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MMD > Archives > October 2002 > 2002.10.29 > 07Prev  Next


Leakage in Bellows Pump & Reserve
By Bill Mackin

Dave,  I just finished rebuilding the bellows and reservoir (1) for
a Cable Euphona.  I get about 15-20 seconds of time too.

In tracking down the problem, I found leakage where the pushrods that
control the valves go into the 2 boxes that mount on the top of the
'manifold'.  I believe that one box is the governor, the other is the
rewind motor valve.  Through normal wear, the hole has gotten larger
than the rod.

Other than that, I suspect there is very minor leakage through the new
rubberized cloth and maybe even the wood itself.  Minimal as the
leakage is, per square inch, I suspect that maybe it all adds up.

To fix the pushrods, I decided not to rebuild the end of the valve box
and governor, but I put a little bit of silicone sealant around the
shaft and slid it back and forth through the hole, then let it set up
for a while, sliding it in and out every so often while it set up so
that it didn't ever lock the shaft in place.  I think this reduced the
hole size a little bit.  Other options might be to glue on a rubber
seal with a hole that matches the rod diameter.

As to the rubber and wood leakage, I thought about coating the wood
with some sort of sealant, but I just repainted it instead.

I look forward to hearing about other people's sources of, and fixes
for, leaks.

How much leakage is acceptable, and how much is to be expected?

Bill Mackin


(Message sent Tue 29 Oct 2002, 16:09:01 GMT, from time zone GMT-0600.)

Key Words in Subject:  Bellows, Leakage, Pump, Reserve

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