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Re: RIX SA3E

Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2019 6:00 pm
by swimjim
Geez Eben, your going to wear that thing out working on it! :lol:

Re: RIX SA3E

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 9:35 am
by SurfLung
swimjim wrote:
Tue Apr 02, 2019 6:00 pm
Geez Eben, your going to wear that thing out working on it! :lol:
Hi Jim,
- Thanks for noticing. I have to admit to being maybe a little too fixated on perfection of my RIX SA3 compressor. The thing is, I recently figured out a few things that took it right up to full capacity on it's fill rate. The spec says 3.0 cfm and I'm running 2.9-3.1 cfm depending on temp and humidity. That's IT... The goal has been reached. There isn't anything else to do to my RIX but improve on the window dressing.
- There's a RIX expert on another forum that commented on my plumbing... That it was hanging out there too much and might cause damage from vibration. So, THAT's why I'm working on the plumbing. PLUS, I just like working on it I guess. :roll:

P.S. I need to go diving so I can re-fill some tanks with my RIX SA3. Don't forget May 3-4 is Wazee. May 17-18 is Fortune!

Re: RIX SA3E

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2019 10:20 am
by SurfLung
Final Plumbing Refinement...
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- This puts everything as close as possible to the outport of the moisture condenser. I could have gone vertical with the BPR but I like the way it is with air going up and condensation going down so I have another place to drain from.
- I tried the PTFE thread sealant and not only made a mess of it but it ended up not sealing well. Took everything apart and re-assembled with 6 wraps of tape. No more leaks!
- I filled an AL80 to test it out and everything is working fine... Ready for Summer.

Re: RIX SA3E

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2019 10:32 am
by antique diver
It's looking good. You have inspired me to make some changes to my fill system. I'll put up some photos in a new thread soon.

Re: RIX SA3E

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 4:02 pm
by SurfLung
Now Pumping 3.2 CFM...
- I'm very pleased with the fill rate on my RIX SA3 compressor. Last night I was refilling my Twin 38s and Richs Twin 50s. The 38s were empty so I was able to calculate actual fill time on 84 cf (10% over). At 3 cfm it takes 28 minutes. But last night it took only 26 minutes... That figures to 3.2 CFM and the RIX is spec'd at 3.0 cfm (on a good day!)
- I'm running just slightly under speed at 2260 rpm (2300 is spec).

- The main things I will point to for this excellent performance are:
1. My "Ring Refresh" process,
2. Cylinder wall cleanup,
3. New O-rings in the heads,
4. And reed valve cleanup in the heads.

Re: RIX SA3E

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:42 pm
by SurfLung
Piston Head Puller Tool
- I don't know if I ever posted these photos of my RIX 2nd stage piston head and how it comes apart. I found a couple of pictures that show the underside of the 2nd stage head and the puller tool that can be easily made up with a machine screw, nut and washers:
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The Scheduled Maintenance from my RIX SA3 manual says to grease the rod ends and thrust bearings every 25 hours or every month whichever comes first. I've been doing it every 10 hours of run time. It also says to inspect for leaks, loose fitting, and to clean things up. There is no mention (that I've found, anyway) where I should replace the Head O-Rings, reed valves, or piston rings at a certain number of hours.

I know it becomes necessary. I've replaced Head O-rings a couple of times so far... When I first got the compressor, I opened up the heads and found the O-rings melted and/or extruded. But I replaced them with common hardware store O-rings. Then when I was re-ringing the pistons, I replaced the head O-rings with some better quality O-rings but still didn't put in the Viton 90 Dura that I should have. I shopped around and found the correct rings for the heads at the O-Ring Store (online)... So I have them ready for the next time if and when.

But for a schedule on piston ring and head O-ring changes, I'm thinking to watch my fill rate and when it starts to slow down, that will be my warning sign that it's time to do the changes.

BTW - I filled my Twin 38s from 200 psi to 2000 psi in 26 minutes last night. That's 3.2 "S"-cfm... Probably about 3.0 cfm FAD.

Re: RIX SA3E

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 11:15 am
by SurfLung
Greasing the RIX SA3
- This is the crank case of the "oil-less" RIX SA3 compressor. No oil. Instead, you grease the connections and bearing surfaces.
- As mentioned earlier, I've been doing my grease job at 10 hour intervals instead of the 25 hour interval specified in the manual. From Iain's comments, it sounds like that's not a bad idea. I've been told that the SA6 cowl is easier to get off than the SA3... My SA3 has four hex bolts to remove. I bought one of those low profile ratcheting box wrenches for this and it is now quick and easy to get those bolts off and on.
- This picture shows the fan in the lower left, the swash plate and turnbuckles in the middle, and the piston rods and cylinders in the upper right. As Iain says, a few pumps of the special grease and then a wipe down to remove the excess. I use q-tips to wipe out the excess grease on the underside which is too narrow of a gap for my fingers and a paper towel.
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- The more difficult part of this greasing is the thrust bearings underneath. You have to put some grease on your finger and wipe it into the bearing surfaces. It goes pretty quick once you've done it a few times. This time around, I think it took less than 15 minutes to take off the cowl, grease everything and put the cowl back on.

Re: RIX SA3E

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 12:26 pm
by antique diver
You and Jill should come visit us.... oh yeah, bring your grease gun. I think my Rix is due for a lube. :)