$50 Harbor Freight hookah system testing

[Mitchell Trovato]

Well after seeing many threads and now hearing from my local dive shop about people hookah diving with a $40 Harbor Freight compressor and a cheap PVC air hose I had to try for myself, I did as many threads say cleaned out the tank and hose using simple green and then properly sanitized, most people's concern is the possibility of contaminants and toxins in the air supply, living here in Seabrook Texas and having several neighbors that work for NASA I have found a contact that is willing to test the air from this system in route to deliver air sample now will post results once they are returnedView attachment 465184

I do pool leak detection and I also do this, it is brilliant, but soon after a dive or two I noticed the tank inside the compressor was full and I mean full of rust , when I drained the tank to let the moisture out it the water in the tank was consumed in rust.
So any suggestions on how to avoid this would be great.
So I picked up 3 oil less tankless airbrush compressors and hooked them up inline with a 3 way splitter out to my hose.
It works but the air will deplete fast and build back slowly so I just have to manage my breathing.

 

[Mitchell Trovato]

I do pool leak detection and I also do this, it is brilliant, but soon after a dive or two I noticed the tank inside the compressor was full and I mean full of rust , when I drained the tank to let the moisture out it the water in the tank was consumed in rust.
So any suggestions on how to avoid this would be great.
So I picked up 3 oil less tankless airbrush compressors and hooked them up inline with a 3 way splitter out to my hose.
It works but the air will deplete fast and build back slowly so I just have to manage my breathing.

 

[tbone1004]

@Mitchell Trovato please don't use that setup...

Those cheap oil-less compressors use a lot of teflon in them and they are not rated for more than 10-15minutes of run time due to heat. Excess heat will cause the teflon in there to break up and is carcinogenic.

Use a proper auto-draining water trap like this even if you are going tank-less
https://www.amazon.com/PneumaticPlu...r+water+trap+auto+drain&qid=1592399371&sr=8-4
One of those on the inlet side of one of these between your pumps and regulator will do wonders for you
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G75OVII/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Alternatively, this one has aluminum tanks and you can put a solenoid on the bottom to blow the water out if you're running the compressor for a few hours.

 

[Mitchell Trovato]

@Mitchell Trovato please don't use that setup...

Those cheap oil-less compressors use a lot of teflon in them and they are not rated for more than 10-15minutes of run time due to heat. Excess heat will cause the teflon in there to break up and is carcinogenic.

Use a proper auto-draining water trap like this even if you are going tank-less
https://www.amazon.com/PneumaticPlu...r+water+trap+auto+drain&qid=1592399371&sr=8-4
One of those on the inlet side of one of these between your pumps and regulator will do wonders for you
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G75OVII/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Alternatively, this one has aluminum tanks and you can put a solenoid on the bottom to blow the water out if you're running the compressor for a few hours.

Thanks for the advice Noted! and thanks for the link , I’d prefer to get a compressor rather than I tank I have to fill ,,, I will look into a new set up asap , to be clear the compressor I need to look for should be stainless steel , oil less and,,anything else?

 

[tbone1004]

Thanks for the advice Noted! and thanks for the link , I’d prefer to get a compressor rather than I tank I have to fill ,,, I will look into a new set up asap , to be clear the compressor I need to look for should be stainless steel , oil less and,,anything else?

The one I linked to has aluminum tanks so it will handle the moisture better than steel will. Stainless tanks would be prohibitively expensive.
It is oil-less, but unlike the ones you are using, it is low RPM and diaphragm based. This is the same type of compressor used for ventilators, oxygen generators etc. It's also VERY quiet which is an added perk.
You have a tank to help balance breathing load which will help to keep your breathing more regulated as the IP going to the second stage should be the same, but you also have the volume in the tank to draw from while the compressor keeps up. With true tank-less hookah setups, the hoses are much larger diameter than standard air-tool hoses and they're usually also at least 50ft long which gives the hose itself enough volume to help balance the load. Having an accumulator tank is always better though.
You'll also want something generally like this. There are more expensive ones that are probably a bit nicer, but this has reasonably good reviews. Cut the power cord and put ring terminals on it and wire it into the switch box. That way you can set it to blow the water out of the tank every 5-10 minutes so it doesn't build up.
https://www.amazon.com/Zijia-Automa...pressor+automatic+drain&qid=1592401242&sr=8-2

That is a MUCH safer way for DIY surface supplied

 

[Mitchell Trovato]

The one I linked to has aluminum tanks so it will handle the moisture better than steel will. Stainless tanks would be prohibitively expensive.
It is oil-less, but unlike the ones you are using, it is low RPM and diaphragm based. This is the same type of compressor used for ventilators, oxygen generators etc. It's also VERY quiet which is an added perk.
You have a tank to help balance breathing load which will help to keep your breathing more regulated as the IP going to the second stage should be the same, but you also have the volume in the tank to draw from while the compressor keeps up. With true tank-less hookah setups, the hoses are much larger diameter than standard air-tool hoses and they're usually also at least 50ft long which gives the hose itself enough volume to help balance the load. Having an accumulator tank is always better though.
You'll also want something generally like this. There are more expensive ones that are probably a bit nicer, but this has reasonably good reviews. Cut the power cord and put ring terminals on it and wire it into the switch box. That way you can set it to blow the water out of the tank every 5-10 minutes so it doesn't build up.
https://www.amazon.com/Zijia-Automa...pressor+automatic+drain&qid=1592401242&sr=8-2

That is a MUCH safer way for DIY surface supplied

 

[Mitchell Trovato]

Sir I really appreciate your time!
Any chance do you know were I can get a Oil less Diaphragm based Compressor with stainless steel tank?
I see your link for the filter and the electronic drain
As well as the Link for the tank it self.

thanks!!

 

[Mitchell Trovato]

Like this?

 

[Mitchell Trovato]

I don’t know what a diaphragm based is, excuses my ignorance on the subject

 

[tbone1004]

Sir I really appreciate your time!
Any chance do you know were I can get a Oil less Diaphragm based Compressor with stainless steel tank?
I see your link for the filter and the electronic drain
As well as the Link for the tank it self.

thanks!!

I'm not aware of any air compressors with stainless steel tanks. I'd be less concerned about aluminum than stainless personally. If you need stainless, you can always buy a stainless tank and remove the pump from the stock tanks, but I wouldn't bother with aluminum tanks.

This one is aluminum. It will be fine provided you are only in a pool and not going deeper than 20ft.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G75OUO8/ref=twister_B01IPDGFAC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
If you have a second diver or need to go deeper, than you need more CFM. Either with a second compressor, or a bigger one like this
https://www.amazon.com/California-A...rnia+air+tools+aluminum&qid=1592402331&sr=8-9

Both of these have aluminum tanks as well which is ideal