ikw777 said..
Which one of these for board repairs, vacuum pot, and de-watering boards:
2.2 CFM ($290)
8 CFM ($490)

Without any idea of what the ratings really mean, the $290 one will do the job.

Is the 8 CFM one a 2 stage pump?

The only disadvantage with a typical single stage pump is that the initial draw-down of the bag takes a while, and if there is a leak, it can take ages to find it. in theory a 2 stage one should draw it down quicker and then switch to the second stage for the real work. I have used a vacuum cleaner to do the initial draw down instead.

I think I paid around $130 for a vacuum pump from ebay, and they are usually sold for airconditioning use. The guy I bought mine from doesn't live too far away and also had fittings to go from the hose set to a brass nipple that I then tapped into some PVC pipe I used for a water-trap. It makes the connection of the pump pretty easy.

^^^ oooh I am liking this idea !!!!!

Mark _australia said..
^^^ oooh I am liking this idea !!!!!

for a $40 investment it's probably worth a try, besides a little bit of knowledge can get you into a lot of trouble , a little bit of vacuum wont get rid of all the water, and a lot of vacuum wont get rid of all the moisture + moisture =delam

Keef, I am talking for vacuum bagging general small moulding projects, not a whole board or moisture removal.
So no, won't get into trouble thanks.

NotWal the link does not work - maybe the item ended? - so it just shows suggestions which is typical eBay (every damn item they have listed). What sort of pump? They vary from about 4W to 25W......

Freddo, we have all seen those projects but still costs $100 plus.
NotWal has a great suggestion for a $20 option

$100, bugger!

Anyone know how much a vacuum a kite double action pump generates? If you installed an inline one way valve would that work?

keef said..


the only problem I can see there is it will suck the plastic container in , here I have laminated a jar lid with carbon , would cost an extra $15

NotWal already said he used it in a plastic bottle and whilst it sucked it in a bit, it didn't matter as the pump itself keeps the bottle from squeezing in too far
so can't see the tupperware container is an issue.

My best effort so far is draining from a board 600ml in 4 days..

Needless to say, I'm using a bit more horsepower than a fish tank bubbler!


*Edit* I should ad that I stopped drying the board once it got back to the original weight.. Pulling 600mm from a board with 6L in it is less impressive than 600ml from a board with 600ml in it.

Thanks for all this great info! I will try the aquarium pump first.

I just left my board in the back yard for a week in the sun then put the plug back in.