Be aware that most vacuum pumps are actually designed for 24/7 operation cycles. The constant starting and stopping associated with the type of system you are talking about actually subjects your pump to much more wear rather than less.
Yup. Less wear on my ears though.
A bad switch or contact can cause your valuable lay-up to be ruined if failure should occur during the initial stages of curing.
No contacts in my all-electronic system. The solid-state relay I'm using (25A @ 240VAC) is also overkill for my pump (3A @ 120VAC), so it doesn't heat up.
A pump that runs continuously is far less prone to failure.
Agreed.
Another problem you missed: some vacuum pumps won't start under high vaccum (mine needs to be under 9"). Since the pump valves are not perfect, they bleed enough to take care of this. A vaccum check valve prevents bleeding into the tank (and hence bag).
I also do sheeted foam wings, and the white foam can't handle full vacuum. Being able to regulate the vacuum without a noisy bleeder is also nice.
-- Andrew E. Mileski Ottawa, Canada
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