New filter stack ideas for my Bauer Mariner 190

[Nino5206]

Hi there,

I'm pretty new to this website but have been reading for a little while.
I've recently purchased an older (1997) Mariner of the CFS here in Australia (country fire station) that was sold as salvage due to its expired filter stack.

I could easily go ahead and purchase a P21 tower and be done with it but I'm interested in building something a little bigger and possibly with more mechanical filtration capabilities and a separate hopcalite tower if possible.

Some photos in the dropbox link below.

Dropbox - Mariner - Simplify your life

Thanks in advance.

 

[prid1279]

Looks like an awesome unit. I doubt that there is anything wrong with the current filter housing, most likely never had too many cycles through it.

But, since you are in Adelaide, go and see Rob from Dependable Distributors, they have been dealing with compressors for years and offer all sorts of useful advice and umpteen years ago became a Bauer distributor.
I bought an NOS Walter Kidd off him a few years back and found him to be very helpful, sold me a LF filter housing for much less than it was worth. They have all sorts of stuff out the back that is very useful to guys like us.

 

[Nino5206]

Looks like an awesome unit. I doubt that there is anything wrong with the current filter housing, most likely never had too many cycles through it.

But, since you are in Adelaide, go and see Rob from Dependable Distributors, they have been dealing with compressors for years and offer all sorts of useful advice and umpteen years ago became a Bauer distributor.
I bought an NOS Walter Kidd off him a few years back and found him to be very helpful, sold me a LF filter housing for much less than it was worth. They have all sorts of stuff out the back that is very useful to guys like us.

Hi,

thanks for your response, I'll go so him tomorrow. The only thing wrong with the existing tower is that they CFS drilled a hole through it to make sure that no one could use it again, bit of a shame as it has barely seen 280 hours in total.

 

[clownfishsydney]

If those hours are accurate, then there is no way the filter tower has a problem. Pity they stuffed it by drilling a hole in it.

 

[Nino5206]

If those hours are accurate, then there is no way the filter tower has a problem. Pity they stuffed it by drilling a hole in it.

They just went by the 15 year life span, it's a shame I know.

 

[Angelo Farina]

They just went by the 15 year life span, it's a shame I know.

Just thread the hole and insert a screw with some Teflon tape on it for sealing...
Alternatively, as the tower looks to be made of aluminium alloy, you could close the hole with a medium-temperature brazing using Durafix rods and a gas burner.
I would go with threading the hole, it is simpler.
It is a great compressor, I had a couple of them when working at Maldives, in summer 1989.
I had never got air so clean as with it! And your is entirely new, so you made a great deal purchasing it.

 

[Nino5206]

Just thread the hole and insert a screw with some Teflon tape on it for sealing...
Alternatively, as the tower looks to be made of aluminium alloy, you could close the hole with a medium-temperature brazing using Durafix rods and a gas burner.
I would go with threading the hole, it is simpler.
It is a great compressor, I had a couple of them when working at Maldives, in summer 1989.
I had never got air so clean as with it! And your is entirely new, so you made a great deal purchasing it.

Unsure how I would feel with a bolt in my pressure vessel but I've heard that before

 

[rjack321]

Unsure how I would feel with a bolt in my pressure vessel but I've heard that before

It's no different than the OPV and drain valves drilled in it. But probably best to just replace it.

The temperatures for brazing scare me more.

 

[Nino5206]

It's no different than the OPV and drain valves drilled in it. But probably best to just replace it.

The temperatures for brazing scare me more.

Valid point actually, so a 1/4 bspp or NPT thread would work just fine?

 

[rjack321]

Valid point actually, so a 1/4 bspp or NPT thread would work just fine?

Tapping it for NPT would be a challenge, those threads have a precise taper. I don't know a good way to seal a bolt other than epoxy on the threads.