Your vacuum trucks are put away for the winter and you’re catching up on maintenance and repairs, and looking to land new customers in the new year. December also means it’s time for our annual Truck Corner quiz.
Look over the 11 questions below, choose your answers and send them to me at fizzyox@mac.com or fax them to me at 254/598-2921. I’ll check the results and put the names of folks who answered all of the questions correctly in a hat and draw a grand prize winner. The winner will receive a copy of my book, Pumper 101 – The Complete Guide to Owning and Operating a Vacuum Truck, as well as two CDs of music by the Pumper Gang. And, of course, the winner and anyone who got all the right answers will win bragging rights in the Portable Restroom Operator community.
The deadline to submit your entry is Dec. 31. I will name the winner in a future issue of PRO. Good luck!
2013 Truck Corner Quiz
1. True or False. Maintaining your vacuum truck in Minnesota should be the same in July as in January. Once the truck starts, everything operates the same.
2. True or False. The pressure/vacuum gauge regulates the amount of pressure or vacuum in your vacuum truck system.
3. True or False. The best place to locate a pressure/vacuum gauge is on the rear head of the vacuum tank where it can best be seen.
4. True or False. Vacuum trucks will operate about the same in Phoenix and Los Angeles.
5. True or False. The difference between blowers and vacuum pumps is simple. The blower, when turned on, creates a vacuum by moving a lot of air in and then out of the tank, similar to a vacuum cleaner. A vacuum pump removes the air inside a vacuum tank and does not allow it out until the operator opens the suction valve. This vacuum becomes the force that tries to neutralize the air inside the tank with the air outside the tank.
6. Time to work. It’s early in the morning. You hop into your truck and head down the road to pump your first group of restrooms. Arriving at the work site, what is the best procedure to get the job done?
a. Get out of the truck. Turn on the vacuum/pressure gauge. Neutralize the pump. At that point, grab the hose and go to work.
b. Turn on the PTO, which operates the vacuum pump. Get out of the truck. Check the pressure/vacuum gauge to make sure the vacuum is building normally. If so, take the hose and go to work.
c. Turn on the PTO. Get out of the truck and switch the four-way valve to the Pressure position. Then, go to work.
d. Turn on the PTO. Tighten the four-way valve to the proper position. Set the vacuum gauge to 30 inches of mercury and then go to work.
7. The gearbox on a vacuum truck
a. Regulates the transmission and keeps the truck in the proper gear as it drives down the road.
b. Is connected to the PTO to regulate rotation of the vacuum pump.
c. Is only required when a separate engine-driven pump is utilized.
d. Is not needed when a PTO is installed and rotating at least as 2,400 rpm.
8. The basic vacuum truck system starts when the PTO is switched on and then
a. The air is pulled from inside the vacuum tank, then through the secondary, then through the primary, and then through the pump, exhausting through the four-way valve.
b. The air is pulled from inside the vacuum tank, through the primary, then to the gearbox, and finally exhausted at the pump.
c. The air is pulled from the vacuum tank, through the primary, then through the secondary, then through the pump and out the oil catch muffler.
d. The air is pulled from the vacuum tank, through the oil catch muffler, on to the primary and then exhausted through the secondary.
9. The secondary moisture trap should be emptied
a. Every day
b. Once a week
c. Once a month
d. Every six months
10. The lifespan of a carbon steel vacuum tank is
a. 3 years
b. 7 years
c. Dependent on care and maintenance that it’s given
d. 50 years
11. The lifespan of a stainless steel tank is
a. 4 years
b. Unlimited
c. 8 years
d. 9 years
