$50 Harbor Freight hookah system testing

[tbone1004]

I like this one a lot. I am a complete novice on a tight budget. Most of my extra funds are going to shipping a dredge yo Nome. So anywhere I an save on diving will certainly be a huge help for me. Where would you recommend I get a hose , a stage 1 and stage 2 regulator affordably?

earlier in this thread are recommendations for those, but you don't need a first stage with a hookah

 

[kelemvor]

Hi
Would you recommend an air compressor like this new one?
View attachment 642730

At $350 it's only about an additional $150 to get a quality compressor. You can tell one is of high quality as output will be rated in CFM rather than SCFM. The difference is that SCFM ratings only apply when nothing is connected to the output (no tool, or regulator). for example 4.5SCFM@90PSI means nothing on the hose, 90psi in the tank. Compressors rated in SCFM will probably be fine for a single diver on a hookah without much stress, but if you're working hard or want 2+ divers you're going to want a better unit.

 

[JanNL]

I see that this thread has’nt had any comments since Feb. 18,so I hope my comment will still be read. Being totally new to the hookah idea, I want to explore the option of building my own. One thing I don’t find much info about is the air-on-demand, where the compressor kicks in the moment you inhale, and saves battery life……How can you incorporate that part in the design, what are the specific parts to purchase?
Thanks,
Jan

 

[kelemvor]

A "regular" compressor like horror freight or homeless despot sells already does this. Just not quite in the way you're thinking.

So one of these systems has a tank that remains at the surface. It's not very big, but does store some compressed gas. There is a regulator that will turn the compressor off when the tank reaches a set "full" point, and it turns the compressor back on when it reaches a lower set "not full" point. When you breathe, you're actually breathing the air that is in the tank - the compressor just refills the tank. The air is always being delivered to the hose and correspondingly the regulator. You can get several breaths from the tank before the motor will need to kick on and refill. The better the motor/pump are, the less time it will take for the tank to be refilled up to that full point.

 

[JanNL]

Thanks for the reply! It seems though that the Blu3 hookah system does not work with a tank, but when a switch is turned to “on” on the regulator, and you breathe in, the compressor kicks in and stops when the inhaling of air stops.
I wonder how they have done that.

 

[Angelo Farina]

Thanks for the reply! It seems though that the Blu3 hookah system does not work with a tank, but when a switch is turned to “on” on the regulator, and you breathe in, the compressor kicks in and stops when the inhaling of air stops.
I wonder how they have done that.

Their web site explains it clearly.
BLU3 | Ultra-portable dive systems — BLU3 Ultra-Portable Dive Systems
here their explanation:
The Smart Reg™
What allows Nemo to be so compact, energy-efficient, and responsive is our patent-pending Smart Reg™ – the first of its kind!

Here’s how it works: A silicone diaphragm inside the Smart Reg™ moves when the diver breathes. A waterproofed sensor measures the diaphragm movement – it then sends an electronic signal which triggers the compressor to pump air at exactly the time and speed that the diver is inhaling.

Nemo pumps only the exact pressure, volume, and flow rate that the diver needs at their particular depth which means it uses just a fraction of the energy of any other underwater breathing system. That’s why we can use smaller pumps, motors, and batteries – bringing you the most portable and affordable underwater breathing system ever!

 

[tbone1004]

@JanNL the Nemo is only rated to 10ft though and stopping and starting pumps like that isn't great. If I was trying to design an intermittent system I would set the second stage at say 80psi of regulated outlet pressure, then have the compressor "low" turn on point set to 85psi, that way as soon as the tank pressure gets close to the regulated pressure, the pump kicks back on and runs until the high pressure kicks it off. The lower the high setpoint is and the smaller the accumulator tank is, the more cycling you will have

 

[JanNL]

Their web site explains it clearly.
BLU3 | Ultra-portable dive systems — BLU3 Ultra-Portable Dive Systems
here their explanation:
The Smart Reg™
What allows Nemo to be so compact, energy-efficient, and responsive is our patent-pending Smart Reg™ – the first of its kind!

Here’s how it works: A silicone diaphragm inside the Smart Reg™ moves when the diver breathes. A waterproofed sensor measures the diaphragm movement – it then sends an electronic signal which triggers the compressor to pump air at exactly the time and speed that the diver is inhaling.

Nemo pumps only the exact pressure, volume, and flow rate that the diver needs at their particular depth which means it uses just a fraction of the energy of any other underwater breathing system. That’s why we can use smaller pumps, motors, and batteries – bringing you the most portable and affordable underwater breathing system ever!

Thank you for the explanation! I can imagine that this technology is not something you can purchase off the shelf at a hardware store.

 

[JanNL]

@JanNL the Nemo is only rated to 10ft though and stopping and starting pumps like that isn't great. If I was trying to design an intermittent system I would set the second stage at say 80psi of regulated outlet pressure, then have the compressor "low" turn on point set to 85psi, that way as soon as the tank pressure gets close to the regulated pressure, the pump kicks back on and runs until the high pressure kicks it off. The lower the high setpoint is and the smaller the accumulator tank is, the more cycling you will have

Thanks for the reply! That makes sense, and it basically operates like any compressor with adjustable high and low limits.

 

[JanNL]

Does any one have experience with the compressors from Aliexpress?