Rix SA-6 needs priority valve. Owner needs guidance.

[Andrew Donn]

Great. Sounds like your working out a nice setup. I agree the coalescer should dampen out any surge from the BPR. I think it depends on the model you get but my experience is the air trickles out. 6.5 cfm isn't very high volume.

 

[RayfromTX]

especially not at 100 bar

 

[NAM001]

no matter wht you do the most critical BPR is on the compressor output so as to remove the oisture that will destroy the folow on filtration if the air is of a low water content. The terms will get you confused the input to the filter will be 100% RH air that is still low compared to 100% RH at the air density of 1atm of about 2% volumn. 2000 psi or 60 atm 100% is about 1/60the of that at 1 atm.. if 1atm is 2% them the input of the filter is 1/30th %.....that is dry air so raising the bpr up more doesnt get you much . It does effect the sweet spot psi for the compressor running ballanced. Each compressor make has its own rpm and BP to run ballanced. so 1500 may be good for humidity reduction but 2200 may be better for balanced compressor operation. What ever it takes to run the compressor ballanced make that your post filter BPR settimg. this keeps the compressor runniing ballanced the lhighest percentage of the runniing time. 1500 or more for the water separator output BPR setting. once your system pressure gets above the compressor BPR it serves no purpose because the higher BPR setting on the filter output is controlling.

 

[RayfromTX]

I am moving further along this path now. Thanks for all your input on this thread to help me move forward.

 

[tbone1004]

I am moving further along this path now. Thanks for all your input on this thread to help me move forward.

to revive this, hows your fill station coming along?

 

[RayfromTX]

The fill station works great! I haven't dived local for the last two months as I did two weeks in Coz a month ago and it is into drysuit territory now and we don't have them yet. I'm banking 1776 cu ft of 32% and at this time have no need for anything else but when we go deeper in our local lake I'll top it with air to knock the O2% down as needed. I also am set with Helium now so I'll be getting trained on that this spring. It is really smooth and easy to operate and hits right on the target O2 to within .1% and the CO is measuring at .3PPM. The moisture is at a dew point of > -100f. I have some video of it here somewhere.

Thanks for asking. I did add another priority valve so it has one at the compressor and one after the filters.

Pumping Nitrox - YouTube

• RayfromTX
• Aug 18, 2017

Filling the cascade with 32% while transfilling four scuba tanks

 

[iain/hsm]

Ray

Here is a party trick I am asking you to consider doing together with another SA-6 user here tbone1004 to make a point about gas purity. Could you when you next drain the condensate from the two separators collect it in a clear clean drinking glass.
Wait for the diffused gas bubbles to clear, show the clear clean distilled water and then drink it.
Let us know what it tasted like, Its warm distilled water so it wont harm you. I just want to make a point about air purity and have asked another member to do the same test with his Bauer K14. To kind of fix an itch for good. Thanks.

 

[tbone1004]

@iain/hsm I've done it before for sh!ts and giggles years ago. It tastes like warm water, not particularly appetizing but it's drinkable. @RayfromTX will probably have his running before I have mine though. Probably 4-5 weeks before mine gets turned over

 

[RayfromTX]

I won't be drinking my condensate. If I was thirsty and that's ALL there was I would not have any fear in doing so. I suspect it will be May before mine spins again. Headed to UAE in late march to dive with @RainPilot . I can dive a few weekends on my banked air once it warms up here.

Here's my take on the issue of oil lubed compressors vs the Rix. I wouldn't dive either without supplementary filtration. Ambient CO can be elevated without us ever knowing. I measured 1.9 through my Rix because I was cooking in the other part of the house even though I had a powerful exhaust fan in use in the kitchen. I couldn't smell dinner but I measured CO. This was with a fresh LF filter stack with hopcalite. I will test every tank and I won't trust anybody's air. That's a big part of why I pump my own. Yes the Rix is safer. Perhaps if I had more dives and more experience I would feel differently about it.

 

[tbone1004]

@RayfromTX the point was that the water in your condensate is literally just humidity from the air, there is nothing else in there. In any oil filled compressor, no matter how well maintained, there is "stuff" that sits in the condensate and when you blow it out it's actually pretty gross. You can drink condensate out of a rix with no issues, you really can't from any other compressor