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Breathing air from a compressor
Hi All
I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. |
Breathing air from a compressor
that's how they fill SCUBA tanks - after a bunch of filtering
"jay" wrote in message ... Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. |
Breathing air from a compressor
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 |
Breathing air from a compressor
jay wrote:
Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. Why do you ask? Telling us your application will give you better information. You need some positive pressure air for spraying nasty stuff under a hood? Maybe like Imron if that is one of the bad ones. Too late to look it up. Wes -- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller |
Breathing air from a compressor
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 I'm not considering underwater usage. Being a SCUBA diver, I've thought that air being compressed to 100+ bar for consumption underwater required special compressors, lubricants, filtering, dryers, scrupulous maintenance, etc. At this moment I'm just interested in getting a safe topside positive air flow to protect me from dust, diesel fuel & other nasty **** that affects my allergies. I despise respirators. I'm retired & I refuse work another day waring one. I'm considering a small 5 to 10 cfm compressor that I could use to do other stuff such as paint while bleeding off a small percentage of it's air to breathe. I'm considering a Sears or other brand @ around $300. I realize that oil free compressors don't last as long, but that's OK. I was concerned that perhaps even the oil free ones put out some hazardous gases. Thanks for your helpful words. |
Breathing air from a compressor
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. |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 11, 9:04*pm, Wes wrote:
jay wrote: Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. Why do you ask? Telling us your application will give you better information. *You need some positive pressure air for spraying nasty stuff under a hood? *Maybe like Imron if that is one of the bad ones. *Too late to look it up. Wes -- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." *Dick Anthony Heller Yeah, that's pretty much it. I'm allergic to a lot of stuff that I like to work with. See some of the other replies I made to other posters in this thread. |
Breathing air from a compressor
jay wrote:
Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. In addition to what everyone else mentioned, you might pick up a used CPAP from Craigslist. My local listing shows 6 machines available from U$ 200. and less. --Winston -- "In an age of bodily repose, with nearly all locomotion artificial, with money as the principal purveyor, it is not surprising that men are careless about their physical powers, and think them hardly worth the trouble which their full cultivation would entail." Popular Science _On the Artificial Production of Stupidity in Schools_ June, 1872 |
Breathing air from a compressor
jay writes:
Are you saying that even an oil lubricated compressor is safe to breathe @ 1 bar (sea level). Yes, in proper working order. That's my opinion and my firsthand experience. It must be cleaner than the sidewalk of a busy city street breathing exhaust, diesel particulates, etc. |
Breathing air from a compressor
"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. -- Regards, Chas. (To email me, replace "xxx" with letters tango papa golf.) |
Breathing air from a compressor
If your application is for a room, a compressor is the wrong plan. You need
volume and slight pressure just higher than atmosphere. If you wish this air supply is particulate free, then a clean room filter and a large sqirrel fan blower is the answer. steve "jay" wrote in message ... Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:15:24 -0700, the infamous Winston
scrawled the following: jay wrote: Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. In addition to what everyone else mentioned, you might pick up a used CPAP from Craigslist. My local listing shows 6 machines available from U$ 200. and less. $200 is a good price. (Nothing local to me.) -- "In an age of bodily repose, with nearly all locomotion artificial, with money as the principal purveyor, it is not surprising that men are careless about their physical powers, and think them hardly worth the trouble which their full cultivation would entail." Popular Science _On the Artificial Production of Stupidity in Schools_ June, 1872 Good quote, sir! I'll see you: Civilization is the art of living in towns of such size the everyone does not know everyone else. -- Julian Jaynes, "The Origin of Consciousness" And raise you one: In schools, we create artificial environments for our children that they know to be contrived and undeserving of their full attention and engagement. Without the opportunity to learn through the hands, the world remains abstract, and distant, and the passions for learning will not be engaged. -- A CERTAIN SHOP TEACHER WHOSE NAME I HAVE LOST As quoted by Matthew Crawford in _Shop Class as Soulcraft_ (Ayup, I received my copy yesterday) -- The doctor can bury his mistakes, but an architect can only advise his client to plant vines. --FLW |
Breathing air from a compressor
"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 I'm not considering underwater usage. Being a SCUBA diver, I've thought that air being compressed to 100+ bar for consumption underwater required special compressors, lubricants, filtering, dryers, scrupulous maintenance, etc. At this moment I'm just interested in getting a safe topside positive air flow to protect me from dust, diesel fuel & other nasty **** that affects my allergies. I despise respirators. I'm retired & I refuse work another day waring one. I'm considering a small 5 to 10 cfm compressor that I could use to do other stuff such as paint while bleeding off a small percentage of it's air to breathe. I'm considering a Sears or other brand @ around $300. I realize that oil free compressors don't last as long, but that's OK. I was concerned that perhaps even the oil free ones put out some hazardous gases. Thanks for your helpful words. You need either a very expensive filter or a carbon vane breathing air pump with a filter: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/ite...ratory-_-3AM92 You're going to need some type of hood or mask to feed the air to you anyway, so you'll sort of be wearing a respirator with a hose attached. I wouldn't breathe air from a Sears compressor. |
Breathing air from a compressor
"Richard J Kinch" wrote in message . .. jay writes: Are you saying that even an oil lubricated compressor is safe to breathe @ 1 bar (sea level). Yes, in proper working order. That's my opinion and my firsthand experience. It must be cleaner than the sidewalk of a busy city street breathing exhaust, diesel particulates, etc. Same here. A couple of other things I have seen is coolers and charcoal filters. Cooling the air prior to filtering will help wring out oil and especially moisture. A floating dive shop I used to frequent actually piped the air down 15' and returned it through an insulated line just prior to filtering. The results were exceptional. The same could be done with a home-made heat exchanger. The charcoal filter will eliminate any taste or odor problems, if ever necessary. You might visit some local dive shops, especially if you can find one using a self made compressing set-up. Most will be glad to share their experiences with compressing breathing air over the years. |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 11, 10:16*pm, jay wrote:
Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. No it is not safe. ANY oil will be atomized and will be deposited in your lungs. Very bad. Stick with oilless and filter the air before breathing it. TMT |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 12, 12:05*pm, Too_Many_Tools wrote:
On Jun 11, 10:16*pm, jay wrote: Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. No it is not safe. ANY oil will be atomized and will be deposited in your lungs. Very bad. Stick with oilless and filter the air before breathing it. TMT Oops..make that "It is NOT safe to breathe from an OIL Lubed compressor. TMT |
Breathing air from a compressor
Larry Jaques wrote:
On Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:15:24 -0700, the infamous Winston scrawled the following: jay wrote: Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. In addition to what everyone else mentioned, you might pick up a used CPAP from Craigslist. My local listing shows 6 machines available from U$ 200. and less. $200 is a good price. (Nothing local to me.) Down here in the Gulch, there are a number available in the $150 range. I'll see you: Civilization is the art of living in towns of such size the everyone does not know everyone else. -- Julian Jaynes, "The Origin of Consciousness" .... with sufficient retail outlets that no one has a lock on the market.. And raise you one: In schools, we create artificial environments for our children that they know to be contrived and undeserving of their full attention and engagement. Without the opportunity to learn through the hands, the world remains abstract, and distant, and the passions for learning will not be engaged. -- A CERTAIN SHOP TEACHER WHOSE NAME I HAVE LOST As quoted by Matthew Crawford in _Shop Class as Soulcraft_ I raise my cup of coffee to that one! (Ayup, I received my copy yesterday) Sounds like a good'un --Winston |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 12, 9:45*am, "ATP*" 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 I'm not considering underwater usage. Being a SCUBA diver, I've thought that air being compressed to 100+ bar for consumption underwater required special compressors, lubricants, filtering, dryers, scrupulous maintenance, etc. At this moment I'm just interested in getting a safe topside positive air flow to protect me from dust, diesel fuel & other nasty **** that affects my allergies. I despise respirators. I'm retired & I refuse *work another day waring one. I'm considering a small 5 to 10 cfm compressor that I could use to do other stuff such as paint while bleeding off a small percentage of it's air to breathe. I'm considering a Sears or other brand @ around $300. I realize that oil free compressors don't last as long, but that's OK. I was concerned that perhaps even the oil free ones put out some hazardous gases. Thanks for your helpful words. You need either a very expensive filter or a carbon vane breathing air pump with a filter:http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/ite...Partsearch-_-S... You're going to need some type of hood or mask to feed the air to you anyway, so you'll sort of be wearing a respirator with a hose attached. I wouldn't breathe air from a Sears compressor. You're going to need some type of hood or mask to feed the air to you anyway, so you'll sort of be wearing a respirator with a hose attached. Yes, I'm well aware of that, but there's a huge difference from a sealed (semi-sealed) respirator to a hood w/ a slight positive air pressure & fresh air circulating. My face comes out soaked w/ sweat, fatigued / hurting from the pressure of the straps of a respirator. My eye safety devices usually fogged. I've on occasion worn an air flow mask & I'll take it every time. Thanks for you thoughts. |
Breathing air from a compressor
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 Thanks for the adapter drawing. I could use an old full face HOKA or SCUBA MASK. This is strictly top side usage only. |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 11, 11:15*pm, Winston wrote:
jay wrote: Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. In addition to what everyone else mentioned, you might pick up a used CPAP from Craigslist. *My local listing shows 6 machines available from U$ 200. and less. --Winston -- "In an age of bodily repose, with nearly all locomotion artificial, with money as the principal purveyor, it is not surprising that men are careless about their physical powers, and think them hardly worth the trouble which their full cultivation would entail." Popular Science _On the Artificial Production of Stupidity in Schools_ June, 1872 Hate to show ignorance, but what is a CPAP? |
Breathing air from a compressor
jay wrote:
(...) what is a CPAP? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_airway_pressure It assures easy breathing during sleep for folks who suffer from 'sleep apnea'. --Winston |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 12, 5:55*am, "Steve Lusardi" wrote:
If your application is for a room, a compressor is the wrong plan. You need volume and slight pressure just higher than atmosphere. If you wish this air supply is particulate free, then a clean room filter and a large sqirrel fan blower is the answer. steve "jay" wrote in message ... Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. Thanks for your thoughts, but my interest is more wide ranging that just a room. As an aside, your method is perfect for a conventional chemical & silver photo darkroom. Most instructions tell the builder to suck the chemicals out of the darkroom, but this has the serious side effect of drawing in dust from everywhere surrounding the room. The noxious fumes can be vented into a hood above them, pushed there by the positive air pressure. If that's not enough, them they can helped along by a slight negative air pressure at the vent, which might require a slight increase in positive air. |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 12, 9:45*am, "Tim" wrote:
"Richard J Kinch" wrote in . 97.131... jay writes: Are you saying that even an oil lubricated compressor is safe to breathe @ 1 bar (sea level). Yes, in proper working order. *That's my opinion and my firsthand experience. *It must be cleaner than the sidewalk of a busy city street breathing exhaust, diesel particulates, etc. Same here. A couple of other things I have seen is coolers and charcoal filters. Cooling the air prior to filtering will help wring out oil and especially moisture. A floating dive shop I used to frequent actually piped the air down 15' and returned it through an insulated line just prior to filtering. The results were exceptional. The same could be done with a home-made heat exchanger. The charcoal filter will eliminate any taste or odor problems, if ever necessary. You might visit some local dive shops, especially if you can find one using a self made compressing set-up. Most will be glad to share their experiences with compressing breathing air over the years. Great idea, Thanks |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 12, 10:05*am, Too_Many_Tools wrote:
On Jun 11, 10:16*pm, jay wrote: Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. No it is not safe. ANY oil will be atomized and will be deposited in your lungs. Very bad. Stick with oilless and filter the air before breathing it. TMT What sort of filter do you suggest? Thanks |
Breathing air from a compressor
Too_Many_Tools writes:
ANY oil will be atomized and will be deposited in your lungs. That just defies theory, observation, and experience. You breathe more oil fog and vapor cooking dinner. |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 12, 1:11*pm, jay wrote:
On Jun 12, 10:05*am, Too_Many_Tools wrote: On Jun 11, 10:16*pm, jay wrote: Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. No it is not safe. ANY oil will be atomized and will be deposited in your lungs. Very bad. Stick with oilless and filter the air before breathing it. TMT What sort of filter do you suggest? Thanks |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 12, 1:10*pm, jay wrote:
On Jun 12, 9:45*am, "Tim" wrote: "Richard J Kinch" wrote in . 97.131... jay writes: Are you saying that even an oil lubricated compressor is safe to breathe @ 1 bar (sea level). Yes, in proper working order. *That's my opinion and my firsthand experience. *It must be cleaner than the sidewalk of a busy city street breathing exhaust, diesel particulates, etc. Same here. A couple of other things I have seen is coolers and charcoal filters. Cooling the air prior to filtering will help wring out oil and especially moisture. A floating dive shop I used to frequent actually piped the air down 15' and returned it through an insulated line just prior to filtering. The results were exceptional. The same could be done with a home-made heat exchanger. The charcoal filter will eliminate any taste or odor problems, if ever necessary. You might visit some local dive shops, especially if you can find one using a self made compressing set-up. Most will be glad to share their experiences with compressing breathing air over the years. Great idea, Thanks |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 12, 1:08*pm, jay wrote:
On Jun 12, 5:55*am, "Steve Lusardi" wrote: If your application is for a room, a compressor is the wrong plan. You need volume and slight pressure just higher than atmosphere. If you wish this air supply is particulate free, then a clean room filter and a large sqirrel fan blower is the answer. steve "jay" wrote in message ... Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. Thanks for your thoughts, but my interest is more wide ranging that just a room. As an aside, your method is perfect for a conventional chemical & silver photo darkroom. Most instructions tell the builder to suck the chemicals out of the darkroom, but this has the serious side effect of drawing in dust from everywhere surrounding the room. The noxious fumes can be vented into a hood above them, pushed there by the positive air pressure. If that's not enough, them they can helped along by a slight negative air pressure at the vent, which might require a slight increase in positive air. |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 12, 1:06*pm, Winston wrote:
jay wrote: (...) *what is a CPAP? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_airway_pressure It assures easy breathing during sleep for folks who suffer from 'sleep apnea'. --Winston Great idea! Thanks |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 12, 12:57*pm, jay wrote:
On Jun 11, 11:15*pm, Winston wrote: jay wrote: Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. In addition to what everyone else mentioned, you might pick up a used CPAP from Craigslist. *My local listing shows 6 machines available from U$ 200. and less. --Winston -- "In an age of bodily repose, with nearly all locomotion artificial, with money as the principal purveyor, it is not surprising that men are careless about their physical powers, and think them hardly worth the trouble which their full cultivation would entail." Popular Science _On the Artificial Production of Stupidity in Schools_ June, 1872 Hate to show ignorance, but what is a CPAP? |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 12, 12:55*pm, jay wrote:
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 Thanks for the adapter drawing. I could use an old full face HOKA or SCUBA MASK. This is strictly top side usage only. |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 12, 12:46*pm, jay wrote:
On Jun 12, 9:45*am, "ATP*" 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. |
Breathing air from a compressor
"jay" wrote in message ... On Jun 12, 9:45 am, "ATP*" 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 I'm not considering underwater usage. Being a SCUBA diver, I've thought that air being compressed to 100+ bar for consumption underwater required special compressors, lubricants, filtering, dryers, scrupulous maintenance, etc. At this moment I'm just interested in getting a safe topside positive air flow to protect me from dust, diesel fuel & other nasty **** that affects my allergies. I despise respirators. I'm retired & I refuse work another day waring one. I'm considering a small 5 to 10 cfm compressor that I could use to do other stuff such as paint while bleeding off a small percentage of it's air to breathe. I'm considering a Sears or other brand @ around $300. I realize that oil free compressors don't last as long, but that's OK. I was concerned that perhaps even the oil free ones put out some hazardous gases. Thanks for your helpful words. You need either a very expensive filter or a carbon vane breathing air pump with a filter:http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/ite...Partsearch-_-S... You're going to need some type of hood or mask to feed the air to you anyway, so you'll sort of be wearing a respirator with a hose attached. I wouldn't breathe air from a Sears compressor. You're going to need some type of hood or mask to feed the air to you anyway, so you'll sort of be wearing a respirator with a hose attached. Yes, I'm well aware of that, but there's a huge difference from a sealed (semi-sealed) respirator to a hood w/ a slight positive air pressure & fresh air circulating. My face comes out soaked w/ sweat, fatigued / hurting from the pressure of the straps of a respirator. My eye safety devices usually fogged. I've on occasion worn an air flow mask & I'll take it every time. Thanks for you thoughts. You're welcome. Have you considered a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR)? You can get them with Tyvek hoods, they are not uncomfortable. |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 12, 2:13 pm, Richard J Kinch wrote:
Too_Many_Tools writes: ANY oil will be atomized and will be deposited in your lungs. That just defies theory, observation, and experience. You breathe more oil fog and vapor cooking dinner. Yeah, but that's vegetable oil, not mineral oil with additives and who knows what else. I breath compressor air in a homemade hood. The hose to the hood has a homemade inline filter made from two spin-on oil filter cans (threaded endplates cut off, insides thrown away) duct-taped open ends together with a North 9000 series charcoal filter cartridge (from a respirator) inside it. Not much gets through that filter. It'll take pressure up to about 15 psi, much more than I need. Dan |
Breathing air from a compressor
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. |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Jun 12, 3:13*pm, Richard J Kinch wrote:
Too_Many_Tools writes: ANY oil will be atomized and will be deposited in your lungs. That just defies theory, observation, and experience. You breathe more oil fog and vapor cooking dinner. You might want to read this. http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/chemical-pneumonia TMT |
Breathing air from a compressor
On Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:16:01 -0700 (PDT), jay
wrote: Hi All I assume it's not safe to breathe air from an oil lubricated air compressor at sea level. But does anyone know if it's safe to breathe compressed air from an oil free compressor? Thanks for your input. I wouldn't use an Oilless unless it is designed for breathing air purposes, since they have thought through all the failure modes and internal materials. If the Teflon piston seals go bad and overheat, it could send nasty stuff down the line to you... My suggestion - HVLP. Get a bypass style vacuum cleaner blower, where the motor cooling air is kept seperate from the blower air circuit. Or a Ring Compressor - 1/3 to 5-HP multi-stage blowers designed to only push 1 to 2 PSI but a whole lotta CFM. Put a good filter on the inlet and another on the outlet, then use a sandblasting style total-loss hood. (But do a full materials check on the internals.) You still have to be really careful about where the inlet to the compressor or blower is. If the inlet is a foot away from an engine exhaust or a fuel burning appliance... -- Bruce -- |
Breathing air from a compressor
You breathe more oil fog and vapor cooking dinner.
Yeah, but that's vegetable oil, not mineral oil ... So what? You're just being superstitious. Please explain the organic chemistry if you assert some hazard to mineral oil. Mineral oil is in the USP. People coat their skin with it and drink it medicinally. It is in all kinds of cosmetics applied near sensitive tissues. Mineral oil is a legal food additive in the USA. Maybe you're confused by the indiscriminate "harmful or fatal" warnings. We breathe mineral oil fog and vapor all day long in a metalworking environment from hot chips. You should use non-detergent types without the additives, not automotive motor oil, if there will be bodily exposure. |
Breathing air from a compressor
Too_Many_Tools writes:
You might want to read this. You can get chemical pneumonia from your own saliva. The dose makes the poison. |
Breathing air from a compressor
"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. Being a former SCUBA diver we were always told not to use an oiled compressor. Just need the oil to get by the rings just once to cause a really bad case of pneumonia. Since there are oil less pumps, why tempt fate? |
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