Cheap breathing apparatus
 

I was thinking it should be easy to find some $40 fan/pump that would
deliver low-pressure air from a clean air location, via hose, to a
mask.

Not so. They all seem to want many hundreds of dollars.

What gives? I'm not asking suck air through a garden hose, but this
doesn't seem like a big feat of engineering. I don't even need HEPA
filters.

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

On Mar 17, 4:32*pm, mike wrote:
I was thinking it should be easy to find some $40 fan/pump that would
deliver low-pressure air from a clean air location, via hose, to a
mask.

Not so. *They all seem to want many hundreds of dollars.

What gives? *I'm not asking suck air through a garden hose, but this
doesn't seem like a big feat of engineering. *I don't even need HEPA
filters.

Every 33ft of (fresh) water is 14.7lbs...so you need a huge volume
(cu.ft) at around 40lbs constant.

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

On Mar 17, 2:52*pm, Bob Villa wrote:
On Mar 17, 4:32*pm, mike wrote:

I was thinking it should be easy to find some $40 fan/pump that would
deliver low-pressure air from a clean air location, via hose, to a
mask.

Not so. *They all seem to want many hundreds of dollars.

What gives? *I'm not asking suck air through a garden hose, but this
doesn't seem like a big feat of engineering. *I don't even need HEPA
filters.

Every 33ft of (fresh) water is 14.7lbs...so you need a huge volume
(cu.ft) at around 40lbs constant.

Um, I not underwater.

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

Edit: I am not underwater.

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

If there were such a thing, people who suspect they have sleep apnea would
have it made against the medical establishment then, I think?

"mike" wrote in message
...
I was thinking it should be easy to find some $40 fan/pump that would
deliver low-pressure air from a clean air location, via hose, to a
mask.

Not so. They all seem to want many hundreds of dollars.

What gives? I'm not asking suck air through a garden hose, but this
doesn't seem like a big feat of engineering. I don't even need HEPA
filters.

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

On Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:32:14 -0700 (PDT), mike
wrote:

I was thinking it should be easy to find some $40 fan/pump that would
deliver low-pressure air from a clean air location, via hose, to a
mask.

Not so. They all seem to want many hundreds of dollars.

What gives?

Maybe because it's somewhat "medical" it has all kinds of insurance
problems.

My suggestion: Duct tape.

Or just get a mask you like, a hose you like, a fan you think will
work, and tape them together or attach them somehow. Then when you
kill yourself you can sue yourself.

I'm not asking suck air through a garden hose, but this
doesn't seem like a big feat of engineering. I don't even need HEPA
filters.

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

On Mar 17, 3:45*pm, "Nelly Wensdow" wrote:
If there were such a thing, people who suspect they have sleep apnea would
have it made against the medical establishment then, I think?

"mike" wrote in message

...



I was thinking it should be easy to find some $40 fan/pump that would
deliver low-pressure air from a clean air location, via hose, to a
mask.

Not so. *They all seem to want many hundreds of dollars.

What gives? *I'm not asking suck air through a garden hose, but this
doesn't seem like a big feat of engineering. *I don't even need HEPA
filters.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I don't even need something that complex. I just need air delivered
and available to breathe while conscious. It doesn't need to
overpower an apnea condition.

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

mike wrote:
I was thinking it should be easy to find some $40 fan/pump that would
deliver low-pressure air from a clean air location, via hose, to a
mask.

Not so. They all seem to want many hundreds of dollars.

What gives? I'm not asking suck air through a garden hose, but this
doesn't seem like a big feat of engineering. I don't even need HEPA
filters.

When I was a lad, the shop teacher made a diving helmet out of a 5-gallon
bucket, a sealed plexiglass window, and an air hose. He strapped window
weights to it and we boys took turns using it to scrub the pool walls.
Worked swell.

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

On Mar 17, 4:01*pm, mike wrote:
Edit: *I am not underwater.

Could have fooled us.

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

"mike" wrote in message
...
I was thinking it should be easy to find some $40 fan/pump that would
deliver low-pressure air from a clean air location, via hose, to a
mask.

Not so. They all seem to want many hundreds of dollars.

What gives? I'm not asking suck air through a garden hose, but this
doesn't seem like a big feat of engineering. I don't even need HEPA
filters.

The problem is ............ finding a decent mask that will seal around your
face. You may be able to get a surplus gas mask, and convert that. What
you want to do is plausible. If I read you correctly, you just want fresh
air to work in a hostile environment. A small positive pressure source will
do, even if it is a chucked down squirrel cage. Be very cautious of
anything that has to do with a compressor supplied air, as the compressor
may have petroleum based oil in it, and can cause lipid pneumonia. But if
it is just a forced air, even like the exhaust of a shop vac, that can be
necked down, and the flow reduced. Most air provided that way, though, is
warm to hot. You will have to just play with it. I would suggest getting a
used gas mask, and then a used shop vac, and necking down the flow.

Good luck.

Steve, an ex commercial diver, so I do have a little experience.

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

"mike" wrote in message
...
I was thinking it should be easy to find some $40 fan/pump that would
deliver low-pressure air from a clean air location, via hose, to a
mask.

Not so. They all seem to want many hundreds of dollars.

What gives? I'm not asking suck air through a garden hose, but this
doesn't seem like a big feat of engineering. I don't even need HEPA
filters.

On second thought, one of those air mattress inflators, the high volume low
pressure things would work with a surplus gas mask. You may have to put an
inline valve to vary the pressure. Just enough to keep out the crud you are
trying to keep out.

Steve

Steve

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

"mike" wrote in message
...
On Mar 17, 3:45 pm, "Nelly Wensdow" wrote:
If there were such a thing, people who suspect they have sleep apnea would
have it made against the medical establishment then, I think?

"mike" wrote in message

...



I was thinking it should be easy to find some $40 fan/pump that would
deliver low-pressure air from a clean air location, via hose, to a
mask.

Not so. They all seem to want many hundreds of dollars.

What gives? I'm not asking suck air through a garden hose, but this
doesn't seem like a big feat of engineering. I don't even need HEPA
filters.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I don't even need something that complex. I just need air delivered
and available to breathe while conscious. It doesn't need to
overpower an apnea condition.

Bells & whistles aside, a CPAP is little more than a fan (probably the same
one as for an air mattress!) blowing air through a hose into a mask, but
with pressure control. A lot like Steve B's idea....

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

On Mar 17, 10:16*pm, "Steve B" wrote:
"mike" wrote in message

...

I was thinking it should be easy to find some $40 fan/pump that would
deliver low-pressure air from a clean air location, via hose, to a
mask.

Not so. *They all seem to want many hundreds of dollars.

What gives? *I'm not asking suck air through a garden hose, but this
doesn't seem like a big feat of engineering. *I don't even need HEPA
filters.

On second thought, one of those air mattress inflators, the high volume low
pressure things would work with a surplus gas mask. *You may have to put an
inline valve to vary the pressure. *Just enough to keep out the crud you are
trying to keep out.

Steve

Steve

Yeah, an air mattress inflator just might work. I can just adapt some
cheap respirator mask, as I don't need it over my eyes. I'll probably
drill a hole in the mask to allow overpressure out, if needed.

Thanks.

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

mike wrote:
On Mar 17, 10:16 pm, "Steve B" wrote:
"mike" wrote in message

...

I was thinking it should be easy to find some $40 fan/pump that
would deliver low-pressure air from a clean air location, via hose,
to a mask.

Not so. They all seem to want many hundreds of dollars.

What gives? I'm not asking suck air through a garden hose, but this
doesn't seem like a big feat of engineering. I don't even need HEPA
filters.

On second thought, one of those air mattress inflators, the high
volume low pressure things would work with a surplus gas mask. You
may have to put an inline valve to vary the pressure. Just enough to
keep out the crud you are trying to keep out.

Steve

Steve

Yeah, an air mattress inflator just might work. I can just adapt some
cheap respirator mask, as I don't need it over my eyes. I'll probably
drill a hole in the mask to allow overpressure out, if needed.

Just get a cheap (used?) small squirrel cage blower and a length of vacuum
cleaner hose, (or plastic flex conduit, orsump pump hose or ??)

Blower could be an old bathroom fan, furnace inducer blower. For short term use,
an old hair dryer could work.

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

"mike" wrote in message
...
On Mar 17, 10:16 pm, "Steve B" wrote:
"mike" wrote in message

...

I was thinking it should be easy to find some $40 fan/pump that would
deliver low-pressure air from a clean air location, via hose, to a
mask.

Not so. They all seem to want many hundreds of dollars.

What gives? I'm not asking suck air through a garden hose, but this
doesn't seem like a big feat of engineering. I don't even need HEPA
filters.

On second thought, one of those air mattress inflators, the high volume
low
pressure things would work with a surplus gas mask. You may have to put an
inline valve to vary the pressure. Just enough to keep out the crud you
are
trying to keep out.

Steve

Steve

Yeah, an air mattress inflator just might work. I can just adapt some
cheap respirator mask, as I don't need it over my eyes. I'll probably
drill a hole in the mask to allow overpressure out, if needed.

Thanks.

Mike, I was a scuba diver since 1969, and a commercial diver since 1974. I
do have a little experience in this. I can disassemble regulators and put
them back together, and that is something that I have risked my life doing,
and am still here.

What you want is a positive pressure, slightly over ambient, that is air
pressure where you are standing. What you want is anything that will
SAFELY give you clean cool air and will do it at a positive pressure so that
whatever you are trying to keep out can't get in; be it dust, paint,
whatever. Your idea of a relief port is a good one. Look at those masks
you buy for painting that have those little flapper one way valves. That
would be a cheap way to have an overflow. Try to cut a clean hole and some
type of attachment system, like velcro so if you need to change it, you can.
Perhaps if you buy a gas mask, it will already have one of these one way
flappers. They are incredibly simple, and incredibly reliable.

What you are asking is completely doable. Don't worry about the nags here.
You can probably even use regular air hose, but you want a light flexible
hose for the last ten feet. Mainly keep an eye on the blower to make sure
it doesn't get too hot. Buy one that is AC instead of car powered, you can
plug it in anywhere. If you keep up the air flow, it even shouldn't fog on
you. If it does, wash the inside of the goggles with spit, and rinse it
out. Maybe a DROP of DAWN in a whole bottle of water. Just a little does
it.

Let us know how it works for you.

Lastly, you should be able to buy a gas mask at any surplus store, on ebay,
or on the Internet.

Steve

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

"Bob F" wrote in message
...
mike wrote:
On Mar 17, 10:16 pm, "Steve B" wrote:
"mike" wrote in message

...

I was thinking it should be easy to find some $40 fan/pump that
would deliver low-pressure air from a clean air location, via hose,
to a mask.

Not so. They all seem to want many hundreds of dollars.

What gives? I'm not asking suck air through a garden hose, but this
doesn't seem like a big feat of engineering. I don't even need HEPA
filters.

On second thought, one of those air mattress inflators, the high
volume low pressure things would work with a surplus gas mask. You
may have to put an inline valve to vary the pressure. Just enough to
keep out the crud you are trying to keep out.

Steve

Steve

Yeah, an air mattress inflator just might work. I can just adapt some
cheap respirator mask, as I don't need it over my eyes. I'll probably
drill a hole in the mask to allow overpressure out, if needed.

Just get a cheap (used?) small squirrel cage blower and a length of vacuum
cleaner hose, (or plastic flex conduit, orsump pump hose or ??)

Blower could be an old bathroom fan, furnace inducer blower. For short
term use, an old hair dryer could work.

Great minds think alike. My thoughts, exactly. If you used a hair dryer on
no heat, you could just put a hose on it with a hose clamp. Might even
plumb into the hose on a surplus gas mask.

Great idea.

Steve

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

In article ,
Steve B wrote:


SNIP

Lastly, you should be able to buy a gas mask at any surplus store, on ebay,
or on the Internet.

Steve

(Army) surplus store? Those things still exist? (Well, I guess
we do keep having half-trillion-dollar wars! Disposed stuff's
gotta go somewhere...)

When I was a kid, in the 50's, man, did we have army surplus stores!

Blankets, canteens, (back) packs, web-belts, metal-boxes (hinged lid,
handle, etc) for machine-gun ammo.

Bins and bins and bins of stuff.

(I guess that earlier on you could have gotten, on the very, very
cheap, DC-3's, B-29's, P-45's -- you name it!)


David

Cheap breathing apparatus
 

On 3/18/2010 1:30 PM Steve B spake thus:

"Bob F" wrote in message
...

mike wrote:

On Mar 17, 10:16 pm, "Steve B" wrote:

"mike" wrote in message

...

I was thinking it should be easy to find some $40 fan/pump that
would deliver low-pressure air from a clean air location, via hose,
to a mask.

Not so. They all seem to want many hundreds of dollars.

What gives? I'm not asking suck air through a garden hose, but this
doesn't seem like a big feat of engineering. I don't even need HEPA
filters.

On second thought, one of those air mattress inflators, the high
volume low pressure things would work with a surplus gas mask. You
may have to put an inline valve to vary the pressure. Just enough to
keep out the crud you are trying to keep out.

Yeah, an air mattress inflator just might work. I can just adapt some
cheap respirator mask, as I don't need it over my eyes. I'll probably
drill a hole in the mask to allow overpressure out, if needed.

Just get a cheap (used?) small squirrel cage blower and a length of vacuum
cleaner hose, (or plastic flex conduit, orsump pump hose or ??)

Blower could be an old bathroom fan, furnace inducer blower. For short
term use, an old hair dryer could work.

Great minds think alike. My thoughts, exactly. If you used a hair dryer on
no heat, you could just put a hose on it with a hose clamp. Might even
plumb into the hose on a surplus gas mask.

Heck, for that matter you could just get a bunch a'them Rotron-type
computer cooling fans and put them in a box. I did that for a vent
system I built for my airbrush, just two 12-volt fans in a box with a
piece of ABS pipe on the back to connect to dryer-vent hose.


--
The fashion in killing has an insouciant, flirty style this spring,
with the flaunting of well-defined muscle, wrapped in flags.

- Comment from an article on Antiwar.com (http://antiwar.com)