The Real Cost of a Vacuum Pump Oil Change
In working with customers on whether they should make the change to oil-less or dry vacuum pumps, the low cost of the oil is usually a stumbling block to making the plunge to a more modern technology. The "Go Green" idea is met with great fervor but can it meet the cold water plunge when the boss asks "What is the cost to make this switch?"
To find the "real" cost of an oil change, one must consider more than just the cost of the oil. Taking the standard vacuum oil cost for a production size industrial vacuum pump (23 liter oil capacity) , the cost is a mere $323. But the oil did not walk itself to the plant and you can't send the old oil down the drain. So....there's more to this equation. What is the expense of the oil expense including all the extra's? A little research revealed....
- Cost of issue of the Purchase Order for the Oil- Purchasing websites say
$100 - Freight Cost of the Oil to the Plant -Pittsburgh- Atlanta..UPS says
$190 - Receiving and Storing the Oil - 0.5 hr x $35 comes to
$17.50 - Labor of getting the Oil to the Pump another
$17.50 - Changing the Oil- The Dirty Job- 1 hr x $35=
$35 - Cost of Purchase Order for dispose of the oil another
$100 - Labor to prepare the shipment of disposed oil- 0.5 hr x $35
$17.50 - Shipping to Local Disposal Site- UPS says
$128 - Finally the Cost to Dispose of Dirty Rotten Oil- Cost from machinerylubrication.com is $0.50 per liter or
$12.50
So add it all up and we get the real cost of $943 per oil change. If you figure 3 oil changes per year the total yearly cost is $2,829.
Replacing perfectly good vacuum pump out to save oil costs may not make sense from a pure dollar standpoint(in some applications it would), but the days of "wet" or oil vacuum pumps are numbered for most processes. Today you can get a "dry" or oil-less vacuum pump for 25% additional cost or in this example chosen about $6,000. So for new installs, going dry is an easy payoff. For existing pumps, I hope this gives some insight of the "real" cost of oil changes.
For more questions about this subject or other vacuum equipment questions, contact Schoonover Inc. at 800-331-2808 or online at www.schoonoverinc.com
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