funny air smell / taste

[HeatCker]

I've got a buddy with a brand new electric compressor.
I think 400 or 500 psi a minute if that sounds right.
when he fills my tanks the air has a smell / taste to it.
hard to describe, maybe rubbery, stale ???
I'm not sure if oily or fumey should be part of the description or not, it's difficult to describe
the compressor is only about 4 months old and has had two air samples/tests done on it..both came back ok
what would cause that rubbery kind of smell / taste
thanks

 

[Jack Hammer]

If the air itself is fine it could be the fill whip. I've seen hydraulic hoses and stuff not intended for breathing air used. I'd still be very cautious.

 

[HeatCker]

thanks for your answer
i read the "sticky" report at the top of the page ... pretty informative
from that, i figure maybe the compressor was overworked / overheating a bit and that the filter was getting wet with the humid conditions we've been having
i can smell the air (rubbery, stale) when i crack the valve so i'll drain the tanks and get them refilled

 

[TrimixToo]

thanks for your answer
i read the "sticky" report at the top of the page ... pretty informative
from that, i figure maybe the compressor was overworked / overheating a bit and that the filter was getting wet with the humid conditions we've been having
i can smell the air (rubbery, stale) when i crack the valve so i'll drain the tanks and get them refilled

Good plan.

 

[michael-fisch]

You may have to drain and refill 5-6 times before the stink is unnoticeable. If that doesn't work you'll have to wash out the tank wth dish detergent (Hot), rinse several times, dry and refill. In that case cleaning the valve in a hot ultrasonic tank is also a good idea.

Have fun,

Michael

 

[AfterDark]

If the air itself is fine it could be the fill whip. I've seen hydraulic hoses and stuff not intended for breathing air used. I'd still be very cautious.

I don't know how they take samples but common sense (not often used) would be to include all components used to fill a tank, IMO.

 

[HeatCker]

afterdark .... after the compressor is warmed up you connect a sampling device to the whip
see the atth'd short vid to view a sampling device (hope the link works)
part of the sampling device is a glass tube
the air sample is captured in the glass tube and sent to an independent lab for testing
that's the method my buddy uses .. there are probably others

 

[rhwestfall]

let me guess.... Is this one of the "cheap" PCP/paintball compressors?

Air test are "good" because they were taken with it cold. Having had to run it long and hard to fill a SCUBA tank, I'd venture to guess that if you sent a sample from your tank, the test results would be different.

My thought is that the heat from so much run time and work is releasing some not-so-good stuff....

What kind of filtration is being used on this compressor? What size is the oil/water separator? How frequent were you dumping it?

 

[HeatCker]

i don't think its a paintball compressor, i'll have to get the make and model number..
i think your right about run time and heat build up, he may be filling to many cylinders before letting it cool down..
also there can be at times some moisture on the filter from the high humidity we're having which isn't good for filtering...
some of your other questions might be answered with the make and model...

 

[AfterDark]

afterdark .... after the compressor is warmed up you connect a sampling device to the whip
see the atth'd short vid to view a sampling device (hope the link works)
part of the sampling device is a glass tube
the air sample is captured in the glass tube and sent to an independent lab for testing
that's the method my buddy uses .. there are probably others

That makes sense to me,that would include all the components as it should. Thanks for the info, the link worked fine