Electric vs Gasoline Compressor

[rjack321]

I want to get a compressor so that I don't have to worry about where to get my tanks filled.

I've already narrowed down the options and likely looking for a used Bauer Junior II or a new L&W 100.

What I am trying to figure out is whether to just get a lower-maintenance and lower running cost (?) electric motor which will be tethered somewhere in my home, or get a higher maintenance and higher running cost (?) gasoline engine which would allow me to throw it in the back when driving so that I could refill tanks as needed.

I live in Denver, so most of my diving is a car ride away, and I'm contemplating having to go on multi-hour trips to even get to a dive site, which is why I keep coming back to the question of portability.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Can you run a compressor at home at all? They are LOUD and a gas powered compressor is louder still. Can you run one at your destination?

How much gas do you need to fill? And how fast?
You arent going to fill 4 sets of doubles and deco gases in a 2 hour SI with a Bauer junior

 

[Dark Wolf]

My compressor, a Walter Kidde, came with a gas engine that I thought I would like more than I do. I will be converting it to electric drive this winter.

I currently run it at home, on the porch. Yes, it is loud, but really no more so than a lawn mower. I have enough tanks for a full day to two days of diving, depending on the dives. It just makes more sense for me to set it up with electric drive and one or two cascade bottles. I can then run it as needed to top off cascade through my work week. As it is right now, I try not to run it too early in the morning (I work nights). I often leave my house for the lake around 2am, and I am sure the neighbors would not be very proud of me firing up the compressor at midnight.

DW

 

[iain/hsm]

although Coltri are also good.

On the Coltri MCH-6 I can't see how its even close to acceptable let alone good.
Of all the small pumps listed the Coltri is the worst namely:
Poorest oil sump capacity of all in the list
Highest RPM of all
Shortest Piston Stroke of all
lowest incline angle in group
Shortest oil life expectancy in group
Pitiful short filter housing life
even worse separator housing life in group

Yet the old mantra is still being trotted out that 4 stages is better than 3
Not when you do the maths its not. The MCH 6 needs 4 stages just to get over its pitiful piston stroke at an excessive RPM. Just saying but the chart speaks for itself.
Coltri MCH 6 now included in the revised list.

 

[iain/hsm]

A 4-stage compressor has an extra cooling stage (and a longer lifespan). another common brand is Coltri.

No this is not an accurate statement and in particular to the MCH 6 mentioned earlier.

 

[Miyaru]

That comparison would be valuable with a Mean Time Between Failures column.

 

[100days-a-year]

Diesel is a better option than gasoline. I used one quarter the fuel running a diesel over a gas motor of the same hp. At a point the prime mover and compressor will weigh less than tanks. My last compressors were less than 400 pounds complete and had a smaller footprint.

 

[tbone1004]

Heck I though we worked generators out in KvA and a 5 HP 3 phase on DOL would work out 18 KvA or around the 14 Kw mark. We should really nail this down for the benifit of the yachties.
Starting off load with or without soft start against running at full load differences while boiling a kettle with the lights on sort of thing

This is a good place to start for you 60Hz lot

Power Calculator for Generators: Convert kVA to kW, kW to kVA, kW to HP

everything at work is spec'd in kVA for generators, transformers, inverters, etc. but most people have no idea what that is and kW is a bit easier to explain, especially when portable/home generators are spec'd in watts/kW not in kVA

 

[grf88]

If most of the time you are filling at home but take the occasional extended trip maybe consider having both an electric and gas motor. At least on my RIX it is not a major job to switch between the two.

 

[sunnyboy]

Can you run a compressor at home at all? They are LOUD and a gas powered compressor is louder still. Can you run one at your destination?

How much gas do you need to fill? And how fast?
You arent going to fill 4 sets of doubles and deco gases in a 2 hour SI with a Bauer junior

Here's another thought: you may not be allowed to run your obnoxiously loud gas compressor at your chosen dive site. I've seen the cops called on loud compressors in parking lots and shut down.

 

[iain/hsm]

Here's another thought: you may not be allowed to run your obnoxiously loud gas compressor at your chosen dive site. I've seen the cops called on loud compressors in parking lots and shut down.

Is the person who made that call still missing?