It took 2. hrs and it shut down many times to cool. i think it leaked back at one point. I have since added a inline filter. Are there any pros or cons to this system that I might need to be concerned with. I am new to air guns?? thanks
Hill 3000 compressor vs. 74 cft. Venturi tank
- Thread starter brpman2578
- Start date
IIRC the Hill EC-3000 is more designed/marketed towards direct-to-gun filling as opposed to filling SCBA bottles.
But in the future you should just have to top off your SCBA bottle as opposed to filling from empty. That will occur in a shorter time and cause less overall stress on the Hill.
If you will mostly be using the compressor to fill and/or top off big cylinders, there may have been better choices as compared to the EC-3000. If I were filling a big bottle I would either want something which auto-purges moisture during the fill duration (or at least would manually open the moisture bleed valve when the Hill shuts down to cool. I also prefer not allowing my compressor to start up under a load, but apparently the Hill was designed to do this without damage. But longevity of operation could be impacted).
But in the future you should just have to top off your SCBA bottle as opposed to filling from empty. That will occur in a shorter time and cause less overall stress on the Hill.
If you will mostly be using the compressor to fill and/or top off big cylinders, there may have been better choices as compared to the EC-3000. If I were filling a big bottle I would either want something which auto-purges moisture during the fill duration (or at least would manually open the moisture bleed valve when the Hill shuts down to cool. I also prefer not allowing my compressor to start up under a load, but apparently the Hill was designed to do this without damage. But longevity of operation could be impacted).
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I use the Hill EC-3000 to top off my similarly sized tank. Because of the pressures involved I tend to run the compressor up to the 75'C, let it restart one time and when it hit the 75'C a second time give it a 5 minute cool down with a fan blowing on the cylinder. So far so good. Usually takes about 40 minutes to go from 250 to 300 bar.
Lastly, I've install a prefilter to take remove the moisture and it works a treat. I used to get a paper towel fairly wet after a 10 minute session. Now nothing shows on a paper towel. YMMV
Lastly, I've install a prefilter to take remove the moisture and it works a treat. I used to get a paper towel fairly wet after a 10 minute session. Now nothing shows on a paper towel. YMMV
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Off topic: I wired and fired up my recently purchased Bauer Junior II for the first time today. 23 minutes to fill an Air Venturi 74 cu ft bottle to 3,200 psi. I stopped at 3,200 psi as I get way more cycles prior to required maintenance of the compressor. No stopping to cool the machine is required. Procedure requires manually draining the water-oil separator and purification filter every 15 minutes. I didn't get the valve all the way closed or it may have filled a little quicker. Just posting this for comparison purposes not to create controversy. I'm a newb to air gunning. .25 cal FX M3 Impact is my second gun. First was a Diana 52 in .22 cal. Have not shot a target with the FX yet. Maybe tomorrow.
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When topping off my 74 cft tank do I need to equalize the compressor psi with the remaining tank pressure? If so, how do I go about doing that? thanks
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seniorasi, congrats on your Bauer compressor, that is pretty much the pinnacle of pcp filling systems!
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Close everything on tank and compressor. Open tank and its air will pass into compressor and lines. Turn on compressor and it will slowly add more pressure to the entire system. Chug along until you achieve your pressure goal. If the compressor stops to cool off or if you turn it off to let it rest don't close or open anything. Proceed. Then close tank. Bleed pressure in the lines from the tank's relief valve and disconnect. Open bottom screw on the compressor feed and let any moisture drip out (onto a paper towel or something).
It helps if the compressor is low (floor) and the tank or gun is high (workbench) so the air goes up and gravity brings moisture down. Better if a third party filter is in-between the compressor and tank/gun. You'll need the extra length to your fill whip anyway. It doesn't have to be an expensive filter but I bought a couple with male and female quick disconnects each end. It uses cheap cotton tampon-like media. You can get fancier filters with more media but the more difficult it is to push air through the filter the more strain you are putting on the compressor. All the airgun vendors sell these filters or should, they are also on Amazon and eBay.
In the end, if a little moisture gets into your $500 gun it might not make sense to purchase a $4000 compressor to prevent it. It's not going to ruin the gun overnight and parts can be cleaned or replaced.
The reality is the only really good compressors do cost $4000 and everything else is a fudge. The best compressor is your friend's. Having to use compressed air is what limits this sport from being more popular. And that is - the unpopularity - a good thing unless you are in the airgun business. I don't care about the airgun business because if anyone had a lick of ambition or wasn't a sleazy salesman then someone would make a decent compressor for a reasonable price. Instead you get sleaze bags who take repurposed $200 Chinese compressors and add a couple of stickers and gauges and sell them for $1700.
It helps if the compressor is low (floor) and the tank or gun is high (workbench) so the air goes up and gravity brings moisture down. Better if a third party filter is in-between the compressor and tank/gun. You'll need the extra length to your fill whip anyway. It doesn't have to be an expensive filter but I bought a couple with male and female quick disconnects each end. It uses cheap cotton tampon-like media. You can get fancier filters with more media but the more difficult it is to push air through the filter the more strain you are putting on the compressor. All the airgun vendors sell these filters or should, they are also on Amazon and eBay.
In the end, if a little moisture gets into your $500 gun it might not make sense to purchase a $4000 compressor to prevent it. It's not going to ruin the gun overnight and parts can be cleaned or replaced.
The reality is the only really good compressors do cost $4000 and everything else is a fudge. The best compressor is your friend's. Having to use compressed air is what limits this sport from being more popular. And that is - the unpopularity - a good thing unless you are in the airgun business. I don't care about the airgun business because if anyone had a lick of ambition or wasn't a sleazy salesman then someone would make a decent compressor for a reasonable price. Instead you get sleaze bags who take repurposed $200 Chinese compressors and add a couple of stickers and gauges and sell them for $1700.
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brpman, what I’ve done is to connect to bottle, start the compressor and let it come up to the bottle pressure, and then slowly open the bottle valve and continue your fill. I personally wouldn’t start the compressor under pressure.
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Thanks for the info. I think I need to get all of my lines converted to quick disconnects. That might be a good start. I am still on my first bottle fill, when it drops below the 200 bar needed to fill my Wiehrauch i will go for it.
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I am usually not fast enough. The compressor come up to the bottle's pressure faster than I can react in opening the valve the the bottle and thus simply pressurize the hose and the Hill shuts off. I think there is a check valve in the Hills system, otherwise it would not be able to stop, cool and restart.
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I added a check value with a gauge inline with the scba tank so I can turn on the tank before the compressor comes up to pressure and when the pressure equals the tank the valve opens. When done I bleed the compressor 1st then bleed the tank at the check valve to minimize moisture
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I'm not getting why you need to let the compressor equalize the pressure when simply opening the tank valve as soon as the Hill starts pumping would do the same thing. In fact the Hills ability to restart against a pressurized line probably means you can open the tank before starting the pump.
I have a Hill but only fill direct to the guns so maybe I'm missing something?
I have a Hill but only fill direct to the guns so maybe I'm missing something?
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Yes, I believe that it was designed to be 'overbuilt' to allow it to do this. But I fully agree with your previous statement "I personally wouldn’t start the compressor under pressure." I believe that you will ultimately get the longest service life out of the EC-3000 if you don't allow it to start up against a high pressure head. And I'm all for long service life with my compressors!
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