OT - Vacuum will remove water from tire - won't it?

[GregSY]

My new/used Kubota, it turns out, came with water filled tires. Yuck.

So I positioned the valve stems at 6 o'clock and let it all squirt out. Of course, everything below the stem line didn't drain, and I'm guessing there is still 15 gallons in each tire.

I'm thinking I could hook up my vacuum pump and reservoir and suck it out by connecting the vac line to the Schrader valve...right? Or am I overlooking something? I'd like to get all of the water out - for this tractor, lighter is better.

 

[Just a Sparky]

*Hard* vacuum will remove water on paper, yes. Albiet slowly. You will essentially be boiling off 15 gallons of water.

Whether or not the tire will withstand 30 in-hg without losing it's bead and/or collapsing and whether your vacuum pump will tolerate water vapor are other matters entirely.

Also consider at the high levels of vacuum necessary to pull this sort of stunt off, any sort of leakage at all through loose fittings or the Schrader valve will easily drop the vacuum below the water's boiling point unless you're talking about a very large displacement (e.g. 5HP) pump. It's also conceivable you could cause a portion of the water to freeze by boiling it off at room temperature.

Probably more practical to either pull the core out of the Schrader valve and insert a fine tube to pump the water out or have the tire re-seated.

 

[howieranger]

Your vacuum pump will suck until the bead is pushed off the rim and be sure to have the tractor on stands.

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

Take it to a tire shop, you will burn up a vacuum pump before all the water is out.

 

[L Vanice]

Air conditioner systems are evacuated completely to a very low vacuum before installing new refrigerant. The test lab I worked in would run the pump overnight in order to do a thorough job. And that was starting with nothing but normal humidity air in the system. The purpose is to remove as much water as possible. Normal air contains water vapor and water vapor harms the refrigeration system. So yes, a vacuum will cause water to boil at low temperatures and the water vapor will be pumped out along with whatever air was in the system. Keep in mind that your vacuum pump may be damaged by transferring many gallons of water.

Larry

 

[CalG]

A shop vac is sufficient.

But really, break down the tire. Is it only water or chloride?

 

[GregSY]

Hmm...so the vacuum pot won't help matters? I don't understand the vapor/boiling bit. It seems the liquid would be pulled into the vac pot (which is located between the pump and tire). I assume the issue is having to pull the water through the air inside the tire?

How about if I insert a 'straw' down the Schrader valve so the vacuum is sucking directly on the water? Wouldn't that be a 'direct displacement' affair then?

I'm not sure what's in there. It smells but then all inner tubes smell. It does look pretty murky-brown, like pond water.

 

[Just a Sparky]

Hmm...so the vacuum pot won't help matters? I don't understand the vapor/boiling bit. It seems the liquid would be pulled into the vac pot (which is located between the pump and tire). I assume the issue is having to pull the water through the air inside the tire?

How about if I insert a 'straw' down the Schrader valve so the vacuum is sucking directly on the water? Wouldn't that be a 'direct displacement' affair then?

I'm not sure what's in there. It smells but then all inner tubes smell. It does look pretty murky-brown, like pond water.

Liquid water boils at room temperature in a hard vacuum. That is why liquid water does not exist on planets without either an atmosphere or thick crust of ice. Since you have already purged all water above the valve, you will only pump air until sufficient vacuum is reached for the water to boil. Then you will be pumping water vapor.

 

[woodchuckNJ]

why remove all the water, generally the water ballast is necessary for hills and it also helps for lifting large loads.


most of the time it's water and glycol (antifreeze)

I am sure you know that, but just in case you didn't. Its the most efficient way of weighting the tractor.

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

If you can get a tube in there, that might work.

 

[52 Ford]

If it's just water, antifreeze, beet juice or one of the other less corrosive things people use, Pop the wheel off, pull the valve core out, pull a truck up on the tire to pop the bead (loader bucket works well, too). Prop the tire up and stick a hose in in between the rim and the tire and use a ShopVac. If it had Calcium Chloride in it, I'd wash it out with a garden hose. Before I put it back.

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[GregSY]

Thanks all.

I'm not sure if this uses a tube or if it's tubeless. I've been assuming it's a tube. But maybe not. If it's tubeless then I agree, it becomes easier to break the bead.

If I need weight on back, I can pretty easily attach an implement. But 95% of the time I want maximum flotation which means less weight. I also am generally against water in tires....I know it can be done without problems, but I sure hear of a lot of corrosion issues.

 

[russler]

Valve at 6 o’clock, nylon hose ( road ranger range change hose maybe) through the valve stem and seal best you can, inflate,deflate, repeat

 

[CalG]

Thanks all.

I'm not sure if this uses a tube or if it's tubeless. I've been assuming it's a tube. But maybe not. If it's tubeless then I agree, it becomes easier to break the bead.

If I need weight on back, I can pretty easily attach an implement. But 95% of the time I want maximum flotation which means less weight. I also am generally against water in tires....I know it can be done without problems, but I sure hear of a lot of corrosion issues.

Ahh

Corrosion?

That is a product of a poorly sealed tire bead.
When the tire mounting is done correctly the available oxygen is used up rapidly. Even with calcium chloride (salt)

It's the leakers that cause all the problems.

Or fit a tube and be done with the entire matter!

 

[52 Ford]

Ahh

Corrosion?

That is a product of a poorly sealed tire bead.
When the tire mounting is done correctly the available oxygen is used up rapidly. Even with calcium chloride (salt)

It's the leakers that cause all the problems.

Or fit a tube and be done with the entire matter!

Calcium Chloride. It weighs more than water and it's cheap, so people (at least used to) use it as tire ballast. It's very corrosive, though.

It isn't very common, anymore. Usually it's antifreeze, beet juice, or straight water (if climate permits), or maybe something else.

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[Gordon Heaton]

If the wheels use tubes you CAN suck the water out using any wet/dry vac. The tube will collapse with minimal vacuum and you will have very little liquid left inside. You do not need to break the bead, just allow the stem to recede a bit into the rim hole to allow internal pressure to equalize. With ordinary stems you can tell if its tube or tubeless by looking at the base of the valve stem where it exits the wheel. A tubeless valve stem will have a ridge outside the wheel to keep it in place when not under pressure.

But... if you have air/water valves installed it can be more difficult. If you loosen the nut you might be able to tell by wiggling the stem whether there is a tube flopping around on the other end. You can also remove the 'air' part and stick a thin dowel or welding rod straight in until you feel resistance. There is a pronounced difference in the feel of hitting the tire wall/tread area and mushing into a deflated tube. Then again, if your stems are angled, well...

 

[EPAIII]

I can't imagine how you would hold much of a vacuum in a rubber tire. Break them down or better yet, bring back and insist that the seller do it.

And HOW ON EARTH did all that water get in there?

A shop vac is sufficient.

But really, break down the tire. Is it only water or chloride?

 

[52 Ford]

I can't imagine how you would hold much of a vacuum in a rubber tire. Break them down or better yet, bring back and insist that the seller do it.

And HOW ON EARTH did all that water get in there?

In certain countries it's tradition for tire shops to operate completely under water. Think it had something to do with fire code.



No?

In the case you're genuinely curious, not sure how they did it in "the olden day", but you can get a female Schrader to NPT adapter. Pretty sure I've seen adapters that go straight to GHT. Water is used to add weight to the tires for traction and/or so the tractor doesn't tip when it lifts a load (either from the rear 3 Pt, or more likely a front loader)

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[Bill D]

I would suggest a load strap around the tread to keep the bead seated as long as possible. Could you pump a vacuum through a refrigerated air compressor dryer so the vac pump stays dry? Would a cotton string through the valve stem wick out water over days or weeks?
Bill D

PS:: I belive calcium disposal is a legal problem.

 

[52 Ford]

I would suggest a load strap around the tread to keep the bead seated as long as possible. Could you pump a vacuum through a refrigerated air compressor dryer so the vac pump stays dry? Would a cotton string through the valve stem wick out water over days or weeks?
Bill D

PS:: I belive calcium disposal is a legal problem.

I doubt dumping Calcium Chloride out of a couple tires would be a legal issue. It's road salt.

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