Help needed on hookah diving

[JanNL]

Hello, I am interested in diy hookah dive systems. Saw a few battery operated SUP air pumps with a maximum pressure of 20 psi and 75 liter of air/ minute. At what dept would there be enough air supply to breath?
Perhaps this question has been asked already. Can anybody refer to earlier posts?

 

[Angelo Farina]

Hello, I am interested in diy hookah dive systems. Saw a few battery operated SUP air pumps with a maximum pressure of 20 psi and 75 liter of air/ minute. At what dept would there be enough air supply to breath?
Perhaps this question has been asked already. Can anybody refer to earlier posts?

You need at least 140 PSI (8 bars) for an hookah operating at shallow depth (3m max).
Add 1 bar even 10m depth, so 10 bars for the hookah working down to 20m (which is the max depth I reached with an hookah, and perhaps it was already too much).
You must also deliver a significant air flow, at least 50 liters/minutes at shallow depth, 100 liters/minute at 10m, 150 l/min at 20 m, and so on.
So you need a very powerful compressor, at least 1000-1500 W.
You must be a proficient and certified scuba diver for using an hookah, which can be far more dangerous than a standard scuba system.
I started using an hookah after 200 scuba dives and being certified CMAS ***.

 

[arkstorm]

20 psi is about 1.36 ata which will get you down to about 12ft/3.5m. Even at that shallow depth, you can still get yourself into plenty of trouble with lung over-expansion injuries.

Do not play around with these things. If you are serious, get the training.

 

[Angelo Farina]

20 psi is about 1.36 ata which will get you down to about 12ft/3.5m. Even at that shallow depth, you can still get yourself into plenty of trouble with lung over-expansion injuries.

Do not play around with these things. If you are serious, get the training.

No second stage regulator will work fed with just 20 PSI. A regulator needs at least 130 PSI for operating correctly. And of course I think that breathing directly from the hose, without a regulator, is even more dangerous.
All hookah systems I have seen use a standard second stage regulator, fed at proper intermediate pressure of 130-140 PSI.

 

[arkstorm]

No second stage regulator will work fed with just 20 PSI. A regulator needs at least 130 PSI for operating correctly. And of course I think that breathing directly from the hose, without a regulator, is even more dangerous.
All hookah systems I have seen use a standard second stage regulator, fed at proper intermediate pressure of 130-140 PSI.

I’m fairly certain that the OP’s idea of using a battery powered SUP pump does not entail using a second stage regulator. A 20 psi pump will deliver air to 12 ft through a hose.

 

[Angelo Farina]

I’m fairly certain that the OP’s idea of using a battery powered SUP pump does not entail using a second stage regulator. A 20 psi pump will deliver air to 12 ft through a hose.

Sure, but breathing from a hose which simply carries compressed air seems to me much more dangerous than using a second stage.
It comes close to the original SCUBA systems which predated the Cousteau-Gagnan regulator, where a full face mask was continuously flooded with a constant air flow.

 

[JanNL]

You need at least 140 PSI (8 bars) for an hookah operating at shallow depth (3m max).
Add 1 bar even 10m depth, so 10 bars for the hookah working down to 20m (which is the max depth I reached with an hookah, and perhaps it was already too much).
You must also deliver a significant air flow, at least 50 liters/minutes at shallow depth, 100 liters/minute at 10m, 150 l/min at 20 m, and so on.
So you need a very powerful compressor, at least 1000-1500 W.
You must be a proficient and certified scuba diver for using an hookah, which can be far more dangerous than a standard scuba system.
I started using an hookah after 200 scuba dives and being certified CMAS ***.

Thank you for your explanation. I wonder though, if the Australian Airbuddy which goes to 10 m deep, delivers the 8+1=9 Bar. It operates on a small electrical air compressor. Also, the Nemo has a model that also goes to 10m deep.
Any thoughts?

 

[arkstorm]

Thank you for your explanation. I wonder though, if the Australian Airbuddy which goes to 10 m deep, delivers the 8+1=9 Bar. It operates on a small electrical air compressor. Also, the Nemo has a model that also goes to 10m deep.
Any thoughts?

10 meters is 2 bar.

That having been said, the point I am circling towards is that you really should get trained before you undertake to use any of these devices (or build one yourself) because you are risking serious potential life-threatening injury if you don't actually know what you are doing.

It is relatively easy to build a contraption that will deliver air at a depth that is plenty deep enough to get you into trouble.

Learn what you are doing so you don't get hurt.

 

[Angelo Farina]

Thank you for your explanation. I wonder though, if the Australian Airbuddy which goes to 10 m deep, delivers the 8+1=9 Bar. It operates on a small electrical air compressor. Also, the Nemo has a model that also goes to 10m deep.
Any thoughts?

The Airbuddy delivers air at 2 6 bar, it is written in the Q+A section of their web site.
I did not find this info for the Nemo/Nomad.
These systems do not use a standard balanced second stage regulator.
They seem to employ another kind of regulator, which I never experienced.
This makes hard to build a DIY apparatus working at such low pressure, you must source these special regulators designed for operating at low pressure.
Both manufacturers clearly state that these devices are very dangerous and require proper training for being used safely.
These devices are expensive (1000-1500 USD): in most cases, a compact air tank plus a standard regulator provides a cheaper, safer and more versatile solution.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

Hookah that requires no training........