Compressor Questions

[Pioneer 10]

Originally Posted by paronix

When finished filling, I was told it was a good idea to run the compressor for a couple of minutes at the end. Do you know if this should be done with the filling hose open or closed, so the safety valve blows.

Cheers,
Nick..

You should run the compressor for a couple of mins before you shut it down after filling, with the valves open! To enable it, and the pistons to cool down gradually. Also, on start up as I said before, you should let it run for a while with no load and then shut the valves, connect up your bottles and wait for the Safety Valve to blow before opening your bottle valves. This way you know what pressure the valves are set to and won't overfill your bottles (if they are rated to 232bar, you don't really want to be putting in 300bar!).

[Okeanos]

Originally Posted by Pioneer 10

You should run the compressor for a couple of mins before you shut it down after filling, with the valves open! To enable it, and the pistons to cool down gradually.

All stages will still be compressing gas while it's running, therefore generating heat. The only thing that will cool down will be anything after the last stage, i.e. filters etc. The compressor will only cool down when it's turned off.

[Pioneer 10]

Just going by what my Coltri-sub manual says. ps, It's a petrol compressor and will be running at tickover, NOT full pelt, before shut down!

[paronix]

At least the neighours can't stop me now.
If they'd have found out that that using bbq's mean't that I can't run the compressor and this was the case, I'm sure that every time I started making a noise, the'd put their bbq on!

[ray]

Hi.

I always run my compressor off load before and after filling any bottles, I also bleed the water trap at regular intervals.
My compressor's air intake is fed from the outside well away from the compressor which runs on electricity, so carbon monoxide is not an issue.
I can (luckily) fill above 300 bar if I want to. I have also made it double filtered by adding and plumbing in extra filters to make it 02 clean air, courtesy of some enormous filters I blagged off Andy Hayhurst at Dales Divers.