Using surface air to blow the ballast tank

[kazzer]

Scott

I'm just the lad here,

Scott

I'm just the lad here, but His Eminence told me he's done all those 'air' trials in the past. Just isn't worth the aggro.

You could even put a smaller gas cylinder into a Sub-driver, so you have just 2-3 'blows' if you use the Snort System to blow most of your dives. That will cover the failsafe.

That might be the best of both worlds.

[Rogue Sub]

I have put compressed air

I have put compressed air into my gas chamber before to see how well it would work.

Using my shop compressor I pressed it up to 120 lbs ( not sure how many of you actually have a compressor that goes higher the 125"?) and put it into my sink to blow the tank. The results were not very impressive. It didnt even get all the water out.

I am currently running my Akula with the "SNORT" system installed. I ran my boat for about 3 hours with a full tank of propel and I brought the boat back in with a full tank of propel.

I don't know why you would bother not just having both systems. Honestly how much weight will you save by having a smaller propel tank. Is the weight loss worth it?

Chris stop over engineering it darn you! Yeah you know what I am talking about. Keep it simple stupid. Full propel tank and a Low Pressure Blower system (thats what we call it in the american navy). I didnt need a T valve or anything fancy just a switching mechanism and some hose. I found the aquarium hose works awsome. Geezzz

[Rogue Sub]

Oh I forgot if propel

Oh I forgot if propel is getting to exspensive for you try this.

Use compress air cans from walmart. They are the same thing you use to dust electronic components. The brand I use is called dust off. I get the same number of blows out of it and it is maybe one fifth the cost of propel. The adapter is very simple to make aswell. If you want info on the adapter let me know.

I cant take credit for this one. Warren Wilson showed me this one and I havent looked at propel since. Especially when you can get a 5 pack from cost co for 12 bux!

[cstranc]

Nuke,
Sorry bud. Keeping it

Nuke,
Sorry bud. Keeping it simple is good for my work life, but in my hobby I prefer elegant. And this snort system qualifies as that.

Believe me this is much simpler than what I was originally planning. I was going to use compressed air. I have two one litre camp stove fuel tanks

These easily take 120psi. I use a bike pump, it's portable and fills them in no time. When I tested each fuel tank would give me 2.5 full cycles on my rather large ballast tank.

Now I was going to have a primary tank, and a secondary tank and a control to equalize them....

So as you can see I am trying to simplify, but it's not easy for me.

I still have the two tanks. The nice thing with the air is they dont have to be on the center of bouancy & mass allong with the ballast tank.

PS. If I use the aquarium hose my fish would - err what's the opposite of drown? Well they just would not like it.

[mylo]

Everybody.....please understand, Chris has a

Everybody.....please understand, Chris has a disease.

Mylo

[Rogue Sub]

Oh I am very aware

Oh I am very aware of chris's disease. We've been chatting for some time now. That Sierra will never be finished because hell always be trying to make it more complicated !

[cstranc]

All I need is more

All I need is more time to enjoy my disease.

Nuke,
It may not be painted for the regatta in Carmel this year, but the Sierra will be in the water. Or else I'll have to buy you a beer as well.

Man, it's a good thing I have not described what I am doing with the retractable bow planes. Tons-o-fun for very little progress.

[Rogue Sub]

Sorry I am going to

Sorry I am going to miss you this year Chris. You can still feel free to send me my copy of the Sierra and I will sign you up for the beer of the month club!

[lobo]

"...We are looking in the

"...We are looking in the future to building our Sub-driver ballast tank bulkheads with the blower already installed. Pump will be in the dry compartment. The SNORT system works..."

Kazzer,
I have a complete Seaview + subdriver on preorder with Caswell.
I like the SNORT system concept, will it be incorporated by the time these Seaview kits ship?

Thanks
Steve

[bill rogers]

USING AIR INSTEAD OF PROPEL

Kevin,

In an earlier post you said:

"Use compress air cans from walmart. They are the same thing you use to dust electronic components. The brand I use is called dust off. I get the same number of blows out of it and it is maybe one fifth the cost of propel. The adapter is very simple to make aswell. If you want info on the adapter let me know."

Would you mind sending me the info on the adapter please?

Many thanks,

Bill Rogers

[mickelsen]

I would be very interested

I would be very interested in that adapter also, if it would not be too much trouble.

Thanks,
Mark

[Rogue Sub]

This is all thanks to

This is all thanks to Warren Wilson

It is pretty easy
Get your canned air. Same stuff that you use to dust electronics. You can get a bunch at cosco for cheap.
Now get a can of fix a flat from walmart or somewhere.
pop the top off the canned air
take the top off the fix a flat, it should snap right on to the canned air.
now cut their adapter off the end of the attached hose and buy a new shader valve adapter and attach a it to the hose.
hose clamp it on and you should be ready to go.
I think it all cost me 6bux at walmart.

Kevin

[Guest]

It seems to me why

It seems to me why go out and buy air or somthing similar to do the same thing you can do for free.
The navy does not go out and buy its air from Walmart.

As you all know I have been a "green" oriented builder and for good reason its good for everyone and its the cheapest way to go.No gas to the store ,no gas if you forgot your gas not to mention the embaresment if so.And then there is the can that is tossed in the trash ,all wasted for what? To move water out of a very small tank.

Man add that all up and it gets expensive to blow ballast!
On board compressors for large boats and unpressurized tanks with gear or paristolic pumps for smaller are in my opinion the way to go and are the simplest things to build not to mention the cheapest and most scale like in operation,just like the Navies of the world.

Here is my system that cost about 40.00$ per sub! And yes I know my subs look crazy on the inside but thats because they do alot like hydraulic masts,planes and leveling systems,and I just like to make it look cool.

But the most important system that MUST work every time out there is super simple to use ,repair and cost pennies to operate and has a" O " invioromental impact ,bieng the ballast system.

Just my experiance in both observation of the different types of ballast systems out there and the added steps to just blow ballast led me to develop these 2 systems bassed on the real thing.

Oh I forgot ,to me its always challanging to perhaps over engineer than not to have done it a different way ,if man did not experiment and toyel with ideas then we as a species have no future.
Submarines are in nature very complex machines and a challange to make them better,cheaper is one of my goals.
Sorry guys but I have the same desease just worse called RC Sub Systems.


Dave

[chuck chesney]

Aquadeep...I agree with you fully.

Aquadeep...I agree with you fully. There is no rational reason to make a ballast, or any other system, more complex than it needs to be to do the job. Your pump system looks very good, and my preferred system, RCABS-R, is the same...simple, reliable, and easy to build and operate. Acums Razor rules !

[Rogue Sub]

Here is a look at

Here is a look at the adapter I made.