Rough pump options

[chronomag]

Our Varian DS102 pump is leaking pretty badly and has a lot of hours on it. I'm seeing it costs around $3k to replace it these days.
Is there a reason why lower cost pumps wouldn't work ?
The specs on this pump are similar to the Varian at 1/10 the cost.
Is there a major reason besides build quality that this is a bad idea?

https://www.amazon.com/Robinair-15500-VacuMaster-Economy-Vacuum/dp/B000O1C47M?ref_=ast_sto_dp

[wss]

As long as the specs are similar I'd say go for it.

The biggest difference with a cheaper pump is likely reliability under continuous operation, but if it's an older instrument and you're just keeping it going, it's probably fine. I've never been terribly impressed with the reliability of Varian/Agilent branded pumps anyway and usually go with Edwards, Vacuubrand or Pfeiffer, but your experience may differ.

Alternatively, a pump overhaul kit might be better value still if you're happy to do the overhaul yourself. The pump seals are often, but not always the culprit for severe leaks. We refurbish our own Pfeiffer and Edwards RV pumps for our GC-MS's in the lab this way, the kits are around $400AUD from memory, which is much cheaper than a new or refurbished pump.

[James_Ball]

Just reading some of the lower star reviews it doesn't look like it would last very long on a mass spec running continuously. It is designed for evacuating A/C units and not running 24/7 for months or years at a time.

One even mentions it has plastic blades inside so those would probably not last long in continuous service.

[bundy5555]

Absolutely not, you will end up breaking your MS with it. It is cost of doing business. Get a proper pump. 3k is nothing. Higher end pump costs easily 10k.

[James_Ball]

As WSS mentioned, I would go with a rebuild kit or at least just a seals kit. I have an Edwards RV5 that I am preparing to changes seals in now, I think the kit we bought was less than $200.

Another option is to upgrade to one of the magnetically coupled pumps which has no seals at the motor and should not develop leaks, I think those run about $3-5K so not terrible if you are going to keep it going several years.