Understanding the suction units of a Dental Practice is important for any Dental Professional. It is BaseVac’s intent to offer this series to highlight the vital information necessary in understanding the options in Dental Pumps.
Our last blog provided explanations on the different options in High-flow and Low-flow vacuum pumps. Today we will be explaining the ideal vacuum level in a Dental Clinic, as well as laying out the volume capabilities of each pump at the working vacuum level they each require.
Ideal Vacuum Level
For any vacuum to be successful, the pump system must be sized large enough to remove more air from the system than what air can be introduced into the system. If air is introduced into the evacuation lines faster than the pump can remove it, vacuum will not be created.
The ideal vacuum energy level in a clinic is 10” of Hg. Comparing horsepower to horsepower; a 2HP High-flow vacuum and a 2HP Low-flow vacuum is almost identical at 10” of Hg. Something to always keep in mind, at the ideal vacuum power of 10” of Hg, both vacuum systems will perform the same.
The pump with the highest-end vacuum point (25” of Hg like a BaseVac) will produce or move more volume at every point than a pump with a lower end-setting (8” of Hg like other systems).
High-flow Pumps
High-flow pumps are traditionally four times greater in volume than a Low-flow pump at open-air conditions. What does this mean? It means, with an open system and the gauge is showing 0” of Hg, the High-flow vacuum pump can move four times the volume of air. The most important point is that at 12” Hg, the High-flow pumps have 0 flow. In summary, “high flow at no energy, no flow at high energy.”
What is interesting about High-flow pumps, the volume capabilities drop off very quickly from the ideal vacuum at 10” of hg to nothing at 12” of Hg.
Low-flow Pumps
Most Low-flow vacuum producers have a safety valve that opens at 12” of Hg, this is to protect the motor from overheating. A BaseVac system can produce 25” of Hg, as the carbon vanes in our system function more efficiently with the higher heat/friction. It is important to note, at 12” of Hg, there is still flow if the safety valve is set much higher (like a BaseVac). In summary, “low flow at no energy level, superior flow at high energy level.”
The interesting thing about Low-flow pumps, they continue to suck the air out of the system until they reach the vacuum safety valve set point at 12” or 15” of Hg. In the case of a BaseVac, we continue to remove air from the evacuation lines up to 25” of Hg.
Follow Us
We now have a better understanding of the suction requirements of a clinic-based on open holes and the basics of pump performance (High-flow vs. Low-flow). It is understood at 10” of Hg, both systems theoretically should perform the same. Then why do some systems work better than others? Follow us next week to learn why.