American Bristol 18CFM Compressor

[kancho]

Nope.. I only have a 100 amp service checked. To bring in a new service it would be too expensive. Your right tobin it is too expensive. I can get a converter for about 1000 dollars or so. but still won't have enough to power it. My only options to sell or try gas/diesel.. That might be alot of work too..

Oh well.. I will investigate the sizing needs for the compressor (motor mount) and check the electronics for this compressor.

Thanks for all your help

 

[veriqster]

Nope.. I only have a 100 amp service checked. To bring in a new service it would be too expensive. Your right tobin it is too expensive. I can get a converter for about 1000 dollars or so. but still won't have enough to power it. My only options to sell or try gas/diesel.. That might be alot of work too..

Oh well.. I will investigate the sizing needs for the compressor (motor mount) and check the electronics for this compressor.

Thanks for all your help

Do you mean that you checked with the electrical company and you have 100amp service or you just looked at the main breaker in the electric box? If it's just the main breaker the fix is simple and cheap. If I understand it correctly 100amp service means you can draw 100amp out of it ANY TIME.
So, 100 amp at 120v is 12KW which translates into 16hp. Assuming you are not running the compressor for hours you could just turn off almost everything in the house and just fill your tanks (watch for soap opera show schedules if you got a women in the house). 18cfm = 1 al80 tank every 5 min - bank for like an hour and then fill as needed after. (the neighbors will hate you for dimming their lights probably).
If you decide to go this route the current condition of the compressor / parts availability / price / your mechanical inclination will all come into play - sooner or later something fails.
Honestly, I do not see any other way of running this unit that would make any sense from an economic standpoint. At least with a Ronk you can recoup some of the initial cost if you decide to liquidate it later; with a large single phase or with a small internal combustion engine I don't see you recouping anything later.
On the other hand, if the price is right, you could sell this unit and get one of those Howden units from shelden sporting and just enjoy diving for the next couple of years (I don't own one but seems like they go forever with little to no maintenance - at least according to what I hear). Some say Kidde units are as good. Bauer also has a REPUTATION, mostly in non-military market.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Do you mean that you checked with the electrical company and you have 100amp service or you just looked at the main breaker in the electric box? If it's just the main breaker the fix is simple and cheap. If I understand it correctly 100amp service means you can draw 100amp out of it ANY TIME.
So, 100 amp at 120v is 12KW which translates into 16hp. Assuming you are not running the compressor for hours you could just turn off almost everything in the house and just fill your tanks (watch for soap opera show schedules if you got a women in the house).

This is not a reasonable plan. Unplug the refrigerator, disconnect the electric water heater, and turn off the AC so you can fill tanks. Even if it works it will get old fast.

Sell the beast, and buy a compressor that fits both the needs of the diver, and the resources available.

Tobin

 

[kancho]

Thanks for all the info guys..

 

[frogman62]

Kancho, Now that you have all this advise, Send me a picture of the beast and I'll see what I can use and give you a price for a 4 cfm compressor that you can use for many years without breaking the electric bill or your wallet.
Frogman62
Jim Shelden
sheldensportinggoods.com
316-992-0505