Help, please: GRaverMax woes

[ARM]

Merry Christmas to one and all.
Hope U good folks are having a better time.
MY GraverMax just died on me.
Checked and cleaned the necessary recommended maintenance item like the ROTARY FLYWHEEL. No luck.
Checked the FUSE also. Not blown.
AIR PRESSURE CONTROL KNOB does not work at all as no Air seems to be coming through . Did have some accumulation of water in the FILTER REGULATOR DRAIN BOWL, which we emptied anyway. Tried opening this unit and it won't budge. It's made of plastic and we are afraid to break it. There is an arrow in a clock-wise direction on it which we don't really know whether it is for opening or closing ???
We are at our wits end and would immensely appreciate any assistance here as we just don't know what to try next. It would just not be worth the time and expense to ship the unit back to GRS. We think we ought to look at some other more reliable and better units or makes as we have only been using this GRAVERMAX for a year now, and that too, rather intermittently.
Any suggestions in this regard would also be appreciated.
Thanks in anticipation.
aRM

 

[Haraga.com]

Check the foot pedal.

 

[ARM]

Check the foot pedal.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.
Much appreciated.
This seems OK as all connections are intact.
Depressing it does raise a slight vibration in the handpiece, but not much as the AIR PRESSURE GUAGE only now reaches a max of 0.4 -0.5 PSI !!!
Methinks it might the FILTER in the REGULATOR.
If i could only get it open and maybe clean it.
Take care
aRM

 

[maplesm]

I had the same problem and the foot pedal needed to be rebuilt. They will not send out the parts you must send the pedal to GRS. I live in a high humidity area and trouble with the system - GRS backed it up but I did switch to another system.

 

[mitch]

hi ARM-

let's try troubleshooting it one system at a time.

assuming the motor runs and the rotary valve spins, that narrows it down to a pneumatic problem.

do you have a regulator on your air compressor? disconnect the tubing from the compressor at the GraverMax regulator (push on the ring, pull on the tubing- you might have to push very hard on the ring & pull very hard on the tubing- they can be really tight. i find it helps to push on the ring with a 1/4" or 6mm wrench instead of your fingers) ok, now do you have good airflow from the compressor? if you don't, the problem is either the compressor or the filter/regulator on the compressor, not the GraverMax.

the next most logical problem is a defective filter/regulator on the GraverMax (tho not common, it does happen). i'd recommend completely disconnecting/removing the filter/regulator from the unit and see if it works if you bypass the filter/regulator and supply air directly to the machine. (for your purposes, you can probably just wrap things together with tape for a minute if you don't have the fittings to make a proper connection.

i'd also suggest making sure it's not working with either impact handpiece port or the rotary tool port. it's sounds like a lack of airflow/pressure problem, but it doesn't hurt to check. it also doesn't sound like a foot pedal or handpiece malfunction, either.

see if that helps at all and get back to me. if you can, post a few photos of the inside of your machine. things have changed a little over the years and i want to be sure i'm not overlooking something.

and btw- the filter bowls on the regulators can be very tight, but they unscrew with a standard right hand thread.

 

[ARM]

MITCH MOSCHETTI ESQ
Thank You kindly for taking the trouble to respond.
Will try and isolate the problem as U suggest and also give it a shot with the alternatives. Have taken pics previously of the inside. Will post these as well.
Thanks a mill
LORD BLESS
aRM

 

[hmw]

By all means, check both regulators, on the compressor and the unit itself. They will go bad. I bought an air compressor from a friend a while back. He was using it to run a paint gun and said it wasnt large enough and didnt put out enough volume. I bought it and sure enough, it wouldnt even put out enough wind to run a handpiece for more than a minute. I by passed the regulator on the compressor and went straight to the unit and it worked perfect. Bad regulator on the compressor.

 

[ARM]

MITCH MOSCHETTI Esq
Regret getting back to U so late , Sir.
However, with the cleaning of the ROTARY FLYWHEEL, emptying the AIR FILTER SETTLEMENT BOWL and even draining my Compressor tank, things seemed to have worked themselves out for the better.
We really do appreciate U taking the time to isolate the hiccup and assist in resolving our problem. It's good Guys like U who help keep the spirit alive and make us rookies want to continue plodding the beaten track.
May U have a most wonderful and exciting 2011.
LORD BLESS
aRM

 

[mitch]

You're most welcome. They're relatively simple machines once you know them, but until you've had them apart a few times even the most basic problems can seem perplexing. It's funny how so many mechanical glitches magically fix themselves by a mere disassembly & reassembly, without ever actually finding a problem...

 

[mitch]

Hi aRM-

if it makes you feel any better, i just spent a couple hours fixing the G**D*** pressure regulator on my gravermax. it's always something, ain't it?

 

[DKanger]

i just spent a couple hours fixing the G**D*** pressure regulator on my gravermax.

Must be an epidemic. I've got about 20 hours on mine since you refitted it and it's acting up too. Just don't have time to tear into it now. It goes from130psi at the compressor into a water separator, then stepped down to 60psi, into another water separator, then into an oil separator 6 ft before the machine, then into the machine's filter and regulator. Water condensed in the air line during the summer, and on firing up the compressor it sent a big slug of water into the last separator. Didn't fill it, but suspect some got thru into the machine's filter system.

 

[ARM]

Hi aRM-

if it makes you feel any better, i just spent a couple hours fixing the G**D*** pressure regulator on my gravermax. it's always something, ain't it?

No SIR, we do not feel any better.
We sympathise with U.
What we don't understand is why U still persist and continue to work with this !@#$%^&*()_ equipment ???
U should be spending more time producing those exquisite and beautiful artistic pieces than busting Your butt and wasting time repairing this kind of junk, sorry to say. Still waiting for our copy of MARCH 2011 BLADE to savour those pics of genuinely original creativity. We don't see that kind of work everyday and it is indeed unique. U have shifted the goal posts by far and taken us to "nirvanic heights" with Your exquisite accomplishments.
Sir, U have the choice and availability of better alternatives in equipment even closer at hand than us. We assume U are in the US of A ??? Need to check that out !!! Seriously, Your time is more precious and worth more money than tinkering around with this kind of mediocre equipment, which U have improved on anyway. That's the most it can do now. Let it give up the ghost peacefully and U move ahead to more prominent and fertile grounds which await U. We think it's time U looked at "the best" with which U should be creating eternal masterpieces.
Like THE MAN said........."Just our 2 cents" !!!
LORD BLESS
aRM

 

[ARM]

Must be an epidemic. Water condensed in the air line during the summer, and on firing up the compressor it sent a big slug of water into the last separator. Didn't fill it, but suspect some got thru into the machine's filter system.

We are very near the coast and our humidity is very high here as well. CHRIS De CAMILLIS did tell us to drain our compressor "everyday".
Heck Man, we thought He was paranoid !!!
Now we know why he said so !!!
We think all of us PNEUMATIC USER's should seriously take a lesson from here.
We HAVE TO DRAIN OUR TANKS REGULARLY - no exceptions. Period.
Again.........my 2 cents !!!
aRM

 

[mitch]

"What we don't understand is why U still persist and continue to work with this !@#$%^&*()_ equipment ???"

actually, i can hardly fault GRS for a 20 yr old regulator made by Norgren (who makes decent pneumatic components). not to mention, i've only had this machine for about 12 yrs, so lord only knows how it was treated before i came along. the regulator just needed a thorough disassembly & cleaning and now seems to be working fine. the main hassle in my situation is that my gravermax is mounted under my bench- which looks cool and helps keeps the bench top clean & neat, but is a pain to unscrew, pull hoses, etc., whenever anything needs work.

 

[Marcus Hunt]

ARM, I've used GRS equipment on a professional basis for 15 years now and would not call it "mediocre". In this time I have had two slight problems each of which have been easily fixed without any further problem. One component in my Airtact broke but I bypassed it and carried on working whilst the spare part arrived in the UK 4 days later. If you are having problems with your equipment may I suggest you give JB Taylor at GRS a call? He's a wizard when it comes to GRS equipment and can probably talk through and might be able to sort your problem over the phone. Good luck.

 

[ARM2]

MARCUS HUNT ESQ
Compliments of the season to You.
Thank You kindly for taking the trouble to respond.
Have noted Your suggestion and in future would direct our problem to Mr TAYLOR at GRS as we are sure they know their equipment better.
Kindest regards
aRM

 

[Peter E]

Arm - I would heartily concur with Marcus's suggestion of contacting JB Taylor at GRS. He IS a wizard of GRS products and is a pleasure to speak with.

That IS part of his job at GRS, and he is VERY good at it.

As much as I respect the knowledge and experience of the members on this and other forums, JB IS the man when it comes to GRS product technical support.

I doubt ANYONE has more hands on experience fixing Gravermaxes then he does!