One of the hardest things for a rep to do is to read the client’s mind. The team here at Pye-Barker often gets asked to advise if vacuum A or vacuum B is better for the client. The truth is, there is no one size fits all answer.
In order for you to be clear on what you need and also give the rep all the information they need to be able to give you a good answer. Here are seven questions you need to be able to answer for yourself.
Vacuum Pump Buyer’s Question 1: Are there space considerations?
Before we even get to performance it’s important to know how much space we have to work with – and any logistical concerns getting the unit to its new home (e.g. narrow doors). Space restrictions cut down the options. That said, there are plenty of units that give you a high flow from a small unit.
Vacuum Pump Buyer’s Question 2: What’s the required pressure?
Sometimes we see buyers of replacement units confuse the required operating pressure with the ultimate pressure on the specs. It pays to be very clear about what your required operating pressure is or you could end up with a pump that isn’t perfect for your needs.
Vacuum Pump Buyer’s Question 3: What is the required flow?
When specifying your vacuum flow make sure that you use either Actual Cubic Feet Per Minute (ACFM) or Standard Cubic Feet Per Minute (SCFM). Mixing these up when specifying your vacuum could mean a unit that is oversized or undersized.
Vacuum Pump Buyer’s Question 4: What is your evacuation time and pressure parameters?
Whether you need a two second or 10 second evacuation time depends on the application. Vacuum pumps used in chemical applications can have completely different time and pressure parameters to vacuums used by the food industry.
Vacuum Pump Buyer’s Question 5: What contaminants are in the environment?
Contamination (regardless of type) of the vacuum could cause unit to need additional repairs, have a shorter life or just not perform at your specified standards. Understanding all the potential sources of contamination will allow our team to recommend the right protections for your new vacuum.
Vacuum Pump Buyer’s Question 6: Any Other Environmental Considerations?
Is your vacuum working in a wet/dry process? What ambient temperature will it be operating in?
Not selecting a pump designed to operate in your specific environment will lead to more repairs, higher maintenance bills and more downtime than you would otherwise expect.
Vacuum Pump Buyer’s Question 7: What do you want your investment profile to look like?
Generally you can keep capital costs down by buying a unit that has less upfront costs but may cost more to maintain and operate. Or if you need to keep operating costs down you can invest extra in smarter system controls that will provide you with monitoring data which can ultimately lower running costs.
The choice is yours if you know what you want.
Need a new Vacuum Pump? Well when you can answer these seven questions then by all means give the team at Pye-Barker a call on 404-363-6000 or drop us a line sales@pyebarker.com. And if you can’t answer these questions give us a call anyway and we can help you work thru the specifics and get the right vacuum for your application.
