Homemade compressor breather for bottom cleaning???

Tim R. · Jun 16, 2009

You missed 1 part.

4. Pine box.

Richard19068 · Jun 16, 2009

I wouldn't recommend it. If you do want to put something together I would recommend taking a class from one of the dive certification agencies. At least be familiar with the term lung barotrauma.

sailormanbigd · Jun 16, 2009

come on Tim. As you know a pine box will succome to rot in short order. I might suggest Teak, cypress, sika spruce or even clear fir, but not pine!
I think that hookah diving with homemade rig is doable though. Just need clean air. Gonna make one myself in the future just not sure if i want 110V, 12volt pump. Hell, sailing is a risky busness in itself-where's the fun if you don't have some element of risk!!!!!!patrick

tsmwebb · Jun 16, 2009

Maldonia said:
Homemade compressor breather for bottom cleaning???
...
Has anybody tried this? Doing this?? Is this safe??

Yes, people do it (it's SOP for the bottom cleaners in Hawaii). The pros put it all in a milk crate. I borrowed a commercial unit and it had a strap with a quick release to keep the hose on you back and a PVC reservoir (like a dingy tube). It was very nice kit and worked wonderfully. But, the home builts work, too.

It is, of course, dangerous. At the very least, stay shallow and don't hold your breath. Some kind of training is a good idea. You can sometimes find free or cheap intro or "resort" classes. They don't get you certified but will at least go over the basics.

--Tom.

Tom · Jun 16, 2009

I've been using one for 6 or 7 years, everyone tells me it's unsafe, and that I'll die or worse. The only thing I really worry about is rust in the reservoir, I'm real careful about blowing all the condensation out of the tank. Just make SURE you use an oil less compressor.

Hermit Scott · Jun 16, 2009

Low pressure (100 psi or less) doesn't pose much of a problem. It's not compressed enough to explode your lungs only 5' down. With the home made hookahs just make sure you aren't breathing contaminated air. Oiless compressors are ok, I would prefer a diaphram pump but I would try one of those cheap oiless compressors from home depot.
If I were inexperienced with scuba I would practice with your home made hookah in 3' of water first. Gain confidence in what you are doing and in your machine before you get into a situation where you can't just stand up and breathe.
A lot of people are super worried about this, but I think most of that fear comes from the unknown.
Just know this of compressed air. If you are 33 feet down the air is half the volume as if you are at the surface. So if you take a full breath at 33 feet down and hold your breath and swim up to the surface, your lungs will be twice the size they were. In layman's terms that is not good.

MoonSailer · Jun 16, 2009

For cleaning a boat you will probably be less than 10' deep. It is POSSIBLE to get an embolism at this depth but hard. But if you take a reaaaallly big deep breath and shoot to the surface you will probablly die. But you would have to try hard. If you are comfortable snorkling to clean your hull a homemade hooka should be a small step. Always blow out when surfacing and avoid entanglement.

sailingdog · Jun 16, 2009

The main problem is that the six-to-seven feet down you might be to scrub a monohull's keel and such, you are in danger of serious barotrauma unless you understand what the risks are.

Tim R. · Jun 16, 2009

I would get a good scuba certification first. Anyone can breathe from a scuba tank underwater. I did it within 30 minutes of my first class. It is the education that teaches you what to do when things go wrong.

And my box will be made of pine. I want it to rot asap.

garylinger · Jun 16, 2009

While you are at it, make a homemade airplane. As long as you don't go too high you can't get hurt, right?!!! Follow the advice and take a scuba course. There is more change in pressure at the shallower depths than as you go deeper. A person can be seriously injured in a swimming pool if they don't follow the rules of diving.

MoonSailer · Jun 16, 2009

Do a google search. A lot depends upon the water conditions. Clear water over a white sandy bottom is easy. But pea soup diving in a marina can be technical. Cold water adds to the danger. BUT if you are comfortable snorkling while cleaning your hull using a hooka is a small step. But we had a student diver die while taking scuba lessons in a pool with an instructor. You can die.

jibes138 · Jun 16, 2009

Maple

Make sure you don't make the pine box out of maple. The stuff is like newspaper, or so I've been told.

Ross · Jun 16, 2009

jibes138 said:
Make sure you don't make the pine box out of maple. The stuff is like newspaper, or so I've been told.

Jibes , Be scornful if you like but don't bet your life on a piece of maple that stays out in the weather.

jibes138 · Jun 17, 2009

Just kidding Ross

Hey while we're on the subject, perhaps a little more info on wood. When I built my sailing dinghy the plans were for the rowing seat to be pine, but I thought i should use something a little stronger and more durable so I used poplar. Not sure if that was a good choice or not but so far it is still in one piece and other than needing refinishing works fine, I also used it for the rub rail around the top edge. What do you know about the characteristics of poplar? I may build another boat soon. Also I had an old clothes dresser made out of maple so I stripped the finish with a belt sander and used it for the front and rear seat. It hasn't disintegrated yet but most of its' life is upside down on a dock. It is starting to turn black from mold/mildew, perhaps the first signs of its' future life as the Wilson Daily Times? It was absolutely beautiful when firt installed and I felt hardwood would be less apt to splinter than pine, a good feature for a seat :>)
The hardwood added a little weight, maybe not good choices but I already had the wood so saves a few bucks. The beauty of wood is changing it or fixing it is pretty easy.

Roger Long · Jun 17, 2009

Hermit Scott said:
It's not compressed enough to explode your lungs only 5' down.

I believe that is wrong, deadly wrong. If you breath air at sufficient pressure to let you breath in only a few feet down and hold your breath in a panic on the way up (say, because the compressor stops), you can rip your lung tissue.

I don't remember what "a few" feet is but it's not too far from 5. Check with a diver or scuba instructor before trying this at home.

Ross · Jun 17, 2009

Jibes the problem with maple and poplar is that they don't go mushy when they rot. Oak and pine will develop soft spots that you can slide a knife into maple can be more decayed and seem hard but it becomes brittle and breaks without splintering. Birch is the worst. Poplar make excellent barn siding because it can dry out between rains but if the ends are down in the grass they rot off in a couple of years. I had a piece of poplar laying outside on some trestles for a year or so. when I picked it up it felt pretty solid so I whacked it on the trestle and snapped off a piece about a foot long. I broke up the whole stick that way. Cherry lumber is more durable as is black walnut. Old mahogany tables are a good source of boat lumber.

MoonSailer · Jun 17, 2009

BUT who would be stupid enough to take a realllllly big deep breath and then hold it while shooting to the surface???? The world is not idiiot proof!!!!!! If you are shallow diving to clean a boat hull in clear warm water it is fairly easy. Cold murky water in a marina...it becomes technical. You can never panic doing certain things. Scuba diving , flying a small plane arre two examples where panic will kill you. How do I know??? Well I am a pilot and have been scuba diving for 44 years!!! Several times I would have died if I had not kept a cool head. I will probably scrub my hull this weekend. Takes about an hour with a snorkle and about 20 minutes with scuba. This is not for a beginner diver. Why??? Very poor visability. When you can only see 1' some people get claustrophobic. My wife is a scuba diver but she only dives in warm clear water. She likes the shallow reefs in the keys. But the air supply is not the problem. It is the diver. Again I say that if you are comfortable cleaning your boat's hull using a snorkle then a hookah rig is a small step. Unless you hold your breath and shoot to the top the worst that can happen is you have no air to breath.....that is standard while snorkleing so it should not be a big deal at less than 10' . I have seen scuba divers forced to do an emergency asscent from 60'. That is much more demanding.

Cpt. Jon · Jun 17, 2009

I don't like going under the boat with a snorkel in my slip behind the house. The bottom is like sludge in the canal and I cannot stand to touch it. I clean my prop and shaft alright by now, but I really am not comfortable under the boat there with the snorkel setup. I think that I would be much more comfortable if I take the boat out to where the bottom is nice sand, but I have not tried that yet. Ultimately I would prefer to get scuba equipment and do it that way, but as far as I can tell it's pretty expensive to get into.

I had to go under the boat to check the raw water intake thru hull the other day, the water was not very clear so it was hard to see under there and it just wasn't comfortable, might just take some getting used to I guess, but I think I get a little nervous or something because I sure don't seem to hold my breath long and my breathing is much more rapid when I am at the surface than normal.

tommays · Jun 17, 2009

I clean my bottom all the time out on the mooring and find it is about the most dangerous thing i do as you never know when a wake is going to work through the morring field and thump you with the boat ,ect

And from working upside down i tend to get seasick

and rarely do otherwise