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Re: Blower
Posted By: SVP Neon Equipment In Response To: Re: Blower (Bobby)
Date: Wednesday, 14 December 2011, at 1:52 p.m.
> For the money, if ya can find a good used
> small Roots, or a newer Roots Connersville
> URI blower, it'll last ya forever. Look
> around on the auction sites. Much better air
> than regen type blowers. The one I've been
> using for over 32 years came from Interstate
> Neon in Miami when they closed in the early
> 70's, and they used it since when they
> opened in the early 50's. A used one usually
> sells for not more than $200.You can run it
> slow for just one set of fires, or speed up
> up to run more. Change the oil once a year,
> your good to goAs you probably know, I have been a proponent of Roots-type blowers for years. This is mainly due to the volume vs. pressure vs. cost (relative to the available pressure for a given size blower). So, because I like very hot fires, and need pressure and volume without breaking the bank, I have used a Roots. Further, because I use oxygen injection in my neon burners, I need the pressure of a Roots. I have never liked the noise they make and never will; they are loud! The other downside is when they get old the seals between the gear case and air chamber get hard and brittle. Those using a Roots may never have a problem, but I did. When the seal blew out it pumped oil all through my airlines. Believe me when I say this is NOT something you want to happen! Because regenerative blowers are oil-less, this will never happen with them. So if you have an old Roots-type blower that has never been a problem for decades, you may want to seriously consider having it rebuilt, or at the very least have the seals replaced.
The standard regenerative blowers that have gained favor with many neon shops are much more quiet than a Roots. They are a single stage design, usually on the order of ~40 to 90 CFM. Gast, Fuji and Ametek are a few names that immediately come to mind, but there are others. The problem with these is that they do not put out sufficient pressure (IMO) unless you get into the 125+ CFM range, which is way too much volume for 1 or 2 sets of fires. Of course the larger the blower, the more it costs and the more noise it makes. (A 125 CFM regenerative blower is not cheap by any means.) Two stage regenerative blowers are available that produce sufficient pressure in a smaller CFM rating, but they are expensive too.
However, I have recently located and started selling a single stage regenerative blower that is rated at 68 CFM and 18 kPa (2.6 PSIG). I have personally measured one while running with some blow-off and got 2.5 PSIG. So completely blanked off I’m sure it would make 2.6 PSIG. Currently the price of these is $495.00, which may be more than a used $200 eBay special, but about 1/3 the cost of a new comparably sized Roots. Plus you get a warranty!
As an alternative, you can use Larry’s suggestion of using a larger Medo pump for the cross fires, pick up a smaller Medo pump for your hand torch, and get a small regenerative blower (25-30 CFM) dedicated to the ribbon burner.
Mark
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