Thinking about a compressor - I have questions...

I fill many, many tanks a year (I have 4 divers in my family). I am thinking about going in on a compressor with a couple friends. I have never owened or oprated a compressor. Can someone give me the rundown? What questions do I need to ask when purchasing? What should I look for in a compressor? How does it need to be set-up...can I just put this thing in my garage and start filling?

Thanks-

Mods, please move to the compressor section.

Wait. Don't move this yet. I would not have found it there, but it reminds me of a thought I have been having lately. I guess if you move it, at least I'll now know where to look. So, do as you see fit.

How much do you have to spend? My guess is somewhere around $4,000 should get you started with a nice used industrial HD compressor. Keep eye on the forums and ebay.

The reason I say an industrial HD compressor is it is going to get a lot of run time with 8 divers or so using it. Your buddy turns into your buddies buddy.

Nothing wrong with a compressor in your garage as long as it has a 50 amp circuit available. Smaller 3 phase motors can be swapped to single phase. The garage will need to be well ventilated, and the neighbors farther away would help due to noise.

CavemanScuba:

I fill many, many tanks a year (I have 4 divers in my family). I am thinking about going in on a compressor with a couple friends. I have never owened or oprated a compressor. Can someone give me the rundown? What questions do I need to ask when purchasing? What should I look for in a compressor? How does it need to be set-up...can I just put this thing in my garage and start filling?

Thanks-

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That's what I did. I got a used RIX SA-6 - the Navy apparently surplussed lots of these - with gasoline engine and started filling tanks. I spent some time monitoring CO until I was confident that wasn't an issue, then added moisture and CO filter elements, because I was getting moisture in the tanks, and just to be sure. The RIX is oil-less and didn't come with any filtration other than the moisture coalescers, which are not enough as I learned. A compressor with an oil sump should already have filters. That was 6 years ago and all I've had to do since then was buy gasoline, and lube some joints once in awhile. The unit wasn't freshly rebuilt when I bought it, and that I can tell, it still pumps tanks at the same rate. I probably only fill 20-30 tanks a year but the convenience, quality of fills, and low fill cost are well worth it. Some don't seem to like the RIX, but from my one-off experience so far, I can't see an argument for an oiled compressor.

I thought I'd use the portability of the small gas-powered unit, but if I were buying now, I'd go with 220V electric drive, for the noise and smell in my small backyard.

I also went for a RIX gas powered. I wanted the convience of not having to find a shop or fire hall and wait for the tanks to get filled, if they have the time. With it being oilless you can pump nitrox and not have to worry about the chance of oil from the compressor getting into the comprssor cylinders. It will never pay for itself but when you are a three hour drive from any sort of a shop you won't need multiple tanks if you plan on doing more than one dive.

ron_cooper:

It will never pay for itself but when you are a three hour drive from any sort of a shop you won't need multiple tanks if you plan on doing more than one dive.

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Not sure how you figure that it will never pay for itself. I spent around $3700. At $10 a fill that is 370 fills. Averaging 75 dives a year it is paid for itself in 5 years. Except many more tanks than my own get filled, like my partners and some of my dive buddies. ROI turned out to be around 2 years.

Even with a compressor it takes a decent amount of tanks to be able to go diving and camping for a long weekend. I can burn thru 4 tanks easily, and more in a three day weekend.

I am actually looking at a used Rix SA-6. It is single phase electric.

depending on how far your lds is, my air fill plus fuel 25 to 30 bucks, I think it'd be a good investment. I found a goverment auction site and I was browsing through past sales, there was one guy got a Bauer K-15 for 2 grand, I looked it up, and on one site anyway they wanted twelve and a half for it

This is from a great thread on DecoStop.