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SurfLung
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Re: RIX SA3E

Wed Apr 16, 2014 9:37 am

- Hi Terry. Thanks for the link. I'll check it out. And thanks for your experience with the Cornelius. As the moisture issue was confirmed by RIX, I was wondering about other small compressors like the Cornelius that most pictures don't show with a bunch of filter towers. I was wondering if they might have the same moisture issues if used without the extra filter tower.
- I just checked Shelden's site and did not see the $178 filter tower but I'll try calling later. I did see that if you want and automatic on/off moisture drain system it adds $500+ to a system... And my RIX already has that! :D
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
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Bryan
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Re: RIX SA3E

Wed Apr 16, 2014 10:09 am

Since I sell air / NITROX Florida requires an independent air quality test be performed quarterly. I use Lawrence factor cartridge filters for convenience consistency and record keeping. But I have used the original self pack cartridge with the same results. Even running in the heat of the summer maintaining a 9 bottle bank my air quality runs on par with Waynes at Amigos Dive Center which is one of the largest air stations in the state.

Advice from Bill, Tom and Jim Sheldon are all you need. Compressor filtration does not need to be overly complicated or expensive to get great results. Maintenance, record keeping and attention to detail are the key factors. I'll bet a setup like Terry has on his compressor will work just fine on yours.
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antique diver
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Re: RIX SA3E

Wed Apr 16, 2014 10:28 pm

Filter set.JPG
:D Prowling around in my warehouse revealed this nice filter set that I had forgotten about until today. This would make the perfect set for your Rix, and has re-packable filter cartridges, which will save $$. I think pre-packed ones are still available from Lawrence Factor if you prefer the convenience.

Small enough to mount on the compressor or on the wall. The left tower is a moisture separator with a manual drain valve, and is useful since the Rix final separator is pretty small. This extra one will help the dessicant life in the next tower, which also has a drain valve to rid the dessicant cartridge of the small amounts of moisture that end up in the inlet side before going into the cartridge. Usually I packed the two middle ones with molecular sieve and the last one with charcoal.

I don't seem to have an extra PMV yet, but I have various hose lengths to go between the compressor and filter stack, and whatever length is convenient for going from there to the fill yoke. I would suggest a pressure gauge on the last tower instead of on the hose filler yoke end since they take a beating there.

I'll rig it all up for a picture tomorrow so you can see what the whole shebang looks like with the hoses, gauge, valve and filler yoke. I'll check on a new PMV (back pressure valve) to get a price on that, and keep looking for a good used one too.
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SurfLung
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Re: RIX SA3E

Thu Apr 17, 2014 10:11 am

- Geez Loueeze Bill, that's absolutely beautiful. I sent you and Email..

I better test this out... Make sure it works before spending more money on it!
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJQPVrgHu28[/video]
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

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Re: RIX SA3E

Thu Apr 17, 2014 9:09 pm

Check out the lubrication information in your email and on Scubasteve's posts before running it too much. The black cover slides right off and exposes the works when you loosen a single screw on the bottom side.

I got a back pressure reg and rebuilt it today, so I should have everything needed for a turnkey job on the filtration, and may finish tomorrow. Let's just make sure the Rix is ok before you spend the money.
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SurfLung
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Re: RIX SA3E

Thu Apr 17, 2014 9:56 pm

- Gee Bill... That sure sounds great. Thanks for figuring it all out for me.
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

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antique diver
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Re: RIX SA3E

Fri Apr 18, 2014 12:46 pm

photo.JPG
Hey Eben, how's this look? Here's the filter assembly laying on a board like you might place it on a wall.

There is an 8' hose on the inlet, at lower right, that will come from the back pressure valve on your compressor. The filtered air goes through a small back pressure valve at upper left of filters, then into a 6' fill hose with valve and bleeder yoke at the business end. Shorter hoses available too, but these give you some flexibility in placing the fill station away from the compressor.
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SurfLung
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Re: RIX SA3E

Sat Apr 19, 2014 11:20 am

- Beautiful... Absolutely beautiful. Thanks so much Bill. It's one thing getting into this and not knowing what I need to get it up and running properly. Finding the right parts and setting it all up for me at a price I can afford is awfully nice of you. I'll call on the phone but wanted to respond on the forum too.
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

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antique diver
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Re: RIX SA3E

Sat Apr 19, 2014 4:10 pm

SurfLung wrote:- Beautiful... Absolutely beautiful. Thanks so much Bill. It's one thing getting into this and not knowing what I need to get it up and running properly. Finding the right parts and setting it all up for me at a price I can afford is awfully nice of you. I'll call on the phone but wanted to respond on the forum too.
You're welcome, and it has been a real pleasure dealing with you. It was fun project for me getting the components all cleaned up and assembled. I repacked all the purification cartridges and tested it on my compressor to 3500 psi. It is ready to use by just mounting it to a wall and connecting the hose to your compressor. You will love the freedom and convenience of having your own air supply! :D
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scubasteve59
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Re: RIX SA3E

Tue Nov 04, 2014 12:50 am

Hi Eben

You've got a great compressor there. I love mine, three years and no problems since overhauled right after I got it.....

Runs like a top.

Long time since on forum, Honda Dream project, Cub Cadet project, and Glastron GT150 project currently under way.....I've been busy.

Enjoy the RIX.....

Steve

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Re: RIX SA3E

Tue Nov 11, 2014 11:24 am

hope no one minds me bringing this back up, but I purchased a pair of SA6's both of which need rebuilding and I'm wondering if there is a source for parts that isn't Rix directly? Unfortunately the "good one" ended up not being so good and needs the second stage piston assembly as well as a full overhaul. It turned over freely and was building pressure, but glad I didn't fire it up. The other one is basically for parts, but I paid $600 for the pair, so couldn't complain. Hoping to get the one up and running, but am scared to call Rix based on the parts costs....

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Re: RIX SA3E

Tue Nov 11, 2014 3:52 pm

Unfortunately, "expensive" is the norm when dealing with high pressure compressor components for any brand. I think that the only to get the Rix parts consistently is going to be direct from them, but if you do find another good source please let us know. At least they have been good about technical support/advice on their products, and that's worth something too.

Have you looked into the other compressor to see if its second stage is in better condition?
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SurfLung
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Re: RIX SA3E

Tue Apr 12, 2016 2:41 pm

Update on my RIX SA-3E...
- I've had a couple of Summers use of my compressor, filling lots of tanks since my last post. So, I thought I'd update this story with a re-cap of all that happened. I ended up getting a lot more help from Antique Diver. And had a lot of fun learning about compressors.
Image
-The RIX SA-3E Compressor... "SA" stands for "Sweet Air" referring to the RIX being oil-less (There's no crankcase and no cylinder lubricant). "3" stands for 3 cfm fill rate. And, "E" stands for Electric motor. (They come with gas engines, too).
- I bought this RIX from a fellow in St. Louis who got it out of some sort of airgun or paintball gun business. It was equipped with some expensive extras including an automatic shutoff switch (center above with wires) and two automatic moisture bleeders (These were replaced with manual bleeder valves for the sake of simplicity). My friend Antique Diver helped me out a great deal via email, text, phone, and VDH forum advice.
- The RIX compressors are said to need additional moisture separator capability... The two black moisture separating towers are not enough.
- RIX sells a 3-4 inch x 2-3 ft add-on moisture separator and filter for about $3,000... Yikes! Antique Diver found me the 4-tube scuba filter array (See earlier post) with an additional back pressure regulator and fill whip for only $400. So, I should have been ready to go... But NO!
- There was a leak somewhere... Traced it to the 3rd stage moisture separator tower (above left vertical black tube)... Turns out it had a CRACK at the tapered thread inlet! Yikes... That's the high pressure separator. It was not repairable and a replacement separator tower was $380. Well, the add-on filter array from Antique Diver actually has enough moisture separation capability so we just re-plumbed the air to bypass the bad separator.
- With that done, I used the compressor all of the Summer of 2014 and filled 40-50+ tanks.
- But the compressor was filling at about half it's supposed 3 cfm rate... Only running about 1.5 cfm. I just thought it was old and needed an overhaul. I priced out all of the parts from RIX and it added up to pretty darned expensive. But I was going ahead with it and called Antique Diver to let him know. He asked if it was actually leaking anywhere and I said no. Then he asked me about the rpms of the motor and the pulley diameters. Turns out, the thing was set up to run the compressor at about 1/2 the rpms it is supposed to be running! We figured out the correct pulley diameter and tried it out... Darned if it didn't fill tanks at the original 3 cfm rate! Eureka!
- This solved the fill rate problem but the $3.95 hardware store pulley I had bought kept loosening up and drifting off the motor shaft. After the first one flew off, I had to keep a constant watch and turn the compressor off if the pulley started to drift. That got old very fast. I eventually got a better quality pulley for $40-$50 from an electric motor repair shop and that baby stays on REAL good.
- With no need for an overhaul, I started thinking to spend some money on replacing the cracked 3rd stage moisture separator we had bypassed. I called up RIX and asked the lady, "Is there any chance I could get a better price than $380 for that part?" She said, "How about $300?" So I ordered it, installed it, and replumbed everything as you see above.

Filling Tanks with the RIX SA-3E...
Image
- This was my set-up for filling tanks in the Summer of 2015. You can barely see part of my filter array in the upper right. I'm filling Twin 38 tanks on the bench with a single steel 50 waiting in "batter up" position on the floor. To keep from having to turn off the RIX between tank changes, I keep the next one ready and also bleed off some pressure in the whip so that the system doesn't build up to the shutoff pressure during tank changes. I keep a baking timer running so I can record total hours between maintenance. The wineglass is official safety plastic... I eventually tidied up my loose wiring and replaced the bleeder valve petcocks for easier access... But otherwise this thing is running great.
- BTW... I regularly bleed the moisture off the petcocks every 10 minutes. So far, only the two RIX moisture separator tubes have had any moisture in them. The filter array petcocks have yielded no moisture.
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

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Bryan
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Re: RIX SA3E

Tue Apr 12, 2016 6:44 pm

With duct tape and a glass of wine close at hand I'd say you have all your bases covered.....

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Doing it right should include some common sense, not just blindly following specs and instructions. .Gary D, AWAP on SB

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scubasteve59
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Re: RIX SA3E

Thu Apr 21, 2016 10:53 pm

I just love it when a plan comes together! (A Team). Your set up is pretty nice there......I already have relatives "queing up" for fills off my SA6 for our annual 4th July family dive & get together. Nearly five years now and based on my experience I have nothing but thumbs up for these units. Pretty bullet proof.

BTW....one of my separator towers cracked in the same place as yours...I by passed it into a Walter Kidde moisture filter from another compressor I had and then final into a modified Sprague Hydraulic Accumulator with filter media. Works great.

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