Scuba Gear for Basic Boat Maintenance

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Downline

Most compressors use oil. All the High pressure compressors that are used to fill scuba tanks use oil. The oil is not the same oil that you put in your vehicle. All of these compressors use filters (or should use filters) to separate the water and oil from the air.
Some of the comments that I've seen makes me wonder if the person making the comment is really a commercial diver.
I've seen some very nice designs from some diamond divers on South Africa's West Coast. They make the frame from stainless steel tubing. This frame also do duty as the buffer tank.

Hard hat commercial divers will frequently dive on very large, multiple diver-capable, diesel air compressors that are oil-lubricated. Yes they use a special oil, but unless you have a crane to lift one of these industrial compressors into your boat, you are not likely to shell out the tens of thousands of dollars needed to buy one.

For light commercial and recreational use, nobody is using anything but small, oil-less compressors. There is absolutely no reason to consider anything else.

[Downline]

Originally Posted by crazyoldboatguy

Someone had posted earlier that a commercial diver he knows recommended against using the hookah dive gadgets as the oil from the compressor is dangerous and harmful. When I looked up these gadgets, and the "off the shelf" tankless compressors they used, they all refer to "oil-less compressors". So, I am curious - where does the oil come from?

I am intrigued by these devices, which have been around for decades. I have never heard of folks being injured when using them correctly. I would bet if someone had been injured, these products would have disappeared from the market after all the lawsuits were filed. I didn't have the time to go back over the 8 pages of comments so hoped the writer would recognize the post and comment. I certainly want to know more before I buy or make one of these gadgets. Thanks

Most compressors use oil. All the High pressure compressors that are used to fill scuba tanks use oil. The oil is not the same oil that you put in your vehicle. All of these compressors use filters (or should use filters) to separate the water and oil from the air.
Some of the comments that I've seen makes me wonder if the person making the comment is really a commercial diver.
I've seen some very nice designs from some diamond divers on South Africa's West Coast. They make the frame from stainless steel tubing. This frame also do duty as the buffer tank.

[Downline]

For light commercial and recreational use, nobody is using anything but small, oil-less compressors. There is absolutely no reason to consider anything else.[/QUOTE]

That is true and I totally agree. I was just trying to explain to the members that are worried about the oil.

[crazyoldboatguy]

The hookah compressors all use a compressor which very clearly is described as OIL LESS. These are small compressors, not meant for use in filling SCUBA tanks but, rather, to provide a steady stream of air via a hose to a diver in relatively shallow water. Or to fill a small low pressure tank to provide some back up capacity for the hookah.

If you google the words hookah diver there are a couple of companies that sell these gadgets. That is the product I am referring to. They do NOT use compressors that use oil. They are specifically referred to as oil less.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by crazyoldboatguy

The hookah compressors all use a compressor which very clearly is described as OIL LESS. These are small compressors, not meant for use in filling SCUBA tanks but, rather, to provide a steady stream of air via a hose to a diver in relatively shallow water. Or to fill a small low pressure tank to provide some back up capacity for the hookah.

If you google the words hookah diver there are a couple of companies that sell these gadgets. That is the product I am referring to. They do NOT use compressors that use oil. They are specifically referred to as oil less.

Instead of berating your readers for not understanding what you posted, maybe you should consider that what you wrote was clear as mud. First you talked about all hookahs being based on oil-less compressors then in the next breath queried; where did the oil in a hookah rig come from?

[crazyoldboatguy]

The poster who caused me some frustration posted something else which I didn't see until I had posted my response. He clarified his response.

I reread my post. It is clear I was looking for clarification from an earlier post where the commercial diver disparaged hookahs as dangerous due to oil - I don't think the commercial diver knew that the compressors hookahs use are oil less. The frustration came from the poster I refer to above. It is all good.

[hellosailor]

Crazy-
Compressors for air tools "should" use oil. The oil vapor and air exhaust through the tools, keeping them lubricated and free of grit (i.e. fiberglass or sawdust or metal shavings from the work) and that's a good thing.

OTOH compressors for painting, especially for automobile and other fine finishes, must be oil free because ANY oil will contaminate the paint job causing fish-eyes, adhesion problems, big expensive problems. The drawback is that oil-free compressors rely on lubricating parts like Teflon surfaces, which will melt if overheated form long hard work.

So oil-free compressors aren't hard to find, but the average buyer can't tell them apart by sight and certainly can't tell if some cheap knock-off manufacturer bothered to clean out the machining and manufacturing oils used to make the parts in the first place. Maybe if you don't trust one, you can let it run for a while and flush it with something?

But lung injuries and lawsuits could take decades even if someone figured out what damaged their lings five or ten years before the injury became obvious. I wouldn't rely on the lack of lawsuits to mean anything was "good" about this type of small and widespread user group in any case.

Leaded gasoline, car wheel brake dust (asbestos), diesel soot near highways, all these things are causing respiratory and other illness. And they went on, or are still going on, for how many decades with no one paying attention? So...caveat emptor.

[Downline]

Originally Posted by crazyoldboatguy

The poster who caused me some frustration posted something else which I didn't see until I had posted my response. He clarified his response.

I reread my post. It is clear I was looking for clarification from an earlier post where the commercial diver disparaged hookahs as dangerous due to oil - I don't think the commercial diver knew that the compressors hookahs use are oil less. The frustration came from the poster I refer to above. It is all good.

I can understand that it can be frustrating. The options can be bewildering. The LP compressors come in all shape and sizes from the big ones that we use for offshore commercial diving to little battery operated compressors. Even hand operated compressors.
The info you get from the divers that clean yachts for a living are probably more relevant.

[IslandHopper]

While these Hookahs are probably not what the OP is looking for, there is a little misinformation about oil-lubricated units.

These oil-lubricated units are widely used throughout the Pearling and Abalone industries to name but two, I was using similar for my 5 years on Pearl farms, plenty of recreational divers are also using them. These are not huge units for hard hat diving, two people can easily lift them, and are fully complaint with the regulations re oil type and filtration.

The below is an 18CFM unit and can be had for about AUD $6500.00, as I said, probably not what the OP is looking for, just pointing out that compact oil-lubricated units built to commercial standards (that will outlast Hookamax, Powerdive etc etc) are safe and available....

[Blue Crab]

A couple of comments. My last scuba shop job was with a major league outfit on the East Coast, Discovery Diving in Beaufort, NC, in operation over thirty (30!!!!!) years. While I was there, say til 2009, we had a 50 CFM air compressor dating from WWII, and a Bauer 15 CFM that we mixed Nitrox with . The Bauer used special food grade oil. The BIGASS air compressor used 30 wt ND oil that we bought by the case at the auto parts store. Ask me how I know. Obviously we had a serious filtration system but I gots to wonder now and then how many of you boys are quoting anecdotal stories rather than walking the walk.

The other, and somewhat similar thing is we got us a skipper from Chicago worrying about saving air in his tanks for clams. I will confess I am not a clam expert though I have clammed on the West Coast AND the East Coast of the United States earning mucho dinero on the EC raking clams in ankle deep water at low tide. I've also been diving since 1970 or so and have yet to hear of a diver talking about diving for clams. Until today.

I'm here to learn.

:whist ling:: whistling::whistl ing:

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

I've also been diving since 1970 or so and have yet to hear of a diver talking about diving for clams. Until today.

I'm here to learn.

:whist ling:: whistling::whistl ing:

Who are you talking to...............

[Downline]

Originally Posted by IslandHopper

While these Hookahs are probably not what the OP is looking for, there is a little misinformation about oil-lubricated units.

These oil-lubricated units are widely used throughout the Pearling and Abalone industries to name but two, I was using similar for my 5 years on Pearl farms, plenty of recreational divers are also using them. These are not huge units for hard hat diving, two people can easily lift them, and are fully complaint with the regulations re oil type and filtration.

The below is an 18CFM unit and can be had for about AUD $6500.00, as I said, probably not what the OP is looking for, just pointing out that compact oil-lubricated units built to commercial standards (that will outlast Hookamax, Powerdive etc etc) are safe and available....

Those are fantastic LP compressors. Simple to use and they last a long time. We have done some really big jobs with them. Might be a bit awkward for a yacht.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by IslandHopper

Who are you talking to...............

The clam diver from Chicago. In retrospect, I acknowledge there are clams in deeper water, seen the danged ol things myself!, and may have mistakenly called BS, grossly underestimating the numbers of folks who dive for clams. Mrs Google notes that in clam-rich beach areas, large clams are a vast resource I had apparently forgotten about in my dotage.

I stand corrected by my own shoddy scholarship. Apologies as needed.