Chas wrote:
"jay" wrote in message
...
On Jun 11, 8:59 pm, Richard J Kinch wrote:
jay writes:
I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air
compressor at sea level.
I do it all the time and so do my kids. We hook it up to a scuba
regulator and practice scuba diving in the swimming pool. Never
detected any irritation or as much as a scratchy throat from doing this
for long periods. Boat and pool repair guys do this to work underwater.
The compressor consists of some metal and clean hydrocarbon oil, so
there's nothing particularly toxic in low amounts. The amount of oil
entrained into the air must be way below any OSHA limits for oil vapor,
since the oil consumption of a well-running compressor is miniscule.
I'm sure that running a lathe with kerosene cutting fluid and hot chips
generates more oil vapor into the lungs via ambient air than this.
I was working with this every day I might add a filter canister.
Now in filling scuba tanks to 3500 psi you have to be scrupulously
clean, but this is only 90 psi.
I'm more worried about microbes growing in the puddle in the bottom of
the compressor tank. But the intake filter should keep out most of the
nutrition for them, so there's just clean distilled water and rust in
there.
http://www.truetex.com/scuba_lp.pdf
Are you saying that even an oil lubricated compressor is safe to
breathe @ 1 bar (sea level). If oil lubed compressors are safe a 1
bar, that's great news for me.
The Shell Co make a non-synthetic compressor oil ("Corena P150") which is
used in Scuba air compressors and is supposed to be safe in that
application.
The ONLY safe way to breath air from an oil lubed compressor is to use
the specific lubes designed for breathing air units. Then run the air
through a filter.
Unless you enjoy lung damage from the mineral/petroleum oil that WILL
get into your lungs.
Now if your looking for a neat set-up look for a CPAP unit (MAKE SURE it
has the humidifier option if your an allergy prone person) Just make
sure what type mask it is set up for before you buy it. There are
various types. OR just adapt it to a full face unit like an SCBA mask.
--
Steve W.