Table of Contents
Changing the oil in a vacuum pump
Overview: Watch this YouTube video showing the basic idea How to Change Pump Oil UC Davis Chemistry (3:26). We don't copy this method exactly, but you'll get the general idea.
What you'll need:
- Clean oil (check that you've got the right type, see below*)
- Funnel - make sure it is clean
- Tray for catching dirty oil
- Waste bottle for dirty oil (labelled correctly)
- Nitrile gloves (for keeping your hands clean)
- Paper towels (for wiping drips and cleaning the funnel)
- Flathead screwdriver (sometimes needed for opening the drain port)
- Crescent wrench, adjustable (sometimes needed to open fill port)
- Sticker that says the month and year the oil is being changed e.g. “oil change June 2024”
Procedure
- Warm oil will flow more easily. Therefore, many people like to run the pump for 30 minutes prior to the oil change so the oil is warm and stirred up before changing the oil.
- Uncap the fill port. Uncap the drain port. Catch the dirty oil in a pan.
- Close the cap on the drain port. Do not over tighten. Just tight enough so it doesn't drip oil.
- Put the clean funnel in the fill port and fill the pump with clean oil. Use the viewing window to see the oil level. There is a time delay between pouring oil in the funnel and oil reaching the reservoir. Therefore, approach the fill line slowly.
- Close the cap on the fill port. Do not over tighten.
- Using the funnel again, pour the dirty oil into the waste bottle. Ensure that the waste bottle is correctly labelled.
- Record what you did in the log book of the equipment. Include the type of oil that you used.
*Choosing the right oil: The customer service at Duniway Stockroom is excellent. You can call them, describe the kind of pump, and they'll recommend a type of oil.
The e-beam evaporator system is pumped by an Edwards ED660. This is an old pump (obsolete for >30 years) but still runs great. Based on recommendation from Duniway Stockroom, we are using Mechanical Pump Oil - 1 gallon, Semi-Synthetic, Ultra 70 ( MPO-ULTRA70-1 ), ~ $65 per gallon. Oil change takes about a half gallon.
