Blew a vacuum line on a job site in Dearborn and had to rig it on the fly

I was working on a set of prints for a 3-story apartment building in Dearborn last Tuesday and my vacuum pump started losing draw mid-run. Turns out one of the hoses got a pinhole leak from dragging it over a sharp edge on a steel beam. I patched it with electrical tape and a zip tie to finish the job, but it dropped my pull time by about 15 minutes. Has anyone else had to jury-rig a vacuum setup on site or do you always keep spare hoses in your truck?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan54514d ago

Electrical tape is a solid quick fix but I've found that the hose rubbing against metal edges is only half the story... the real killer is when those steel beams get hot from the sun and soften the rubber, making it way easier to puncture. I started wrapping a piece of old fire hose around my vac lines wherever they cross sharp corners, saves me from having to patch mid-run every time. Also check your gaskets on the pump lid too, a tiny crack there will suck air just as bad as a hole in the line.

briancampbell14d ago

Noticed the same thing with gas cans and lawn equipment, heat makes everything more fragile than you'd expect.