Tag: metal chip vacuum

Fill or Empty 55 Gallon Drums FAST with EXAIR’s Reversible Drum Vac

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

First order of business after that dreaded early morning alarm is always a straight shot to the coffee machine. As I’m sure is the case with many of you reading this article, I’m not too kind before I’ve gotten down at least one good cup of coffee. I’m a fan of espresso, so a quick shot in the morning before I hop in the shower (or head to the gym) is all that’s needed to get the day rolling along. My coffee maker has a reservoir tank to hold the water and another for the beans. It holds close to a ½ gallon of water in the tank, more than enough for a week’s worth of my morning espressos. Over the last few weeks, I kept noticing that I was refilling the tank almost every other day rather than 1x/week. As mentioned, not all the lights are on upstairs prior to this influx of liquid caffeinated gold. Thinking not much of it; I continued to refill it, make my coffee or espresso, and go about my day.

Turns out, my wife has been waking up after me each morning to a mess of water spilled all over the counter-top. She isn’t typically a coffee drinker, so I asked if she’d been giving it a try noticing the more frequent need to fill the water tank. It was then that I realized that it wasn’t her increasing her intake of my beloved beans, but some issue with the machine itself that was leaking the water I’d just filled it with. To be honest, I’m surprised this wasn’t brought to my attention far earlier!! If only I had a suitable compressor, I could’ve fired up one of EXAIR’s Reversible Drum Vacs to make quick work of the spill and go on about my day. I only own a small pancake-style compressor at home for random projects and air tools, so I imagine my wife is glad we’re not firing that thing up at 5am just for a minor water spill…..

However, when it comes to cleaning up spills or vacuuming up liquids in an industrial environment, look no further than the EXAIR Reversible Drum Vac. Installing directly into the ¾ NPT bunghole of a standard drum lid, the Reversible Drum Vac can fill or empty a 55-gallon drum in as little as 90 seconds. With just the simple turn of a knob, the unit will either fill or empty the contents of the drum with only a supply of compressed air.

For thicker more viscous liquids (up to 1400 cP), or for when the application requires lifting the liquid from below-grade sumps, our High Lift Reversible Drum Vac is the best option. Operating in the same manner as the Standard Reversible Drum Vac, the High Lift RDV provides the extra power you need to move liquids from below grade work areas, sumps, or tanks up to 15’ deep. Both the Reversible Drum Vac and High Lift Reversible Drum Vac are offered in a variety of different systems both with and without the drum included.

Using only compressed air, EXAIR’s Industrial Housekeeping vacuums require no electricity. Without electricity and moving parts to wear out, there is no concern for failed parts, motor failure, or personnel safety associated with the use of electric vacuums used with liquids. All systems are available to ship same day from stock and are backed by our 5 Year Built to Last Guarantee. If you’re tired of replacing electric shop vacs in your shop, EXAIR has the solution you need. Feel free to give us a call and we’ll be happy to help you select the best system for your application. I know you’re also dying to know what caused the leak on the coffee machine. This was fixed with a new seal and no more leaks! Needless to say, my wife is thrilled she’s not cleaning up after me every morning :).

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

One Product, Two Solutions: EXAIR’s Vac-U-Gun for Blowing and Vacuuming

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

I’m a big fan of any device that has numerous applications or dual uses. This is even more critical when it comes to kitchen appliances in our household. I love spending time in the kitchen cooking, but we’re limited in the amount of space we have for gadgets and appliances. So, anything kitchen-related that comes with many possible applications is immediately something I can get behind. I’m not sure what rock I’ve lived under, but I recently found this clip-on colander/strainer for a few bucks the other day and keep finding myself using it instead of the traditional colanders. The latter is pretty bulky and takes up some prime real estate in my kitchen cupboard, while this little gadget fits nice and snug in a drawer and can accommodate just about any size container. In fact, it could easily replace all (3) of the colanders shown the photo below!

The ol’ trusty colander I’ve used since moving into my first apartment has now been relegated to what I deem the “kitchen appliance graveyard”. Now tucked in a forgotten cabinet downstairs in the basement along with the other misfits and devices I use 1x/year (or less….).

Which brings me back to the purpose of this blog, EXAIR’s Vac-U-Gun. Speaking of dual-use devices, the Vac-U-Gun has the ability to be operated both as a standard compressed air operated blow gun or as a handheld, powerful vacuum gun.

EXAIR’s Vac-U-Gun is a low-cost solution to a wide variety of industrial housekeeping problems. The Vac-U-Gun has a durable die-cast construction and no moving parts to replace or wear out. In addition to being easy to use, the Vac-U-Gun is also more efficient than ordinary blow guns. By injecting a small amount of compressed air through directed nozzles, a vacuum is then produced on one end and a high output flow on the other. The amplified outlet flow through the Vac-U-Gun is 12 times the compressed air consumption of the gun.

In vacuum mode, the work surfaces can be easily cleaned by vacuuming the debris away rather than blowing it off of the surface. Rather than simply moving the material around the shop floor, it can be contained and transferred to a waste receptacle using the 10’ vacuum hose, or straight into the filter bag.

Switching from vacuum mode to blow mode can be achieved in just a matter of seconds. To change the Vac-U-Gun from vacuum to blow mode, simply remove the threaded cap and change the orientation of the generator inside. Since the Vac-U-Gun has a large 1-1/4” diameter air outlet, it covers much more surface area in less time compared to traditional air guns. This can help to reduce the time needed for a variety of different blowing, cooling, or drying applications. Due to the nature in which the Vac-U-Gun entrains ambient air, it allows for more force and flow through the gun at a minimal compressed air consumption.

The Vac-U-Gun system is available by itself, or in one of three different kits. It can be used with or without the 10’ (3m) vacuum hose or the filter bag. Various vacuum accessories are included in the kits to accommodate a variety of different materials and applications. If you’re looking for a versatile gun that can help boost productivity in a number of applications within your facility, look no further than the Vac-U-Gun.

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

EXAIR Heavy Duty HEPA Vac Overview

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

There’s still time left to take advantage of EXAIR’s Industrial Housekeeping Promotion, now through the end of May order any of EXAIR’s Industrial Housekeeping Systems and receive a free Vac-u-Gun! At EXAIR, we have a variety of different systems designed to provide you with a maintenance-free solution for cleaning up messes throughout your plant. We offer systems for liquids, solids, and even one that can handle both. All of which will provide many years of useful life; something you cannot claim for the typical electrical vacs you may be all too familiar with replacing. For any of these applications involving fairly dusty materials, look no further than EXAIR’s Heavy Duty HEPA Vac.

Electrically powered vacuums or shop vacs are not designed to be operated in a rugged industrial environment. Filters clog, motors wear out, and you find yourself frequently replacing them. The GIF below demonstrates how many of these failures occur, leaving you without a solution until it’s been replaced.

EXAIR’s Heavy Duty HEPA Vac has NO moving parts to wear out, doesn’t require maintenance, and needs nothing but a source of compressed air to operate. A static resistant hose also prevents painful shocks that can be common when working with dry, dusty materials.

The vacuum generator is constructed of a hardened steel alloy designed to be resistant to abrasion. The lever lock drum lid fits any open-top 30, 55, or 110 gallon drum. Moving the system from one drum to another can be done quickly, allowing customers to keep different materials separate for recycling. Recycling companies will pay a premium for pre-sorted materials so this can be touted as another selling point of this system. It can be used with any open head steel, fiber, or plastic drum in good condition (ANSI Standard #MH2-2004). Complete premium systems with the drum and dolly are also included for customers who do not have a usable drum already. All of EXAIR’s filters are 100% tested in strict accordance to IEST-RP-CC-007 for a minimum 99.97% filtration down to .3 microns to meet HEPA standards.

An optional add-on, the Model 901373 filter protector, can help to reduce the time between cleaning out the HEPA filter itself as well as provide protection against wear. When looking to get the absolute most out of any of your HEPA rated filters, this filter protector is a must. It slides right over-top of the HEPA filter and pre-filter and is secured with a simple drawstring that holds it in place. The filter protector is an inexpensive tool that should be kept in the tool crib for periodical replacements.

EXAIR also offers a HEPA rated filter with our newest EasySwitch Wet/Dry Vac. It doesn’t matter what type of spills and messes you’re trying to clean up throughout your facility. At EXAIR, we have a Vac that’s Built to Last and ready for the task! Most importantly, make sure to get those orders in ASAP to take advantage of the free Vac-u-Gun with purchase!!

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

High Lift Chip Trapper For Machine Tools With Below Grade Sumps

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost ten years since EXAIR introduced our High Lift Chip Trapper Systems…but here we are, and users have proven to be just as pleased with them as Chip Trapper users always have been. I’m gauging that not only on the positive reports we get, but from the impressively low rate of returns. EXAIR honors a 30 Day Unconditional Guarantee on all catalog products – you get a month to try it out – if it’s not going to work out, for any reason, we’ll arrange return for full credit. And, to date, nobody’s returned a High Lift Chip Trapper System.

If there’s one thing that machine shops have in common, it’s that housekeeping is ALWAYS a concern. It can be tough to keep with production and still keep the floors, machines, and even the air, clean. Then there’s the machine tool coolant. That’s a job that a good number of shops simply ‘farm out’ to someone else; oftentimes their coolant supplier, who’s also in the business of removing and disposing of (or recycling) used coolant.

That’s precisely what a recent caller who works in the machine shop of a company (that actually makes CNC machine tools) wanted to talk about the other day. He was tasked by his boss with finding a better way to deal with coolant maintenance. Their coolant supplier showed up according to schedule, pumped the old coolant out of their machines, and pumped new coolant right back in. It was convenient, but pricey. So they called EXAIR.

Since some of their coolant sumps are below grade (remember, these are machine tools that MAKE machine tools), we went straight to the High Lift Chip Trappers. Consider:

  • They develop a suction lift of 180″H2O (336mmHg), so below grade pumping is no problem.
  • With a sound level of 83dBA, they’re likely going to one of the quieter things running in a typical machine shop.
  • They’ll pump water (or water based coolant) at a rate of 30 gallons per minute, so even a 100 gallon coolant sump can be serviced in less than 15 minutes.
EXAIR High Lift Chip Trapper Systems come in 30, 55, and 110 Gallon sizes. All systems come complete with drum, dolly, switching valve, High Lift RDV, 20ft vacuum hose & pickup wand, two Filter Bags, and even a compressed air supply hose with a gauge & shutoff valve. They assemble in minutes…all you need is a supply of compressed air!

In their case, even their largest machines only have 50 gallon coolant sumps, so they bought a Model 6190 55 Gallon High Lift Chip Trapper System, and put it to work the same day they received it. After a ‘trial run’ on a couple of select machines, their plan is to cancel their used coolant removal service, and after getting a feel for the extended life they can get out of their coolant with regular cleaning, save some money on new coolant deliveries to boot!

This is just the latest development in a long line of EXAIR Chip Trapper success stories. If you’d like to consider being added to that list, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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