Super sucker built

[wmoguy]

Welding buddy got my "super sucker" complete!

I bought a 3cfm 2 stage Vacumm pump from Harbor Freight to pull it down to about 20-25 inches and it does the job just dandy. The old air compressor tank is approx 22 gallons. I had originally planned to go with a bigger tank but glad I did not. Between my bad back and the size of this tank I think I'll be just fine.

 

[7.3 powerstrok]

sounds good so you vac the tank down to about 22 and it will suck in about 22 gals of oil ?

 

[wmoguy]

sounds good so you vac the tank down to about 22 and it will suck in about 22 gals of oil ?

thats how they are suppose to work. tomorrow we'll see. I've been reading lots of guys sucking upwards of a gallon per second of COLD WVO and WMO. Yes that is 1 gallon per second.

I have a 1" sucker hose so it should really move some volume fast. When I get home and want to dump the oil in the centrifuge tank I'll put 30psi or so from my air compressor and "push" the oil out into the centrifuge tank. I'm hoping this makes for a non-messy way of collecting oil that is also quick

 

[jonathan]

let us know how it works

 

[wmoguy]

ok this thing is INSANE

Before I left this morning I sucked it clear down to 25 inches. It got hot today and when I checked on it around 3pm it had the gauge maxd out at 30 in hg.
Anyway I tried this evening filling it at my regular oil stop. Its TOO fast at filling...... I kid you not within 5-7 seconds (no stop watch) it was FULL (22 gallons) and was already starting to gravity siphon back out to the oil tank I pulled it from.
The net was I only ended up with about 5-7 gallons of oil before I managed to realize what was going on and get the ball valve closed off.

this stuff is pretty greek to me, but my question is: would there be any issue if I had another bung welded into the top of the tank and used the top of the tank to "suck" the oil out?
I'd keep the hose at the bottom of the tank for dumping the oil out. When I got home I pumped about 20 psi into the tank with my air compressor and opened the ball valve. That oil shot out of there so fast you'd have thought it was a bullet when it hit the side of my steel barrell.

All in all, I think this is going to be the pimp daddy of oil collection devices with a little more refinement.


Best part: NO MESS. I literally pulled up in nice jeans, and a button down the front shirt and collected oil and didn't spill a drop ANYWHERE. I never could do that with my gear pump setup. Love it!!

 

[7.3 powerstrok]

top inlet no problem .so what it the required vac per gal of oil ?

 

[wmoguy]

top inlet no problem .so what it the required vac per gal of oil ?

ICBW but I don't think there is a formula for vaccum to gallons pumped. I didnt take any pyshics classes or fluid dynamics so I could be way off. From what I've read it's about getting a deep vaccum then make sure your suction hose is down in the oil good before pumping/sucking it out. The guy who has the plans for sale on the net for this contraption says 15 inches is enough to fill a 50 gallon vessel in under a minute if you use 1" or larger sucker hose. Based on how mine did this evening I'd believe those claims

 

[wmoguy]

Ok this thing is official bad ****!

This morning I went and filled it again. This time I tilted the tank up so that it was impossible to have the tank siphon on me. It took a little longer to fill it because my 1" hose kinked then a little. Bottom line, I got the 22 gallon tank filled in about 15-20 seconds.

I'm going to have a bung welded into the top of the tank tomorrow with a swivel 90 degree fitting and another 1" hose on it. I'll be good to go then

 

[subway]

nice thanks for the feedback! i am thinking maybe i should keep an eye out ofr another old water heater tank.

 

[Blind Driver2]

I need to get something like this going soon

 

[Brad S.]

wmoguy
I haven't gone to Harbor Freight's site curious how much was the vac pump.
I've got a air compressor that I could use the tank for this type of oil pickup.

 

[wmoguy]

wmoguy
I haven't gone to Harbor Freight's site curious how much was the vac pump.
I've got a air compressor that I could use the tank for this type of oil pickup.

I bought the dual stage 3cfm pump which was 150. Iirc they have a 2cfm for under 100. I think one could get by just fine with the cheaper one.

 

[Brad S.]

wmoguy,
The sucker hose that you have on here could you have made it longer, or would the hose collapse easier?(If a guy wanted to get into underground tanks, or if some shop has the tank in the back, etc)
Could you put a one-way or check valve on this to get rid of the timing of closing the valve?
I'm just thinking of items to help the gathering of wmo and messy handling of this stuff.
This machine you've made really makes things much cleaner and easier.

 

[Blind Driver2]

I've seem something like this built using a 500 gallon propane tank. I'd rather about a 250 tank for portability.

 

[rjjp]

Wow, My mind was in the gutter with that title... But that is a cool Idea.