Rietschle VTE Maintenance

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soeffingodly
Posts: 273
Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2018 8:48 am
Location: Florida, USA

Rietschle VTE Maintenance

Post: # 60552Unread post soeffingodly
Thu Apr 07, 2022 2:07 pm

Hey Trolls!

I've been having some suction issues with my VR lately and after cleaning the tube and hitting everything with talc it seems to be persisting. (Everything seems to be sealed just fine) That said, I purchased my Rietschle VTE (I think it's a VTE-6) vacuum pump second-hand and it occurred to me that I have zero idea when this thing has last been serviced. If it's ever been serviced.... (Shame on me)

That said, I am trying to take off the base plate to reach the air filter and I can't figure out what is needed to get these screws out. I just moved into a new home in December and my tool stash is low/still building. I initially thought it might be an allen wrench key, but after picking up standard/metric none of those fit. None of my bits in my tool kits have anything that fit, either.

With the black paint on the screws it's difficult to tell what they actually are. If at all possible I am trying to not lug the pump to the hardware store. But at this point, I'll do what I have to do because this is driving me absolutely bananas! If I need to post a picture I can. I knew that there are some folks here familiar with these pumps so my hope is I can get a quick(er) answer from my fellow trolls.

Any help is much, much appreciated. Thank you in advance!

-S
"I wasn't lying. Things I said later seemed untrue."

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Dogtemple
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Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:14 pm
Location: Sussex, UK

Re: Rietschle VTE Maintenance

Post: # 60562Unread post Dogtemple
Fri Apr 08, 2022 5:38 am

I can’t help on the pump but if the metric keys don’t fit have you tried imperial?

Maybe post a photo of the pump and what you’re working with, someone may be able to help figure it out

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soeffingodly
Posts: 273
Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2018 8:48 am
Location: Florida, USA

Re: Rietschle VTE Maintenance

Post: # 60564Unread post soeffingodly
Fri Apr 08, 2022 8:41 am

Dogtemple wrote:
Fri Apr 08, 2022 5:38 am
I can’t help on the pump but if the metric keys don’t fit have you tried imperial?

Maybe post a photo of the pump and what you’re working with, someone may be able to help figure it out
Thanks for the tip! I'll look into imperial.

Here is the pump:
pump.png
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"I wasn't lying. Things I said later seemed untrue."

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soeffingodly
Posts: 273
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Location: Florida, USA

Re: Rietschle VTE Maintenance

Post: # 60570Unread post soeffingodly
Fri Apr 08, 2022 4:45 pm

Here is the actual pump:
PXL_20220408_202041749.jpg
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soeffingodly
Posts: 273
Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2018 8:48 am
Location: Florida, USA

Re: Rietschle VTE Maintenance

Post: # 60590Unread post soeffingodly
Mon Apr 11, 2022 11:57 am

So, I ended up using a 5/32 hex to get the screws out. I am not certain that the bit was correct, but it worked and I should be able to tighten them. They may be torx but I am unsure if I chewed the inside a bit or if it was paint coming off or both. (I may just dremmel the screws for flat head screwdriver access instead) I think the paint on the screws was mucking things up, to be honest. The filter was in bad shape inside. Now, I need to fully identify the model and find the air filter replacement. (below) And possibly the maintenance kit depending on the current blade size.

Air Filter is replacement part #731145

Replacement for: Rietschle filter 731145, 731145.600 | MANN-FILTER C 31/4

For Rietschle vacuum pumps:

DTE 3 / 6 / 8
VTE 10
VTE 6 / 8

https://shop.remequip.com/collections/rietschle-air-filters/products/air-filter-replaces-rietschle-731145

Pretty sure mine is either a VTE-6 or VTE-8 based on the hole configuration on the top plate. Still trying to decipher that.
"I wasn't lying. Things I said later seemed untrue."

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soeffingodly
Posts: 273
Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2018 8:48 am
Location: Florida, USA

Re: Rietschle VTE Maintenance

Post: # 60591Unread post soeffingodly
Mon Apr 11, 2022 12:32 pm

The link above was from Canada and requires a Tax ID or you pay further duties, FYI. I just ordered one from a spot in AZ instead.

[Based in AZ]
https://vacuumpumpnow.com/rietschle-vacuum-parts-lookup/

Once I identify my model, I'll report back.
"I wasn't lying. Things I said later seemed untrue."

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soeffingodly
Posts: 273
Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2018 8:48 am
Location: Florida, USA

Re: Rietschle VTE Maintenance

Post: # 60597Unread post soeffingodly
Tue Apr 12, 2022 5:32 pm

Looks like a T25 Torx bit has a better, snug fit.

I also identified the model. It's a VTE-6. I had to measure the pump from front-to-back when I realized that they were all different lengths. The VTE-6 is 8.82 inches/224mm from end-to-end. Between that and the hole configuration on top of the pump, it looks like I'll be ordering a VTE-6 maintenance kit since the o-rings/etc look like they are in rough shape.

Hope this helps someone else.
"I wasn't lying. Things I said later seemed untrue."

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soeffingodly
Posts: 273
Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2018 8:48 am
Location: Florida, USA

Re: Rietschle VTE Maintenance

Post: # 60756Unread post soeffingodly
Tue May 10, 2022 10:15 am

Hey Gang,

So I purchased a maintenance kit for the VTE-6 and replaced all the relevant parts. It seems to have fixed my suction problem thus far!
VTE-6.jpg
Hope this helps someone else out if they need to identify/replace the parts in their VTE-6.
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