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
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.
Hello decibell,

   I just received my new Pro X model the other day. I have given my old unit to a friend that wants to try and fix the old one. Please send me the instructions for repairing the water pump.  I have talked to one of my subcontractors that supplies all of my custom Plexiglass products and he can separate and put it back together for my buddy. SO if you would please send me the instructions and parts list. 

Thank You,
Greg

I would like to express my deepest appreciation and gratitude to Decibell for pioneering a repair method for our Audio Desk Systeme record cleaning machines. Many of us had resigned ourselves to considering them unrepairable and therefore worthless. Following his instructions, I was able to successfully revive mine. Thank you, Decibell! 

What I have written below should be considered an “addendum” to his work. My purpose is only to further help anyone in our community who might wish to undertake this repair on their own as I did. 

Bottom removal: 

The bottom plate serves no other purpose than to protect the bottom of the internal tank and to hold the rubber feet. It is glued to the tank bottom with PVC cement in 8 locations; one slightly inboard from each corner, and one slightly inboard from the midpoint of each side, 8 total. Each glued area is circular in shape and about the size of a 50 cent piece. 

I used a putty knife with a sharpened blade and gently tapped it into each glue point a little at a time, rotating the record cleaner as I went, until the cover finally popped off. 

Tank bottom “surgery” as described by “decibel”.

Pump replacement: 

I was unable to get the exact replacement pump but did find this one which I thought could easily be made to work. 

https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Submersible-produces-Travelling-Gardening/dp/B07234X3D7 

This “Comet” pump was the same size but the discharge tube exited from the top instead of from the side of the pump body. All I had to do was to remove the piece of rubber hose from the opening at the top of the tank, cut a 1” long piece of ½” dia. clear plastic tubing found in any plumbing supply, install it on the discharge tube of the new pump such that it extended into the same hole as the old one. Then I used silicone aquarium sealant to seal around this hose connection and also to bond the pump to the side of the tank. I also put a “dollop” of silicone over the white protective cover of the wires to secure it to the top of the tank. 

When the silicone had cured (24 hrs), I ran the wiring back through the original opening and secured it to the circuit board of the control panel. I sealed this opening with plumbers putty. 

I also used plumbers putty, available in a small, plastic tub, to make a “ledge” for the panel cut out of the tank bottom. After kneading the putty to make it soft and sticky, I stuck long, flat strips of it to the inside edge of the opening such that about ¼” extended into the opening thereby creating a “ledge.” I place the removed portion of the panel carefully on this ledge making sure the orientation was the same as when removed and that the surface was flush with the tank bottom. Then, using the clear silicone aquarium sealant and adhesive, I filled the gap just slightly proud of the surface and tooled it flush using my fingertip, allowing it to cure for 24 hrs. 

After curing, I placed the record cleaner right-side-up on small blocks, filled it with water, and checked for any leakage. I then ran a few test cleaning cycles with an old LP to make sure all was well. Then I drained the tank and made sure the tank bottom was completely dry. 

Lastly, I reinstalled the bottom plate using the same silicone as above and allowed it to cure for 24 hrs. 

Bottom line: 

Many thanks again to Decibell who developed this repair technique that has allowed many of us to continue using their RCMs without the huge expense of dealing with the factory.


Fred S.