Bauer M3 Automatic Condensate Drain problems.

[Johan Ericson]

Hi!
First I would like to say, as this is my first post, that I love this site. If there's something you need to learn about Scuba, you can do it here. Great going all of you who run this site and the one who keep this community alive.

Now to the title of this thread.
In our small club where I live we got this old Bauer Mariner M3, last year we got it repaired for 3 000 dollars and it's been working great.
But now something strange is happening.
It's not building any pressure at all, within 10 seconds or so after startup the Automatic Condensate Drain relay blinks and it releases pressure into the condensate collection bottle. And it keeps on doing this every ten seconds.
Tomorrow i will post a movie of this, maybe that can help with the diagnose.

I'm very unsure but i'm guessing that it has something to do with the Automatic Condensate Drain. But, is it electric or is it that there is excess condensate somewhere that the compressor is trying to get rid of?

Since i'm not sure how this stuff works maybe someone can do some explaining.

Some questions:
Is there even such a thing as a "humidity sensor" in there? Or is it only depending on a timer?
Is it right that the Automatic Condensate Drain is coupled with a filter that spins the air to centrifuge out oil and water?
In that case, can someone explain the working principle of this?
Is this the only place that the compressor gets rid of condensate except for the carbon filter?

Since we are a small club of divers with not much income we would like to learn a little about the compressor so we can fix these (seemingly) smaller problems ourself.

Would be very grateful if someone has some insight and can share some wisdom on this topic!

Thank you!

 

[Namreg 58]

A few pictures would help as there are several types of solenoid valves used by Bauer plus year of manufacture of the pump.

It does sound like a condensate drain solenoid valve problem as the valve is normally open and closes when the start button is pressed to allow control pressure build up.
It is also possible that someone fiddled with the timers.

 

[Johan Ericson]

A few pictures would help as there are several types of solenoid valves used by Bauer plus year of manufacture of the pump.

It does sound like a condensate drain solenoid valve problem as the valve is normally open and closes when the start button is pressed to allow control pressure build up.
It is also possible that someone fiddled with the timers.

Turns out you are partly right!
This morning i went do the compressor and disabled the timer circuit. Just like you pointed out the solenoid then were open and all the air went out through the silencer.

So i fiddled around with the mini-switches inside the timer to get any reaction at all, and as i did the thing started working! Seems there must have been a layer of oxide or something in the switches to make the timer go on and of to frequently.

Very pleased with my success i then went on to filling my tank.
Then i discovered something else.
As i started filling my 300 bar tanks, the pressure gauge on the 200 bar hose also started moving. Building up pressure a tiny bit faster than the 300 bar one.
I suspect this has something to do with the "switch-over-device"
As you can se from the pictures this one has been somewhat abused, this because it have had a tendency to get stuck. And someone then thought that banging on it should solve the problem. Wich until now seems to have been working pretty good.

So my question now is; do someone have any insight to how these things look and work inside? Is it pneumatically operated?

Film of the timer circuit before the problem was solved:

Film of the new problem:

 

[Namreg 58]

You need to adjust your pressure maintaining valve to about 170/ 180 Bar as at the moment it is set to 70 Bar which is too low. The pressure maintaining valve is at the base of your PO/P21 filter housing next to the switch over device. The 30mm round disc with a slot through it has to be turned clockwise about half a turn + to get it close to the correct setting but first you have to undo the lock nut above it and unscrew the grub screw in order to achieve this. After adjustment screw in the grub screw and tighten the lock nut again.

 

[Johan Ericson]

I've read about this, but havent dared to touch it.
How can you tell it's at 70 bar at the moment?

Thank you!!

 

[Johan Ericson]

So i took it apart!
And as far as my understunding of this thing goes there's a piston that should move back and forth?
This thing does not move at all.

And i cant get any further becasue there a "grooved pin" that i cant get out.
Any suggestions?
I would like to get it out and get it cleaned.

 

[Namreg 58]

That's the switch over device. The pressure maintaining valve is what the switch over device is bolted to.

 

[Namreg 58]

I've read about this, but havent dared to touch it.
How can you tell it's at 70 bar at the moment?

Thank you!!

In your film clip the compressor is running and not much happening, then all of a sudden the needle on the gauge jumps up to 70 Bar and then progresses slowly from there. With correct adjustment of the PMV it should suddenly jump to around 170 Bar and then progress slowly from there. Just follow the adjustment procedure outlined in #4

 

[Johan Ericson]

That's the switch over device. The pressure maintaining valve is what the switch over device is bolted to.

I'm aware. But the needle jumping up to 70 bar in the film clip is from me first having the outlet valve on the side of the gauge open then closing it. So i don't think that's my problem.

Nothing on how to get the grooved pin out?