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Vacuum Pump

B

Bernie Weishapl

Joined
Jan 4, 2006
Messages
286
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1
Location
Goodland, Kansas
I don't have 220 in my shop so the other one at Surplus Center which is 220 V won't work for me. Does anyone have this unit? If so did it come complete? I was looking at getting one but it has this below the picture. (Requires 384 mFd, 165 VAC start capacitor and 30 mFd, 330 VAC run capacitor and starting relay (none of these three are furnished). It is listed at the surplus center here: http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=3516020321542422&item=4-1340&catname=air

I am going to call them Monday to see if they have those parts that they say it requires in stock. If they don't one thing I haven't found is the starting relay and the cap's I found are pretty pricey.

I have a chance to buy a 0523 Gast 1/4 hp 115/220 for $200. It can be wired for 115 VAC at 4.6 amps.

Any help or info would be appreciated.


4 CFM AIR COMPRESSOR 115 VAC .43 HP

Item# 4-1340

Our Price $69.99
 

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Those parts should be pretty cheap. I don't know why it requires a relay if it is only a 1/4 or 1/3 HP motor. Is that what the nameplate says?

The vacuum pump in the picture looks odd -- is it a rotary vane or something else.
 
Bill it is a rotary vane unit. Here is the description of it. Here is the wiring diagram. Thanks.

GAST VACUUM PUMP
Removed from service. GAST model 0522-P170-G457DX oiless rotary vacuum pump powered by a DOERR motor. Requires 384 mFd, 165 VAC start capacitor and 30 mFd, 330 VAC run capacitor and starting relay (none of these three are furnished). Provision for cradle mount (not included).
 

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OK. I see, Bernie. This motor is the type that does not have an internal centrifugal switch to kick the start capacitor out of the circuit, so it uses a thermal relay (basically a fixed time delay relay) that kicks the start capacitor out of the circuit after a nominal start-up time -- roughly around a half second). Have you checked Grainger for parts?
 
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Bernie, but I believe that you might possibly have a compressor and not a vacuum pump. Gast has some different numbering schemes for its various products, but for the particular pump model that you have, I believe that the letter P or V in the middle part of the model number, 0522-P170-G457DX, indicates whether it is a vacuum pump or a compressor. Since your model is obsolete, I did not find a service manual for it, but here is a service manual for a similar series (probably the replacement models): Gast Service Manual. That makes it easier to understand why it has both a start and run capacitor. They do not provide any electrical information, probably because they use several different brands of motors. Instead they refer the buyer to the motor manufacturer for electrical requirements. You probably ought to contact Gast for confirmation on whether your unit is a vacuum pump or compressor and then if necessary contact the dealer where you bought the unit.
 
I have no idea how you would contact Doerr since they have not been in business for many years. Most of the electric motor manufacturers have very intertwined histories. Doerr, started by the same family that started Baldor and Leeson ws acquired by US Motors many years ago and US Motors was acquired by Emerson. The name US Motors still exists, I believe, but Doerr has been gone for quite a few years. I could not find any compatible start relays at Graingers because all of them that I saw were for large industrial motors. The straight poop for the motor should be on the motor nameplate. It should say things like capacitor size and also have a breakout diagram for the wire connections. It would not surprise me if Surplus Center has their information all wrong -- it would not be the first time. Back when they started selling vacuum pumps to woodturners, they were selling a tiny little transformer to supposedly convert it from 240 VAC to 120 VAC. I advised them that the little transformer would not work and they quit advertising and selling the transformers with the vacuum pumps. They said that they did not know anything about electricity and just assumed that it would work. Many people have bought vacuum pumps from them and they appear to be very willing to correct any problems or replace any faulty products so I suspect that they would be very willing to correct any problem.
 
Thank you Bill for all the information. I went into Gast and I do believe you are right on this. I think I will just bite the bullet and get the one I was looking at. Brand new in the box 0523 that can be wired for either voltage. Save a lot of headache. I just thought maybe this one would work for a little money but like my granddad always told me. You get what you pay for and I have always believed that. Thanks again Bill for your help. I truly appreciate it.
 
I was lucky and got a rotary vane Gast vacuum pump on eBay from a company that makes orthodontics. They were upgrading to new equipment, but the pumps that they were selling were almost new. This was about three or four years ago before the industrial surplus area of ebay was "discovered" and things went for cheap prices. Now, the industrial surplus area is not as good a place to find "steals". I think that I paid around $25 for the pump, but because they are so heavy, the shipping was much more than that.
 
Thanks again Bill. I should have jumped a couple of years ago but didn't. Oh well hind sight is 20/20. I think I can still get one setup fairly reasonable.
 
FWIW, Bernie, I strongly suspect that the relay needed for your compressor is already inside of the motor. I did some additional research and found that it is common to have these either inside the motor housing or in a small junction box that is mounted on the end of the motor. Anyway, you are probably going to send it back anyway so it won't be your problem.
 
Thanks again Bill. I think I have found one that will fit the bill. A friend of mine put me onto it. Will let you know what I find out.
 
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