My Old Tools
Well-known member
Wrong, I can get over an hour at 30 ft down. At surface it should last hours. And you don't have to carry the tank. Get a long hose.
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Breathing air from a compressor
- Thread starter R6 Racer
- Start date
Wrong, I can get over an hour at 30 ft down. At surface it should last hours. And you don't have to carry the tank. Get a long hose.
LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
The short answer is NO! You shouldn't be attempting to use anything like that without training or fit testing anyway. Your life isn't less expensive than doing it properly.
Tommy
Tommy
John in OH
Well-known member
Bad idea to breath air from compressor. Compressed air may contain aerosols of oil, dirty water, rust, and who-knows-what kind of crud.
Air for powered clean-air hoods etc. is usually provided via a separate low pressure blower with filters that is set up to draw air from a clean location.
Air for powered clean-air hoods etc. is usually provided via a separate low pressure blower with filters that is set up to draw air from a clean location.
My Old Tools
Well-known member
ha ha you really want to question a firefighter about how long an scba lasts?
You want to question a 30 year SCUBA instructor on how long a SCUBA tank lasts. Our tanks run 3000 PSi.
Yes! I’ve been a fire fighter since 1996 and have used 2216, 4500 60 minute and 4500 45 minute bottles in my career. Your stating about being a dive instructor and thinking about a 30 foot depth being a consideration let’s me know that you don’t understand that 32 feet is just one atmosphere of pressure and gravity is not a factor underwater.
by the way I have also been filling bottles through the many different systems since 1998 be it a Honda gas multistage compressor that would take atleast 20 minutes to fill one bottle, diesel power systems that were able to fill a bottle in 10-15 minutes or 3 phase multi stage compressor systems with a 5 bottle cascade system as well as multiple rescue mounted compressors and even a weird trailer mounted compressor with a piston in the system to increase pressure. The one thing in common through all was the stringent air testing, maintenance and experience of being able to fill many bottles in an efficient way to fill as many bottles as possible with out wasting high pressure or equalizing different banks of air to ensure the quickest way to fill multiple bottles in a limited time for large scale fires or CBRNE events.
Marctrees
Well-known member
Yup, my $50 vac system works great and could not be simpler.
Marc
Marc
Lassen Forge
Well-known member
I was a Hazmat Specialist, and have a LOT of experience with both supplied air systems and SCBA's.
There is absolutely no way I would breathe air from an SCBA tank that was filled from a non-breathing air system, or off a hose fed from a commercial tool air compressor. No way, no how, nuh-unh... One, you're not going to get up to the 3000-4500 PSI to fill the tanks, and two, you're going to be breathing aerosolized petroleum products, tank contaminants, and ambient air contaminants for the couple minutes of contaminated air you get in that now ruined "30 minute" tank.
Stop by a firehouse, look at the rotary compressored and filtered clean air bottle system... compare that to ol' Husky Faithful supplying your impact gun...
Then again, who am I to stop someone from earning a Darwin award?
There is absolutely no way I would breathe air from an SCBA tank that was filled from a non-breathing air system, or off a hose fed from a commercial tool air compressor. No way, no how, nuh-unh... One, you're not going to get up to the 3000-4500 PSI to fill the tanks, and two, you're going to be breathing aerosolized petroleum products, tank contaminants, and ambient air contaminants for the couple minutes of contaminated air you get in that now ruined "30 minute" tank.
Stop by a firehouse, look at the rotary compressored and filtered clean air bottle system... compare that to ol' Husky Faithful supplying your impact gun...
Then again, who am I to stop someone from earning a Darwin award?
hammerhead611
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2017
- Messages
- 202
That scuba bottle will probably last for about 30 minutes while working. The harder you're working, the faster it will empty out. Getting refills will get old after awhile. However, the tank will get lighter as you empty it.
You need to be very careful where you're sourcing your air from with breathing systems. You may also find the air is quite dry and may cause you to have a cough after use.
As far as getting a SCUBA tank...getting it refilled isn't as simple as going to the local dive shop, telling them you want it refilled, and walking out with a full tank. You have to have a C-Card to get a tank refilled (or at least everywhere I've ever had my tanks refilled required a C-card). To get a C-card, you must go through SCUBA diving lessons and be certified.
rustyjames
Well-known member
There's just no way that I would risk my lungs for something that I can buy for under a grand that's specifically built for the purpose.
sberry
Banned
The guy is sanding and grinding, he needs a dust mask.
I reciently acquired a full coverage face mask that has an air line connector.
What I do not know is weather I can hook it up to my air system & safely breath the air.
Anyone know the answer? If not, is there a way to filter it so I can breath safely?
I really like the idea of fresh air when breathing gets thick from grinding & sanding.
Ideas...
Steve
No, and NO. Get a PAPR respirator.
You want to question a 30 year SCUBA instructor on how long a SCUBA tank lasts. Our tanks run 3000 PSi.
The volume of air in a SCUBA tank is 2-3 times that of a SCBA. Also you are not exerting too much energy SCUBA diving. Try working at your max breathing a tank and see how long it lasts.
rlitman
Well-known member
The volume of air in a SCUBA tank is 2-3 times that of a SCBA. Also you are not exerting too much energy SCUBA diving. Try working at your max breathing a tank and see how long it lasts.
SCUBA tanks are only larger than SCBA, for the inherent reason that buoyancy allows you to carry more on your back when Underwater.
SCUBA tanks are only larger than SCBA, for the inherent reason that buoyancy allows you to carry more on your back when Underwater.
but they still hold more volume than a SCBA cylinder. Thats why he said he can get 1 hour bottle time in 30' of water. Also the added weight of the tank helps get you down.
Last edited:
rustyjames
Well-known member
The guy is sanding and grinding, he needs a dust mask.
Agreed, providing there's no facial hair that can affect the filtering properties.
ScottsGT
Well-known member
Oh man, this thread reminds me of the times in the bodyshop 30+ years ago.
The owner had just bought one of the full face masks for his painter. He mounted the special compressor for it outside the paint booth in the corner.
Of course after lunch us wise guys would go over next to the compressor and let the flatulence fly. We thought the real joke was just us doing it to make the rest of the guys laugh, never dreamed it would actually make it through the system.
After a week of our shenanigans, one day the painter came out and had a discussion with the owner in front of us. "Leroy, you need to call the company rep back out here. This thing stinks like rotten eggs after you've been using it half the day."
Oh man, we all died that day!!
Of course this is the same shop where someone redirected the bathroom vent fan exhaust into the main office. It got quite embarrassing for the owner, and he had no idea we did this. He brought in an office trailer and moved out.
The owner had just bought one of the full face masks for his painter. He mounted the special compressor for it outside the paint booth in the corner.
Of course after lunch us wise guys would go over next to the compressor and let the flatulence fly. We thought the real joke was just us doing it to make the rest of the guys laugh, never dreamed it would actually make it through the system.
After a week of our shenanigans, one day the painter came out and had a discussion with the owner in front of us. "Leroy, you need to call the company rep back out here. This thing stinks like rotten eggs after you've been using it half the day."
Oh man, we all died that day!!
Of course this is the same shop where someone redirected the bathroom vent fan exhaust into the main office. It got quite embarrassing for the owner, and he had no idea we did this. He brought in an office trailer and moved out.
chris142
Well-known member
The underground Gold miners used an air powered widow maker drill to drill holes for blasting. That's also how they got their air supply. They also died young.
Vinny
Well-known member
The hobbyair machines provide air for supplied respirators. They used to sell a less expensive model without the certification sticker. Still, they used to hover around $500 or so.
When I painted my jeep in the garage booth, I built my own air supply. I have a standard air filter mask with N95 filters and a prefilter insert. The prefilter is held on with a plastic cover over the N95 canister.
I took a PVC fitting (about 1") and some washers, and mounted this to each side of the mask to the prefilter cover. I used some inexpensive corrugated plastic hose to build a "Y" connector that slips over the PVC fittings.
Then I ran a 20 foot or so section of this same hose out to a box with a bathroom fan. The fan pushed plenty of fresh air to my mask providing a positive pressure. I also wore a tyvek hood over this setup. Note that I was breathing fresh air double filtered thru the N95 cans also. Obviously, the fan must be placed in a location with fresh air. Worked great and I could paint leisurely with fresh air that also provided cooling flow under the hood.
Welding and grinding produce hot metal particles that are not friendly to a plastic hose. So this may not suffice for your needs. I was just relating some ideas that worked for me in my application.
First, I would ventilate the general area as much as possible to reduce the airborne dust and particles in your breathing area. Then use an appropriate filter system mask to protect your lungs. You only get one chance to do this right.
A small investment in safety equipment is always cheaper than a hospital room.
Sent from my SM-A102U using The Garage Journal mobile app
They make similar set ups on eBay for good prices. I used one to paint in the garage, worked well.
I used to work on asbestos abatement jobs where we got supplied air from a gas or diesel powered compressor. The air had to be tested each time it was set up to prove it supplied Grade D air. The testing wasn’t cheap. The air had to be run through a board that had several filters and scrubbers, as well as a CO monitor. This was pretty rare and most contractors used the small electric air pumps. But those things use a LOT of power and tripped breakers all the time.
When a buddy of mine was bucks down he gat a job scrubing the algae off the bottom of a Lake Michigan yacht.
20 feet wide
He was able to do the edges with a long handled broom.
But he could not reach the center along the keel.
He asked to use my home made compressor and 25 feet of hose.
He bought a snorkel mask the covered his nose, glued in a coupling and dove in.
he would breath in through his nose and out through his mouth.
He used it for 2 six hour days and is alive to tell the story.
My compressor was a 1963 Plymouth AC compressor and a furnace blower motor.
20 feet wide
He was able to do the edges with a long handled broom.
But he could not reach the center along the keel.
He asked to use my home made compressor and 25 feet of hose.
He bought a snorkel mask the covered his nose, glued in a coupling and dove in.
he would breath in through his nose and out through his mouth.
He used it for 2 six hour days and is alive to tell the story.
My compressor was a 1963 Plymouth AC compressor and a furnace blower motor.
When a buddy of mine was bucks down he gat a job scrubing the algae off the bottom of a Lake Michigan yacht.
20 feet wide
He was able to do the edges with a long handled broom.
But he could not reach the center along the keel.
He asked to use my home made compressor and 25 feet of hose.
He bought a snorkel mask the covered his nose, glued in a coupling and dove in.
he would breath in through his nose and out through his mouth.
He used it for 2 six hour days and is alive to tell the story.
My compressor was a 1963 Plymouth AC compressor and a furnace blower motor.
Not everyone that smokes also dies from lung cancer.
GrundleJuice
Member
There are purpose made "hooka" rigs which consist of a 24v oil-less compressor, a tank with manifold and a 24v battery (or two 12v) all on a raft. I've used one a few times, with 2 others all breathing off of the same supply, while lobstering in Florida keys. They work great for about 15' depth or less and use traditional scuba respirators on the ends.
I wouldn't use an oil type compressor for obvious reasons.
I wouldn't use an oil type compressor for obvious reasons.