My Compressor Woes Continue

By | Equipment

Rix Compressor First Stage Piston

Broken Compressor Piston

My previous post about owning your own scuba compressor was written for a reason. A little over a month ago, I fired up the compressor to start filling tanks for an Advanced Nitrox & Decompression Procedures class that I was teaching. As it started, it sounded funny. After a couple minutes, the compressor stopped running, but the motor was still on. After I turned it off and removed the compressor shroud, I saw the first stage piston and rod were almost completely out of the bore. The bolt that held the rod to the main bearing had come loose (at 3600 RPM I might add) and pulled the whole assembly out. [Read more...]

Tips for Owning Your Own Scuba Air Compressor

By | Knowledge Base

People always tell me how lucky I am when I tell them I have my own compressor to fill my scuba tanks. When I hear this, I roll my eyes. Little do people realize just how much work goes into owning a high pressure air compressor. It’s almost like raising a child. Many times you have to handle it with kid gloves and other times, you need to get more forceful. Just like with children, when it starts to act up, it will cause you quite a bit of frustration. Don’t be surprised if you make a lot of new leaches “friends” when people find out you can fill scuba tanks. [Read more...]