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Author: Subject: dammit jim, Im a chemist not a plumber!
veryoldbutstilluninjured
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[*] posted on 18-3-2022 at 04:58
dammit jim, Im a chemist not a plumber!


Hi
I have a water vacuum aspirator pump with a male NPT threaded 3/8" water in connection.
I am having trouble finding a (coupler/bushing/adapter/thingy*) to connect it to my faucet.
It seems sexist but most connections want my aspirator to be female NPT or a chick of some kind.
but then i go down female iron size thread (FIP) or bloody (GHT ) or /NPTF, BSPP (also known as G), BSPT, PT, Metric (M) and SAE. rabbit holes.
so im now so frustrated that i even confused the McMaster Carr customer support people when i called for help

my faucet is your typical Canadian residential faucet (yet oddly imperial)

and the water out will NOT go down the drain untreated.


If you are using a water vacuum aspirator pump (ala nurdrage) id be grateful to know how you hooked yours up to a water source.
thanks

from McMaster Carr
Water Aspirator Pump

3704N111
Each
Pump Type Water Aspirator
Power Source Water

Suction
For Tube ID 3/8"
Connection Type Tube
Tube Connection Type Barbed
Gender Male
water Intake
Connection Type Pipe
Pipe Connection Type Threaded
Pipe Size 3/8
Thread Type NPT
Gender Male

For Use With Acetic Acid (50%), Ammonia, Ammonium Hydroxide (30%), Citric Acid (10%), Ethyl Acetate, Ethylene Glycol, Hydrochloric Acid (35%), Hydrofluoric Acid (48%), Hydrogen Peroxide (90%), Isopropyl Alcohol, Methanol, Mineral Oil, Nitric Acid (10%), Phosphoric Acid (85%), Propylene Glycol, Sulfuric Acid (60%)
Flow Rate 1.5 gpm
Maximum Vacuum 27 in. of Hg
Minimum Operating Pressure 11 psi
Maximum Operating Pressure Not Rated
Temperature Range -140° to 240° F







[Edited on 18-3-2022 by veryoldbutstilluninjured]
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crow6283
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[*] posted on 18-3-2022 at 06:37


Just bring the thing into the hardware store my dude… brass fittings for days !!
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Metallophile
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[*] posted on 18-3-2022 at 07:55


I bought that same aspirator from McMaster-Carr, and was very disappointed with it's almost negligible performance. I ended up using a cheap little 12V vacuum pump from ebay.


[Edited on 3/18/2022 by Metallophile]
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[*] posted on 18-3-2022 at 09:14


some 3/8 tubing out of my water pump and heated the end and streched it to fit my aspirator. Then some hose clamps.



"You can't do that" - challenge accepted
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veryoldbutstilluninjured
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[*] posted on 18-3-2022 at 17:00


thanks everyone.
i went to my hardware store and tried a myriad of adapters but none worked with this damn 3/8th NPT male thread. Turns out its NPT(straight) not NPT (tapered).

I'm sure I can Mcgyver it but it just makes me sad that the only thing I ever got from McMaster Carr needs to be customized. hrumph

in the comments on Nurdrage's video there is a common theme of frustrated fans who bought the thing so apparently Im not the only moron.
Amazon sells a similar item that comes with an adapter so its clearly an issue.
anyway, thanks
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crow6283
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[*] posted on 18-3-2022 at 19:39


A convenient solution that is also practical is to simply do a little extra plumbing. Instead of attaching it to your faucet, go into the line supply the faucet and go further towards the supply line and give yourself a new pipe that has the correct fitting on it. You want good water pressure and you also want everything put together very well. I recommend PTFE tape wherever possible to ensure there’s nothing close to a leak. Doing what I mentioned will also allow you to keep pressure to the aspirator and still use the sink or whatever you might need it for - water for a condenser, washing glass , etc.

I had no idea McMaster-Carr even sold aspirators. I’ve used both brass and nalgene ones from most any lab supply place and they all seem to work pretty well. Getting your system set up to get it to work optimally though requires lots of trial and error. PTFE tape is your friend!

The simple fact is MOST home faucets I’ve seen, only have a small amount of threading underneath the aerator. Usually with chips and burrs and water deposits. I’ve rarely been able to get a good seal directly to the aspirator for these but you should be able to find the appropriate adapter online. Helps to really thoroughly clean the threads on everything, including using a wire brush so they can go together nicely. And did I mention the PTFE tape?!

They also sell “universal adapters” that are basically a bit of plastic tubing that just goes over the whole thing with heavy duty clamps that must be turned really tight. These do work somewhat but can be awkward to use depending on the type of faucet.

Also helps to design your setup coming out of the pump as efficiently as possible. Make sure all your connections are really tight. Use as little hose as possible. One that worked really well for me is I installed a ball valve coming off the copper pipe as I described before and just had a regular rose fitting coming off of it… this went several feet over to where I was working and I just sort of had the aspirator clamped onto my lattice and so on. The bottom end of the aspirator went all the way back over to the sink and down the drain.

Plumbing isn’t really that hard or expensive to splice things in for the desired effect, at least if you’ve got copper pipe or PEX tubing.
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