I've used various pumps before and main reasons to me this pump stands out of all other pumps I've used before is 1. Noise in use 2. very low emission of oils and gasses 3. power lead "safety" system (saved the pump a few times while running into the power lead) 4. weight and portability (I take this pump around the entire workshop :D ) 5. No return valve!!! 6. fast and good vacuum-levels
This looks to be a very neat, quiet and reliable pump for resin infusion, and relatively inexpensive for the quality. It appears that one can achieve a much better result by vacuum infusion, so it seems to be well worth the investment, even for my vert modest project.
I'm late to the party on this stuff, but I have to say: a) thanks for a great series. I've learned a ton and am actively making some parts at the moment. Fingers crossed that they don't get stuck in the mold. (But, there's only so much wax and PVA one can apply before one must commit.) b) It's a little odd watching you age 6 years in 45 minutes. (I was just now watching the carbon fiber hood series.) Clearly, you're great at what you do and are an awesome presenter and teacher. Please keep it up.
Hi, I really like the video I just want to ask if this pump can work in Mexico? If not, do you have any recommendations for a small infusion vacuum bagging pump?
You would need an electronic vacuum sensor with an output that could be used to switch a relay to switch the pump. They do exist but it’s a relatively involved set-up.
@@easycompositestv I see. so what do you normally do, leave the pump on and it will pump against the vacuumed bag all the time? It doesn't over load the pump?
We are about to infuse our paddle board and we need a vacuum pump. Our board is 15' long and 5' wide. Will this pump work for our application? Will we need more than one pump to make sure our resin doesn't "kick" before the whole part is completely infused?
Hi Len, common misconception! The 'size' of the vacuum pump will make absolutely zero difference to the rate of your infusion. You could have a 100CFM pump costing thousands and - providing it achieved a similar level of vacuum to ours - would infuse at exactly the same rate as our EC4. My answer is certainly "yes", the EC4 would be perfect for a project like this but rest assured that no other pump could possibly infuse it faster. At the end of the day, it's atmospheric pressure that's driving the resin through the laminate and atmospheric pressure is the same for all vacuum pumps!
We are in the United States and would like to buy the EC4 but we are concerned about what would happen if we have a warranty issue. Do you have any U.S.based service in case we are in need of warranty repair?
Hey EC, I am having trouble getting the pump connections air-tight. I use the standard 8mm silicon hose and 8mm tail barbs, a glycerine gauge, 1/4 turn valve, VC200, PTFE-Tape (approx. 8 tightly placed clock-wise turns around each thread). Initially, I only managed to get to -0.9. I then went on to apply Tacky Tape generously on top of every connection to help seal small leaks (similar to Matthieu Libeert) and it helped me reach -1 on my gauge. However, the vacuum drops from -1 to -0.9 within 30 minutes. Also, even slight bending of the silicone hose leads to an instant loss of vacuum. I wrapped flash release tape around the 8mm silicone hose where it is put over the 8mm tail barb to work as a strain relief, but it feels as if the 8mm silicone hose is not fitting tight enough on the 8mm tail barb in the first place. Any suggestions?
Initially you need to redo your joins as the gum tape shows they are still leaking. 8 Turns of PTFE is too much. Typically 3 turns is sufficient. If bending the silicone causes you to loose vacuum, chances are there is a leak on the non-pump side. Bending the silicone can restrict or shut off the flow to the pump and thus if vacuum level falls on the bag side of the restriction, then there must be a way for air to get in.
Slightly bending the silicone hose leads to leakage at the tail barb connection as it is not a snug fit at the connection. I have re-done the joints many times with varying amounts of PTFE tape. Less PTFE Tape did not do the trick but I will try that again. Is there a limit to how often redoing joints is even practical as the threads probably suffer from being un- and re-screwed so often? Also, I am wondering what the recommended torque for the connections is, neither hand-force nor significantly more force applied with fork wrenches seem to work for me. I seem to repeat the same mistake over and over again (although I alternate things like PTFE revs and torque), whatever it is.
Seals can be made and remade as many times as you like (although it should only need doing once). The metal won't get damaged, providing that nothing is over-tightened. The PTFE of course does need replacing each time. It's strange that bending the silicone hose causes a loss of seal to the barb fitting, usually the vacuum pressure more than enough to make the seal very well. You could swap the barb for a 10mm one (which will also go inside the 8mm ID silicone hose, although of course be a much tighter fit) which we'd be happy to provide you with. It might be easier to give us a call or email to our technical email address to get this resolved more quickly for you.
@@easycompositestv you should. 1kg packages exist for a reason, 3-5 liter pots could serve the same target audience. Most of the things I make are under 200g, so having such a large pot makes no sense. I won't ever need even tenth of its volume and it'll be just a waste. But competing 1-10L pots are just pure crap. I'd gladly pay double for a decent small pot, but such decent pots just do not exist.
@@goury We actually looked into this a couple of years back and the physical costs of a smaller chamber (approx. half our 26Litre chamber) we're more or less the same as the larger chamber as the material costs only make up a part of the costings; the majority of the costs are in the construction of the body. Give or take a few pounds, we'd be selling the smaller chamber at the same price as the larger chamber and thus it would appear expensive by comparison so at that time, we decided to shelve the project. We may revisit it at some point.
@@easycompositestv taking shipping and storage in consideration, it may make a noticeable difference. And also smaller volume would mean that this petite pump can suck it all out much faster, which may enable use of some stuff that would otherwise require a much more expensive pump. I've got myself some very cool silicone, but its cure time is shorter than most stuff's pot life. And its real pot life is under five minutes, after which it becomes too viscous to flow. So there's zero chance to vacuum it twice with such a huge pot unless using some very expensive pump.
Unfortunately not, the only way to use the pump in the US would be to use a modified power supply. Some of our US customers have successfully done this and are running both our pumps and oven in this way.
@@Diemera373 We don't have any specific recommendations I'm afraid. You will find that most of the cheaper amazon pumps will work reasonably well but have the disadvantage of longevity and emit an oil vapour during operation. They also may not reach the full vacuum levels required for processes like infusion.
Very appreciative of all the amazing content that you guys put out. I have found your content to be incredibly helpful. Would you have any recommendations for a comparable pump that runs off 120 V to be used here in the US?
Well, this would make a great pump for an application like this (in any country) however you would need to make sure you have a 240V supply. A lot of US customers do have the option of a 240V supply in which case this pump would be ideal.
I've used various pumps before and main reasons to me this pump stands out of all other pumps I've used before is 1. Noise in use 2. very low emission of oils and gasses 3. power lead "safety" system (saved the pump a few times while running into the power lead) 4. weight and portability (I take this pump around the entire workshop :D ) 5. No return valve!!! 6. fast and good vacuum-levels
Thanks for the feed back on our new pump.
This looks to be a very neat, quiet and reliable pump for resin infusion, and relatively inexpensive for the quality.
It appears that one can achieve a much better result by vacuum infusion, so it seems to be well worth the investment, even for my vert modest project.
I'm late to the party on this stuff, but I have to say:
a) thanks for a great series. I've learned a ton and am actively making some parts at the moment. Fingers crossed that they don't get stuck in the mold. (But, there's only so much wax and PVA one can apply before one must commit.)
b) It's a little odd watching you age 6 years in 45 minutes. (I was just now watching the carbon fiber hood series.)
Clearly, you're great at what you do and are an awesome presenter and teacher. Please keep it up.
in the bubbles coming inside the oil during running is normal ?? also I can hear a sucking sound when I off the machine, is that Norma too ?
Yes the air coming out goes through the oil. The slight sucking noise will be the non-return valve stopping oil going back towards the bag.
Hi, I really like the video I just want to ask if this pump can work in Mexico? If not, do you have any recommendations for a small infusion vacuum bagging pump?
Not sure what power supply is in Mexico but it only works on 220/240V AC supplies.
Weird question, could this be used for example to vacuum Air conditioning lines if needed?
It is not designed for that kind of application.
how do you set the pump to shut down and restart at a preset pressure (while doing vacuum bagging)?
You would need an electronic vacuum sensor with an output that could be used to switch a relay to switch the pump. They do exist but it’s a relatively involved set-up.
@@easycompositestv I see. so what do you normally do, leave the pump on and it will pump against the vacuumed bag all the time? It doesn't over load the pump?
We are about to infuse our paddle board and we need a vacuum pump. Our board is 15' long and 5' wide. Will this pump work for our application? Will we need more than one pump to make sure our resin doesn't "kick" before the whole part is completely infused?
Hi Len, common misconception! The 'size' of the vacuum pump will make absolutely zero difference to the rate of your infusion. You could have a 100CFM pump costing thousands and - providing it achieved a similar level of vacuum to ours - would infuse at exactly the same rate as our EC4. My answer is certainly "yes", the EC4 would be perfect for a project like this but rest assured that no other pump could possibly infuse it faster. At the end of the day, it's atmospheric pressure that's driving the resin through the laminate and atmospheric pressure is the same for all vacuum pumps!
We are in the United States and would like to buy the EC4 but we are concerned about what would happen if we have a warranty issue. Do you have any U.S.based service in case we are in need of warranty repair?
What is the pressure range for debulking the Prepreg in vacuum bag?
You apply full vacuum just like you would for the cure cycle.
@@easycompositestv full vacuum mean 0 kPa right? And same goes to cure in oven? Apply full cacuum too?
Hey EC, I am having trouble getting the pump connections air-tight. I use the standard 8mm silicon hose and 8mm tail barbs, a glycerine gauge, 1/4 turn valve, VC200, PTFE-Tape (approx. 8 tightly placed clock-wise turns around each thread). Initially, I only managed to get to -0.9. I then went on to apply Tacky Tape generously on top of every connection to help seal small leaks (similar to Matthieu Libeert) and it helped me reach -1 on my gauge. However, the vacuum drops from -1 to -0.9 within 30 minutes. Also, even slight bending of the silicone hose leads to an instant loss of vacuum. I wrapped flash release tape around the 8mm silicone hose where it is put over the 8mm tail barb to work as a strain relief, but it feels as if the 8mm silicone hose is not fitting tight enough on the 8mm tail barb in the first place. Any suggestions?
Initially you need to redo your joins as the gum tape shows they are still leaking. 8 Turns of PTFE is too much. Typically 3 turns is sufficient. If bending the silicone causes you to loose vacuum, chances are there is a leak on the non-pump side. Bending the silicone can restrict or shut off the flow to the pump and thus if vacuum level falls on the bag side of the restriction, then there must be a way for air to get in.
Slightly bending the silicone hose leads to leakage at the tail barb connection as it is not a snug fit at the connection. I have re-done the joints many times with varying amounts of PTFE tape. Less PTFE Tape did not do the trick but I will try that again. Is there a limit to how often redoing joints is even practical as the threads probably suffer from being un- and re-screwed so often? Also, I am wondering what the recommended torque for the connections is, neither hand-force nor significantly more force applied with fork wrenches seem to work for me. I seem to repeat the same mistake over and over again (although I alternate things like PTFE revs and torque), whatever it is.
Seals can be made and remade as many times as you like (although it should only need doing once). The metal won't get damaged, providing that nothing is over-tightened. The PTFE of course does need replacing each time. It's strange that bending the silicone hose causes a loss of seal to the barb fitting, usually the vacuum pressure more than enough to make the seal very well. You could swap the barb for a 10mm one (which will also go inside the 8mm ID silicone hose, although of course be a much tighter fit) which we'd be happy to provide you with. It might be easier to give us a call or email to our technical email address to get this resolved more quickly for you.
I live in the US and trying to find a vacuum pump that I can use during the curing process (6 hours). Any help would help me alot.
You would need one designed to run on 110V. All our current pumps only work on a 220/240V supply.
Where we can fit Exhaust filter please advice
The EC4 has a built in oil mist separator so does not need a separate exhaust filter.
Smaller vacuum pot where?
There's only that big one on your website =(
We do not currently offer a smaller degassing chamber.
@@easycompositestv you should. 1kg packages exist for a reason, 3-5 liter pots could serve the same target audience.
Most of the things I make are under 200g, so having such a large pot makes no sense. I won't ever need even tenth of its volume and it'll be just a waste.
But competing 1-10L pots are just pure crap. I'd gladly pay double for a decent small pot, but such decent pots just do not exist.
@@goury We actually looked into this a couple of years back and the physical costs of a smaller chamber (approx. half our 26Litre chamber) we're more or less the same as the larger chamber as the material costs only make up a part of the costings; the majority of the costs are in the construction of the body. Give or take a few pounds, we'd be selling the smaller chamber at the same price as the larger chamber and thus it would appear expensive by comparison so at that time, we decided to shelve the project. We may revisit it at some point.
@@easycompositestv taking shipping and storage in consideration, it may make a noticeable difference.
And also smaller volume would mean that this petite pump can suck it all out much faster, which may enable use of some stuff that would otherwise require a much more expensive pump.
I've got myself some very cool silicone, but its cure time is shorter than most stuff's pot life.
And its real pot life is under five minutes, after which it becomes too viscous to flow.
So there's zero chance to vacuum it twice with such a huge pot unless using some very expensive pump.
Hello!!! I would like to purchase this pump but i live in the US, do yo guys sell one that work in the US?
Unfortunately not, the only way to use the pump in the US would be to use a modified power supply. Some of our US customers have successfully done this and are running both our pumps and oven in this way.
@@easycompositestv oh alright, if you have to recommend a vacuum pump from Amazon which one would you recommend?
@@Diemera373 We don't have any specific recommendations I'm afraid. You will find that most of the cheaper amazon pumps will work reasonably well but have the disadvantage of longevity and emit an oil vapour during operation. They also may not reach the full vacuum levels required for processes like infusion.
Do you ship to Canada?
Yes we can ship to Canada from our website directly.
Your videos are so detailed. Thank you.
You're welcome Anikpeh, glad you like them.
Very appreciative of all the amazing content that you guys put out. I have found your content to be incredibly helpful. Would you have any recommendations for a comparable pump that runs off 120 V to be used here in the US?
just run it off 220 I guarantee you have a min 2 appliances running 220 in your home or shop
I have a silicon hose that will flatten on vaccuming. Is that okay?
No, ideally you want something strong enough to stay open so that there is always an open air path to the pump.
What do you recommend for vacuuming canoes in US?
Well, this would make a great pump for an application like this (in any country) however you would need to make sure you have a 240V supply. A lot of US customers do have the option of a 240V supply in which case this pump would be ideal.
Hi! can i use this pump for kayaks infusion?
currently using a vac-mobile pump.
Yes you could infuse a kayak hull size quite easily with this pump.
Great Pump , easy to use