Replacing Pump Seal on JB Industries / Harvest Right - Eliminator DV-6E

[@patricelopatin]

You have done a great job in helping people out who are having these problems with machines they have purchased.. You have also convinced me that until this company can make a piece of equipment for home use that is hassle free, I will refrain from buying one!

[@EpicenterBryan]

I understand. There is another pump technology out there that is probably better suited but I hear it's several thousand bucks just for the pump.

[@jonasthomander1230]

Amen! I will never buy another pump from JB. Steel parts when they KNOW water will be present???? The whole pump should be stainless steel.

[@jonasthomander1230]

Excellent video. Your attention to detail surpasses even mine. I've been wondering why I have oil leaking behind the pump and assumed it must be migrating from the cover seal. Now I know. After watching your video I checked again, and yep, the oil is coming from behind the pump. I can replace the seal, like you, but putting a new seal on a rusty, pitted shaft is not very productive. Thank you for the info.

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Excellent explanation of things that were malfunctioning, and things that can be improved. I'm about to change the seal on a 3cfm JB platinum pump I bought used on ebay, and this video is a huge help. I've rebuilt a couple of Gast eccentric vane aeration pumps, including machining the vanes from graphite stock, so I hope this goes also successfully. I will get the replacement stainless parts too.

[@dongalbraith5018]

I just replaced my shaft seal after reviewing your video. It went well and had no problems. Thanks I contacted Harvest Right to order the seal and they recommended I purchase a new pump. My pump is out of warranty , so I ordered the seal from EBAY $10 for 2 seals. Replaced, cleaned the pump and now get a vacuum much earlier than before.

[@EpicenterBryan]

Awesome job! Replacing the seal probably had no effect on the pump performance. My gut says you probably tightened the hose up a bit more when reinstalling the pump. More than likely that did the trick. But glad to hear it no longer leaks! So I assume your pump is well past a year old? Did you notice if the shaft was as badly aligned as mine was?

[@dongalbraith5018]

My pump is 2 yrs old. The small spring in the seal broke. The shaft was not loose and appeared to be aligned. The shaft and pump body was fairly clean. I did tighten the hose a bit more. Thanks for the video.

[@danielchangloongyick6938]

May i know the shaft seal detail, i need to change it also.

[@davidapeterson1]

harvest right needs to find a better pump manufacturer -- that pump is a deal killer for us. Thanks for the info and multiple warning on its many design flaws. you do an amazing video production and tutorial info for both Harvest Right and JB Industries... the should pay you for all your doing for them...

[@gomercam2037]

Thanks for the video, i needed to see how one came apart. Mine froze (after very little use), and now I that I see how it comes apart I can deal with it myself instead of shipping it back and forth. Thanks again!

[@squishy312]

It's so nice to be able to print parts for assembling things and random projects. I use mine all the time. I know it was a pain and took quite a bit of time to do, but thanks for the great in depth video. It will definitely help someone out there. I don't know what we'd do without KZbin and learning how to do things. (I don't want to go back to learning before the internet)

[@EpicenterBryan]

I'm with you about KZbin. I use it all the time to decide if I want to tackle a repair or pay someone who has done it before. A great example was when I needed to replace the window lift motor on Janet's car. I ended up sending it to the shop once I saw what was involved!

[@squishy312]

Yeah, that's a repair best left to those who do it regularly. It's easier to change just the window itself than the motor. Sometimes it's best to calculate the value of your time, and the cost of the fix. After all said and done, more often than not, the value is found in someone else doing it.

[@denispful]

Bryan.... I just finished replacing the seal on my pump... THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEO!! Very much appreciated. Denis

[@EpicenterBryan]

Glad it helped. The new seal has been working fine ever since - 8 months so far and counting.

[@denispful]

Brian... I ran my first batch after the seal change and the pump got really hot and stopped working. I tried to restart it and it just bogged really bad so I drained the oil and found that it was dark and maybe burnt from the heat. I drained it out and got the pump to run okay with no oil in it but when I put in new oil it just started to bog again and then just shut down and got really hot. Any idea what I could of screwed up? I did take the pump apart but...? could I of maybe tightened the two little middle bolts to tight on the pump... ? I would appreciate any idea you might have... THANKS! Denis

[@denispful]

Brian... I took everything apart again and when putting it back together I noticed that when I tightened the bolts on the pump inside that I couldn't turn the shaft so I loosened the bolts again and just moved things around just a tiny bit and then re-tightened the bolts while making sure the shaft would turn. Put it back together and all is working fine. Even with the bolts in place there was still enough movement to allow the pump to bind up a little bit. I could see where it had scored the inside of the pump a little bit before when I put it together. All is fine now but maybe a little reminder to people who take the inside pump apart.... make sure the shaft turns from the motor side while tightening up the 4 bolts that hold it in place. THANKS AGAIN! Denis

[@jessej4974]

Denis Perron where did you get parts?

[@BuyBuyLand]

thanks for the tutorial - I just replaced my rear seal and everything seems to be working well. didn't have any trouble removing any bolts... you might want to add a caption about removing the 4 carriage bolts as you removed the seal then you show the pump removed and I didn't realize the bolts needed to be removed (I know I"m slow) was tapping on the shaft - thank goodness I only did it lightly and figured out to remove the bolts! Cheers

[@watcherwatchmen7785]

This is a good example on why it's important to change your pump oil regularly. Moisture corrodes the inside, little bits of rusted steel circulate thru the channels, which wears out the shaft seal prematurely. If you buy the pump oil by the gallon, you save almost 50 percent over retail for the quart bottles, and as long as you keep it sealed tight, you can store it on the shelf indefinitely. I can't say that this is ideal for freeze drying foods, since you have to change the pump oil after each vacuum, so you'll be buying expensive pump oil to keep it from rusting after every batch of food. Only way to prevent this would be if you could use an inline dryer/desiccant that's reusable with enough volume to absorb all the moisture of the food you're dehydrating before it reaches the pump. Then you'd have to heat up the desiccant in an oven for a couple hours to remove the moisture before refilling and doing another batch of food.

[@bdkinnh1466]

Great video - thanks for taking the time to go into so much detail.

[@bobdonoho8484]

Dude. I'm super impressed with this video. Stellar work.

[@tonymontana897]

You get the parts for free and here I am trying desperately to find parts.

[@micklacey3591]

Brian, First, Really love your KZbins, easy to watch and very interesting. Next, I am from Australia, and have now got a second FD. I just wanted to let you know that I also like to drain & change my oil each batch. But I do find that if you tilt your pump forward at the end of the cycle, (When it is still hot) for about 15 minutes, then drain the oil, you get more of the water. Just something I like to do. Cheers & keep the KZbins coming

[@EpicenterBryan]

I just discovered that I get even more water out by tilting the pump 45 degrees on it's side and shaking.

[@micklacey3591]

Thankyou, I will be trying this when my next batch finishes. This is my first batch with my the new 5 tray (We have had a 4 tray for some time now). I upgraded my DV-6E to a 7 for the 4 tray. & the 5 trays came with a 7cfm. I was thinking of an upgrade to the 8cfm, Can you advise you view on this?

[@EpicenterBryan]

Hi Mick. I can't offer any opinion, since I only have the medium unit with the standard DV-6E. I don't know how much or exactly what you gain with more Cubic feet per minute. With the standard unit drum size and a 6CFM pump I can get down to 25 mtorr in 25 minutes. So would I get there in 21 minutes with a 7CFM? Does that buy me anything extra like shorter batch times? I just don't know.

[@nappinj12]

these pumps are made for hvac usually last 20 years or so, mine is on 15 and looks like new but hvac only turns them on 1/2 hour then change oil. basically every unit we do.

[@kaochao8882]

Thanks for the clear and easy to understand video.

[@goodkao]

Wow, I really like your video. I love the way you talk slowly and clear while you explain things on the vacuum pump. My English is not perfect but I understand you so well while I watch your video. Thanks for well understanding video. I have a question for you, I was doing a vacuum pump and I pumped too much oil coming out from the old AC system and damaged my pump. Now, the motor turns on but it won’t pump and suck anything anymore. What happened to it and what should I do to make it works again? Is it still fixable?

[@EpicenterBryan]

I'm sorry but I really don't know.

[@goodkao]

@@EpicenterBryan No problem thanks for responding

[@johnnyriser8519]

Thanks for providing the referenced video. Have a Great Day!

[@danielthechskid]

The problem here is that you are using the wrong tool for the job. The Eliminator series is what my dad would call the "Sally Rand" model, IE stripped down. What you need is the regular JB vacuum pump now known as the Platinum series. What the Eliminator and the Chinese pump they now use as seen in your other video both lack is the gas ballast valve which lets some air seep in between the primary and secondary stages to dilute the water vapor and lower its dew point below the operating temperature of the pump oil so that it doesn't condense to liquid and rust/corrode the pump. There are videos right here on KZbin with animations showing how the gas ballast works. Pumps lacking the gas ballast option are really only good for pumping dry air with minimal moisture, such as evacuating a new HVAC evaporator and line set. Even with gas ballast it is common to have to do several oil changes over the course of hours or days on a large system repair like a barrel type chiller to get all of the moisture removed.

[@newstart49]

My JB model DV-85-N is over 30 years old now and can still pump to around 50 micron. No repairs yet. Keep the oil changed after every acid evacuation (Twice) or every third use.

[@michaelmace924]

My pump, DV-200N, is much older than yours is. I have the same leak & it's kept my pump on a shelf in my shop for 5 years or more. I took mine apart & cleaned it out just so I could assess the situation. What I found inside my pump was a rusty splash shield & a lot of rusty sludge. I'm gonna put it back together just so I can turn it on & see what I'm working with. That rusty sludge made me think there might be bigger problems than just a leaky seal. I don't know what would happen if that sludge got in the guts. I did take those valves, look like reed valves, off & cleaned them with a green Scotch Brite pad. At this point it might be better that I just start over with a new pump. 🤷‍♂️ If I can find replacement guts & they're less than $300 I might just order one.

[@truthseeker5496]

Well..... I know I'll never be able to do that. Interesting to watch though.

[@briankatz9710]

Great video. How do you clean the rust and gunk?

[@vangtran1244]

Hi Bryan, the vacuum pump that goes with my Harvest Right freeze dryer did not work after I ran it for a while (about 10 batches). That's because I did not change the oil for every batch. I opened it up, cleaned it and even disassembled the cartridge as well. When I assembled the pump it did not work properly (not enough suction). I contacted Harvest Right and they said that if I opened the cartridge, the pump could not be fixed. I bought one more pump. Running several batches then the same trouble arise: suction could not be attained for the drying cycle. I set aside the trouble for a year. Now when I have enough money I ordered the third Eliminator ($400) and intend to run the FD more carefully. From your video I realized that your pump is even more rusty than mine, and you have opened up for people to see the inside of the cartridge. Yet you could get your machine running very well. When I opened the cartridge I realized that nothing broken down inside. Do you think that we can disassemble and reassemble the cartridge and the pump will work? Thanks.

[@EpicenterBryan]

I bet your pump is fine, and the issue is with your vacuum hose and or the gaskets. In my case I discovered my hose started leaking vacuum where the brass fitting is crimped onto the hose. A local hydraulic hose shop re-crimped both of those fittings and the hose works fine again. The shop didn't even charge me! I have heard from some people on user groups that there were some hoses that had the same problem. Check into that...

[@bbhrdzaz]

I enjoyed this video. the drawback to this product is that these pumps require so much maintenance which is a PITA. Comment on the alignment. you should align the shaft to the oil seal. unless the hole in the seal and housing are concentric, if you center the shaft to the hole in the housing, it will cause undo wear on one side of the seal. please consider a tripod for the camera work in all scenes. thanks again.

[@johnnyriser8519]

Hi Bryan. Thanks for the video. You referenced a video showing how to replace the teflon ball in the JB Eliminator vacuum pump. My JB Eliminator DV-6E does not hold the vacuum once the pump is turned off. I have eliminated the hoses/connections as the culprit. I think the ball may be allowing loss of vacuum. I am unable to locate the referenced video. Can you refer me to the referenced video? Thanks.

[@pauleohl]

Vacuum pump will not hold vacuum when turned off. You need a valve in the line to hold your vacuum.

[@johnnyriser8519]

Thanks for your response. I will give that a try and see what happens.

[@AdmiralPreparedness]

It almost seems a moisture trap is warranted to be in line to avoid any moisture from entering the oil stream. Thus avoiding any un necessary repair / replacement of parts.

[@EpicenterBryan]

Yes. I think the trick is to keep things out of the pump from the get go. I have seen some people using both a particulate and moisture filter in front of the pump vacuum line. vacoil.com sells such filters. Kind of costly, but I understand the value now. One thing I noticed when I changed oil after a batch last night was that I could get additional water out of the pump even after it was completely drained. All I had to do was tilt the pump 45 degrees on it's side for 10 seconds. Then more water came out!

[@michaelmace924]

EpicenterBryan I use this pump for HVAC and I change the oil after every use. I change it while the pump is hot and I stand it up 90 degrees and sit it on it's face. I read about it in a JB blog. You get the most oil out this way and I assume you would get the most water out this way as well.

[@watcherwatchmen7785]

My pump was made in 1993 and still working good. I just had to order a new shaft connector for it because the old one broke apart. If you change the oil regularly, you shouldn't ever have problems, but using it for a food dehydrator seems like abusing the pump. These pumps were primarily used for HVAC repairs, where you have a tiny amount of moisture to evacuate from a closed system, then you'd change the oil after your HVAC service. For a dehydrator, you're moving massive amounts of moisture THRU the pump, so there will be corrosion unless you change the oil after every job. That will get expensive fast. (18.00 for a quart of black gold refrigerant oil.) Re-usable desiccant in-line before the pump would be the only way I'd use it if I'm dehydrating food. Other than that, old school food dryer to dry fruit, with some nitrogen gas purged over it when it's put into long term food storage.

[@hilikus4530]

great video! very helpful

great video

[@EpicenterBryan]

Thank you.

[@richhyer1789]

Nice haircut and shave at 1:20. Just kidding! Thanks for the info.

[@EpicenterBryan]

Much better. I'm about to do it again. Starting to look like some nutty professor.

[@futureusaf]

Will small amounts of rust contaiminate the freeze dried food? I can't stop mine from rusting, even when I change the oil and clean it after every use.

[@EpicenterBryan]

Rust in the pump won't get to the food. Does your pump have a stainless steel splash guard?

[@futureusaf]

Oh awesome, I didn't know that. Yes mine came with a stainless steel splash guard.

[@vinjulieann1]

So you had an oil leak but it kept vacuum.? I have a vacuum issue - I tested the hoses with the silicone self sealing tape and still couldn't achieve vacuum. Do you know if these seals could be the problem?

[@JimFariello]

Dam, good video, sounds like the machine is a high maintenance item. JB Industries needs to see this video, doesn't look good for their machine and people.

[@EpicenterBryan]

The pump is the weak link in the system I agree. Since replacing the seal, I've probably run 50+ batches with no oil leak.... Perhaps more. I run it nearly 24/7.

[@ojnathauto7944]

I have Autogen single stage vacuum pump that I bought from Amazon, haven't even used it, but when I turn it on it brings out white smoke for the motor side, and I think it is the shaft seal, please how do I know the size of the shaft seal?, I want to replace it

[@brucewayne-cave]

Great Job !

[@darlapoulsen9767]

Thats not thread blocker its a reaction caused by a metal screw into a aluminum block. Stainless steal screws would of fixed that issue.

[@watcherwatchmen7785]

I was going to say that, but I thought I'd read the comments and see if someone else said it first. You beat me to it. Galvanic corrosion. Not sure if you could buy SS screws in that fine a thread, but adding some anti-seize or silicone grease to the threads might be good insurance for future maintenance.

[@trumpnewsnetwork9619]

do you think a stronger vacuum pump would allow the freeze dryer to work faster?

[@EpicenterBryan]

I don't know what the criteria was for selecting the specific flow rate in the vacuum pump they use. There are more expensive ones with higher flow, and less expensive ones with less flow. I'll leave that up to the experts. I just don't know.

[@brucewayne-cave]

Wonderful... What 3D printer do you have Brian; and would you be willing to share the 3D file for the shaft centering tool you created?

[@EpicenterBryan]

Hi Bruce. Send me an e-mail through the website and I'll get you the sketchup file. You will need to play with the dimensions. I was down to some crummy filament that doesn't print well so I had to tweak the file until the dimensions were close. My printer is home made. Quite a bit different from other peoples mechanically (lead screws, Nema 23 motors, 425 oz/in motors and 100v micro-stepping drives. But has an arduino running Marlin.

[@Larrye123]

Brake disk degreaser works in seconds with no petroleum smell.

[@EpicenterBryan]

Great.

[@tomirwin4819]

Thanks for sharing

[@danielchangloongyick6938]

May i know the shaft seal detail, i need to change it also.

[@jenniferj9780]

Can you shed any light on the extended hose for the oil drain? Having trouble finding one.

[@EpicenterBryan]

I ended up replacing it with a straight pipe. The flexible one had a smaller diameter hole and it got plugged up one time so I decided since the straight pipe inside diameter was bigger, I went that way. I got that pipe at home depot.

[@tomirwin4819]

How many cycles has your machine gone through to cause that. Corrosion?

[@EpicenterBryan]

I'm not sure. If I can figure that out from when I ordered the repair parts I'll let you know.

[@teresashinkansen9402]

Actually this pumps are pretty good for what they cost. In my school's lab they have a corrosion resistant Edwards pump, early this year i was helping do the end of year inventory and i saw the price of it. $4300 dollars! they aren't too different from this HVAC vacuum pumps. You will have trouble finding something better with the same bang for the buck.

[@AlwaysOldandTired]

Out of curiosity can you buy a third party pump from a different company and use that or is it proprietary?

[@EpicenterBryan]

I don't see why lot. The specs would need to match. The DV-6E is a 6 CFM Pump with a 1/2 HP motor. The pump also has a spec of 25 microns or better. I would talk with Harvest Right though before you make any decision like that though...

[@thomasreddick5908]

Brian, and you say your draining all oil out every time and putting all new or recycled oil back in every batch and your finding all this contaminants?

[@EpicenterBryan]

Yes, I drain and filter the oil after each use. Then re-use the oil after it is cleaned.

[@falconuruguay4588]

That really is piss poor design on that pump...no wonder you keep having problems with it! And it's always good to know how to repair things, even if there's a warranty.

[@EpicenterBryan]

I agree it's good to know that you can fix it yourself if you had to.

[@davegeorge7094]

Make a cold trap people. Freeze dryer no-trap is INSANITY!

[@TheJakeRobinson]

How do you make a "cold trap?" thanks

[@davegeorge7094]

Set the cold trap in a saltwater/ice bath

[@djprotege]

use dairyland oil. will solve your issues with corrosion inside your pump

[@djprotege]

What oil are you using if you don't mind me asking?

[@PreppingAngel]

What did you use to clean it? Also, I'm a woman. I have the largest unit on lay a way. I ca NOT do this type of work. I can change and filter but this is not what I can do. Are there any pumps we can get to replace this pump that doesn't have these problems?

[@EpicenterBryan]

Harvest Right has a video on how to clean the inside of the pump. The new recommendation is that it be done after 20 batches assuming you drain and filter the oil after each use. Here is a link to the video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5DYnmODZ5yqZsk . Replacing the rear pump seal can be done under warranty by Harvest Right if you ever run into that issue. After warranty, it can be sent to JB Industries for repair but they will charge for doing that. As far as an alternate pump goes, I think you will need to talk with Harvest Right about that. I only know about the one that came with my unit back in early December.

[@PreppingAngel]

:D I'm on a search for a better pump. I'll contact Harvest Right and see what they say first. I know there are a LOT of us who can't do this type of work, male or female. My husband is not home most of the time being a long haul military driver. He could do it but not being here makes it impossible. My son could probably do it with the help of your video. I just think there is a better pump out there that doesn't have so many flaws. What products did you clean the parts with?

[@EpicenterBryan]

I used "Gunk" brand carburetor cleaner in a spry can. Any local auto parts store will have it. Let me know what HR says...

[@edenstarr5740]

Hey Prepper! Don't think you can't do this...Especially if it's simply because you're a woman! We are capable of anything! I'll be taking mine apart later today, thanks greatly to this amazingly in depth video. Life isn't any harder than we make it...and having boobs isn't a handicap. ;)

[@patrickpk6299]

Where did you buy the parts?

[@EpicenterBryan]

Zoro.com

[@tammy-lynnstewart5677]

Sell the company your alignment jig & make a few bucks. :)

[@videosforzipo]

Got a 3D printer, my design works for me: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2550607

[@jorgeaz5580]

Does nobody know where to replace some steel plates from the inside the pump

[@fredyku2905]

I need a coupler where can l buy it??? Amazon

[@EpicenterBryan]

You can find a kit with several parts including the coupler you need here: www.zoro.com/jb-industries-pump-repair-kit-pr-45/i/G8488593/?q=

[@gmoney5947]

Could their be water in the oil? My friend who used to work for Valvoline said to never by their oil because it has water in it, he said that froth builds up on the oil cap which tells you it also is building up on your engine. Hopefully it's just the seal.

[@TheRealJoeyB]

That is a poor pump design. Ought to be made out of ss, 304, 316....understand they want to mass produce, but, you have demonstrated nothing but problems with this pump. And not everyone has a friend down the street with a machine shop to assist, especially when out of warranty. Was all set to purchase.....thanks for the 411

[@EpicenterBryan]

Not sure if there is a better designed pump out there or at what cost. Any way you look at it, a pump is needed to make this freeze drying process possible. If you run into a rear seal leak and the pump is under warranty, definitely send it in for repair.

[@gvhiii]

Bryan question I know when I repaired and tested my vacuum pump I would run it until it reach a vacuum pressure then I shut it off and wait like 30 minutes and the pressure is still the same why does the vacuum always have to run why not once it reaches a vacuum it shuts off until it loses some then kicks on until its back to a pressure that it can shut off.

[@EpicenterBryan]

The pressure changes as the heaters kick on and off. The machine uses these pressure changes (and other stuff) to decide when to turn on and off heaters and how much time is needed in the first freeze dry cycle. The pump can't just be turned on and off because a warm pump will spit oil out the handle. That's why there is an hour cool down time if you try to add time after the full cycle ended. There is a good chart in the manual that shows how the pressure goes up and down through the freeze drying cycle.

[@robertvasquez3964]

I also want to replace the seals on my pump. Where can I get the tool that you made to align the shaft. Would you be willing to sell me one.

[@RoboLiberty]

JB has issues with parts for this model. They change but don't tell anyone as with the brass tree.

[@NWHomesteader]

Whoa! Haircut and shave! 😂

[@EpicenterBryan]

I needed one don't you think?

[@onlythebestsound]

not going to try this.......lol

[@EpicenterBryan]

If the pump is under warranty, definitely send it in for repair. However, since newly shipped pumps are said to have the stainless steel splash guard already installed, I expect fewer people will run into this gunk buildup behind the pump cartridge. I think that contributed to the seal leaking...