Hello,

I recently bought the starter kit for VI. I follow the instructions in the video and I am getting a vacuum pressure of around -27.5 but when I clamp off the bag between the vacuum bag and the vacuum chamber, the vacuum gauge goes immediately up. Why is this happening? In the video it stays where it is. Is there a leak in the vacuum chamber? do you have any tips how to check this? many thanks

SH

There will be a leak somewhere, yes. It is far more likely to be in a hose connection than it is to be in the actual structure of the catch pot itself, so make sure all your hoses and fittings are very tight. Also sounds strange, but check your catch pot lid is securely seated and there is nothing like a piece of stray fibre caught between the lid seal and the lid itself.  If the gauge is moving immediately, then it is a big leak. See if you can turn all noise off and listen very carefully for any hissing. With a leak this big, it should be possible to hear the general area it is coming from and then start playing around with things until the noise disappears.

The other possibility is that your hose clamp isn't totally clamping off the hose. These hose clamps have a tendency to bind up and just pinch one side of the hose, leaving the other side with a slight opening, so your leak could in actual fact still be coming from your bag. Might be worth double clamping the hose to check this.