Oil Leaking at Pump Exhaust of Edwards RV12

Send it back.

OK, do you have an oil mist filter on the pump outlet?

If it has been correctly installed then it is most likely faulty (the oil should remain in the motor, not on the floor).

Try contacting the pump manufacturer directly for advice, and discontinue using it until you have the problem sorted out as you may void the warranty by running it in its present condition.

An oil mist exiting the exhaust is normal it should not be excessive though. You should always run an oil mist filter on your exhaust or duct it away.

Edwards Manual is here

http://www.edwardsvacuum.com/Products/76982/overview/Product_Details.aspx

Is your gas ballast valve open? Black knob opposite the exhaust? Try closing it. It should only be open in the low vacuum range and then it will eliminate the oil mist.

Close it for high vacuum, and if your pump is noisy and exiting a lot of oil at high vacuum, sounds like your gas ballast valve is open.

What are you sucking? You may also be sucking vapours into the pump and then they condense in the oil. If you are cycling from atmospheric to vacuum, these vapours may be what you are seeing at the exhaust at some point in the process.

If you are sucking solvents etc that are vapourising and then condensing in the oil, you may see your oil becoming cloudy. You should be running with your gas ballast valve open and you will get oil and vapours condensing at the exhaust.

You will need to purge the pump on a regular basis. Close off the suction port, open the gas ballast valve and just run the pump for a few hours. This will produce a lot of mist so ensure you are running a filter or exhausting the vapours some other way.

Oil mist filters have a drain and you can simply pour the oil back into the pump. (as long as it is oil!)

Oil is the most important thing in a RV pump, you will use a lot of it. So make sure you have plenty. You will damage the vanes very quickly with low, poor or contaminated oil.

From EDwards Manual For RV 12 Vacuum pump - Chapter 5-12 (fault finding)

5.12.8 There is an external oil leak

• The outer shaft-seal is worn or damaged

• The oil-box gaskets have deteriorated

• There is an oil leak from the gas-ballast control

• There is an oil leak from the drain-plug

• There is an oil leak from the sight-glass

• The outer shaft-seal is worn or damaged. The shaft isn't leaking, it's the exhaust

• The oil-box gaskets have deteriorated. It's not from the oil box, its from the exhaust.

• There is an oil leak from the gas-ballast control. The gas ballsts control is next to the exhaust, but its coming from the exhaust.

• There is an oil leak from the drain-plug. No it's from the exhaust.

• There is an oil leak from the sight-glass. you get the idea.

* the OP is not sure whoever leakage from exhaust or not ,exactly he said near the exhaust ,then all cases are possible.

* The gas ballsts control is next to the exhaust, but its coming from the exhaust.???

Gas ballast control at low suction side not next to exhaust ,Also there is different between gas ballast control and gas ballast knob.

finally if the problem for gas ballast control, here is the procerdure of this controller as per Edwards manual

4.2.3 Gas-ballast control

Use the gas-ballast control to change the amount of air (or inert gas) introduced into the low vacuum

stage of the pump (refer to Section 1.4.2). Use of gas-ballast will prevent the condensation of vapors in

the pump; the condensates would contaminate the oil. You can turn the gas-ballast control to select one

of three positions, as follows:

To select gas-ballast closed, turn the control to position '0'. Use this setting:

• to achieve ultimate vacuum

• to pump dry gases.

To select low flow gas-ballast, turn the control to position 'I'. Use this setting:

• to pump low concentrations of condensable vapours

• to decontaminate the oil.

To select high flow gas-ballast, turn the control to position 'II'. Use this setting:

• to pump high concentrations of condensable vapours.

When you use either low flow or high flow gas-ballast, there will be an increased rate of oil loss from the pump. Where possible, we recommend that you select low flow gas-ballast (position 'I') rather than high

flow gas-ballast (position 'II') to minimise the loss of oil

Close the air bypass valve near the exhaust, and also make sure you use the correct oil, with care not to over-fill.