preasure pot set up

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Draken

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I think this may be the one you're looking for:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=17134&SearchTerms=pressure,pot,setup,valve
 

doberman

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The 2nd one (older) looks a lot easier to set up - why is the 1st one so much more complicated? Does the extra stuff make it better? Any comments welcome.
 
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Gregs pot (the 1st link) while the setup will work fine, the problem (and it isn't so much of a problem really) is that you have all the brass fittings and valves and guages hanging off the lid. A careless bump could cause the assembly to slip or break-off. Better way is to use manifolds and bracket some hard points down to a bench or under a bench or on a back board on the bench and thread just the hose to the top of the pressure tank. Use one port to feed air/vacuum the other port with the overpressure relieve with your pressure/vacuum guage.

Not that I am an expert or nuthin' but I have rigged a few pressure pots (sandblasting, used for sandcarving and etching glass and stone) for a number of years.
 

doberman

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Originally posted by Glass Scratcher
<br />Gregs pot (the 1st link) while the setup will work fine, the problem (and it isn't so much of a problem really) is that you have all the brass fittings and valves and guages hanging off the lid. A careless bump could cause the assembly to slip or break-off. Better way is to use manifolds and bracket some hard points down to a bench or under a bench or on a back board on the bench and thread just the hose to the top of the pressure tank. Use one port to feed air/vacuum the other port with the overpressure relieve with your pressure/vacuum guage.

Any chance you may have a picture or two?? Also being a newb to these pressure pots, what is a manifold as relaed here?
 

gketell

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Caveat Reador: I'm the author of the complicated setup. [:D]

The main difference is pressure vs pressure+vacuum. Doing both is necessarily more complicated.

Vacuuming a pressure-only gauge is bad and can damage the gauge. Pressurizing a vacuum-only gauge is bad. To do both you need to have valves to separate the gauges. Also, since the quick connects don't work for vacuum you have to have the vacuum connection be thread on so to make only a single connection for both pressure and vacuum you would have to screw it on each time you want to use it. I'm lazy so would rather not do the extra work once to build the system and not do the extra work each time I want to use the system.

And you COULD simplify the first setup dramatically by removing the pressure regulator and associated gauge and use just the one pressure/vacuum gauge and just be REALLY careful to not over pressurize the pot since it can blow to kingdom come. I didn't feel like pushing that luck since murphy lives on my shoulder so I left the regulator and set it to 60 psi so even if my air compressor is set to 120 I'm safe.


Having all the stuff on the lid is not the best solution, granted. But I personally have very little space since I'm using 1/2 of my garage for my shop and that only when I pull my car out. Therefore anything that requires being left setup someplace is a bad thing. With the setup shown I can toss the whole thing in a cabinet someplace when I'm not using it.

Doberman, you asked about how a manifold would work: think of one copper pipe with three connections: one to the base of my pressure setup; one to the base of my vacuum setup; the last a flexible hose to the tank itself. Now close all entries/exits to the tank except the one that this hose connects too. Now if something gets bumped you are less likely to break it. But you have one more thing to store. And several more connections that may leak. What is right for one individual is completely up to that individual.

GK
Happy to help if anyone has any questions!!
 

stevers

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Hi Greg, was wondering why the vac side didn't have a quick connect. Thats good to know. I'm just about ready to go shopping for parts. I even found a vac guage in the tool box in the garage. Old auto repair stuff. I don't touch cars any more. Wifes is under full and extended warranty and mine knows where the shop is also. Did you see the guages question I posted on the other post, "vac guages"?
 

gketell

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Yup, just saw it. Those gauges will be perfect. According to Alumilite you want to strive for -29 inches of Mercury for the "perfect vacuum" to release all the bubbles. Others say that is near impossible (and completely impossible depending on your elevation) so take it all with a grain of salt.

If you use a vacuum-only gauge like those in your other thread make sure they are OUTSIDE the vacuum valve so that they don't get pressure when you pressurize the system. My setup was for a combined pressure/vacuum gauge.

GK
 

woodman928

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I fail to see the problem with quick connects for vaccum. I used them everday for years on vaccum temples for the router and never had a problem with them. Air moves both ways through them when connected.[:)]
Jay
 

gketell

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Well, you caught me in relating what I was told without personally verifying it. At the time it made sense that a union designed for sealing against pressure would not hold against vacuum.[B)] But after thinking about it after your statement the physics of how they seal would seem like vacuum would make it seal better. But then again, this is without going and testing it for myself. ((Am I too trusting of what others say?? [:eek:)]))

In my setup I have the "washer hookup" flexible line wrench tight on the vacuum pump side but only attach it finger tight to the pressure pot when using it. Only 10-12 seconds slower than a quick connect.

GK
 
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