Want To Buy: SCUBA compressor

[pdenton]

I want to buy a high pressure 3000 psi as small as possible

[rcontrera]

What kind do you want ... electric or gas?

[Zephyrcat229]

I'm interested in this also.. still a little ways off but I always figured that gas would be the most economical/ portable. looked into it a while ago found the info a bit scattered and thin at the time. I wonder if anybody is making something 12vdc that would run hookah line or 2 or fill tanks..

what does anybody know??

[pdenton]

Gas, but I'd consider electric.

[pdenton]

There are 12 volt hookah rigs, but I think that a 12 volt high-pressure compressor would not be practical.

[a64pilot]

I put my own Hooka together, but used a110 compressor, much less expensive that way, to put one together yourself. I used a "silent" compressor that is actually amazingly quiet, I don't worry about using it early in the morning at a marina for example.
To fill tanks takes an enormous amount of power, if electric better have more than a 5 KW generator, probably a 7.5 , or buy one with the Honda gas engine, and they are not cheap and have to be serviced correctly, with the correct oil and filters etc and if not, they can be deadly. Make odorless and tasteless CO gas that will kill.
Only makes any kind of sense if you are where you cannot get fills, then of course it's fill your own or don't dive.
If I were to fill my own I would buy a CO analyzer to test, not a bad idea even if you get your tanks filled at a Commercial shop.


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[rcontrera]

As has already been mentioned, electric compressors draw a lot of power on the startup and then slowly increase the draw as the pressure increases. While the old recommendation was a minimum of a 7kw gen set, the marketing hype on gen sets is pretty much out of line with reality so we have shifted to 9KW.

12V is pretty much a no go for high pressure so you are locked into hookah, However, make sure you have a good breathing air filter on the air feed so you don't slowly poison yourself.

I have a LOT of people with gasoline driven compressors onboard. The air suction on the compressor has an intake hose so that you can take a suction upstream of the engine exhaust.

These aren't cheap ... they start new at $2900 and go up from there.

Hope that helps!

[pdenton]

Can you get oil-less low-pressure compressors in a manufactured set-up or DIY.
luxembergphd@gmail.com

[rcontrera]

Originally Posted by pdenton

Can you get oil-less low-pressure compressors in a manufactured set-up or DIY.

Sure! Probably the most successful oil-less diving compressor is the Brownie. They have been around a long time and have really gone into the compressor biz in earnest. There ar a lot of guys that will sell you fish tank air pumps and run away with your money, but Brownie has a reputation to maintain. It has been quite a while since I looking\to the cost, but my old price list has them starting in the $1000 range and going up to well over $5000 depending on the service, depths you are diving and what accessories you need.

[a64pilot]

I think I have maybe $300 in my Hooka, $175 for a silent oiless compressor, a little less than that for a 60' air hose, one meant for breathing through bought for this purpose complete with a belt to attach hose, swivel at the end and the last 6' or so is a smaller diameter, I just used an old reg I had laying around.
Note, normal intermediate pressure for a reg is usually about 150 psi or so, unlikely you will ever get that high, so if you don't adjust the reg it may breathe a little hard, I didn't bother its not much different.
Just do not use an oil compressor, and use a hose meant for breathing, not a hose meant for filling tires.
Know your surface air consumption if possible, but almost everyone should be about 1 cu ft per min or less, I am .67 swimming and that is nothing special, so you need a compressor that will supply more than 1 cu ft per min at or above say 90 PSI for shallow work like cleaning hulls.
Say two cu ft per min min if you want to swim around and look at the pretty fish.


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[pdenton]

Problem: the brownie costs almost as much as a high-pressure compressor. I had one before they changed to direct drive. Belt driven complete rip-off.

[pdenton]

Exactly what kind and brand of hose. Was the oil-less compressor off-the-shelf at HD or Lowes. The hookah that I've used in the past needed at least 100 feet to explore the reef. I put the compressor in a skiff and moved the anchor around.
A gas-powered engine floating o a tire tub is a very shaky arrangement

[neworleansrich]

I am assuming you want a compressor to fill dive tanks since your post said 3000
psi.

If you want to go electric, you need 220volts for a large 5hp motor, otherwise you need gasoline power. Basically you need about 5hp to effectively fill a tank in 20min. I've been through this exercise and ended up with a Honda powered gas unit. I would have preferred electric, but didn't have the capacity.

[pdenton]

You are exactly right about the high pressure compressor. 5 years ago I had a 42 foot trawler, 6 K W generator, and a Bauer compressor. I now have a 35 foot Pearson. I was dreaming. I'll have to get my tanks filled on land, and headed for the Bahamas. But SNUBA would be very useful since I plan to be in the more remote areas.
The Brownie is the West Marine of hookahs. Nice if money is of little concern.
Some people seem to have DIYed some safe and cheap hookahs. I would've thought that somebody would have jumped into the market and manufactured a low-cost alternative to the Brownie

[Emmalina]

2 most common compressors around in the diving world are the coltri sub gas/electric and the bauer . Both expensive but the bauer will last longer ! If you just want to clean your hull neither of these is required .