Compressor testing kits?

[jazzie129uk]

Hi all

I've been asked to see if I can source a "portable, breathing air test kit". Now the thing that first sprang to mind was something along the lines of an Analox, but on further investigation it rather looks as though they actually want something they can use to check the quality of air being pumped by a compressor, presumably checking for contaminants in the output rather than merely the % of O2.

Has anyone come across something of this nature, and if so what is it and who supplies it?

Regards

Danny

[Hickdive]

Here you go

Dräger Safety >> Application-oriented and cost-optimized concepts

The kit consists of a series of sealed glass tubes containing a chemical. Different tubes for different contaminants. You break the ends off the glass tube and pump a sample of air from your compressor through it. The chemical in the tube changes colour and you read off from a colour chart the level of contaminant in the sample. The tube for oxygen gets very hot!

Try asking your Local Authority Enviromental Health Department if they can supply an analysis service. A club I used to belong to did this.

[N Bailey]

There are two places that sell the Kitagawa system.
Links below.
Undersea Ltd - Serving the diving industry since 1970
SAP Products Page
Or Aquatron is Scotland do a postal system where they send you a canister to fill and return results to you very quickly.

[Gez Ward]

made a test kit years ago with some Drager tubes and a first stage some one liked it so much they pinched it .
worked fine if you can get the tubes

[David G]

Our Club sends a sample off to Aquatron every 6 months.

I am not involved with this but I believe they send us a sampling kit, a sample is taken and sent off and they analyse it and send us the results.

home_apa I believe.

About £75 a time I recollect.

I believe the analysis tubes can be a bit of a PITA to use and results are variable as they rely on exactly the right amount of sampling time etc. The tubes may also have a shelf life (they used to anyway).

Aquatron use some sort of spectography on the one sample of air you send.

Hope this helps.

David.

[iain/hsm]

The cheap simple easy Draeger hand pump cost is only £150 and the gas detector tubes are between £3.50 and £4.50 retail each depending on the type. So a complete air test is £16.
Water C02 C0 and oil are the 4 most common they come in packs of 10. Be careful regarding the type of oil you have in your compressor for some of the diester lubes the number of pump cycles are increased. I have a comparison chart if your interested. Self test and self certify is perfectly acceptable.
Alternative is a scuba first stage with a Brooks or Dwyer flowmeter and a relief valve, problem is the PC numpties will want you to get the flowmeter calibrated, then the stopwatch! lol.

[fatone]

As already mentioned Sub Aqua Products do a very simple kit (£395.00 ex. VAT) with a regulator to adjust to the flow required by the tubes and, used to sell you the tubes, one of each required (a 4 pack !), instead of you buying 4 packs of 10 tubes that have a limited shelf life.

[ppfsi]

Originally Posted by fatone

As already mentioned Sub Aqua Products do a very simple kit (£395.00 ex. VAT) with a regulator to adjust to the flow required by the tubes and, used to sell you the tubes, one of each required (a 4 pack !), instead of you buying 4 packs of 10 tubes that have a limited shelf life.

Hi there, have looked on SAP's website but can't see this product. Can you do a link that I can follow

[Dangerous Dan]

Also Here:

SMP Limited - Commercial Diving Supplies and Diving Equipment Manufacturers

[ppfsi]

Thanks for that lightening reply
Si