Question Trying to decide between an electric powered or gasoline powered MCH-6 Icon...

[iain/hsm]

It's perfectly safe if you're aware of the risks and are careful about it.

Really? I most strongly disagree.
Most all divers that have died with CO have been perfectly aware of the problem
and careful about it yet they died diving unawares due to CO poisoning.

Carbon monoxide poisoning is a well recognised, hazard for divers.
CO poisoning occurs mainly as a result of burning oil only in a oil lubricated breathing air compressor or from external ambient air contamination from a combustion engine exhausts from a nearby petrol or diesel engine and especially from those fitted directly to the breathing air compressor itself.
Such as those fitted to the hopelessly inadequate Coltri MCH 6 and ICON sports divers air compressors.

Further from the medical treatments perspective the incidence of carbon monoxide poisoning is massively under reported as it also manifests itself similar to decompression sickness, and as both conditions are treated with the same medical hyperbaric treatment and tables using hyperbaric oxygen. for used for diver treatment. With the exception for suicide attempts, fire inhalation and other ambient air CO cause contaminations.

Please for the benefit of others reading this thread please re consider your reply.
It's frankly never ever perfectly safe and being careful is patently untrue misleading and a dangerous position to advise to fellow divers in an open divers forum.

A capable calibrated and verified CO detector is at the very least the only form of risk you need to be aware and make to test the contents of your cylinder before you enter the water. Feel free to disagree. Iain

 

[iain/hsm]

I think you should distinguish what you specifically mean by "inadequate". Because the MCH6 pumps EN 12021 grade "breathing air" using the PMV, condenser, and standard 3-part filters. So it's entirely adequate for giving you good quality air.

If your main complaint is that you have to change filters more often than you would like, that's a different kind of inadequate. But that's easily addressed by simply buying more filter cartridges or repacking your own. They're easy to check and change when needed.

I can answer this simply
IMHO Tracy was being too polite
I would have said its crap, junk, unless tat,
Pick any or all of the above. Pick one. Heck pick as many as you like
Inadequate is the polite term.

1. Now be aware not all Coltri MCH-6 compressors supplied to the uneducated scuba market are supplied with a PMV ( Back Pressure Regulator) fitted. Yet it is critically important to know this and realise the implications of not having this component fitted.

2. The BSEN 12021 standard you quote is only applicable if you have the BPR fitted

3. Define your statement "Standard 3 part Filter"

So it's entirely adequate for giving you good quality air.

4. You have no such capacity to make that statement no such position exists its as asinine
statement as Safe Air Its misleading totally inadequate frankly Bull Crap

If your main complaint is that you have to change filters more often than you would like, that's a different kind of inadequate. But that's easily addressed by simply buying more filter cartridges or repacking your own. They're easy to check and change when needed.

5. Don't ******** this further. Again as the other poster here you also need to re consider your statement
Happy to go into the details line by line if you like. Iain

 

[SurfLung]

Well there goes the neighborhood. When Ian and T-Bone show up all semblance of a reasonable conversation goes out the door. Frankly I think the best approach is to just skip over them and move on.

 

[iain/hsm]

Thanks...but what do you mean that it has no filtration? That the filtration cartridge is inadequate?

You need to understand dwell time over flow with a rapidly depleting chemical dehydrator
chemical with effect to adsorption over desorption of the adsorbed (collected) long chain hydrocarbons
attached to the activated carbon portion of the filter chemical in this 3 part matrix ********

For divers breathing air the HP discharge from an oil lubricated compressor will kill you without filtration First the water condensate is collected and separated out from the gas stream discharge off the final stage of the compressor in the form of droplets condensing in a tower to produce liquid oil carry over and water mix . Then the still 100% saturated air then dwells in a chemical matrix to remove any remaining condensate then also to lower the remaining water vapour dew point
Then to adsorb the dangerous long chain hydrocarbons then to reduce further the dew point to reach the required regulation for the temperature pressure

In addition a 3 part cartridge may also include a catalyst chemical to convert CO int CO2 and water
But to do this Coltri simply use the same size filter and lower the capacity of the filter both in allowable running hour without consideration for the dwell time over flow in this now rapidly depleting chemical cock up of a filter design. You get the picture We can continue deeper if your wish but it's still crap. Iain

 

[iain/hsm]

Well there goes the neighborhood. When Ian and T-Bone show up all semblance of a reasonable conversation goes out the door. Frankly I think the best approach is to just skip over them and move on.

To be frank your submission so far for a "Semblance of a reasonable conversation" will get folk killed

But feel free to

think the best approach is to just skip over them and move on.

Your call Surfing just don't drag the rest of our fellow divers on here down to this level of ignorance.

 

[Tracy]

No Tracy...don't hold back...how do you really feel? Sounds like a Brit who likewise despises the MCH-6 Icon but never quantifies in detail the operational inadequacies in this compressors...guess we all have our differing views, some based on details and some on whims.

To each their own, but I was hoping this forum would stick to objective discussions; otherwise we get misinformation and a lot of bloviating.

I don't know what you want me to quantify. No one on earth buys an MCH6 because it is a well designed quality machine. They all bought it for the same reason. It is the cheapest breathing air compressor they can find.

What would you like to know specifically? I have a tiny bit of experience with breathing air compressors and compressed gas in general. Please state what you would like me to quantify and I will do my best to keep up with your immense knowledge base. I can't promise anything. My dislike for the machine is obviously just a whim.

 

[Wallowa]

I don't know what you want me to quantify. No one on earth buys an MCH6 because it is a well designed quality machine. They all bought it for the same reason. It is the cheapest breathing air compressor they can find.

What would you like to know specifically? I have a tiny bit of experience with breathing air compressors and compressed gas in general. Please state what you would like me to quantify and I will do my best to keep up with your immense knowledge base. I can't promise anything. My dislike for the machine is obviously just a whim.

Well that really clarified the reasons you believe in your dogma...I asked for specifics and got babble...nothing to see here folks move along...and Iain, yes as a matter of fact today I ordered a Coltri MCH-6 with Honda motor...nice talking to Nuvair rep, he dealt in specifics with candor, honesty and based on years of experience...so like I said live in your head or anywhere else you choose, to each their own....hope you looked up "bloviating".. Way beyond whimsical ! Out here.

 

[Tracy]

Well that really clarified the reasons you believe in your dogma...I asked for specifics and got babble...nothing to see here folks move along...and Iain, yes as a matter of fact today I ordered a Coltri MCH-6 with Honda motor...nice talking to Nuvair rep, he dealt in specifics with candor, honesty and based on years of experience...so like I said live in your head or anywhere else you choose, to each their own....hope you looked up "bloviating".. Way beyond whimsical ! Out here.

Good luck with it. Change your filters religiously, change the oil every few fills, and you will get years of service out of it.
Probably.
How did you get a new breathing air compressor with a Honda motor in the United states?
Now something isn't adding up in your story.

 

[Sevenrider860]

Good luck with it. Change your filters religiously, change the oil every few fills, and you will get years of service out of it.
Probably.
How did you get a new breathing air compressor with a Honda motor in the United states?
Now something isn't adding up in your story.

Nuvair indicates the Portable MCH6 3.5G (SKU 8013) uses a Honda engine. Nothing indicates this is not available for sale in the US. Order SKU 8013 and you get a Honda engine.

Coltri MCH6 ICON High Pressure Compressor

The Coltri MCH6 ICON Portable compressor is a standalone, four-stage high pressure (4500 psi / 310 bar) compressor made for filling scuba, SCBA or paintball cylinders/tanks on the go. Powered by a gas engine or an electric single- or three-phase motor, the MCH6 is ideal for filling cylinders at...

nuvair.com

 

[Tracy]

Nuvair indicates the Portable MCH6 3.5G (SKU 8013) uses a Honda engine. Nothing indicates this is not available for sale in the US. Order SKU 8013 and you get a Honda engine.

Coltri MCH6 ICON High Pressure Compressor

The Coltri MCH6 ICON Portable compressor is a standalone, four-stage high pressure (4500 psi / 310 bar) compressor made for filling scuba, SCBA or paintball cylinders/tanks on the go. Powered by a gas engine or an electric single- or three-phase motor, the MCH6 is ideal for filling cylinders at...

nuvair.com

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The honda engine sku is a non breathing air only option. Honda US prohibits their engine to be sold for use with a breathing air compressor. If you call to order it, they will inform you of that. It was a fairly recent change, within the last two years. It used to come with a honda and it was far and away the best part of the whole unit.
You can probably spec it that way if you know who to ask and what to say, but it officially isn't an option.