Vacuum issues with HotPress 360

[akthoma]

I've been dealing with inconsistent vacuum issues in my HotPress.

When I first start the press in the morning, it won't create a vacuum unless I take everything out (foam blanket, release board and release paper). If I take everything out, it will pull a vacuum fairly quickly, up to 28. Then sometimes, if I let the press sit for a bit after it pulls the first vacuum, I can put everything in and run the press and get a vacuum. But it's not consistent.

Yesterday I tested out leaving everything in after I got a vacuum the first time. I ran it three times in a row without opening the lid, and the first 2 times it pulled a vacuum pretty quickly, but the third time it wouldn't get a vacuum until about 4 minutes in.

I'm in the US, and unfortunately there's no support from DryTac in the U.S. and there's hardly any technicians who work on presses anymore and if they do, they don't usually work on HotPresses. Coincidentally I was able to get a tech out here who was from several states away to check out the press. We thought it was having issues due to the latches not closing properly. We tested the press after he adjusted them and the press worked fine each time. But when I tried it the next week, I had the issues again.

I've sealed the gasket everywhere I thought it was loose. We did the test where you plug up the vacuum hole, and it sealed right away, so there shouldn't be any issues with the connections or pump.

I'm at a loss for what else to do. Any ideas what could be causing the intermittent issues? I tried looking for holes in the diaphragm, but I don't know how to take it out and can't examine the back near the lid that well.

Also, do diaphragms just wear out and have to be replaced even without holes? And if so, is there a manual or video to show how to do so? The manual that came with the machine doesn't show anything like that.

And when do I know when I need to fully replace the gasket?

[Justintime]

Steve Goodall on here may be able to help. Otherwise I would suggest calling Hotpress/Drytac in Bristol UK and ask to be put through to the technician in the basement. He services and builds hotpresses and should be able to help you. 0044 117 958 6500

[bang]

Put a sheet of paper on the seal between the gasket and lid where you think it might be leaking. Close the lid, with the press turned off. If the seal is tight the paper won't move. If the paper can be pulled out then that's the problem area... repeat around the seal.

Try tightening the latches, or buy new ones if they are threaded. The newer ones seem to have all metal inside, the washers that my press had were plastic and were worn out, meaning the press couldn't close as tightly as it needed to.

Also try loosening the bolts on the hinges at the back of the press on the lower half of the machine. Get someone to push down on it as you tighten them up again. There is some play built in for adjustments and they may have moved a bit with time.

The seal around the edge of my diaphragm was also coming away in places, I repaired that with a silicone gasket sealant.

If the diaphragm bed is slashed or pierced, a puncture repair kit for bicycle tyres is recommended in the manual.

Drytac UK were great, I emailed them about problems I had with an old press I recently bought, and they were able to sell me replacement screws, latches and a new mcb. Going through the above steps got it working for me.

[akthoma]

Put a sheet of paper on the seal between the gasket and lid where you think it might be leaking. Close the lid, with the press turned off. If the seal is tight the paper won't move. If the paper can be pulled out then that's the problem area... repeat around the seal.

Try tightening the latches, or buy new ones if they are threaded. The newer ones seem to have all metal inside, the washers that my press had were plastic and were worn out, meaning the press couldn't close as tightly as it needed to.

Also try loosening the bolts on the hinges at the back of the press on the lower half of the machine. Get someone to push down on it as you tighten them up again. There is some play built in for adjustments and they may have moved a bit with time.

The seal around the edge of my diaphragm was also coming away in places, I repaired that with a silicone gasket sealant.

If the diaphragm bed is slashed or pierced, a puncture repair kit for bicycle tyres is recommended in the manual.

Drytac UK were great, I emailed them about problems I had with an old press I recently bought, and they were able to sell me replacement screws, latches and a new mcb. Going through the above steps got it working for me.

Thank you. This is very helpful. I cross posted this on another framing forum that's mostly North American based, and while I was searching that forum, this forum was mentioned, because I think HotPress machines may be more popular in Europe.

I did the bookmark test and found an area in the back of the press where I could easily slip the paper out, so I either need to adjust the lid hinges or else, I did check and the press isn't completely level, which is somewhat odd since we haven't moved anything with the press since we moved it here 5 years ago.

If adjusting the hinges or the stand that the press is on doesn't work, I plan on contacting the UK DryTac. It sounds like they are much more helpful than the U.S. office.

[akthoma]

Steve Goodall on here may be able to help. Otherwise I would suggest calling Hotpress/Drytac in Bristol UK and ask to be put through to the technician in the basement. He services and builds hotpresses and should be able to help you. 0044 117 958 6500

Thank you. I appreciate the number for HotPress/DryTac in the UK.

[JoeB]

Drytac are also in Canada by the way.

[bang]

Thank you. This is very helpful. I cross posted this on another framing forum that's mostly North American based, and while I was searching that forum, this forum was mentioned, because I think HotPress machines may be more popular in Europe.

I did the bookmark test and found an area in the back of the press where I could easily slip the paper out, so I either need to adjust the lid hinges or else, I did check and the press isn't completely level, which is somewhat odd since we haven't moved anything with the press since we moved it here 5 years ago.

If adjusting the hinges or the stand that the press is on doesn't work, I plan on contacting the UK DryTac. It sounds like they are much more helpful than the U.S. office.

You're welcome.

I hope you manage to fix it.