Audio Desk Systeme - Vinyl Cleaner – Repair of Water Pump Failure


After the water pump of my beloved Vinyl Cleaner from Audio Desk Systeme stopped working I searched the web and found that I’m not the only one with this problem. But nowhere did I find a blog or post that would describe a repair procedure – other than to mail the machine back to Germany for an expensive repair.

If your machine is still under warranty you should of course send it back for warranty repair. But if your machine is out of warranty (like mine) and your only option is to spend lots of money to get it fixed, you might want to consider repairing it yourself.

The way the vinyl cleaner is designed does not allow any maintenance or replacement of any component located inside the machine without destroying something. The whole machine is glued together! Something I have not seen before to this extent – especially not on a high dollar item like this. Only the components in the upper compartment where the white cleaning rollers are located can be accessed thru the opening in the top cover.

To get started you need to separate the bottom PVC plate from the bottom of the tank. Both plates are glued together. I used a flat pry-bar to carefully separate the bottom plate without breaking it. Shining a flash light thru the water sight glass you can see the blue water pump thru the drain hole of the tank.

To get to the water pump you need to remove the bottom of the tank (or parts of it) which is glued to the recessed side walls.

Use a permanent marker to draw straight lines on the tank bottom – 5 mm inbound from the side walls. The PVC side walls are 5 mm thick. Try to cut slightly inside that line to not cut into the recessed side walls. I used a Dremel with a cut-off wheel.

Once the bottom of the tank is removed you have access to the water pump and all other internal components. To disconnect the pump wires from the main board you need to remove the front panel with on/off switch. Follow the pump cable from the tank and disconnect both wires from the terminal.

In my case it turned out that the pump actually did not fail - it was simply seized up. Once I rotated the little impeller by hand and hooked it up to the 24 V DC power supply in the sink it started to pump fine again.

In case you find your pump to be dead and need a replacement look for “Barwig Tauchpumpe Typ 3 24 V DC”. Price is around 18 EUR (appr. 20 USD) at amazon.de or conrad.com. Unfortunately I was not able to find a supplier who would ship to the U.S.. You may need to be creative – or plan your next vacation in Germany ...

If you use aquarium grade silicone adhesive instead of strong PVC adhesive to put it all together you will be able to undo everything easier in case you need to access the inside of the machine again. 

Feel free to email me if you have questions or need pictures.

Decibell

decibell
Glaess recommends Tangit glue from Henkel for the PVC-U housing. PVC cement from Homedepot will probably work as well. Gutter sealant or strong silicone glue to secure the motor to the side wall. After you have cut the bottom open, you need to glue some small support angles to the inside of the housing to support the tank bottom in the right position since it is not resting on a rim anymore. Glue the tank bottom in place and glue the bottom plate to the outside walls so it creates a second seal. If anybody needs pictures feel free to email me direct.
So a bit more on The Gläss business principles...
As I said earlier my (non-Pro) machine was sent for repairs and deemed un-repairable by Gläss. I was offered to buy a new Pro model for half the price of a new one. Currently in Sweden the (list) price for a new model is 34,725 SEK (approx 3,625 US$), so I get a new Pro one for approx 1,811 US$.
But the kicker is, according to the dealer, it’s either buy the new machine at the "discounted" price and they’ll (Gläss or the rep, in Denmark, not sure) will keep the old "un-repairable" machine.
If I want the old machine back, the deal is off.
So what am I supposed to do? Still cheaper than a new Degritter, but extortion-like business practice.
P.S.I sent my machine off in early November, and NOW they come back with this... frickin almost 6 months!
@decibell 

Your post is a model for why fora like these should exist. Anyone who owns one of these machines should be grateful that someone (you) was ambitious and tenacious enough to tackle such a problem and then "bother" to post about. No snarkiness, pomposity or mean spirited attack...just useful, well intended information.
@acresverde 
Thank you for the flowers! Always glad to help!
Glaess possibly designed his cleaner the way he did to protect his idea. Unfortunately the price for this unmaintainability is paid by the owner - once it needs maintenance/repair.
It is unfortunate that he does not handle repair cases to the full satisfaction of his customers. It is an extremely useful machine - when it works. But he makes it difficult to recommend his product ....