Having My own air compressor

[rob.mwpropane]

How does this work???
You have a well in your back yard?

We reclaim heating oil at work. As people swap out their heating systems for propane we'll get 100 gallons here or there. Not enough to run anything too extravagant, but enough to run a small compressor for air!

My 8hp Yanmar surprisingly uses very little... but it is very, very loud for what it is.. it puts all the other machinery we have to shame.

 

[Tracy]

What are the annual cost of owning your compressor, for parts and maintenance?

It greatly depends on the machine and usage. They more you use it, the higher costs per year but it gets cheaper and cheaper per CF pumped.
Some machines are cheap to buy and expensive to maintain
Some are expensive to buy and also expensive to maintain
Unless you find something like an old k14-85, you won't likely find cheap and cheap together.
I only reference that one machine because they were ridiculously overbuilt for their low speed and low outlet pressure. It is nothing to get thousands and thousands of hours out of final stage valves. I have one of them with 7000+ hours on it and it has never been opened outside of final valves. It has been on rental in a local dive shop for the last 18 months just humming along every day.

 

[captain]

I have had a Luchard, made in France, for 55 years, all cast iron 1200 rpm. It will out live me.

 

[Gone for diving]

My 8hp Yanmar surprisingly uses very little... but it is very, very loud for what it is.. it puts all the other machinery we have to shame.

Yes those little diesel single cylinders are definitely an earful, but if you can turn them over properly they always start, I have worked on the 10 hp ones on bomag vibratory packer, and have a Chinese knock off on a generator,

 

[Gone for diving]

I have had a Luchard, made in France, for 55 years, all cast iron 1200 rpm. It will out live me.

I have one that's a bit tired on the swash block, someone let it run out of oil or something, it was half sized up and gunkified,,,
As I got it for free, I cleaned it up and sent to much time on it, works fine, but the oil needs to be a bit overfull so it doesn't tick.

 

[Litefoot]

I live in a very rural, backwards area. I went to my FD and they showed me a large, brand-new containment fill system.

"We will have to charge you five dollars per fill."

I live in a rural town as well. Let’s not equate “rural” with “backwards”. Most people in small towns, if nothing else, have their values in the right places.

The local FD does my fills. The fire chief and I had another working relationship in a former life. I would consider setting up a fill station if I felt it would benefit a remote diving community in need. Otherwise, as was mentioned in another post, the less expensive option is to buy more tanks (perhaps 4-6) and have them filled on your infrequent trips to the big city.

Lots of ideas sound good until you step away, give it some thought and come to a different conclusion.

 

[happy-diver]

Lots of ideas sound good until you step away, give it some thought and come to a different conclusion.

Now that I've stepped back, this is still good!

 

[Doc Harry]

Let’s not equate “rural” with “backwards”.

There was a small rural town hear me called Reserve.

It was so backwards the rest of the state called it "Reverse."