Here's the portable tester being used to fill twin 38s...
And, here's a video of the filter cartridgde being re-packed...
Moderator: captain
SurfLung wrote: ↑Thu Aug 03, 2023 3:45 pmBauerFilter.jpgHere are my thoughts...
.... BUT... That Bauer 3200 cubic feet number is based on the Bauer Triplex purification system. Which has condensation all at the end of the compression cycle... At least, I'm not seeing additional condensation points in the photos of the portable Bauer compressors equipped with that 059183A filter cartridge.
My Alkin W31 compressor, on the other hand has condensation and drain chambers at all three compression stages before any air gets to the Alkin P21 purifier cartridge.
The three stage Bauers that I am familiar with don't have a condensation drain after the first stage, but they have a moisture collection device and drain valve after the second stage to dispose of first and second stage condensate. That separator and drain valve isn't located on the Triplex purification assembly, so it doesn't show up in the above diagram.
This photo of my somewhat modified 3 stage Bauer shows me pointing to the 2nd stage separator and manual drain valve factory mounted at the inlet side of the 3rd stage. The Triplex unit to the right has two drains for 3rd stage condensate - one for each chamber within the tower (both are at same pressure). The drain valve knobs are obviously not original, but I find them easier to operate.
I want to add a bit to the Bauer information. My "simplified" chart was derived directly from Bauer's information, but was simplified because absolutely none of the fire departments I serviced would bother with the more complex Bauer charts. So much thinking and recording was required to do it "Bauer's Way" that they just would not even attempt to keep track of it at all. Luckily the Bauer numbers are actually pretty conservative, and I have seen Triplex filters go well beyond the recommended change times and still get good quarterly air tests. I'm not recommending that, just reporting.SurfLung wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 11:43 amConclusions...
The original question is whether the Alkin and Bauer filter are interchangeable for use on the Alkin. Here are possible answers...
1. Structurally the Alkin P21 cartridge and the Bauer P0 Triplex cartridge look identical and both fit the Alkin W31 compressor. (I've used them both on my Alkin.
2. The filter capacity is the question that took us off topic into moisture detection. Alkin says the P21 filter cartridge will last up to 50 hours but that temperature and humidity can affect this. Bauer gets much more technical and precise... They say the P0 Triplex has a capacity of 3200 cf at 50 degrees F. They provide a chart with correction factors to compensate for higher temperatures and humidity.
3. Bill Tucker simplified this with his own chart for the filter life of popular Bauer cartridges at , 50, 68, and 92 degrees F.
4. Using Bill's chart, The Bauer P0 Triplex cartridge lasts 27 hours at 50, 15 hours at 68, and 8 hours at 92 degrees, F.
5. I still have not received any answers on this from Alkin.
So, I'm going to use the Bauer data and set my Alkin P21 filter cartridge replacement at 8 hours or 3 months, whichever comes first.
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