Which compressor should I get?
I need a compressor. Something small for my garage. I wont be filling too many tanks. Max 20 tanks a month!
Someone suggested Max-Air 35 but I heard it eats away fliters very fast. Filter needs to be replaced every 5 hours of use so that is a significant ongoing expense.
https://www.leisurepro.com/p-mxa35/m...nk-compressors
If someone else has a better suggestion for a small and compact compressor then I am all ears. Thanks.
For the same or less money you could find an old firehouse bauer or mako. I personally wouldnt buy a maxair
Also make sure you buy more than you think you need. Inwas originally just going to get a bauer Jr. thankfully I didnt. i couldnt imagine having a smaller unit than my K14.
Message Iowacavediver. Matt always seems to be finding good compressor deals and sometimes has one for sale.
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I have a Bauer nautilus 3.5 CFM 5000psi compressor with all the Bells and whistles that will be for sale shortly...beautiful machine... 500hrs on itOriginally Posted by rddvet
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Thanks so much folks. I will have to look at those models after which I will be reaching out to Iowa Cave Diver. Lets chat over pm mate. Thanks.
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Take a look at the Alkin W31. It's a ~3.6cfm/100lpm compressor (they also have a larger 4.9cfm version of this compressor that I have no experience with). It's basically a Bauer clone made in Turkey. I've got mine setup with auto drains/auto start/stop and a secondary filter stack. The distributor Alkin USA is located in New Jersy and he's pretty helpful and easy to contact if you have questions. Pricing is very reasonable. You can pack your own filters to save money but I find it annoying so I just buy disposible cartridges from FilterTechs.
All I do is pump 32% via nitrox stick. It's certainly not the fastest compressor but I fill about 6 tanks a week (2 sets of doubles and 2 stages) with it. I'm approaching 180 hours on my compressor (not a lot of hours by compressor standards) but it's still working great.
Having said all that if you can get something a bit larger I would go for it. The nice thing about owning your own compressor is convenience but I do wish it was larger especially when I am filling 2 sets of doubles. I also dont have to leave my house, sit in traffic or deal with local dive shops so there is that.
TL;DR get the largest compressor you can afford.
A couple things to consider that have not been previously mentioned.
Where are you going to use it home or dive site?
How will it be powered. Gas? Electric, house 110 or 220, 3 phase? Bigger motors, ie compressors tend to be 3 phase and probably not available at home.
Duty cycle. Some smaller, Bauer Jr, are designed to fill 1 tank and take a break before filling the next.
The higher the humidity and or temperature reduces filter life. My Oceanus has a filter rated for 10 hours at room temperature, much less in Florida in the summer at a cost of about $50 each. Ten hours is about 40 tanks at 5 cfm.
When I bought my compressor the nearest fill station was 3 hours, and often the dive site was that far the other direction, the compressor was well worth it. Now fill stations are a half hour and maybe adjacent to the dive site.
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Bigger motors, ie compressors tend to be 3 phase and probably not available at home.
Digital phase converters for motors from 1hp to 75hp are available on line. Around $300-$500, depending on size.
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I actually have a max air 35 which is a rebranded mch-6. I get longer than 5 hours per filter on it. I picked it up used from an airsoft field. Can do about 2 tanks an hour. Then I let it rest/cool and fill more. Works pretty well for me doing continuous blend EAN32.
not to be confused with static phase converters which start the motor on all 3 phases but only run it as a single phase which reduces power by about 2/3 and isn't a great solution. You will probably need a soft starter as well with that to prevent overload during startup, and by the time you do that then buying a VFD is probably just as good of an option and also gives you some other goodies that you can use for protection, communication, start/stop, etc.
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