Eben:
After receiving the compressor I soon discovered that it runs just fine, and I'm sure for my purposes I'll be very satisfied with it.
Before I fired it up there were a few things I either wanted to do or had to do to it; none of which were critical. It needed a good cleaning; changing of the electric cord, revamping the intake filter since it did not have the original intake tube that holds the replaceable filter cartridge, and putting some new oil in it. As for the filter; I replaced it with one of those round Solberg filters that you see on some of the newer compressors that has the replaceable round cartridge, and it works just fine. The guy I bought it from had also drained the oil from it for shipment and sent it in a separate quart container; but not knowing what brand it was I replaced it with some Mobile Jet II which was recommended by a number of guys who know these compressors. I then replaced the separator/filter which is part of this compressor just so I could clean it up real good and take it apart to get an idea how it works. According to the Cornelius manual that I downloaded and printed off of this site, and info I found on a number of searches this compressor as is; is supposed to deliver good quality breathing air. Maybe;
but not good enough for me; so it was time for a bit of research since I wanted to add another tower to this system that served not only as a drain but also had better filtration to provide breathing air that I felt comfortable with. As I did some research I kept getting pointed in the direction of Jim Shelden who is supposed to be "The Go To Guy" with the knowledge on these compressors. Captain was one of the guy's who recommended Jim - Thanks Tom!
Jim had some modified Sprague Hydraulic accumulators that he had for sale which served as a moisture trap in the lower 25% and held a replaceable filter cartridge in the upper 75% which can be repacked by the owner. This system is also equipped with a drain valve. The ones that he originally had were 14" in length; but unfortunately they were no longer available so I had to settle for the 21" unit; but that's OK. Well; again this being my first compressor I have ZERO knowledge or experience with them; so this has definitely been a learning experience; but it's been fun! So; taking into account this lack of knowledge and experience I was hoping (key word here is hoping) that when I received this tower from Jim I would somehow be able to attach it to the compressor itself. I thought I could possibly do this by attaching some flat bar stock to the bottom of the compressor by means of using two of the compressors leg bolts as attachment points, and the bending the flat bar stock upward so it would protrude up as an attachment point for the new tower in close proximity to the separator/filter tower that is already part of the compressor. Well; it was a good idea while it was in my head; but after receiving this tower yesterday and seeing it's size and weight;
it appears that it's back to the drawing board. I' very satisfied with the tower I got from Jim; but now I've got to decide how I want to use it. I've seen pictures where they have been wall mounted and then connected to the compressor when being used via a quick disconnect HP hose; but I don't think I want to do that. I also have heard of guys mounting them on their own free standing base which is once again connected to the compressor when being used with a quick disconnect HP hose. This kind of creates a two-part compressor system which as long as it works is OK I guess and I might consider this method; but I'd really prefer to have it all together as one unit. I've also heard of guys making a base large enough to attach the compressor itself to, and providing enough space to have an upright support to hold the new tower which could then be permanently attached to the original separator/filter tower. By removing the compressors foot bolts this would allow for attachment points of the compressor to the new base, and whatever extra room needed or wanted to mount the new tower would be users choice. If this works without being too bulky or awkward to carry with the compressors original handle on top I will most likely go this route. I'm open to any suggestions.
Anyway; Thank God I've got this compressor project to work on; because I think it's one of the few things helping me to keep my sanity with this long, awful winter we're having here in northern Michigan this year!
Thanks! Terry
The friendship of many has been inspired and created while together we've explored beneath the waves the wonders of God's creation.
NAVED Member #137
Member of The 2016, 2017 Sea Hunt Forever Dive Team