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

@decibell I have an ADS Pro, and the fans gave up some time back. I could still wash the records and use a diaper cloth to manually wipe them dry. Today, the pump gave up too. So now I would have to open up the unit and try to repair it. Would you be so kind to send me pictures of your pump repair operation? If you have any advice on troubleshooting the fans, I would appreciate that too. My email is kutu67@gmail.com

Thank you very much!

Hello,

I have the same problem. french distributor tells me audiodesk repairs slowly (2 monthes) and for 400 euros, in general.

i decided to do it myself. can you send me pics or video ? @decibell

thank you so much for sharing  --- bazarmusiques@gmail.com

 

 

Hi bazarmus,
I just sent you an email w pics and notes.

Good luck with the repair!
Decibell

Hi @BillWojo - I seem to be having the same issue with my (second!) AD Pro X unit (gears not engaging / no spin of rollers or record; pump seems fine).  Have you figured out a fix?  I’d have to ship my unit to PA to be looked at - so would be cool to avoid that hassle, if possible.

Cheers,

Jason

Decibell -- Hi, I posted above. I have a Pro X from 2019 that I bought used in January from the guy who owns Gingko Works who owned it nearly 4 years, cleaned about 100 records and never once drained it. (He did not advertise the machine this way and refused to take it back). I cleaned about 100 records until it stopped filling up. I just finished opening it up and found 2 pump motors instead of one. I managed to get a hold of exact replacements and temporarily seal the machine up with plumbers putty and pressure (bungie cords etc).to test. Holds very well, no leaks. There is a pump that goes to the very center of the bottom of the upper part of the machine that opens then closes in 3 seconds. The rollers also start against the record immediately and the "ultrasonic generator" starts with only about an inch of water. The machine keeps filling from the other pump that uses the edges until the upper chamber is full and the rising water pushes the ultrasonic mist (that’s now above the water as it rises) up and out of the machine. Then it completes the cycle, drains the water and dries. Ultrasystem (USA distributor) or Audio Desk will not help anyone that opens the machine. I doubt a stronger pump will help with the center pump I have no idea what holds that center hole open for the correct amount of time ( I have read about Solenoid failure). but I can get a twice as powerful pump from the same company same external dimensions for the other pump but just guessing if that will work at this point. Glad to see you checking back in. Jim jkingtut@yahoo.com