Many people struggle with vacuum technology and the different specifications used to describe a pump. This makes it easy to get confused and make poor choices that can damage your stabilizer or worse – end up with no vacuum at all. This article will walk you through a few important considerations to help you choose the best pump for your needs.
The first thing to look at is the CFM rating of the pump. This is how much air the pump can push through its hoses and fittings in one minute. The higher the number, the more air the pump can move. CFM is a good measurement to understand when selecting a vacuum pump for your home or small commercial job but when it comes to stabilizing, this plays no role. Stabilizing a system down to deep vacuum requires the use of typically low CFM vacuum hoses and fittings that can only take in a little air at a time.
There are a few other important considerations to keep in mind when choosing your pump. For instance, the micron rating. This is how close the pump can get to zero. For most jobs a 500 to 700 micron rating is sufficient.
Also, consider if you want an oil free or lubricated pump. Oil free pumps offer great longevity and durability with minimal maintenance but come at the cost of weaker max vacuum power. Finally, chemically resistant models offer great resistance to many common solvents and chemicals but come at the cost of reduced maximum vacuum power. Top vacuum pumps