Compressor setup advice

[TSandM]

With the THIRD dive shop closing on us, we are going to have to bite the bullet and get a compressor. I really know very little about them, so I'm more than a little nervous about this whole endeavor.

What I would like to hear is the mistakes other people have made in setting up a home compressor, so we don't have to make them anew. What did you do that didn't work well, or that you regret? What do you wish you had known before you set out on providing yourself with your own gas?

 

[WhiteSands]

With the THIRD dive shop closing on us, we are going to have to bite the bullet and get a compressor. I really know very little about them, so I'm more than a little nervous about this whole endeavor.

What I would like to hear is the mistakes other people have made in setting up a home compressor, so we don't have to make them anew. What did you do that didn't work well, or that you regret? What do you wish you had known before you set out on providing yourself with your own gas?

Some things to look out for:

- How's the support like in your country? In some places I've heard complaints of having to wait 4-5 months for a Bauer part to come in, or problems just getting a reply by email. Out of frustration the shop changed all their compressors to Coltri-Subs, although the Bauers last decades if cared for properly. So definitely check availability of parts and level of support for the brand & model you are considering.

- What kind of power source is needed? Most homes are not set up to support 3 phase (which is what most shop compressors use), so do check for that.

- The compressor sucks a lot of current when starting up. Some suck so much power it causes problems like lights dimming etc. in the house. I remember there are 2 main designs in which this is handled, but can't recall the technical names now. The better ones step up in a way so as to not draw excessive current.

- Charging time / speed. Unless you can support 3 phase power source, charging time is going to be much slower. Depending on how many tanks and how often you will be doing this, it might or might not be feasible.

- Maintenance schedule, what does it entail, how often, how much?

- Auto venting - I'd definitely want these. I would really hate to stand around and vent the compressor while it was charging. Also look into auto-shut off too.

- Noise level. May or may not be a deal breaker depending on where you live.

- Safety features. The well designed compressors design their motors so that the piston which is handling the highest amount of compression force is boxed in by piping, railing or guards, so that if the head ever flies off, it will not make a hole in the room or kill someone.

- How commonly used is this compressor? If it's common, it's easier to get parts for it, more people will know how to fix it.

 

[tbone1004]

I have a Rix SA-6.
Pro's, military uses them, so the parts availability is a nonissue, the actual issue is cost of the parts, but they don't chew through much
Oil-less, nice perk
can be either gas or electric

cons
slow, 6cfm is pretty darn slow if you're having to fill a lot.
doesn't come with filter stacks, just the moisture separators. Fine for most applications especially if you can get the intake inside of the house or somewhere, not so good for beach access with gas drive, but you can add a filter stack.

Other great small compressors out there that you can DIY maintenance on as well

I'd build a nitrox stick if you want to do nitrox, buy oxyhacker, check out some of the plans in there. Much better than a booster and can suck the O2 bottles dry. Lots of great threads of home compressor setups much nicer than mine. If the dive shop is closing, see if you can buy their compressor and/or their bank bottles/fill station, that will put you way ahead of the game. Even if you don't have 3-phase coming to the house, any compressor can be converted to gasoline if you are somewhat mechanically inclined, just have to make sure the intake is a ways away

 

[opie712]

Keep an eye on govdeals.com lots of old fire stations sell their old ones when they upgrade most can be had for a song

 

[ajtoady]

Lynne, would it not be possible with yours and hubby's background and qualifications to work a trade with the local Fire Dept. station? Trading services for air works real well for me. I donated time and materials to hook up their new Bauer system and then did the work on their new kitchen hood and equipment. I have keys to the building and during the summer I probably fill about 400 cu ft a week for my diving. I don't abuse it and fill every Tom, Dick , or Harry's tanks, pretty much just mine. I also supplied the adapters to fill DIN or yoke. The diving fireman also appreciate the adapters I provided. I do however live in a rural area and realize some areas are hard to work with.

 

[TSandM]

We can talk to our local FD, but I suspect in our area, they wouldn't need much of anything we could provide.

Noise and power aren't an issue. We live on 8.5 acres with no houses nearby, and the property was built by a guy who owned a major electrical contracting company, so we have lots of power. We may even have three phase, but I don't think we need anything that big. This is for personal use, and occasionally student tanks.

I bought the Oxyhacker book when this transition began to loom, but I was surprised how little in the book has to do with compressors and fill setups.

 

[victorzamora]

With the THIRD dive shop closing on us, we are going to have to bite the bullet and get a compressor. I really know very little about them, so I'm more than a little nervous about this whole endeavor.

What I would like to hear is the mistakes other people have made in setting up a home compressor, so we don't have to make them anew. What did you do that didn't work well, or that you regret? What do you wish you had known before you set out on providing yourself with your own gas?

Hey Lynne,

I have zero experience with home compressor setups....but I helped tear down, move, re-install one at a dive shop I worked at, and I also helped with the tear-down and maintenance a few times. It was more of a home-type compressor...single-phase, 8CFM, external filter stack, small cascade setup, air-only. From that experience, all I can say is the first step is to determine your goals. Are trimix fills in your future? I assume Nitrox is. Are you doing GUE-standard gasses only plus air? Do you want this mobile or home-only? After your goals are set, plan early and often. Map/sketch everything out repeatedly. You really only get one shot to get everything in right.

The other thing I'll suggest is contacting Bob Outlaw. He owns and operates BlueStone Dive Resort, an awesome quarry/training facility in NC. He's an incredible source of knowledge for all things related to compressors and hyperbaric chambers.

Home

 

[Herb-alaska]

Hi Lynn my recommendation is figure out what you think you need in a compressor and then double it. I do not have a space at home where I can set up a compressor so I bought a Gas powered that I could set up in a storage unit . I first bought a max- air 35 which is a 4.2 scfm (7.1 m³/hr) / 4800 psi (330 bar). I really like the compressor however I found that I was over working it. and then I got a great deal on a lightly used max- air 90 = 10.8 scfm (18.4 m³/hr) / 5000 psi (345 bar) which is all that I will need. I would have saved some bucks by buying the max- air 90 to start with had it been available. I do not regret buying a max - air unit they are easy to service and for me the honda engine is reliable as can be.

I finally would say if you can afford it buy NEW don't save a few bucks and risk buying someone's used unit who may or may not have cared for it the way you would.

SO Buy bigger and buy new if you can

 

[jimbeeler]

With the THIRD dive shop closing on us, we are going to have to bite the bullet and get a compressor. I really know very little about them, so I'm more than a little nervous about this whole endeavor.

What I would like to hear is the mistakes other people have made in setting up a home compressor, so we don't have to make them anew. What did you do that didn't work well, or that you regret? What do you wish you had known before you set out on providing yourself with your own gas?

While I've still got quite a few dive shops around, they are a bit of a drive and I too have been thinking about a compressor.

Not to hijack the thread, but my questions center around where to buy a compressor, either new or used. Where can I find a trusted source to buy a used one? I've Googled it and pretty much come up with a few sources for new compressors but nothing much for used ones. Lots on eBay but I don't know that I'd trust my life on something from eBay.

I've also been reading up on the various brands, RIX, Bauer, Max-Air, Coltri.... There's also an outfit close to me in Arlington, TX that sells AireTex. I have no idea about that compressor and really can't find much about it, like I can the others. It sure would be close to me though. Anyone know anything about AireTex?

Jim

 

[cool_hardware52]

Bank bottles, plenty of bank bottles.

For a personal compressor I'd vote for a smaller pump and bigger bank every time.

1) You don't need to be there when the bank is filling.

2) The banked gas has a chance to cool before you fill your scuba tanks.

3) Banks gas is a huge benefit if you are PP Nitrox or Trimix blending as you can rapidly add the air to mix with the O2 and or He.

4) Banked gas makes the occasional pump problem less urgent.

5) Bank bottles tend to hold their value.

A "Pyramid" bank is best, i.e. more lp bottles, some mid pressure, a couple HP. That lets your pump run at lower pressures most of the time, but even if you choose only 4500 or higher bank bottles you will be lucky to wear out a compressor in a personal fill station.
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Continuous blending vs PP

Continuous Blending is attractive for the home gamer, but...... you can't really make all the deco gases using a combo of continuous blending and cascade filling. At some point if you want to make Trimix, and 50% and 100% you will want a booster. Once you cross that threshold you need a fairly large shop air compressor, but you don't need a stick, the associated instrumentation, and you can usually get by with many fewer supply bottles. Cascade filling benefits from *lots* of supply bottles, a booster can suck the supply bottles near empty. Avoiding continuous blending also can open up the range of breathing air pumps you might consider.

Don't under estimate the need to keep everything as cool as possible. Your climate provides some advantages, but provide your compressor shed with lots of ventilation.

Take a careful look at your available power. Do you have sufficient electrical service to drive the pumps you are considering? Is this power distributed to the location on your property you want to site the equipment?

Define what gases you need first.

Tobin