Making a homemade shallow water dive hookah

[mmerriman]

an 80cf tank will last an eternity at 10 ft.......

 

[Sam Miller III]

Some time ago in the genesis of diving there was a DIY article in an old Mechanics Illustrated devoted to Hookah.

Suggest a trip to a building know as a library and look it up..

SDM

 

[Bob DBF]

Some time ago in the genesis of diving there was a DIY article in an old Mechanics Illustrated devoted to Hookah.

Suggest a trip to a building know as a library and look it up..

SDM

Back when I was a kid my dad and I, togather and independently, made a lot of DIY projects from that magazine and Popular Science. Unfortunately, today there is no longer the high volume and low price of military surplus parts and equipment left over from WWII in surplus stores in every town.

The DIY I do now relies on scrap yards, Craig's list, garage sales and so on, but most technical gear has to bought new off the shelf, and a lot of what I used to DIY can be bought cheaper than I could source parts, not including my labor. Yes I could build it better but I would have to source better parts which would cost even more, and so on.

Most of my DIY now involves keeping things running well past what most would consider their useful life. So I buy equipment that is solid and repairable, then fix it. Planned obsolescence drives ne nuts, but for my own sanity I've made an uneasy truce.


Bob

 

[dead dog]

View attachment 469900
most simple DIY hookah system!

Best hookah system I've ever seen. Next double kegs. LMAO!

 

[Dave Goodchild]

Has anyone tried this one? It is one that is rechargeable and oiless and cheap.
Sun Joe iONAIR 40-Volt iONMAX Cordless Air Compressor | 1.6-Gallon | Included Accessories | Tool Only

 

[happy-diver]

Wow that one you could add an intake pipe put it in a plastic bag and take it with you


Mechanics Illustrated build diving Hookah - Google Search

Then there's Alec

 

[Nitrous]

One problem is the way that regulators work. The way that traditional demand-regulators work (what we all know as scuba regs) is they take an input of around 140PSI (varies, from 120-150 for most regulators) and regulate it down to a breathable level based on ambient pressure. Custom-making a compressor is simply not feasible for most, and (no offense intended) you seem to not be as well-read as what it takes to make this attainable. If you're REALLY looking for some sort of surface-supplied air, and want to design it yourself, I'd figure out a way to float big bank bottles and attach them to traditional scuba gear and just put a big 10-30ft hose on the regulator.

Most compressors work exactly like a car piston.

Most piston-based compressors work exactly like a car piston.... but only piston based compressors. Diaphragm pumps work similarly, but not exactly. Vane pumps and screw pumps work completely differently.

The obvious, and safest method is as you say, to take a 3000psi tank, float it on the surface with a 1st stage regulator connected to a 2nd stage some distance away. That way, you have control over the gas you breathe - which is one of the challenges of a traditional remote compressor that is drawing air in from the surface.

 

[Nitrous]

You can just about use any shop type air compressor pumping unit provided it is cleaned internally beforehand and a suitable oil is used, abac type 2 stages are quite popular in my industry (pearl diving) and 16cfm is good for 2 divers to 25m plus. Where it gets complicated and expensive is the other parts you may not be aware of. Breathing air hose, tema fittings for the hose, relief valve, water seperator, filtration unit, some kind of reciever usually built into the frame if the unit is portable.
For many years clisby compressors were the first choice (in australia at least) but now days it works out cheaper to use chinese produced pump units and replace the whole thing when the rings go rather than rebuilding the more expensive units.
I have built and rebuilt many of these and can do it only slightly cheaper than buying a production model and thats reusing the filtration units.
As tbone suggested buying a commercially available unit is the way to go unless your really after the diy feeling.

this is a pretty dangerous statement. under no circumstances should an oil-lubricated compressor be used to supply 'breathable compressed air.' Dynamic oil separation ie immediately being consumed by the diver, is not reliable no matter how clean you might try and make it. The traditional "oil-less" compressors are another story. In fact, virtually all the Hookah systems I've seen offered include a single or dual piston oil-less compressor capable of delivering in excess of 50lpm at 0psi ie surface pressure coupled with an air reservoir to buffer the system.

As far as Chinese built compressors, even the big names ie ARB seem to be using Chinese manufactured parts - the biggest difference seems to me to be quality assurance and testing of these parts that are "assembled" in the USA before they go out to the end user.

In selecting a compressor, there are several issues to consider. 1) max air flow at 0 psi ie unobstructed volume delivered. 2) duty cycle - how long can it run without overheating 3) maximum pressure for the compressor. after that, this is largely an issue of plumbing.

As far as safety, I'd actually prefer to build my own than use a cheap Chinese system. I've seen one for sale that actually uses one of those expandable hoses (magic hose)! The AirBuddy (a very clever design with self contained air reservoir) seems to be using a coiled PU or PVC coiled hose... I'd be interested in knowing if this was listed as "suitable for breathable air"

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

My opinion,
Just go buy a genuine boat bottom cleaning hookah unit. They are designed and set up to do exactly what you are trying to do.
Or, follow @tbone1004 advice and just go get scuba certified and do whatever you need to do on ‘scooba”.

 

[Nitrous]

I wouldn't recommend anyone interested in breathing compressed air from any source, in the water do it without getting certified. For me, confidence and comfort breathing underwater only comes with time. The open water isn't the best place to find out what to do when your regulator fills with water or your mask comes off.

My interest in hookah is purely one of weight and comfort. The last place I would want to find myself is underwater, with my lungs filled with compressed air - and not know exactly what to do! We were in Aruba recently... SNUBA (talk about a forced acronym!) was offered - even being certified, I listened to the dive master and took it easy.