GX CS4 Compressor - Initial Impressions

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F6Hawk said:
Thanks, Kerry. The one thing folks in the freezing areas have over us is a naturally lower RH. Mine tend to run 60-85% about 10 months of the year.

But yeah, you are right. That $1 of distilled water should last what, about 10-11 years if changed every 12 months, and is THE best as well as the lowest-cost option out there. (And if anyone is hard up for money after buying the compressor, they can always drain the water thru a t-shirt into a glass and drink the water, so technically the total cost is reduced to $Free.99, lol.)

I have no idea what the RH inside my home is, perhaps it's high time I invest in a hygrometer? I could always bring the CS4 indoors to fill, not sure how much the Esposa would like that, but it's all for the good of preserving our investments, right? (I think I will just fill mine outside, but plan to build a rather large-surface pre-filter rilled with reusable media to assist with moisture control).

Interesting point about the hand pumping thing; something I have been too lazy to do, but it makes PERFECT sense to pay attention to RH/DP spread.

I am brand new to the compressor scene, but have been following threads on brands and moisture control for years. One thing I haven't discovered is how the CS4 handles the moisture... is their filter a molecular sieve? Cotton? Anything other than a collection/drain unit for water? Since the CS4 comes with a filter installed, I plan to use the below filter between the pump and my tanks, but will put some dri-air material between the cottons. Reckon that will be sufficient? I wanted to stay as small as possible so as to reduce the volume that is required to be pressurized each cycle. I would appreciate any thoughts from anyone with CS4 experience!

Thanks for the reply!

Dave


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I am also new to compressors. If not for my failing health, I would still be happy hand pumping. Those who claim it is a chore either shoot a HELL of a lot more than I do or are wimps. Probably both. (chuckle)

I do recommend buying some good hygrometers. Look for the ones recommended by cigar/tobacco enthusiasts as they will probably be more accurate once you calibrate them using the "salt" method. Look it up...

I have no idea how the CS4 handles moisture. The claim is that it already has the capability to at least reduce moisture, but like you, I simply don't know how it is supposed to do it. I haven even taken off the outer cover on my CS4 to see, one way or the other.

As you already have read, I TRY to only pump when the RH and dew point are below a certain level. For ME, that works, but for those who shoot a lot more than I do, there will be times when pumping has to be done under less than optimal humidity conditions. In that case, I recommend looking at what others on AGN recommend for filters, etc as I can't speak to that with any merit or experience.

Yes, I hand pumped for about 5 years. Never had a problem with moisture, but I always knew the RH and dew point and tried to only pump when those criteria were at or below a certain level.

Anyway, I am tired now and am probably repeating myself more than answering any of your questions. So I will say good night.


All my best!

Kerry
 
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I tried Water Wetter years back in my motorcycles. A 185hp, sport bike.
One of my bikes, to adjust the valves, I had to remove a tube with two inlet locations. One of these two locations, with the tube removed, you can see, inside of the water jacket.
I had put about 25000 miles on the bike before trying the Water Wetter. Using 75% distilled water and 25% antifreeze. The water jacket walls were always clean, with no signs of any coating or corrosion on the surface.

THEN...I tried the Water Wetter. The next valve adjust mileage, which was "about" another 2000 miles from that point. After removing the transfer tube, I noticed that the water jacket surfaces were coated in a white powder looking "stuff". "WTF".
During this valve adjust the Water Wetter was dumped into my back yard and my original 75%-25% was used again, from then on.

1 - I noticed no difference in the cooling of the 185hp, four cylinder, 1000cc sport bike engine, with the Water Wetter.
2 - The Water Wetter left a powdery coating on the walls of the water jacket, within one valve adjustment period.
3 - MANY years ago, a friend that owned a water cooled small aircraft, showed me a "bulletin" from the FAA..."forbidding" the use of Water Wetter or ANY of the similar surfactant substances in any aircraft.
4 - I went back to my 75%-25% water-antifreeze mix.
5 - it took the period of two valve adjustment periods for the white coating to be completely washed away !

NO...Water Wetter (or similar) in ANYTHING water cooled that I own !

MIke
 
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MikeVV said:
I tried Water Wetter years back in my motorcycles. A 185hp, sport bike.
One of my bikes, to adjust the valves, I had to remove a tube with two inlet locations. One of these two locations, with the tube removed, you can see, inside of the water jacket.
I had put about 25000 miles on the bike before trying the Water Wetter. Using 75% distilled water and 25% antifreeze. The water jacket walls were always clean, with no signs of any coating or corrosion on the surface.

THEN...I tried the Water Wetter. The next valve adjust mileage, which was "about" another 2000 miles from that point. After removing the transfer tube, I noticed that the water jacket surfaces were coated in a white powder looking "stuff". "WTF".
During this valve adjust the Water Wetter was dumped into my back yard and my original 75%-25% was used again, from then on.

1 - I noticed no difference in the cooling of the 185hp, four cylinder, 1000cc sport bike engine, with the Water Wetter.
2 - The Water Wetter left a powdery coating on the walls of the water jacket, within one valve adjustment period.
3 - MANY years ago, a friend that owned a water cooled small aircraft, showed me a "bulletin" from the FAA..."forbidding" the use of Water Wetter or ANY of the similar surfactant substances in any aircraft.
4 - I went back to my 75%-25% water-antifreeze mix.
5 - it took the period of two valve adjustment periods for the white coating to be completely washed away !

NO...Water Wetter (or similar) in ANYTHING water cooled that I own !

MIke
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Good info, thanks for sharing Mike!

Out of curiosity, why did you use 25/75? Was it for max cooling/some anti-corrosive properties?

The most common mix is 50/50, which provides better anti-corrosive properties AFAIK. 70/30 gives the max freeze protection, but reduces cooling. 10/90 provides nearly-max cooling/some anti-corrosion properties. But 100% distilled water gives the best cooling.
 
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F6Hawk said:
For current owners, does the CS4 ship with a spare burst disc?

Has anyone sourced the proper one for replacement? Know the diameter?
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It comes with a plastic bag that has various tools and I think about 3 or 4 spare burst discs. But, don't quote me on that as I have had no need for anything in that bag so far. (fingers crossed... knocking on wood and rubbing the hair of a red headed boy (Opie Taylor). (chuckle)
FLgunner said:
I believe it's just a water separator, but it's effective. I also use a small in-line cotton filter like the one linked above and it rarely feels damp, even after topping off my tank.
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I have had no problems with moisture, but I only pump (as I did when I only had hand pumps) when the air is relatively dry for my area. Still curious about the "water separator" and also whether the grease pot connects in ANY way to the cylinder head of the compressor.

Thanks!

All my best!

Kerry
 
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The trap built in to the cs4 does strip off some moisture, but I do not think it is actually a coalescing filter. Those depend on some degree of flow and spin the airflow to use angular momentum (people call it centrifugal force) to precipitate moisture. The output of the cs4 seems fairly dry.

Water wetter has a lot of followers, and the accolades are not really quantitatively reliable. I spent my life as a chem eng./physical chemist but did not work professionally in that field. I suspect WW is a non-foaming surfactant probably a Tween product diluted down and sold at tremendous markup. It should help heat transfer via wetting surfaces. I road raced MC in AFM and did use a very dilute WW but cannot say it helped or not. I never saw the slightest indication of corrosion or build up in my engine. WW is slightly alkaline and that should passivate the Aluminum blocks of engines but do not use a concentrated mixture!

I'm using it in my cs4 but only because I have a lifetime supply from my AFM days.
 
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Star7 said:
The trap built in to the cs4 does strip off some moisture, but I do not think it is actually a coalescing filter. Those depend on some degree of flow and spin the airflow to use angular momentum (people call it centrifugal force) to precipitate moisture. The output of the cs4 seems fairly dry.

Water wetter has a lot of followers, and the accolades are not really quantitatively reliable. I spent my life as a chem eng./physical chemist but did not work professionally in that field. I suspect WW is a non-foaming surfactant probably a Tween product diluted down and sold at tremendous markup. It should help heat transfer via wetting surfaces. I road raced MC in AFM and did use a very dilute WW but cannot say it helped or not. I never saw the slightest indication of corrosion or build up in my engine. WW is slightly alkaline and that should passivate the Aluminum blocks of engines but do not use a concentrated mixture!

I'm using it in my cs4 but only because I have a lifetime supply from my AFM days.
Click to expand...

I plan to use WW in my CS4 not for reducing heat (there is very little), but for the fungicide and alkaline properties. If my calculations are correct using the manufacturer's recommended formula of 1:0.0001, and assuming that the CS4 holds about 500 ml, then we need about 0.05 ml... we're talking about a few drops is all. So that $12 bottle of WW should last 3-4 people 4-5 lifetimes.

Honestly, as I had discussed with other members above, distilled water alone is most likely all that is needed, particularly if one were to drain/flush the water every year or so. I'll know more once I have mine running for a few months and test the Ph of the water.
 
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For what it's worth, this thing is a pretty decent pump. As everyone else has found, the water does need flushed several times with distilled water. To get the water to circulate after dumping , put a little vacuum on the water fill pot to suck the bubbles out of the radiator (just like a lot cars and trucks need done when they get the coolant system serviced from empty). It does not need WaterWetter because the thing doesn't generate enough heat to cause hot spots and the like that WW was designed to prevent.

And one other thing... Remove your phone from your pocket or the work area/table because if it goes off or vibrates when you have first started your new pump you will likely be a little spooked!
 
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FLgunner said:
I believe it's just a water separator, but it's effective. I also use a small in-line cotton filter like the one linked above and it rarely feels damp, even after topping off my tank.
Click to expand...
My friend Steve and I tried out this nice compressor, we topped a great white from 4000 to 4500 psi. Took about 25 minutes. However, there seems to be plenty of water in the bleed and line connection when we degassed it. Would you think there was a threat the tank has water in it now? Would you recommend I bleed the tank and pull the valve to make sure it’s dry?
Note** There may have been exageration on how much water actually accumulated in the line, with the inline dessicant filter applied, minimal moisture was noted.
 
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rangur1 said:
My friend Steve and I tried out this nice compressor, we topped a great white from 4000 to 4500 psi. Took about 25 minutes. However, there seems to be plenty of water in the bleed and line connection when we degassed it. Would you think there was a threat the tank has water in it now? Would you recommend I bleed the tank and pull the valve to make sure it’s dry?
Note** There may have been exageration on how much water actually accumulated in the line, with the inline dessicant filter applied, minimal moisture was noted.
Click to expand...
Turn your GW tank upside down for about five minutes, open the bleed valve, plug the Foster fill port with your thumb, and crack the knob on the tank & see if any water blows out.
 
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F6Hawk said:
Turn your GW tank upside down for about five minutes, open the bleed valve, plug the Foster fill port with your thumb, and crack the knob on the tank & see if any water blows out.
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Ah no. Do not use any body part you want to keep. If want to see if there was moisture then run through filter. If you dont care and just want it out, blow it out slowly.
 
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Sergey1972 said:
Ah no. Do not use any body part you want to keep. If want to see if there was moisture then run through filter. If you dont care and just want it out, blow it out slowly.
Click to expand...

Ah, yes. Obviously, one would need to open the valve only a little. But if you don't plug the foster fitting, you risk forcing water thru the fine sieve material. Bad idea. Have done it many times, still have all my body parts.
 
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mamny956 said:
So would you guys that own this GX4 recommend it or not?

Only thing I don't like if you buy from gx.com it's cheaper but they don't offer and extended warranty.
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I highly recommend it! Mine has been working flawlessly for close to a year. I have found that some of these warranties aren't really worth the money spent on them. I have purchased extended warranties on various items over the years and have never had the opportunity to use them. At the current sale price, it's a real bargain and using the discount code GX10OFF it's under $500 shipped. Of all the lesser priced compressors currently being offered, this one has had the least amount of problems reported on these forums and the few issues that have been reported were taken care of by GX Pumps.

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The tank I have is 90ci, I topped it off from 2500 psi to 4500 psi. It took about 20 minutes and there was moisture blown out the waste tube when I bled the line, but I also checked the small cotton filter I have in-line and it was dry. I think this compressor does a really good job of separating the water before it goes out the fill line. I do keep the small filter in-line as a precaution, and also as a means to check if moisture is going out the fill line, but so far it's doing an outstanding job of separating the moisture from the air. And, I live in Florida, so humidity here is quite high, even with filling indoors!
 
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Just got my CS4 and had some out-of-the-box issues that other folks have mentioned in this thread so I thought it would be helpful to contribute my experiences. The compressor was well packed, undamaged, and appears to be well made. I flushed the cooling system and filled with distilled water, then took the burst disk stack apart and cleaned the brass inserts, spring, and ball with a foam swab. Connected the hose and test plug, set the dial to 300 bar, turned the machine on and hit START, and...

The compressor came up to about 250 bar in 24 seconds(impressive!), then slowed way down. It took another 2 minutes to reach 300 bar and was clearly struggling. I didn't test beyond that since it was already performing significantly worse than the stated specs of 300 bar in 38 seconds. There's clearly a problem, probably a leak somewhere in the system.

Very disappointing since I need a compressor that will do at least 300 bar without straining and this one sounded like it fit the bill. So now I move to the stage where I get to disassemble the machine and try to find and fix leaky fittings. If I'm lucky it may be something like a loose bolt on a banjo fitting as has been the case for others on this thread.

I don't know how common these problems are with the CS4 but buyers should be aware that they may need some mechanical skills to make adjustments, cleaning, and possibly repairs to what should be a brand new and fully functional machine. I'll plan to post again once things are resolved. This forum has been very helpful with identifying which issues are most likely to cause problems so many thanks to those who have taken the time to contribute.
 
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