1975 Bauer Capitano & Customer support inquiry dissatisfaction

[Wookie]

@RaginCajun to echo what I said earlier and what @Wookie said above, the filters really don't matter as far a being "Bauer compatible" or whatever. They come after the pumping is done and as long as they have a PMV on there to make the final stage happy, the pump really doesn't care.
The Capitano is a 5cfm pump which is quite small so the filters don't need to be that big, and oversizing them will just increase your change interval vs. making the air "better".

I am A HUGE fan of separate moisture separators and coalescers and believe in having them outside of the normal filter stack. Knocking out as much water as possible makes your filters last longer by knocking most of the bad stuff out with the water and preventing your coalescer from having to work so hard. Lots of filtration discussions on here that you can search through, just don't include "bauer" in there because it will probably reduce your results too much.

I am rebuilding a pair of Rix SA6 compressors which are about the same size as yours. One to keep at my place, one to leave at @The Chairman 's house for continuous blending nitrox. They will have excessive filtration put on there in terms of trying to get the water and particulates out, then "normal" filtration for getting rid of the CO and CO2. This will allow the filters to go to their full life since cave country and SC aren't exactly the driest of locales....

I have a line on some used membranes, I have 2, dunno if there are more, but the price is right. About perfect for an SA-6 if you have enough LP air. I’m gonna turn my 5405 down slow enough for it.

 

[tbone1004]

@Wookie I'm slowing the SA6 down enough to use a PSA oxygen generator that feeds straight to the stick. It's going to be PAINFULLY slow, like 1-1.5cfm, but I have a big enough bank that it's fine.

 

[TrimixToo]

To echo the advice already given...Porter Stiles, owner of August Industries, is a great resource, a gentleman, and extremely knowledgeable. I've visited his facility outside Dallas. Most of what he sells commercially is a lot bigger than what divers and dive shops need, but he's willing and able to help out with the stuff we do use.

 

[RaginCajun]

Thanks everyone for the info.

So what I've gleaned so far is that I should continue to use a synthetic oil such as ChemLube 500, 800 or 751. With the latter being higher quality, more severe service di-ester based oils. I understand that it currently uses synthetic oil but I'm not sure what brand he was using. My other takeaway is that filtration is key and high quality multi-stage is where I want to go.

Here are some pics of the compressor along with a coalescer/cartridge filter setup I'm considering buying from a friend. As I understand from the manual and my operation thus far, the compressor has a coalescer/intermediate separator on 2nd/3rd stage (it mostly catches water) followed by another coalescer (that mostly catches lube oil) and finally a packable final stage filter. According to the guy I bought it from it's currently packed with silica gel and some activated carbon. I should get the air analysis results any moment now, so I'll see how well the system is doing.

If I did go with the larger 090050 coalescer/filter assembly would it simply replace that final filtration stage? Any harm in running it downstream of the other filters mentioned above?

Also I've read something about keeping the presssure on the 2nd/3rd stage sufficiently high to separate water. I see a gauge on that 2nd/3rd stage coalescer and it stays at ~1600 psi. Does this sound right?

 

[tbone1004]

@RaginCajun the oil recommendations are outside of my area of expertise on the specifics between the different Bauer oils. @Wookie may know, but Porter is the real expert in what you should be running. Doesn't really matter what is in there now, but if you aren't sure it is synthetic, I'd probably make the first oil change at about half the recommended change interval.

Filtration is key, but moisture removal is much more important IMO. Interstage coalescing is important to prevent hydro-lock, and final coalescing is critical for filter life.
3-stage like this unit usually has moisture removal right after 2, and right after 3. You knock-out a lot of water and oil after 2, and a lot of water and oil after 3.

2nd stage pressure at 1600psi seems really high to me. Frank or Stiles would know better, but at least on my Rix which is another 3-stage compressor, when running at 4500psi the 1st stage is around 100psi, 2nd stage is around 600 psi, and final stage is around 4500psi. That's about 7:1 at the first stage, 6:1 at the second stage, and 7-8:1 at the final stage and I would assume the 3-stage Bauer at 5000psi would follow the same protocol. Somewhere around 100psi at the first stage, somewhere around, 700 psi at the 2nd stage, and somewhere around 5000psi final. That may be plus or minus 2 in the ratios, but either way, 1600psi at the second seems like either the gauge is bad, or the final stage intake valve is leaking.

No harm in running extra filters after the existing ones, but I doubt that the existing filters need any extra capacity, maybe just a different cartridge.

 

[Wookie]

Chemlube 800 is a triesther oil that Bauer now puts in every new unit they sell. It has a much higher flashpoint than the diesther oils (751 and 500) making it more suitable for nitrox.

1600 PSI is way high. 4-800 is way mo’ bettah. “Keeping the third stage high to separate water” sounds weird to me, I don’t know how that would work. What makes the pressure run so high is that the sintered filter in the separator is plugged. Call August industries and get a new one. Just the sintered filter, not the whole separator.

I still don’t like coalescer/filters. If you have a coalescer and a separate filter tower, you’re golden. You don’t need anything else.

If I had a gas engine driven compressor, and I were packing my own filters, I’d never leave out the hopcalite. But I’d never ever ever pack my own filters, so it wouldn’t ever happen that I’d leave the hopcalite out anyway.

 

[TrimixToo]

Recommended reading:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...on&Itemid=75&usg=AOvVaw0RXAsLMLf2mYCsUUthv7oA

 

[iain/hsm]

It would be an unwise marriage

Although I can’t recall us ever having marriage guidance advise on this backwater part of the forum.
I have to agree Bauer’s marriage advice on this for the following reasons.

First the “young women” in question is not from Bauer Norfolk stock and never was. She is of German heritage and there is a chance the Bauer Munich site will have the manual you require.
You will need this to be sure running and service parts are still available.

Second I agree that running additional oxygen percentage in the old girl may add more carbon issues on the valves you could do without.

As for oil if you are sure its synthetic the brand choice is secondary but if she has mineral oil in after all those years the “coke” build up will be loosened off by the synthetic and your back to leaking valve replacement issues.

From the photo the left hand drain valve has HOKE written on it, its not a standard vendor or part Hoke are a NPT taper thread and you need a G1/4 or BSPP parralel thread, make sure the thread on that aluminium part isnt damaged

Also the stainless drain valve centre of photo look like a rising plug valve again not best practice on those 3 stage Bauer blocks to use rising plugs better a needle valve for slow presure release also watch for another thread miss match

Either way those 3 separator towers should be replaced. Expecting it to work 50 years is well past her sell by date when the original build spec was to a poor TUV 2.4:1 German safety standard and no way were they designed for more than 15 years life. Your call on that especially with the grinched up threads.

 

[iain/hsm]

Here you go

Service manuals

 

[iain/hsm]

And for the specific MCapitano Manual try here:

CAPITANO