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
About three years ago I bought the AudioDesk and it broke after a year or so.  Peter at The Cable Company offered me generous trade-in allowance towards a new Pro model and so I did that.  Now, two years later my Pro has just quit pumping water from the reservoir to the washing area.  I'll never buy another one of these again.
Instead of me asking you send me pictures. Would you consider repairing my unit for a fee ?
Sorry 730waters - I'm not comfortable working on other machines. But I'll be glad to email you pictures and answer questions. It's not very complicated to do the repair. May be you can find a local handy man who can help you?
Hello decibell,

  I just figured that I would ask. I work 6 - 7 days a week and don't have time to dedicate to trying to fix it. Mine stopped pumping water last week  and I was hoping it was just clogged up. I have tried several things that I have seen online. I talked to the rep in PA and he wants me to send it up to him to analyze the problem. After reading this blogged , I am sure the pump has gone up. I have cleaned close to 600 albums with it and cleaned 8 the day before it stopped working. If you ever want to try it without any responsibilities or warranties, let me know. I have had it for 5 years and  I don't think that I will spend another $4500 for a new one.
Well, most of us actually have this same problem - we have a daytime job. Don't look for excuses! Order a pump, get some Tangit PVC glue and gutter sealant and cut this thing open. It does not take much and it is a very rewarding project! I just received a thank you email from another user who was able to replace his failed pump.