vacuum pump oil

vaponydoc · #1 07/08/10, 09:30 PM

Hi,

I have an older vacuum pump for milking and have not found a local source for vacuum pump oil -- I will be ordering some from an online dairy supply but wonder if anyone has a recommendation for an easily available oil to substitute.

No local farm supply or auto stores have vacuum pump oil.

The pump is an Alfa Laval Agri portable vacuum pump.

Thanks in advance!
Anna

DaleK · #2 07/08/10, 10:27 PM

One of the farm supply stores here used to sell a no-name brand transhydraulic oil that was basically identical to the DeLaval pump oil... I used a lot of it over the years until the store closed.

springvalley · #3 07/08/10, 10:36 PM

I can get pump oil, but I thought the same thing as Dale, hydralic oil would be real close. But thats your call, I`m just giving you an idea. >Thanks Marc

Ronney · #4 07/09/10, 07:22 AM

I'm using a milking plant that is 60 years old. I use hydraulic oil in the vacuum pump which pretty much runs 4 hours a day, 365 days of the year without a glitch.

Depending on where you live, you might want to consider hydraulic oil for winter and a thicker but high-grade oil for summer.

Cheers,
Ronnie

agmantoo · #5 07/09/10, 07:42 AM

An old piston vacuum pump is nothing more than an air compressor with the supply line connected to the inlet port of the pump whereas an air compressor has the supply line connected to the out port. Compressor oil should work fine.

vaponydoc · #6 07/09/10, 09:29 AM

Thanks for the ideas, I'll see what I can find locally--
Anna

65284 · #7 07/09/10, 09:35 AM

I have a 1/3 hp Gast pump I bought on Ebay it was shipped without oil. I called Gast to find out what kind of oil I should use. They told me any good multi-grade (10-40) motor oil would work well. I've been using it with my single bucket milker for 2 years with no problems.