First of all thanks to the original poster for putting this out there and everyone for talking about your experiences.
I know I’m posting to an old thread but I thought I’d add to it because I learned quite a bit and I’d like to share what my setup currently looks like.
First the list of parts I used:
Qty (1) Tetra 77854 Whisper Air Pump, 60 Gallon (Amazon.com for $15)
Qty (1) Mityvac MVA6910 Fluid Reservoir Kit, 4 oz. (Amazon.com for $11)
Qty (3) Eaton Weatherhead 3325X4 Brass CA360 Fitting, Hex Nipple, 1/4” NPT Male, 1.38 inches Length (Amazon.com for $1.40 ea.)
Qty (3) Watts Brass Pipe LFA-730 Tees (Amazon.com for $7.25 ea.)
Qty (1) Control Devices VR Series Brass Vacuum Relief Valve, 0-30” Hg Vacuum Range, 1/4” Male NPT (Amazon.com for $7.50)
Qty (1) Dixon Valve GL105 Vacuum Gauge, 1/4” Lower Mount, 2” Face, 30” Hg (Amazon.com for $11)
Qty (1) Watts Brass Hose Barb LFA-197 1/4” ID x 1/4” FIP (Home Depot for a couple bucks.)
Qty (2) Watts Brass Hose Barb LFA-85 1/8” ID x 1/4” MIP (Home Depot for a couple bucks each.)
And some appropriately sized vinyl tubing for each end: .170” ID for the pump side and .250” ID for the end that leads to the fluid reservoir and tube.
Its a pretty straight forward assembly. I put the vacuum regulator between the gauge and pump to control the suction.
Its not in the pictures but I put the fluid reservoir not too far from the tube end of the assembly so as to ensure not getting any water into the pump. (I full package water pump.)
That vacuum relief valve is pretty nice, you can adjust it down quite a bit depending on your comfort level. Having the gauge right there is nice, no disconnecting the line and attaching your hand pump to check the vacuum level.
For now the hoses are just pushed onto the barbs and if I need to take them off it requires cutting them, so I will order some Air/Water Quick-Disconnect Fittings from McMaster-Carr and that will make the system much more easy to take apart when needed. I also plan on acquiring a small/medium chest to make into a permanent housing for the pump and tubes, that way all I have to do is open the lid, select which tube I want to use and plug the pump in. When I’m done just unplug and unhook the tube and close the lid. I can keep it near the bed, or next to the sofa in the living room and no guests would be the wiser.
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So again, thanks to everyone that has shared in the past and I hope this info helps someone out in the future.