Question Keep RIX SA-6 or Buy New?

[mcgyverj]

Spare parts for an SA-6. Can't see that being much of a challenge.
If you are a customer order by part number, state quantity and quote serial number or your purchase invoice number for your compressor.

View attachment 849453

Thanks. It is a 1988 model and I have seen a few posts that made it sound like parts were only going to be available until 2023.

 

[mcgyverj]

I would keep it obviously, nothing compares to the Rix. As Lain said in another post - actually if you take into account cost of service of a normal compressor , than it might be the same cost ownership. And I didn't mention the safety.

Thanks for your thoughts. I have read nothing but good things about the Rix, but I am at a loss for where to start with it. I am going to keep it, however. Any recommendations on what to check/rebuild first?

 

[mcgyverj]

Parts are as simple as emailing Rix and asking for them, the painful part is the bill, but it's really not any worse than Bauer. I can't in good conscience say that you'd be better off with a max-air 35.

Thanks. Hoping to find someone in San Diego that might be able to do a rebuild for me or at least show me where to start. Any suggestions?

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Really appreciate the input - that is what my original research showed. I will keep it, as planned. Any chance you have a list of recommended parts I should order? I do not mind having spares. Thanks.

The Rix is very simple to rebuild. There are a few youtube videos of some things and pdf's of others. I had never done one before (but I consider myself moderately mechanical). It took me ~ 2 hours to tear it down. I could do it in 45 minutes now. It will take maybe 2-3 hours to get back together, but again, 1st time.

I attached a part list of what I ordered (and the prices at that time). You will need a piston storage tube / tool to get the 3rd stage piston back in. If you search my thread you can see most of my journey with pictures.

You'll give Rix your SN and they'll send you the right parts. You can still get parts, but it's my understanding that if it's not on the shelf it's like a 3 month backorder (but at least you can still get them). Rix was nothing short of amazing to deal with, the people were great. I can't say enough good. I probably have 20 emails back and forth.

My suggestion would be to clean it up and see what you're working with. Get the right grease and checkout the swash plate. It might need replacing it might be able to be flipped (it also might be fine). Look at the bearings and the races. See if there's too much play anywhere. See if you can rotate the compressor by hand (without the belt on) or if it's seized up. You can take the pistons out (ONLY 1st and 2nd, DON'T do the 3rd) by removing the bolts. They slip right out. Look at the piston walls and see if they're in good shape. I would imagine most of the o rings are trash if it's been sitting a long time, but maybe you'll get lucky. If all your hard parts are in good shape then order the rebuild for it. If you get that far and start it and it does build pressure you'll need interstage gauges to see if it's the right pressure (in the manual there is a chart that says what each stage should be in correlation with the other). I added liquid filled gauges to mine with the idea I would remove them but I like them and just leave them on the machine. It's a nice sanity check to see what it's doing. I was able to catch a 3rd stage leaking into the 2nd just by watching the gauges before I ever noticed any symptoms.

It is a very cool piece of engineering. The more you take it apart and see the more you'll appreciate just how dead simple it is. If all your hardware is good and it just needs a rebuild you're looking at ~ $450, maybe more if your 3rd stage is out of whack (I think that's ~ $300). After you're done it's rated at 300 hours which equated to 90,000cf of gas. That's more than I'll ever use in a lifetime! Less than $1000 and you'll have a great machine.

 

[mcgyverj]

The Rix is very simple to rebuild. There are a few youtube videos of some things and pdf's of others. I had never done one before (but I consider myself moderately mechanical). It took me ~ 2 hours to tear it down. I could do it in 45 minutes now. It will take maybe 2-3 hours to get back together, but again, 1st time.

I attached a part list of what I ordered (and the prices at that time). You will need a piston storage tube / tool to get the 3rd stage piston back in. If you search my thread you can see most of my journey with pictures.

You'll give Rix your SN and they'll send you the right parts. You can still get parts, but it's my understanding that if it's not on the shelf it's like a 3 month backorder (but at least you can still get them). Rix was nothing short of amazing to deal with, the people were great. I can't say enough good. I probably have 20 emails back and forth.

My suggestion would be to clean it up and see what you're working with. Get the right grease and checkout the swash plate. It might need replacing it might be able to be flipped (it also might be fine). Look at the bearings and the races. See if there's too much play anywhere. See if you can rotate the compressor by hand (without the belt on) or if it's seized up. You can take the pistons out (ONLY 1st and 2nd, DON'T do the 3rd) by removing the bolts. They slip right out. Look at the piston walls and see if they're in good shape. I would imagine most of the o rings are trash if it's been sitting a long time, but maybe you'll get lucky. If all your hard parts are in good shape then order the rebuild for it. If you get that far and start it and it does build pressure you'll need interstage gauges to see if it's the right pressure (in the manual there is a chart that says what each stage should be in correlation with the other). I added liquid filled gauges to mine with the idea I would remove them but I like them and just leave them on the machine. It's a nice sanity check to see what it's doing. I was able to catch a 3rd stage leaking into the 2nd just by watching the gauges before I ever noticed any symptoms.

It is a very cool piece of engineering. The more you take it apart and see the more you'll appreciate just how dead simple it is. If all your hardware is good and it just needs a rebuild you're looking at ~ $450, maybe more if your 3rd stage is out of whack (I think that's ~ $300). After you're done it's rated at 300 hours which equated to 90,000cf of gas. That's more than I'll ever use in a lifetime! Less than $1000 and you'll have a great machine.

This is extremely helpful. Thank you very much. I am pretty confident that it is not seized up and that it just needs some attention because it has been in storage for a couple of years. I will pull it apart and see what things look like. Again, thanks for the input and support.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

This is extremely helpful. Thank you very much. I am pretty confident that it is not seized up and that it just needs some attention because it has been in storage for a couple of years. I will pull it apart and see what things look like. Again, thanks for the input and support.

No problem. I learned a ton just reading the manual and then coming here. There are a LOT of tips and tricks that @iain/hsm has posted over the years. Really need to sift through all of it and make a proper pdf. I would bet @-JD- might have something like that. He's much better at notes than I am... what do I need notes for when I have him, lol!!

 

[-JD-]

No problem. I learned a ton just reading the manual and then coming here. There are a LOT of tips and tricks that @iain/hsm has posted over the years. Really need to sift through all of it and make a proper pdf. I would bet @-JD- might have something like that. He's much better at notes than I am... what do I need notes for when I have him, lol!!

yea, sorry, no. I have thought about trying to distill the scattered torrents of information into a semi organized "tips and tricks" compilation, but - ooooooo shiny


Besides, with my aging memory, I'm having trouble even remembering what my RIX looks like.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

yea, sorry, no. I have thought about trying to distill the scattered torrents of information into a semi organized "tips and tricks" compilation, but - ooooooo shiny


Besides, with my aging memory, I'm having trouble even remembering what my RIX looks like.

It still looks like the 2nd best Rix I've ever seen, Iain being the best, lol (but that's not fair, his are all new!)

 

[tbone1004]

This is extremely helpful. Thank you very much. I am pretty confident that it is not seized up and that it just needs some attention because it has been in storage for a couple of years. I will pull it apart and see what things look like. Again, thanks for the input and support.

you should also check the age/condition of the water separators as they are aluminum and you may want to consider replacing them. That part can get a bit expensive, but if you're committed to the unit it can also mean that it is the time to look at a new filter system and automatic condensate drains. The interstage drains were shot on mine so I went a bit hogwild with both of them, but no regrets as they are also scalable to a larger pump or running both together

 

[rob.mwpropane]

you should also check the age/condition of the water separators as they are aluminum and you may want to consider replacing them. That part can get a bit expensive, but if you're committed to the unit it can also mean that it is the time to look at a new filter system and automatic condensate drains. The interstage drains were shot on mine so I went a bit hogwild with both of them, but no regrets as they are also scalable to a larger pump or running both together

Also, to add to @tbone1004 , you'll need an additional filter to remove all the moisture from the gas, otherwise you'll kill your tanks. (This is even if your Rix was running top notch). I did not know this when I 1st got mine. (Maybe you have one?)

I also went nuts and added a much larger filter than needed. My coalescers were in good shape.