Component:	Vacuum Relief Valve
Model:	Pertains to all models
System:	Vacuum System (YELLOW SYSTEM)
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Overview:	1. When your cleaning tool is attached to the end of your vacuum hose and placed on the surface to be cleaned, it creates a partial "seal" on the vacuum system which restricts the amount of air that travels through the blower. The more air you restrict, the more the vacuum "pulls" and the "stronger" and "deeper" the vacuum becomes. High vacuum = high hg or high "inches of mercury". 2. Restriction is caused when you place the cleaning tool on the surface to be cleaned or if you restrict the end of the vacuum hose or vacuum hose hookup port on the truck. The vacuum relief valve is positioned at the top of the waste water recovery tank. It's purpose is to allow an "air leak" into the vacuum system to prevent the blower from being "starved" of air. 3. Positive displacement blowers are very different than the "squirrel cage" type vacuums found on portable cleaning machines or household vacuums. When you restrict the air flow on the end of the hose of a small portable machine you can hear the vacuum reach a point where it just "gives up" and the blades just start spinning faster in the housing. 4. A positive displacement blower is different from rotary or "squirrel cage" vacuum systems. As long as you have the horsepower, positive displacement blowers will just keep pulling harder and harder, the longer you restrict it. Without a vacuum relief valve properly installed and operating, it could eventually collapse your vacuum hoses or maybe even implode your tank. (Yes, this has actually happened.) 5. The blower on your Vortex is powered from a 300 lb. ft. torque diesel engine through a PTO rated at over 200 lbs torque. An improperly adjusted or malfunctioning vacuum relief valve could be very dangerous! 6. The vacuum relief valve is such a vital component on your machine that it even directly controls the fuel economy and the amount of horsepower loaded to the diesel engine while you are cleaning! When your vacuum relief valve is adjusted for high vacuum (More tension on spring), more horsepower is required from the diesel engine, more fuel is burned, exhaust temperatures in your lower Xentherm heat exchanger are higher and your cleaning water temperature is higher. 7. Without air (or without enough air), the lobes of the blower will become very hot because there is less (or no air) to cool them. They will eventually get hot enough that they will expand into the blower casing and come to a sudden "glowing red" stop. This can shear the drive shaft of the blower, the PTO drive shaft, the u-joints, glaze or break belts, or cause transmission & PTO damage. None of the above is covered under warranty. 8. It is solely the responsibility of the end user and operator to insure that the vacuum relief valve is adjusted and functioning properly at all times, including the first time you ever start your truck. Atmospheric pressure changes the relief set point. A relief valve calibrated in Prescott, Arizona may be as much as 2" different than in Los Angeles, California. Proper adjustment means that the reading on the vacuum gauge does not exceed the maximum vacuum rating stated in your hard-copy owner's manual. This requires monitoring the vacuum gauge occasionally while the operator is under-way in the cleaning process. NOTE: Some rotary floor tools will seal tighter on the flooring surface than a typical "wand" or cleaning tool. In some cases, rotary tools will increase the vacuum load on the blower by as much as 2 full Hg. (inches of mercury). Make sure you take this into consideration when making adjustments to your vacuum relief valve. 9. The vacuum performance of a blower is rated in "inches of mercury" (Hg.) and "CFM". Vacuum can be described as how hard the air is "pulled", and CFM (cubic feet per minute) is the "speed" at which that air travels while being "pulled". 10. A combination of both CFM and vacuum is necessary to successfully extract the solution water used in the cleaning process with reasonable dry times. 11. Model 777 Vortexes use a 5009 blower rated @16.5" Hg. Model 720, 6008, and 711 use a 6008 blower rated @ 17.0" Hg. Model 7000 uses 7000 HAT blower rated @ 18.0: Hg.
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Safety:	1. The vacuum created by the Vortex is substantially higher and more powerful than typical cleaning machines. Keep small children away from machine vacuum hose inlets and vacuum hoses. There is enough force at the end of the vacuum hose to break an arm or leg of a small child or a injure a family pet. The end of your vacuum hose is NOT A TOY. The Vortex has far more vacuum power than even experienced operators are aware of. 2. Use brightly colored vacuum hoses on evening jobs when possible. If you use dark colored vacuum hoses they may not be visible to pedestrians or homeowners, and could cause a slip or fall. 3. The vacuum pump/blower used on carpet cleaning machines are positive displacement blowers. This means that they MUST move air. You cannot stick the end of your vacuum hose in standing water on any carpet cleaning machine no matter how large the blower. Positive displacement blowers are not designed to "pump" water. Standing water requires a separate pumping device. You may damage your blower if you attempt to use it to "pump" water from flooded structures. 4. NEVER ADJUST YOUR VACUUM RELIEF VALVE WITH THE BLOWER TURNING! Shut the truck engine and the blower down before adjusting the valve. You may need to repeat the adjustment several times to get it right. It's always a good safety habit to get into the put the truck's ignition keys in your pocket whenever performing maintenance or adjustments.
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Operation:	1. To determine your current vacuum relief valve set point: a) Seal off the vacuum hose hookup ports on your machine entirely. A block of wood or a large lid can be used. b) watch the vacuum gauge on your machine to see how high it goes. It should read no higher than the maximum specifications of the blower. (For example: a Blower rated at 17.5" hg. should not read higher than 17.5" when completely sealed off.) If your Vortex has a 6008 blower rated at 17.5" you should adjust your vacuum relief valve to be fully open (or fully "relieved") at 17.5" for maximum vacuum performance. If you adjust your vacuum relief valve to fully "relieve" or be "fully open" at only 15" hg., the diesel engine will not be working hard enough to generate the necessary heat for your cleaning water. 1. If the relief point is incorrect, adjust the spring tension on the relief valve with the nut. More spring tension = higher hg. relief point. Less spring tension = lower Hg relief point
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Maintenance:	WEEKLY: 1. Inspect the action and the adjustment on your vacuum relief valve weekly. Ensure that it moves up and down freely and that there is no debris or dirt that may prevent the spring from actuating smoothly. Spray generous amounts of WD40 into and around the valve to loosen any dirt and allow the valve and spring to actuate smoothly.
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Tips:	1. The ultimate vacuum performance is achieved when the vacuum gauge reads within 2" of the blower's maximum hg. during the cleaning process. To ensure that this is the case, watch the vacuum gauge while the operator is cleaning. If your blower is rated at 17" (6008 blower), your vacuum gauge should read between 15" and 17" during the actual cleaning process. It's OK if you occasionally see the gauge read as much as 1' higher as long as it is for less than 3 seconds at a time. 2. Different tools and different lengths of hose will affect the vacuum performance. You may notice that running a rotary floor tool will result in higher vacuum readings at the gauge. Adjust your relief valve to accommodate all your floor tools. If the rotary floor tool you are using causes the vacuum gauge to show readings higher than your blower's rating you must relieve pressure on the vacuum relief valve to lower the relief point to less inches of mercury. Powering your blower at speeds or vacuum levels beyond the manufacturer's warranty will cause premature wear and possible failure of the blower. Do NOT tamper with the speed control system and do not set your vacuum relief point higher than what is recommended in your manual!
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Troubleshooting:	LOSS OF VACUUM: 1. Loose vacuum blower drive belts may be the cause. Simply tighten the drive belts to correct the problem. Another cause coming from the blower may be that the Blower is worn out. In that case, you will need to replace the Vacuum Blower. 2. Check your waste water recovery tank lid and gasket. Sometimes the tanks are not perfectly round, and simply turning the lid either counter-clockwise or clockwise just a few inches will solve the problem. If the problem persists, a rubber mallet and a block of wood can "massage" the tank body enough to correct the problem permanently. 3. Inspect all your Vacuum system filters. There are carpet fiber/lint trap filters located on the outside of the waste tank (on all models except the 711 where it is mounted inside the waste tank.) There are also "blower inlet protection filters" located on the interior of your waste tank. If any of these filters become too dirty or neglected, you could potentially starve the blower of air and overheat it and damage it. 4. Consult troubleshooting in "Tank, Vacuum Recovery, (Waste Water Recovery Tank) VACUUM RELIEF VALVE WONT ACTUATE OR ALLOW AIR INTO THE SYSTEM: Contact BLUEline Equipment Company or your local authorized Vortex dealer immediately.