Vacuum Pump to Dry Core ?

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by abl1111

Has anyone used a vacuum pump to dry out, via evaporation, a small area of core to prep for epoxy ? . . .

Vacuum will work; there was an outfit on Ship Shape TV recently (I know, I can't stand Griviskis either! He'll peddle anything if somebody gives him free stuff!). There is an outfit that does this commercially on big boats for big bucks. If you search the SS TV site, you might find something about it. I have used denatured alcohol and IR heat lamps and that works also.

[FLexpat]

With most vacuum pumps - even fairly high vacuum ones, you can't get the pressure quite low enough to boil the water out. At 80F the boiling point for water is 29.92 in of mercury (or 0.49psia) - it takes a REAL good (and expensive) vac pump to get there. However, with vacuum you may be able to increase the evaporation rate of the water from the area and move a bunch of air through it to improve drying.

[gofastsandman]

Originally Posted by FLexpat

With most vacuum pumps - even fairly high vacuum ones, you can't get the pressure quite low enough to boil the water out. At 80F the boiling point for water is 29.92 in of mercury (or 0.49psia) - it takes a REAL good (and expensive) vac pump to get there. However, with vacuum you may be able to increase the evaporation rate of the water from the area and move a bunch of air through it to improve drying.

Realistically, if you have water, it may be larger than you hope.