Vacuum Press Mystery

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smantecon

smantecon

CGF, Certified Grumble Framer
Joined
Jul 2, 2004
Posts
142
Loc
Dana Point, California
Hello all -

I have a HGP 360 vacuum press from Drytac. There is a mysterious gummy substance coming up through the honeycomb of the intake which is a quarter sized circle at the far right rear of the press. It is mostly at the outer edge and working it's way in.

Would anyone know what it is, why it's there, and how best to clear it. I'm sure it's the reason I've been having draw issues.

Any theories are greatly appreciated.
 
Could be an alien life form.

Could be adhesive or sealant breaking down at the point where the hose attaches.

What have you tried using to <strike>kill</strike> clean it?

Kit
 
Could you post a picture of the problem?


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I am not familiar with that machine but it sounds like some kind of adhesive leftover. Have you tried unstik, undo, or unseal to soften and remove the offending gunk? If is partially blocking the hole to the vacuum intake, then yes you will have draw down problems.
 
I wasn't being facetious (just this once).

Moisture can collect in the compressor lines; the motor generates heat. Unpleasant things grow in that environment.

If the gunk is soluable in soap and water, it could be compressor oil backing up in the lines. I can't get the picture to load. Try the soap and water if it's frothy and kinda yellow.

If it's soluable in Unseal, you have an adhesive problem.

If it eats the cheese sandwiches you were using the press to grill for lunch, you have a problem that we don't want to know about.

Kit
 
It's definately not oil . Looks to be some sort of adhesive; however it is not tacky to the touch. Drytac suggested I not do anything about it. (They have never seen it before either)
And try some other things first to remedy my draw problem.
So we'll see what happens, but I am inclined to try and soften it up with unseal.
 
Why do I get the feeling that I'm watching a sci-fi movie when I look at that picture? I keep thinking if I stare at it long enough the image will flip and a scarey alien-type head will pop out at me!

Are the compressor lines twisted and coiled, creating a possible "home" for mold to grow in? If the lines are easy enough to remove, and business is slow enough (as compared to the X-Mas rush coming up!) look at removing them and either cleaning or replacing them!

It's never a good time to take a piece of equip out of commission, but better a planned "vacation" than an unplanned one at X-Mas!

BTW the goop may be a red herring for the "draw" issue. How old is the rubber bladder? could it be getting cracked and in need of replacing? Is there gum or crud on the glass that is not letting the glass seal properly?
 
A second close look at the pic, and the proximity of the goop to the corner gasket, could it be sucking the gasket glue into itself? Looks siliconish from the picture to me? Just a thought.
 
Bob -

Compressor lines are O.K. and machine is only a year old. Glass is clean and everything else looks really good. I try not to drymount when possible so the machine is really underused. I do have a ton of stuff that needs to be done now, so the timing of this is really bad.

Sucking the gasket glue into itself makes a lot of sense. Perhaps that's it. When I have time, I'll remove the diaphram and see whats going on under there.
 
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