pump with your own hands. To do this, you will need two plastic bottles of different diameters, which can easily fit into each other. One of them will act as a piston, so you should select containers that are close in diameter, otherwise you will need to make a large sealing layer on the smaller one. In addition, you will need a hose from a bicycle pump.

First you need to cut off the neck of the larger container. Then make a hole in the bottom of the smaller bottle and insert the bottles into each other (it should be noted that the inside may need seals, which can be made using tape). Then screw the hose into a large container, always in the opposite direction. The device will pump out air when the piston moves from a smaller container.