How To Make a Vacuum Pump from Old Compressor
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- Опубліковано 16 гру 2014
- This video show my own way of making a usable vacuum pump. This video will show you how to make a vacuum pump out of a old refrigerator compressor. This pump can be used to pull a vacuum on different things and can be used to do things like pump up balls and bicycle tires. Also potential for many other things too.
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in 12 minutes you answered all my questions. Short and to the point. Some guys have posted videos of making a vacuum pump for 30 min to one hour and it is just a waste of time watching their videos.
You sir just saved me 200 dollars.
Thank you
From my knowledge compressor oil reacts with the air, I'd recommend draining the oil from the unit and replacing it with air-compressor oil ;)
this was my first vacuum pump. when I started in the HVAC trade in 1979 I worked for a one man shop "Smitty's airconditioning". after about 3 months he helped me [ he did all the soldering] build one of these from a old fridge compressor. I have no idea how well it actually worked but after seeing your video I think Ill build one and see. and a dial -a-charge haven't one of those in years. cool video thanks. great job.
Same thing here I'm just a first timer and have no money to buy any vacuum pump but someday I'm planning on using a air conditioner compressor
Thanks man... plenty good for a vacuum press pump I reckon and probably as good as the real thing.
Thanks got a general idea. 👍 I'll definitely get a work bench first, lol
+JCsaves
You can do it on the carpet.
It will hold a vacuum if you shut the valve on the gauge. Also, you need to hook up the ground wire in case of a short it will trip the breaker instead of getting a shock.
This is a great video. I enjoyed it. Thanks for making it. I have my eye open for a compressor in good shape. That is some really nice carpet to be doing such work, though!
all done on carpet - nice work
Great work thanks for the knowledge
Solder on a open flame will turn to mush really quick if left there too long. You only needed to heat the parts up first then apply the solder with large solder joints. A open flame produces soot, which you don't want mixed with solder. Of course a high wattage solder gun would have worked also if you had one, but it's a bit tricky to use on large parts with little to no experience. Good soldering takes practice... sorta like welding need that experience to get good at it.
Thanks for the video. I have the same compressor but not sure where the black and white electric cables should connect?
Very well explain video, thank you
Hello, could you please tell me what is the kind of pressure sensor you are using ? as well, what is the ultimate pressure you could reach with a compressor working as a Vacuum pump ? Thank you in advance
Schrader valves... the little valves that you removed to save the rubber seals are Schrader valves. (made in the USA) Good video, I have used a compressor I converted into a vacuum pump out of a freezer, for more years than I like to admit, for vac'n down AC units . Works just about as good as what Snap-on charges way too much for. (adjust the flame on your torch and watch pointing it at the compressor too, friends.) Oh and the larger the freezer or fridge you find usually has a larger compressor and it works a bit better. Sad that almost a half a million views only gets ya a thousand shared opinions. But I noticed most of the comments were just negative so maybe it's a blessing... Oh and also, if you work, walk, and lay on concrete enough, you will find some used carpet to put in your work shop or garage and always keep an eye out for some more to replace the burnt, torn, wet, oily carpet you abuse . Peace
The entire assembly is the valve, the thing he pulled out is the valve core.
Going to try this soon with a compressor from a mini fridge
Adding a run/start capacitor between a switch and wire assembly added a lot of power
How did you prevent the unit from overheating?
I'm actually curious if it's possible to pull a deep vacuum with a compressor... I'm under the impression it can't really do that. It seems compressor is better for recovering refrigerant.
This is a very interesting video, however I am much more interested in why anyone would use a large blowtorch to solder copper tubing over carpet.😆😆
Been sitting here wondering why not buy a soldering iron for 20-200 and easier job, less fire risk then also a new tool aha
@@n0username0n Torch is faster and available. The I've always used a propane torch.
@@blatantmisconception I get that and for certain jobs sure but shit son, what about stocking up on the correct tools and there expandables? I mean da FAQ?
@blatantmisconception your missing out, I don't know too many people that use propane anymore. Use map gas (yellow cylinder) and you could do circles around a guy with a blue propane tank , standing there burning fuel trying to warm up a pipe to solder it. This guy used oxy-acetylene, and he said silver not solder. I believe that is brasing. It takes way more heat.
@@n0username0n I'd pay to see someone use a soldering iron to solder copper tubing with hard silver. Silver solder melts @1425 degrees Fahrenheit , your solder iron melts soft lead free solder @ 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
I didn't know those compressors also made really good vacuum pumps.... thanks for the video.
Thank you!
Very useful and great idea.
To sand the stubs of tubing, turn the unit on its side, more than 90-degree turn, so the grit will not go down the tubing into the compressor. Or plug the tubing with rolled up bit of paper towel, to be removed after sanding. Just be careful not to dislodge the temporary plugs while sanding! _For better vacuum, especially for deep vacuum, pump _*_into_*_ vacuum!_ For instance: Run 2 old compressors in series, with the outlet of one into the inlet of the other. If one has larger capacity than the other, you would generally want to put it on the low-pressure side, for maximum pumping rate, but valving varies and some valves require more pressure to open than others. The one with least valve restriction at low pressure should be the one connected to the system being pumped down. Also, a proper vacuum pump can be boosted with a crap pump like a single old compressor, IF the proper pump has a vacuum fitting on the outlet. Another way to go is to pre-evacuate a large cylinder and attach it to your pump outlet after it has pumped what it can out to atmosphere. You also can increase pumping speed --and protect your pump from water damage-- by using a makeshift cryopump; that is, pumping through a U-shaped section of larger tubing you have prepared for the purpose of dunking in ice water with salt poured over the ice. Salt over ice makes the briny solution temperature drop to near zero Fahrenheit, so it can condense some water vapor even in vacuum. Better still, submerge the makeshift cryopump in a container of dry ice and alcohol, or if you can get it, use LN2 (liquid nitrogen). Copper wool (or brass wool or stainless-steel wool) inside your makeshift cryopump will improve the performance by adding a large surface area on which the pumped molecules can slow, contract, and even solidify. Purging the whole system with *very dry CO2* will allow you to turn a crude vacuum into a high vacuum if the cryopump is chilled with LN2, because the CO2 will solidify on contact with such low-temperature surfaces. Other gas molecules being carried along by the CO2 will get buried and trapped in the dry ice formed in the LN2-cooled cryopump. Normal refrigerants will also solidify in a LN2-cooled cryopump. With proper valves installed and operated, you can make a laboratory-grade vacuum in a cheap way. After using the cryopump, be sure to warm it up and pump it out with your regular pump, to dry it thoroughly. As always, higher temperatures of the system being pumped will speed the process of evacuation. Water is particularly sensitive to temperature and will basically not pump at all near 32 F (0 C) unless the vacuum is prolonged and very deep.
Very interesting ideas. Would be nice to see a video of this.
did you know that you cant turn a refrigerator on its side and turn it on unless you let it stand up and all of the oil settle back down? that would be a big mistake to turn it on its side
It's difficult to read your meter . And yo know what your settings are. Yes I know we need 500 microns of vacuum for refrigeration work. Please speak to that. Is it adequate or not to get to 600 microns and how long does it take. That's what we need to hear before anything else. If it quickly does 500 micron, then I want to hear all about it
Otherwise I've wasted a good bit of time ?
One of the better of these videos.
great video!
I'm impressed by the cleanliness of your workshop carpet.
Lol
He's been busy today cleaning the house
Where do you get those little brass valves?
Nice :) Thumbs up :D
Alex
This seems to be more of a recovery pump than a vacuum pump. It could be used as a vacuum pump with some type of check valve/ oil chamber on the outlet side. I definitely like the idea tho because without the chamber your able to use it to recover with you can pull a vacuum.
How can I tell which line is the vacuum or the high pressure? I have a compressor that isn't cooling. Don't know if it's freon related or some other problem. The compressor sounds like it's running but doesn't get cold.
Thats neat. Have you used it as a recovery machine?
How many microns did it pull down to?
Enjoyed the video. Still a mystery which tube goes to pull vacuum and which is output (and which sealed off)
Plug it in and stick your finger on the ends of tubes....one will pull one will push.....
Valves are called boltigen service access valves 1/4"...I just ordered 5 from amazon for $10
hey thank you! i was trying to figure that out.
Boltingen service valves
where can I get some of those little valves? It look like bike valves
Could you please tell me where do you find these brass fittings to fit those hoses to solder on with
Pretty much any hardware store will have them.
Shrader valve.
What do you call the ends you soldered on the compressor & where do you get them.
I guess you threaded the ends on to the copper tubes?
They are glorified bike tube valves one way in and out
Thanks. This really helped me build me air compressor. All the other videos had power tools but all you used was simple equipment
Refrigeration compressors are low volume, for faster vacuum use an AC compressor for an old windows AC. drain the oil into a container before soldering, then add it back In. I'd put a suction line filter neutralizer on the suction side to protect the compressor.
Can it get it down below 500 microns though? Preferably 350?
Well done, very cool. Would you have a ballpark figure for cfm?
You just need to look at the datasheet for your compressor.
@@lazyh-online4839 -- HA, yeah, very true. good point!
So many complaints! Thanks for posting.
what to look for when buying used fridge compressor? which brands last longest and pump out more air?
3rd hose is just a process tube... The guy is just having fun, lighten up people...
Thanks man.
where did you get the valve? what size or some information how to get the good one. Thanks for the video
Hello does using a large heat sink or fan prevent compressor overheating ?
Any chance you could share where you got the valves from?
+Lucas Edwards local appliance parts store. D&L parts.
Hi , I am gladly following .
I have two questions on this vacuum project
1- could the motor stand 3 hrs of contentious ( non stop ) operating without getting killed
2- How do I know the exact amount of oil to fill in the motor
thanks
NOTE : I have now got an insight of the three pipes coming out of the motor although I can't deal good with the wires . I recently have a new German motor , but I don't know how to attach it to the grid . I just don't know what are the two wires to be attached to the grid.
your help is highly appreciated
Change the oil out to a good quality mineral oil (dump it out then refill it) and yes you can run it for hours non-stop.
Measure how much oil you dump out and refill with similar amount, also overfill and run until it stops spitting oil, there manly be some oil coming out as a mist no matter how much is in there but it shouldn't be spitting out.
@@lazyh-online4839 Make sure you replace it with mineral oil because a lot of refrigerant oil can react with moisture when pumping air and turn into acid. This will kill the compressor quick. Mineral oil works fine with air.
But I heard some refrigerant like R22 uses mineral oil and won't turn into acid, but stuff like R410a uses POE oil that does turn into acid.
+BlakeTube Repair & Reviews What is the best vacuum pressure 24.8 unit? is it mmHg or inHg? Thanks.
The unit is psig (pound-force per square inch gauge). 24.8 psig > 1.71 bar
Hi Blade very good video! Thanks
I have a question..... when you wire the power cord to the compressor you did NOT wire the green cable from the power cord.... which we all know is "earth"... sooo if we wire our pumps like this is may be a dangerous from electric shock when we touch the compressor metal body ? Or maybe im wrong!?
The grounding this is dubious. If you are using this on carpet like he is, you are not grounded so you could grab onto the hot (black) wire and not be shocked. No where near the scariest thing I have ever seen on youtube.
Just attach the earth wire (green) to a cleaned and bare part of the metal body surface just to be safe. If the windings ever short there is a good chance of shock otherwise.
Not the end of the world though tbh
nice i have some questions
24,8 are PSI ?
if yes , are 24.8psi are much to use as desoldering station for desoldering electronics parts ?
+jeff pepin its plenty enough but better to have a small empty gas bottle and an electro-valve so you will have qa nice peek suction, it is not the vacuum level but the volume of gas displacement that is important for powerful desoldering unit
thanks
rokag333
Where did you get the pipes and fittings from?
Applance repair store
If i use the vacuum port to vacuum smoke that will be bad to the motor considering that the motor working with oil?
What the valve on the pressure side for?
What was the pressure?
I can''t see the units on the gauge.
That is not pressure it is vacuum, it is mesured in inches of Mercury, (in-hg). His gaugee stopped at 24.6, which is really good, the maximum vacuum possible on earth at sea level is 29.92.
Was the compressor emptied of oil that it came with?
Hi
Nice work ! But I wonder what is the 3rd pipe protruding out of the compressor ???
+urdu learner It is what I call the stem. Most of the time this is where a tap valve is put on or a solder in valve is placed. This is done so you can charge the unit while servicing.
I always thought that 3rd pipe was from the factory charge, crimped then sealed.
very good
Nice vide
How did you know which side would be the suction side?
Soldering on the carpet with a torch, if I got caught doing that haha, lucky bastard!
Pas de paget de cuivre
I love the comments at the end because you can tell they live in the country. The only way it's going to get tipped over is if somebody leaves in the way of foot traffic, probably after drinking too much Budweiser. Keep the junk out, like dirt or dust, so you guys don't vacuum your houses on a regular basis. Got it.
my knee's are hurting watching him.
I'd imagine if you clean the pipe better and don't finger it all up you could use 95/5 solder and a map gas torche or even propane, also I wouldn't suggest soldering over carpet lol. I do wonder why solder the piece on the vacuum side? I was thinking of just putting a compression valve on the outlet and also a ball valve on the pull side even though I will have another valve on the gauge.
Beware!!!! While working in the "80's" in western oklahoma some of fellow tradesmen were using old refrigerator compressor to evacuate some refrigeration systems on grocery stores. I had just been out there and I myself had used one of these compressors to evacuate a system. When I got back to Tulsa a few days latter my service manager come to me and says " do you still use a frigidare copressor to evacuate systems (sp) on your truck" I said Yes. He said take off and don't use it anymore. He said one of the servicemen called the office to say that he had one on a system and was evacuating it . He went back into the grocery store and several minutes (maybe a hour) he heard and explosion. when got to the machine room the compressor , made of 3/8 steel had blew its top off and exited the top of the machine room. what the decided happened was the discharge line may (or may not) had gotten bump or kinked and the pressure got high enough to set the oil off in and explosive bang. Just like in a diesel engine that diesel oil and a spark (doesn't need a spark if pressure is high enough) Just giving you a warning I have never used one since. Oil, Air (oxygen), under pressure do not mix
Drb
Could've been R290(purified Propane). This is used sometimes around food to avoid contamination.
Yah it is true if you vacuum nitrogen its explode for sure because its compressor
@@johnalextv1253nitrogen won't explode. Nitrogen is inert gas.
What is the vacuum that it pulled? I saw a number but could not see the unit. I would like to build a vacuum pump just like you showed (and thank you for that), but I'd like to know what kind of vacuum I can get out of it.
I used one of these types of vacuum pumps and mine pulled -30 on my gauge
+chrispy725 -30 psi ! Wow! That's not bad. I've got all the kit to build the vacuum unit now. I got a stainless steel wine cooler, double insulated, to use as a flask. It is about 2 litres which is about 4.2 pints. The flask is just to store a bit of vacuum. All I need to do now is devise a means of automatically switching the pump on and off with a drop in vacuum. Thanks for letting me know about the vacuum obtained. That's very kind of you.
+zzdfhgdhd -30 inches of Hg
+zzdfhgdhd what is the unit? is it mmHg or inHg?
Do this guy play with fire on a carpet floor?... HAHAHAHA
BTW Good JOB
I was thinking the same thing lol
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Could you tell me where to buy the valve ?
I have used these on two previous occasions and they work quite well. The biggest problem I have found is the motor can overheat and has a thermal trip inside the windings. This can be annoying when you most need it working. Ordinarily the refrigerant keeps the windings cool but of course this is no longer the case, So far, mine have lasted only a couple of months and then became too unreliable. I did replace the oil too to help cooling and lubrication.
There's low chance you will see this, but what did you use it for? Im planning to use it for a desoldering gun and from testing it seems to not mind a vacuum but haven't done extensive testing yet
@@alexstone691 Both times I used for dual purpose. Firstly as a silent compressor and also for vacuum degassing of resins etc. I dismantled the second failed unit and discovered the trip device and signs of overheating. The units were only run for 2 or 3 minutes at a time.
@@creast56 Have you changed the oil in them, the original oil evaporates quite quickly and when it goes below a threshold the compressor overheats
@@alexstone691 The first one I must confess I neglected but I did change the oil on the second unit and used my compressor oil for the purpose.
It may just be that the units were from quite old refrigerators and were close to ending anyway.
@@creast56 first one i managed to get started fine and then after working for a minute started smoking, as they are thrown away you never know what you're gonna get
What size are the valves?
Is the filling line just another intake like the inlet? Does it matter which one I seal and which one I use for suction? I scavenged mine from the dump and all three lines where cut so don't know which one is which, but they both seem to suck.
The service port as I call the stem is the one I would close off because the other is the main suction for sure so why not use that one. Not sure if the service port line will behave the same when I comes to the gas moving through.
But they have both already been cut so I cant tell which is which.
+MrMonkeybat Hard to say with out seeing it. Some times the position can vary.
As mentioned in another answer there are two low pressure ports. One connection is to the circuit (evaporator outlet) and the other is the factory fill port that is usually pinched and soldered. In all the cases I have seen they both simply connect to the internal space with maybe a baffle or a simple U-bend in the pipe.
So both low pressure ports work the same. Often but not always they are slightly larger diameter than the high pressure line.
If you are not sure just power the unit up and check which two pipes suck and which one blows.
Do you have to keep those type of converted pumps oiled?
Yes, easy to change oil, flipnit over , oil will drain out, then pour oil in intake tube...any excess will blow right out...usually takes about 2 oz
Definitely change the oil, the POE oil in the compressor will react with water and corrode the inside of the pump, use good quality mineral oil instead
can this set up be used for stabilizing wood blanks?
JunkBeGoneNY Not sure what that is.
+JunkBeGoneNY Absolutely.
It is not a magic. The vacuum pump is essentially a compressor with some gadgets added. It depends on refrigerant, but you can end with very hydroscopic oil, and most refrigeration oils are. Refrigeration oil turn acidic when get moisture, and acid will kill copper winding. I would definitely change your oil to a vacuum pump oil. Also I would add drain on the bottom to replace oil in the future. You can build a very good fluid extractor using free fridge compressor as a source of very strong vacuum. I would use refrigeration filter/dryer to protect compressor/oil from moisture.
How do you do that?
Will it run long enough to evaluate a car ac system without burning up?
Yes, they can easily run hours with no issues
i couldn't quite make out what u said so can u say again,
what those valves were called please bud?
I love running a torch on a carpet.
could some one please tell me what was the final pressure in mBar
I just removed the air compressor from my freezer and wired it up with a Supco 3 n' 1. The air compressor hums quietly (almost silent) but very little air is coming out of the outlet. What's up?
Depends on what you mean by very little. These pumps don't move huge amounts so without some kind of measure (how fast to fill up a balloon, what size compressor, etc.) We have no way of knowing if it's actually running as it should or not without that info.
It also works as air pump
Use what you got handy or what’s available. 🤘🏼
does 3rd pipe have any disadvantages if it's open?
Yes, it is basically a huge leak at that point.
Where to buy that plug you just did, what's the parts #
Boltigen service access valve 1/4"
great recycle of the ubiquitous CL "free working rusty fridge" for something slightly more productive than beer chilling!!
why use hard solder though? even a perfect vacuum is only a bit under 16 psi, and the pressure influence would tend to make your swaged fit tighter. plain old 50/50 you can get away with a cheapo propane torch rather than needing a more sophisticated air/gas rig. the refrigerator needs hard solder because it's a couple hundred psi differential, and it's trying to make stuff fly away from the "source" (your comp head). i know for you it's an a/c refrigeration tool, but it's a handy puppy for lots of other stuff too (like laying fiberglass, de-airing thick gooey mixtures, or collapsing 55 gallon drums, lol). also that inch and a half of 15% silver costs about 10 times what the same length of 50/50 does.
good vid though, nice and to the point, not a lot of wasted time watching you do uninteresting stuff, lol. what oil do you run in it? 24 3/4 inches is pretty damned respectable, btw! think a "flap valve" on the outlet could buy you another inch or 2? hell, a ping pong ball behind a cross pin that gives a little "wiggle room" would probably work (and a ball valve for your "sealing cut-off", lol. no cap and plier juggling then). i know, "make your own damned vid, know it all!!!"... lol. sorry about that, just "fresh eye product and process improvements" ideas.
The added benefit of strength is also important, it'll be exposed to more forces than sitting inside a fridge.
please tell me the name of the correct valve connector, i need a vacuum pump to evakuate my car A/C System which connector do i need?
boltigen service access valves 1/4"
Careful now! Don't catch the carpet on fire : )
LOL Truth is you have to be good to solder over carpet!
Ok but, what is the vacuum pressure you got? 241 what?
Does go down to 30 hg vacuum?
i have done mine also but not as thorough as yours..thank a lot for the info
What size are the Threads in the valves?
What is the size of these valves?
have you ever checked what is CFM of this kind of vacuum pump, or anyone? thanks
Around 1cm or less, but doesnt matter once a vacuum is pulled
I think you should put something over the carpet, you know like tarp or even some ceramic tiles over it... you don't want to set that carpet on fire.
I have allot of electrical solder does that seal things as well as plumbing solder?
Not sure some solder can be softer than other and in turn I could see it not holding the bond as good but as far as the initial sealing probably so. I wouldn't recommend using that in this case though because these lines are under pressure.
No you never swap solder. Electronics solder is for electronics and plumbing is for plumbing. In this case silver.
What's that device name? That digital pressure gauge...
Tell us more about the valves please.
I've seen that kind of valve on a bicycle inner tube... but not anywhere else... and never with a "big" length of copper pipe attached.
What kind of valves are these? What are they "really" for?
can rich 30psi vagum?
my problem is that the oil in the fridge motor blow out
can this be used for vacuuming air?
John Smith Yes I use mine to pump up lawn mower tires.
+John Smith These pumps can get as high as 400psi but not very fast. So they are good for tires, air brushing ect but not air tools.
How much vacuum did it pulled
where can I get those valves please?
I got mine from a local a/c supply store.
What unit is 24.7 ?
Eh that compressor vacuum that he made is good enough for an old residential refrigerator if you're a tech on a budget IMO. Better "Some" vacuum than "No" vacuum IMO lol ...not a lot of people can afford a $600 vacuum.
first chinchilla thought of was the carpet, second was pointing the torch at the compressor. There is something wrong with me.
Dude, nice build, seriously.