Tag: cleaning

Care and Feeding Of Your Reversible Drum Vac

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

EXAIR’s Reversible Drum Vac couldn’t be easier to operate. Thread it in to the 3/4 NPT vent connection on your drum lid, install the Standpipe & Hose on the 2 NPT bung, hook up a compressed air line to it, and you’re in business. As long as your compressed air is clean & moisture free, your Reversible Drum Vac will run like new for a long, long time.

Should you start to see a decrease in performance, though, the first thing you’ll want to do is verify the compressed air supply, especially if something’s changed:

  • Did you get a new hose? The Reversible Drum Vac uses 19 SCFM @80psig for rated performance. That’ll require a 3/8″ ID hose, assuming a length of no more than about 20ft.
  • Are there any restrictions in the line? The usual suspects are clogged filters, partially closed valves, or push-to-connect quick-connect fittings.
  • Are there any vacuum leaks in the hose, its cuffs, the drum, or either threaded connection? If the lid’s removable, is that gasket intact?
Pro tip: a pressure gauge, right at the inlet, will give you instant indication of an air supply issue with your RDV (or any compressed air-operated product.)

If you’ve eliminated all of those potential problems, it’s time to take a look at the Reversible Drum Vac itself. The Reversible Drum Vac has tight internal passages that contamination from even the cleanest compressed air systems can build up in, over time. Good news is, we made it super easy to disassemble & clean, and better news: this almost always restores it to as-new performance. We even have a video that walks you through it:

You may be surprised not at how much, but how little contamination you find inside the Reversible Drum Vac. We offer factory refurbishment service for them as well…the procedure in the video is step-by-step what that service consists of, except we also replace the Shim, O-Rings, & Float, and when we reassemble it, we verify performance on the same fixture that every single new Reversible Drum Vac that we build gets tested on. Recently, a customer sent a Reversible Drum Vac in for refurbishment services after we’d spent some time talking on the phone, exchanging emails, and even a brief Engineering Consultation web meeting, troubleshooting their loss of vacuum. I was particularly curious about this one, so when it came in, I tested it (on our calibrated test fixture) for performance, and found it was only generating about 22% of rated vacuum, and only 17% of rated flow. I figured it was clogged (with a capital CLOGGED) so I match marked the body & plug (just like we show in the video) and took it apart:

I was frankly surprised at how little contamination (which appeared to be rust from the customer’s compressed air piping system) caused such a dramatic loss of vacuum.

We then completed the Refurbishment Service and tested it again. Performance was verified to be within specification for a new High Lift Reversible Drum Vac.

I offer to share the Cleaning & Refurbishing video with just about anyone who calls to discuss performance (or lack thereof) of their Reversible Drum Vac. Some still want to send theirs in for Refurbishment Service, and that’s fine. If you have a Reversible Drum Vac that’s not working properly, I’m here to help you get the most out of our products — any of them — give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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Press Release – Streamline Plant and Equipment Cleaning with the NEW FlexiSan™ Modular Spray System

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

BETE announces the launch of the new FlexiSan Modular Spray System, an innovative solution designed to simplify cleaning and sanitizing processes, reduce downtime, and enhance operational efficiency in the food and beverage industry and beyond. 

Including a durable, mobile cart with integrated chemical handling and at least one Clean-in-Place (CIP) spray header, the system optimizes Open Plant Cleaning (OPC) and produces effective, consistent results for various applications, from everyday wash downs to tackling tough soils. Processing facilities can apply cleaning and sanitizing agents to a wide range of equipment, including conveyors, hoppers, bins, mixers, and other critical process areas.  

THE FlexiSan Advantage:

  • Streamlined Sanitation – Easily switch between rinse, clean, and sanitize steps for faster, more efficient wash-downs
  • Portable and Easy to Use – A rugged, stainless steel cart moves effortlessly between cleaning zones
  • Tough on Soils – Handles everything from light residues to heavy build-up like syrups and coatings
  • Saves Water and Chemicals – Precision spraying minimizes waste while maximizing effectiveness
  • Built for You – Flexible options and automation features to fit your exact process needs

FlexiSan Base System:

The base spray system includes a durable, mobile cart with integrated chemical handling and at least one Clean-in-Place (CIP) spray header assembly.  Engineered for simplicity and mobility, the cart connects directly to plant water and can deliver up to two chemicals, typically a cleaner and a sanitizer, through the spray header(s). Its portable design makes it easy for operators to move between cleaning zones and quickly connect to supply drops or CIP headers.

For light soils, standard plant water pressure (60–200 PSI / 4-14 bar) is sufficient to loosen and dislodge contaminants. With dual holding tanks for cleaner and sanitizer, the cart makes it easy to switch seamlessly between rinsing, cleaning, and sanitizing, streamlining the entire sanitation process.

For heavier soil levels that require hot water and higher pressure for fast, effective cleaning, such as chocolate coatings or heavy syrups, our FlexiSan Max can be used. Built upon the same components as our base FlexiSan system, the FlexiSan Max adds a pump package with quick mechanical and plumbing connections to the base cart unit, integrating it with the supply and delivery lines.

Delivering between 400 and 600 PSI (28–41 bar) to the CIP spray bar, this additional pump system provides the impact needed to effectively and efficiently remove tough soils. The result is significantly shorter cleaning cycles for conveyors, which can mean only a single rotation is required.

For more info, visit BETE at www.bete.com. 

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Lessons From Our Past

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

My first motorcycle was given to me by a friend of my brother who knew I just wanted to ride and, at the same time, knew I didn’t have the means to buy anything rideable. It came with some stipulations: there wasn’t a key, and it didn’t run. It was given to him by someone else, and the best part was that it actually had a service manual and a title.

1 – Camera phone / my first motorcycle

The bike was a 1984 Kawasaki KZ440 LTD. The issue was, rust in the gas tank had clogged the carb, and then it sat for years with the fuel in it. I had never attempted to rebuild a carburetor and had only heard horror stories. With my basic set of tools and the bike stored at my then-girlfriend’s house, I took the carbs off and figured, how hard could the repair be? I took everything apart, cleaned it all, or so I thought, put it back together, and it didn’t work. So then I took the carbs to a shop, and they warned me they couldn’t get them fully adjusted, but they were running. So I installed them back and found out I had to block off some of the intake, and it ran like a dream. Well, until you sat at idle, because then gas would leak out of the overflow onto the exhaust. I didn’t care, and I rode that bike for two years until the electric starter went out, and I worked on it continuously. Finally, I was able to purchase a fuel-injected bike and swore off carbs. Well, I was wrong. I now attempt to bring old equipment back to life for fun.

Well, last night, in between delivering the kids to Young Life and troubleshooting a car, I also had a carb off my dad’s John Deere 322 with electric choke. The tractor wasn’t running, he needed to get his garden tilled, and this tractor was the only way to do that. He brought me just the carb, and with this being a single-carb 3-cylinder motor, it is pretty simple. Having access to a friend with an ultrasonic cleaner makes it even easier. I opened the carb up and left the two halves fully assembled, then into an ultrasonic cleaner that was filled with piping-hot water and dish soap. No harsh cleaners; from shared experience of others, I have found that good old dish soap and hot water are all that is needed most of the time to clean these parts up.

That is some dirty water, and it had only been about 15 minutes in the cleaner.

After about 45 minutes in the cleaner, I took it out and checked all the jets with a light and a carb brush. Everything looked clean, I went and picked up some new bolts to hold the halves together, and sent them back home with my dad. He called me the next day and gave me the good news that the tractor ran better than it ever has.

All cleaned up, new bolts, and ready for testing.

The entire process made me realize that a carburetor is not far off from a couple of EXAIR products that we offer for refurbishment. Some of the products that we frequently refurbish for some customers are the EXAIR Air Knives and the Reversible Drum Vacs. These refurbishments are often the result of the environment and a failure in the filtration of the compressed air. The best part is that we will evaluate the products for free, determine if they can be repaired or refurbished, and then provide a quote for the process all within a few days of the item getting here. We also offer free videos of how to do things like clean the RDV for free through this blog.

Obviously, at some point, the filter and/or pretreatment for this compressed air supply failed and was not monitored. You can see the outline of the patented shim on the throat of this Super Air Amplifier.

Take this Super Air Amplifier, for instance. The system came in for the issue of underperformance, and we had already discussed with the customer how their filtration had failed about a year ago. They wanted to see what could bring this unit back to life. As soon as we saw pictures of it, we knew that the plenum was clogged up with debris.

If you have any EXAIR product that you think is not performing at an optimal level, please contact an Application Engineer today. If the product cannot be refurbished or repaired, we will give you a replacement option as well. The best part is, stock products ship the same day on orders received by 2 PM ET.

1 – Kris Krug – Camera phone / my first motorcycle – retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kawasaki_Z440_LTD.jpg, 8/17/2005

Let the EFC Turn Your Compressed Air Off!

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

Compressed air is not free! But when used correctly, it’s a tool that, in most cases, is the most effective option! The best way to save compressed air is to simply turn it off when it’s not being used. This might seem pretty simple, but there may be processes in your facility where this couldn’t be achieved by just turning a valve. In applications where product is traveling along a conveyor and must be dried, cooled, or blown off, there is likely some spacing in between the parts. It isn’t necessary to keep the blowoff running constantly if there are periods of intermittent spacing. To help reduce the overall load on the air compressor, implementing a solution to shut the air off in between each part can have a dramatic impact.

EXAIR’s Electronic Flow Control, or EFC, is designed to improve efficiency by reducing overall compressed air usage. It utilizes a photoelectric sensor that detects when the part is present. When it’s not, it triggers a solenoid valve to close and shut off the compressed air supply.

efcapp
EXAIR EFC

One way to use the Electronic Flow Control would be to turn an Atomizing Spray nozzle on to coat your product.  For example see the photo below where you can use the EFC to sense the pants coming down the line. Then turn the air supply on to spray a bleach solution to get the weathered look you are after. Once the pants pass, the EFC will turn the nozzle off, replacing a manual operation while saving compressed air and your liquid solution!

Another use would be to tell when a hopper that is being filled by a Line Vac is empty or over filled.  You can adjust the sensor and the control module to sense that the hopper is empty, and it will turn the compressed air on to the Line Vac to then feed the hopper.  Then set the timer module so it will run for the length of time it takes to fill the hopper.  The other way would be to place the sensor at the top of the hopper and have it sense when the pile of media has reached the full level.

The EFC models available from stock can accommodate flows up to 350 SCFM. For applications requiring more compressed air, EFCs with dual solenoids are also available. If you have an application in one or more of your processes where intermittent compressed air use could help save you money, give us a call. We’d be happy to take a look at the application and help determine just how quickly the EFC could start paying YOU.

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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