What brand would you buy?
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David Iver
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I'm certainly no expert, but from what I've been reading about Alkin, I would definitely avoid them like the Bubonic Plague. From my research, I would probably go with Bauer. Others with a great deal more experience will weigh in shortly, I'm sure.
widget
Contributor
Bauer certainly has the reputation of a solid well built machine, and if my experience is anything to go by they seldom break, but when they do parts are very expensive.
Bauer is also a very commercial machine, capable of running in extreme conditions for months on end with little attention, but this capability is costly and not everyone needs it.
I think one needs to weigh up all the factors, ease of service, cost and availability of spares, cost of running, workload etc, all things been equal I would take the Bauer, but here anyway, Alkin and Mako are quite a bit cheaper, and if the workload will not be hectic, the initial cost saving maybe quite appealling.
Bauer is also a very commercial machine, capable of running in extreme conditions for months on end with little attention, but this capability is costly and not everyone needs it.
I think one needs to weigh up all the factors, ease of service, cost and availability of spares, cost of running, workload etc, all things been equal I would take the Bauer, but here anyway, Alkin and Mako are quite a bit cheaper, and if the workload will not be hectic, the initial cost saving maybe quite appealling.
Slipstrm
Contributor
I went Bauer, I would do it again!
widget
Contributor
I must say I am quite interested to hear that David, Alkin is gaining ground here rapidly, probably as they have come in with a seriously good price for entry level small machines, but even the bigger units are very competitive.
I have of course heard the odd complaint, but thats true for most manufacturers even Bauer, but I havent really heard of any serious issues.
What sort of problems did you hear David, was it more machine related (ie) breakdowns etc or service related (ie) dealers, spares availability etc.
From what I understand they are a slow running machine which should be good for longivity and I was considering supplimenting our compressors with a portable mid range Alkin early next year.
Naturally, after reading that, I am quite keen to know ahead of time possible problems folk have experienced.
Thanks.
Jimmer
Contributor
Widget, give this a read.
The Deco Stop
It seems that the problems with the small Alkin unit, the W31, have been enough to make Airetex (American distributor) stop selling it all together, and bring in a small Nardi machine to replace it.
The Deco Stop
It seems that the problems with the small Alkin unit, the W31, have been enough to make Airetex (American distributor) stop selling it all together, and bring in a small Nardi machine to replace it.
An interesting question but why are you limiting your options to these three brands?
Before anyone could make a valid comparison I for one would want to know the make, model and hours run on your original club compressor. Then a true comparison could be made against your original unit against any possible new replacement.
For comparison take two extremes, on the one hand an industrial high pressure air compressor designed for continuous duty running 24/7 over 18 years would have clocked up around 150.000 hours. Comparing this to an intermittent duty scuba compressor designed as some are to only 9000 hours duty life, would by comparison, at the very least be interesting however to expect an 18 year life ....be disappointing.
David Iver
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I have been following the thread in TDS, so my information is gleaned from there. I have also been following your thread about bubbles in your oil, so I realize that no machine is perfect. It's been awhile since I read all the way through the thread, but I seem to remember at least one other besides AAnslie that experienced problems. There must be a ratio of several hundred bauers running out there...most doing continuous duty...for every Alkin that is running. Out of that huge number of Bauers, probably only a few have had problems compared to at least two of the Alkins. I know this is only anecdotal, but there are other things that point to a potential issue with the Alkin. First and foremost is that Alkin maintains that this is a continuous duty machine, despite what several very knowledgable people here and in TDS have to say about it's true duty rating. Secondly, for Airetex to drop the Alkin line and offer a deal to switch to Nardi speaks volumes for Bruce's lack of confidence in Alkin. I think there are other issues, but like I said, I need to go back and reread the rest of the thread. I'll get back to you.
pescador775
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Apparently, the small Alkin is a redesign of a two stage compressor of Italian origin. The original design of the crank was retained and does not have adequate support for high pressure, three stage service. I don't know how this fact applies to the larger Alkins, it possibly does not apply at all.
I can't explain the advertising hyperbole claiming that the W31 is the toughest, heavy duty, continuous duty machine on the market. However, such claims are not unique inasmuch as we've seen similar hype with everything from regulators to swim fins.
This is abetted by consumers who have a psychological need to reinforce such claims in their own experience, that is in spite of objective data available from commonly available sources. The test information, as it exists, is rejected by the avid while blaming the people or organizations as "biased". If the test actually reinforces the advertising claims, the sellers of that item are quick to ballyhoo the results in the media and on SB, etc.
That concludes my editorial comment except to say that the crap put out by some OEM's is very annoying to me, personally.
I can't explain the advertising hyperbole claiming that the W31 is the toughest, heavy duty, continuous duty machine on the market. However, such claims are not unique inasmuch as we've seen similar hype with everything from regulators to swim fins.
This is abetted by consumers who have a psychological need to reinforce such claims in their own experience, that is in spite of objective data available from commonly available sources. The test information, as it exists, is rejected by the avid while blaming the people or organizations as "biased". If the test actually reinforces the advertising claims, the sellers of that item are quick to ballyhoo the results in the media and on SB, etc.
That concludes my editorial comment except to say that the crap put out by some OEM's is very annoying to me, personally.
David Iver
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Here are a few quotes from TDS thread on Alkin issues:
Post #1 by AAinslie:
Hey W31 owners,
My compressor just went up in a puff of smoke, after only 270 hours.
I had a long chat with the owner of Airetex, Bruce Dodson. He's actually a really stand-up guy. He was very frank with me - and the news ain't good.
W31's have NOT been good for him, and he is about to discontinue selling them. They often fail early, requiring a major rebuild. The rebuild cost isn't that expensive - about $850 - but when you factor in the added cost plus transport and downtime (let's say $1000) plus the fact that it's likely to happen every 250-300 hours, BOY it looks expensive. It adds about $3.50 to each 80 you fill.
He very generously offered me a 75% trade-in on my (broken) unit for a new unit he's about to start selling. I don't have specs on it yet, I'll post when I do. I say generously, because my unit is way out of warranty.
Post #5 by Oxyhacker:
A few years back when the W31 first appeared, several long-time compressor techs I was talking with at DEMA told me they thought it was seriously underbuilt, and especially questioned how Alkin could sell it as a continuous duty, 4500 psi machine suitable for filling cascades. One who knew the history of the machine told me that the design actually started out with an Italian company, for a low pressure compressor, and Alkin had bought the project and grafted on HP cylinders and heads, to make it an HP compressor. I took these comments with a grain of salt, seeing as how they came from people who might be considered competitors, but could not help but notice that the lower end did look more like a Home Depot LP compressor than what we are used to seeing on HP compressors. When Alkin had to do a redesign to beef up the lower end and add more oil capacity, it seemed partial confirmation of what they'd told me.
As a result I have been hesitant to recommend the W31, even though I am a big fan of larger, slower turning machines like the Bauer Utilis and Alkin W31 over little high reving ones like the Junior or MCH6. I've been waiting to see a few of them build up significant hours, hoping those critics would turn out to be wrong.
So while I am not completely surprised by this news, it is disappointing to realize the Alkin dealers I have been talking to may have been well aware of serious problems with the machines all along, and covering them up.
Post #40 by AAinslie:
Well, I have the Nardi. It's OK, but not great. But what the hell, if it gives me 100 hours (it's already given me 10) it'll be better than tossing the Alkin, given the trade-in deal that Bruce gave me.
Both the Nardi and the Alkin come from the factory claiming to be continuous service compressors to 300 bar.
Both factories are seriously misguided.
I feel for Bruce at Airetex. He's just trying to get us cheap bastards a small compressor at a reasonable price. I've come to the conclusion that for tech divers filling doubles to 3600 psi, or even worse, banks to 4500 psi, the best thing to do is to buy 2nd hand or fork out for a more expensive unit. A slow turning Bauer is probably what I'd go for 2nd time around. Im afraid that these small cheap compressors are just not built to last.
Head temp is very proportional to pressure being run. At 2000 psi the highest head temp is around 200. When at 4500, this climbs to 300. About 15 higher with 50% helium going through. This thing just doesn't like pumping to 4500.
Another problem with the Nardi - it runs VERY oily. it's about a 10% oil, 90% water mix coming out of the water separators. Which, of course, means added filtration and reduced filter life.
So... I'm not happy. The way I figure it, a Bauer or similar unit costs about $8k and lasts for many thousands of hours. These cheap ones cost about $4k and you're lucky to get 500 hours from them.
Bruce has been helpful through this whole process. But unfortunately I'm just not a big fan of either of his products. Alkin should be shot claiming that thing is a continuous use compressor. And the Nardi is a recreational compressor for people filling 80's or those silly guns. What really shocked me was the whip - it didn't even have a bleed valve on it! Just very little thought went into that unit. Italian engineering at its best.
Post #48 by Harrym:
Okay, I've been biting my tongue on this one, but it's time to speak up.
There is other reason to be careful about the Alkin compresors besides the compressor itself. The other reason to avoid the Alkin compressor is the USA distributor Airetex.
Airetex is a very poorly-run company and they literally do not know what they're doing. I bought my compressor almost a year ago and they are still calling me about open invoices, "We forgot to charge you for this and that and....."
It often takes half-a-dozen phone calls to get anything done there, no one seems to be talking to anyone else at that company. It's like you never called before and have to start from scratch. The next day no one at Airetex knows what you're talking about and you've to start from scratch again. That company is a mess.
Most recently I purchased a filter housing from them. They sent me a full filter assembly for a different compressor. It cost me $50 to ship this heavy thing back to them, and now they want to me to pay for shipping a second time for the correct part.
Avoid Airetex entirely. Those people are idiots.
Avoid the Alkin altogether.
Post #51 by Flainx:
I may get in trouble for posting some of this but I am having a hard time sitting here any longer.
- The W31 was marketed to the North American market as a continuous duty machine. From what I know this was not something that Alkin stated. Even we stated this in the beginning then changed our wording when we realized the limitation of the machine better. The W31 was designed by Alkin as a personnel SCUBA/Paintball compressor for intermittent use. The market asked for a low price compressor for personnel use and Alkin was one of the people that stepped to the plate. It was designed to fill a few tanks every once in awhile. If you want a continues duty machine you should have gone to the W32 with a pressure lube pump. Using the W31 for continuous duty is like pulling a 40' trailer with a Chevy Colorado. Will it do it? Sure, but the truck just isn't going to last.
- IAIN/HSM is correct when he talks about the overhung crankshaft. For a light duty machine the over hung design of the W31 will work fine, but when you start doing heavy loads, you should really start to go to a double bearing design.
- On early models there were some issues with connecting rods breaking. Alkin redesigned the rods and is now using a strong material. This has been out for the last year or so I believe.
- As with any piece of machinery improvements are always being made. Alkin is no exception. Any issue with design that arises is quickly investigated and corrected in anyway they can.
- Nitrox, I am no expert on Nitrox and to be honest, have never worked with it, but one item you have to watch is the oil. We do a lot of very specialized gas compressor for different industries and we have found different oils are affected by different combination of gases. What may happen is the nitrox gas will dilute the oil and take out some of its lubricity (yes that's a word). We had a unit compressing gas from cow **** to 5000 PSIG. The gas reacted differently with the oil and took the rings and bearings out in a 12-hour period.
I do not know how nitrox works with different oil, but it is something to look at. Especially if you are using the W31. It may not stand up to certain items that the larger machines will.
Despite what I have seen on other websites and what Airetex says in their Ebay add, the W31 is not discontinued. It is still a current production model. I have some on a ship now and will be placing an order shortly from the factory for more units. There will be some new models released probably in the New Year, but these are not to replace current models they are to add to the line.
I can't remember what the terms of this website are, whether manufacturers or suppliers can post, so I am not listing our company name, but we are located in Canada, it's easy to figure out. We have a warehouse to ship from in the US for our US customers. I cannot help with warranty items from units purchased from Airetex. Our stock is very small right now, but we are going to increase stock to cover the North American market. Most of the changes for Alkin in North America have only surfaced in the last two months. We will do everything we can to help.
Post #52 by Aainslie:
If this is true why the hell did you stand by while this dealer lied to us? For four freaking years?
This actually just pisses me off more.
Jesus. You guys all suck.
In particular, explain your standing by while they said THIS for all those years:
"The ALKIN W31 is the only portable compressor factory approved for filling cascade systems and multiple tanks. AireTex also sell 444 cu. ft. cascade bottles. It does NOT void the warranty to fill these Cascade bottles."
How about this line?
"This compressor has a 5000 PSI max with a working pressure of 4600 PSI."
You are NOT blameless in this process. At the very lest you could have had a discussion with Alkin.
When I get home tonight I'm going to read the manual, and tomorrow I'll post some quotes. I'm pretty sure that you're full of ****, telling us that Alkin only sold this as approved for occasional filling of LP tanks. I'm pretty sure that the manual discusses this issue.
Just when my blood pressure had somewhat dropped from this ripoff, you get me fired up again...
EDIT - I just did some checking around.
You're from Canadian Purcell. I just called, and you answered. Here's YOUR brochure:
http://www.canadianpurcell.com/uploads/W31Brochure.pdf
Where you offer it as a 4500 psi compressor. And on this page,
Canadian Purcell Machinery ~ A World of Compressed Air and Gas Solutions!
You offer a fully automated version with auto shutoff and auto drain. Who the hell uses auto shutoff to fill one cylinder?
You're fully complicit in this crap. And then you tell me what I "should have done". What, am I prescient?
Post #53 by Flainx:
Wow didn't think it would get such a heated reply,
#1 - He is not our dealer. We have no afiliation with Airetex in any way. We just sell the units in Canada and everyonce in awhile to someone in the US. We purchase our units directly from the factory in Turkey
#2 - Out of all the units we have sold, We have had two failures. We were unaware of how many problems Airetex has had. The only reason I found this thread is one of my customers called me asking if the Alkin compressor he just bought was discontinued.
Didn't mean to upset anyone, there seemed to be a lot of upset people lately becuase they thought the W31 was obsolete and Alkin left North America.
Post #57 by Rjack:
It was marketed as a continuous duty compressor and they sold storage bottles and auto drains to serve that need. I have my brochure, the website, and the manual states the same.
Above and beyond the lies about its design/service capabilties, Alkins flat out lied about the capacity of the P0 knockoff filter chamber as well. I reported them to the US CPSC for that, but my goverment chose not to pursue it. I CCed Bruce @ Airtex about it too. And the Alkins manual STILL has a completely bogus and downright dangerous temperature correction chart in it.
Post #61 by Oxyhacker:
Continuous duty means just that, that you can fire it up anytime you want, and run it for as long as it takes to do what you need done, without risk of damaging the compressor or disproportionately shortening its life.
Just about the only reason that continuous operation is harder on a machine than intermittant is heat build up - the smaller machines can't dissipate heat as fast as they generate it, so the longer they run, the hotter they get , the thinner the oil gets, the more marginal the lubrication becomes, and the faster they wear. The W31, being a largish compressor for its capacity, and turning slower than most others in its class, does not seem to be a particularly hot running machine, so we have to assume that the problem is not cooling, but parts that are inadequate for the loads they are being asked to bear and hence subject to rapid wear or catastrophic failure. That being the case, limiting run time may not significantly lengthen its life. Lowering output pressures may, simply by reducing the load on those inadequate parts. But its hard to say by how much.
That said, if it was my compressor I'd probably still avoid long run times, on the theory that it can't hurt, and might help.
BTW I heard from Airtex the other day, and they say they have stopped selling the W31, and that the only reason it is still listed on their website is they have not yet been able to get a website person to update their site.
So after reading all of this, my opinion of Alkin is that they:
1. Stretched the truth about the duty cycle of their machine, if not outright lied about it.
2. Conspired to cover up problems with the machine and continue to do so.
3. Based on 1 and 2 above, make the veracity of claimed performance of their larger units suspect at best.
But...these are just my opinions...YMMV.
Post #1 by AAinslie:
Hey W31 owners,
My compressor just went up in a puff of smoke, after only 270 hours.
I had a long chat with the owner of Airetex, Bruce Dodson. He's actually a really stand-up guy. He was very frank with me - and the news ain't good.
W31's have NOT been good for him, and he is about to discontinue selling them. They often fail early, requiring a major rebuild. The rebuild cost isn't that expensive - about $850 - but when you factor in the added cost plus transport and downtime (let's say $1000) plus the fact that it's likely to happen every 250-300 hours, BOY it looks expensive. It adds about $3.50 to each 80 you fill.
He very generously offered me a 75% trade-in on my (broken) unit for a new unit he's about to start selling. I don't have specs on it yet, I'll post when I do. I say generously, because my unit is way out of warranty.
Post #5 by Oxyhacker:
A few years back when the W31 first appeared, several long-time compressor techs I was talking with at DEMA told me they thought it was seriously underbuilt, and especially questioned how Alkin could sell it as a continuous duty, 4500 psi machine suitable for filling cascades. One who knew the history of the machine told me that the design actually started out with an Italian company, for a low pressure compressor, and Alkin had bought the project and grafted on HP cylinders and heads, to make it an HP compressor. I took these comments with a grain of salt, seeing as how they came from people who might be considered competitors, but could not help but notice that the lower end did look more like a Home Depot LP compressor than what we are used to seeing on HP compressors. When Alkin had to do a redesign to beef up the lower end and add more oil capacity, it seemed partial confirmation of what they'd told me.
As a result I have been hesitant to recommend the W31, even though I am a big fan of larger, slower turning machines like the Bauer Utilis and Alkin W31 over little high reving ones like the Junior or MCH6. I've been waiting to see a few of them build up significant hours, hoping those critics would turn out to be wrong.
So while I am not completely surprised by this news, it is disappointing to realize the Alkin dealers I have been talking to may have been well aware of serious problems with the machines all along, and covering them up.
Post #40 by AAinslie:
Well, I have the Nardi. It's OK, but not great. But what the hell, if it gives me 100 hours (it's already given me 10) it'll be better than tossing the Alkin, given the trade-in deal that Bruce gave me.
Both the Nardi and the Alkin come from the factory claiming to be continuous service compressors to 300 bar.
Both factories are seriously misguided.
I feel for Bruce at Airetex. He's just trying to get us cheap bastards a small compressor at a reasonable price. I've come to the conclusion that for tech divers filling doubles to 3600 psi, or even worse, banks to 4500 psi, the best thing to do is to buy 2nd hand or fork out for a more expensive unit. A slow turning Bauer is probably what I'd go for 2nd time around. Im afraid that these small cheap compressors are just not built to last.
Head temp is very proportional to pressure being run. At 2000 psi the highest head temp is around 200. When at 4500, this climbs to 300. About 15 higher with 50% helium going through. This thing just doesn't like pumping to 4500.
Another problem with the Nardi - it runs VERY oily. it's about a 10% oil, 90% water mix coming out of the water separators. Which, of course, means added filtration and reduced filter life.
So... I'm not happy. The way I figure it, a Bauer or similar unit costs about $8k and lasts for many thousands of hours. These cheap ones cost about $4k and you're lucky to get 500 hours from them.
Bruce has been helpful through this whole process. But unfortunately I'm just not a big fan of either of his products. Alkin should be shot claiming that thing is a continuous use compressor. And the Nardi is a recreational compressor for people filling 80's or those silly guns. What really shocked me was the whip - it didn't even have a bleed valve on it! Just very little thought went into that unit. Italian engineering at its best.
Post #48 by Harrym:
Okay, I've been biting my tongue on this one, but it's time to speak up.
There is other reason to be careful about the Alkin compresors besides the compressor itself. The other reason to avoid the Alkin compressor is the USA distributor Airetex.
Airetex is a very poorly-run company and they literally do not know what they're doing. I bought my compressor almost a year ago and they are still calling me about open invoices, "We forgot to charge you for this and that and....."
It often takes half-a-dozen phone calls to get anything done there, no one seems to be talking to anyone else at that company. It's like you never called before and have to start from scratch. The next day no one at Airetex knows what you're talking about and you've to start from scratch again. That company is a mess.
Most recently I purchased a filter housing from them. They sent me a full filter assembly for a different compressor. It cost me $50 to ship this heavy thing back to them, and now they want to me to pay for shipping a second time for the correct part.
Avoid Airetex entirely. Those people are idiots.
Avoid the Alkin altogether.
Post #51 by Flainx:
I may get in trouble for posting some of this but I am having a hard time sitting here any longer.
- The W31 was marketed to the North American market as a continuous duty machine. From what I know this was not something that Alkin stated. Even we stated this in the beginning then changed our wording when we realized the limitation of the machine better. The W31 was designed by Alkin as a personnel SCUBA/Paintball compressor for intermittent use. The market asked for a low price compressor for personnel use and Alkin was one of the people that stepped to the plate. It was designed to fill a few tanks every once in awhile. If you want a continues duty machine you should have gone to the W32 with a pressure lube pump. Using the W31 for continuous duty is like pulling a 40' trailer with a Chevy Colorado. Will it do it? Sure, but the truck just isn't going to last.
- IAIN/HSM is correct when he talks about the overhung crankshaft. For a light duty machine the over hung design of the W31 will work fine, but when you start doing heavy loads, you should really start to go to a double bearing design.
- On early models there were some issues with connecting rods breaking. Alkin redesigned the rods and is now using a strong material. This has been out for the last year or so I believe.
- As with any piece of machinery improvements are always being made. Alkin is no exception. Any issue with design that arises is quickly investigated and corrected in anyway they can.
- Nitrox, I am no expert on Nitrox and to be honest, have never worked with it, but one item you have to watch is the oil. We do a lot of very specialized gas compressor for different industries and we have found different oils are affected by different combination of gases. What may happen is the nitrox gas will dilute the oil and take out some of its lubricity (yes that's a word). We had a unit compressing gas from cow **** to 5000 PSIG. The gas reacted differently with the oil and took the rings and bearings out in a 12-hour period.
I do not know how nitrox works with different oil, but it is something to look at. Especially if you are using the W31. It may not stand up to certain items that the larger machines will.
Despite what I have seen on other websites and what Airetex says in their Ebay add, the W31 is not discontinued. It is still a current production model. I have some on a ship now and will be placing an order shortly from the factory for more units. There will be some new models released probably in the New Year, but these are not to replace current models they are to add to the line.
I can't remember what the terms of this website are, whether manufacturers or suppliers can post, so I am not listing our company name, but we are located in Canada, it's easy to figure out. We have a warehouse to ship from in the US for our US customers. I cannot help with warranty items from units purchased from Airetex. Our stock is very small right now, but we are going to increase stock to cover the North American market. Most of the changes for Alkin in North America have only surfaced in the last two months. We will do everything we can to help.
Post #52 by Aainslie:
If this is true why the hell did you stand by while this dealer lied to us? For four freaking years?
This actually just pisses me off more.
Jesus. You guys all suck.
In particular, explain your standing by while they said THIS for all those years:
"The ALKIN W31 is the only portable compressor factory approved for filling cascade systems and multiple tanks. AireTex also sell 444 cu. ft. cascade bottles. It does NOT void the warranty to fill these Cascade bottles."
How about this line?
"This compressor has a 5000 PSI max with a working pressure of 4600 PSI."
You are NOT blameless in this process. At the very lest you could have had a discussion with Alkin.
When I get home tonight I'm going to read the manual, and tomorrow I'll post some quotes. I'm pretty sure that you're full of ****, telling us that Alkin only sold this as approved for occasional filling of LP tanks. I'm pretty sure that the manual discusses this issue.
Just when my blood pressure had somewhat dropped from this ripoff, you get me fired up again...
EDIT - I just did some checking around.
You're from Canadian Purcell. I just called, and you answered. Here's YOUR brochure:
http://www.canadianpurcell.com/uploads/W31Brochure.pdf
Where you offer it as a 4500 psi compressor. And on this page,
Canadian Purcell Machinery ~ A World of Compressed Air and Gas Solutions!
You offer a fully automated version with auto shutoff and auto drain. Who the hell uses auto shutoff to fill one cylinder?
You're fully complicit in this crap. And then you tell me what I "should have done". What, am I prescient?
Post #53 by Flainx:
Wow didn't think it would get such a heated reply,
#1 - He is not our dealer. We have no afiliation with Airetex in any way. We just sell the units in Canada and everyonce in awhile to someone in the US. We purchase our units directly from the factory in Turkey
#2 - Out of all the units we have sold, We have had two failures. We were unaware of how many problems Airetex has had. The only reason I found this thread is one of my customers called me asking if the Alkin compressor he just bought was discontinued.
Didn't mean to upset anyone, there seemed to be a lot of upset people lately becuase they thought the W31 was obsolete and Alkin left North America.
Post #57 by Rjack:
It was marketed as a continuous duty compressor and they sold storage bottles and auto drains to serve that need. I have my brochure, the website, and the manual states the same.
Above and beyond the lies about its design/service capabilties, Alkins flat out lied about the capacity of the P0 knockoff filter chamber as well. I reported them to the US CPSC for that, but my goverment chose not to pursue it. I CCed Bruce @ Airtex about it too. And the Alkins manual STILL has a completely bogus and downright dangerous temperature correction chart in it.
Post #61 by Oxyhacker:
Continuous duty means just that, that you can fire it up anytime you want, and run it for as long as it takes to do what you need done, without risk of damaging the compressor or disproportionately shortening its life.
Just about the only reason that continuous operation is harder on a machine than intermittant is heat build up - the smaller machines can't dissipate heat as fast as they generate it, so the longer they run, the hotter they get , the thinner the oil gets, the more marginal the lubrication becomes, and the faster they wear. The W31, being a largish compressor for its capacity, and turning slower than most others in its class, does not seem to be a particularly hot running machine, so we have to assume that the problem is not cooling, but parts that are inadequate for the loads they are being asked to bear and hence subject to rapid wear or catastrophic failure. That being the case, limiting run time may not significantly lengthen its life. Lowering output pressures may, simply by reducing the load on those inadequate parts. But its hard to say by how much.
That said, if it was my compressor I'd probably still avoid long run times, on the theory that it can't hurt, and might help.
BTW I heard from Airtex the other day, and they say they have stopped selling the W31, and that the only reason it is still listed on their website is they have not yet been able to get a website person to update their site.
So after reading all of this, my opinion of Alkin is that they:
1. Stretched the truth about the duty cycle of their machine, if not outright lied about it.
2. Conspired to cover up problems with the machine and continue to do so.
3. Based on 1 and 2 above, make the veracity of claimed performance of their larger units suspect at best.
But...these are just my opinions...YMMV.
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