System Volume Affecting Gauge Accuracy?

I recently picked up a Leluv 2x9 cylinder and a Leluv pump with a gauge. I’m used to bathmate pumping so I decided to convert it over to a water pump.

I made a water trap out of a plastic jar to catch any water that may make it into the lines during pumping. This should save my pump/gauge unless the humidity is really an issue. We will find out.

The jar is about one quart. Overkill but it’s what I had lying around. I took brass vacuum barbs and drilled the lid and secured them into it. Tested it for leaks, none. It held over 20 in/hg. I’m never going there.

Now I ran the pump to the trap and the cylinder to the trap via two 4 foot lines. Checked the whole system for leaks. It held my target vacuum with no issues. Off to try it.

I tried it later on. I pumped between 2.5-3.5 in/hg according to the gauge. The pull felt somewhat different than my bathmate and I am unsure what to believe here. I had pretty good red spots(burst capillaries) after a session half as long as I usually did in my bathmate. I find it hard to believe that such light vacuum levels would cause burst capillaries

My question is:

The system includes the cylinder, water trap and 8 total feet of line(so I can put the trap flat on the floor while pumping from the couch). Would this in any way effect the gauge reading? It took about 15-20 pumps to get the gauge to register vacuum even though I could feel it in the tube. It wasn’t crazy but I could feel it. I am trying this setup because I want to be more accurate with my PE endeavors. Now I am concerned that this may not be the right way to go about it.

Please let me know wha you guys think

Thanks,

Girth

I’m no engineer, but I don’t think that volume would affect the accuracy of the gauge. I’ve also no experience with a bathmate, but the reports I’ve read seem to indicate that there’s a bit of a learning curve when using a “regular” pump system after the bathmate.

I agree. I don’t think the total volume would have anything to do with the vacuum with the exception of effort required to achieve the vacuum due to more air needing to be displaced initially.

I will agree with your second statement, the bathmate was a tricky whore to learn. Now this is going to require some fine tuning I believe. Thanks for the reply clgp