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Advice/suggestions for Altaros booster setup

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Considering a shop compressor/booster system vs a quality stand alone hp compressor, and trying to price out the booster system. Have a basic idea what's needed (shop compressor, low side filtration, booster, high side filtration), but could use advice on hardware specifics. Would be using to fill rifles directly and fill a guppy tank about equally. Speed is low priority; 1/2 hour or so to fill a rifle directly (largest cylinder on any of my guns is ~320 cm3) would be just fine. Tank can take all day without bothering me.

Gonna throw out some candidates, & would appreciate any advice/thoughts/alternatives you can suggest. Also welcome mention of any necessary hardware I haven't included.

Shop compressor:


Low side moisture removal: 


High side moisture removal:

 
I know those Harbor Freight compressors are pretty darn noisy, so if you have a long fill I could see where that could be aggravating. Don’t know anything about that California unit, but will tell you I have a Home Depot compressor that also claims to be very quiet and it is anything but quiet and I use ear protection when I use it. I also have another more traditional cast iron compressor that is much more easy on the ears, this one: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/porter-cable-20-gallon-portable-belt-drive-air-compressor.


If you get an altaros setup, post how you like it, from my research it seems like they might be a decent choice.
 
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I've been down the road you're currently on.

Please take some time to read through this old post of mine from when I was shopping for a compressor to marry up to my Altaros. It looks as though you've already researched the supply compressor requirements, I would advise you to go as far away from the minimum CFM@90 as you can afford to. Otherwise, the compressor you buy will be running a LOT! I'd also recommend getting the biggest tank you can afford. Before I sold my Altaros, I expanded my tank capacity with something like this 5 gallon portable tank. I just rebuilt the valve system with air fittings and a ball valve. I still have it and it comes in handy when working around the house with air tools! The one I got was good up to 150 psi. I wanted something that was rated higher than my compressor could put out. 

I ultimately moved away from the Altaros to a stand alone unit because I ran into a good opportunity (right place, right time). I really liked the Altaros concept and I think they could do more with the design. 

Happy Shooting!

Tom
 
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A CAT compressor is extremely quiet running and a much better match for the quiet Altaros booster. If you get the Grainger filter between the CAT and the Altaros you don’t need the $400 Alpha output filter. It is total overkill and a waste of money in this set up.

Instead of spending the money for an Altaros, an input filter, various hoses and connections, and a first stage compressor, a much better choice would be the Hill EC-3000 for $999. It is faster filling, less of a hassle to run, better build quality, and better support after the sale. It is plug and play whereas the Altaros setup is slow and much more involved just to make all the connections. It is dated compressor technology and overpriced for what you are getting. 
 
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Thanks to all for chiming in. After reading all I could find regarding booster setups, seems like a viable option if you invest wisely in ancillary equipment & are vigilant with tweaking things to keep it operating at optimum conditions. Not completely comfortable that I'd make great choices with the surrounding equipment, and at this point not really interested in experimenting to find out. Going to pass on it as an option. 

Have been down the standalone compressor road twice before with sub-$2k units. A total of four compressors entered my garage, and a total of four compressors were crated up & shipped back to the vendors. Never got the first tank fill from any of them (four separate serious quality issues). Bad luck? Maybe. I look at it glass-half-full... the vendors were great, trying to solve problems, exchanging units, and eventually refunding. Better that the heartburn started right away, rather than one of them muddling along, always one small fix away from excellence, until the warranty was up- then going full lemon. Not at all interested in driving that road again.

The Hill unit may eventually change my mind. The experiences I've read about from early adopters does not inspire confidence that it's ready for prime time as a long term, trouble free solution. Have a MK4 hand pump that has done yeoman's work, so respect the company. And it appears they're working hard to address issues. As time goes on though, I'm less & less impressed by great customer service in fixing or replacing troublesome equipment. More and more impressed by companies whose customer service is rarely or never needed.

Think I'm going the dive compressor route. Still need to save a few (ok, a lot of) pennies. 

Thanks again to all who contributed!






 
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A CAT compressor is extremely quiet running and a much better match for the quiet Altaros booster. If you get the Grainger filter between the CAT and the Altaros you don’t need the $400 Alpha output filter. It is total overkill and a waste of money in this set up.

Instead of spending the money for an Altaros, an input filter, various hoses and connections, and a first stage compressor, a much better choice would be the Hill EC-3000 for $999. It is faster filling, less of a hassle to run, better build quality, and better support after the sale. It is plug and play whereas the Altaros setup is slow and much more involved just to make all the connections. It is dated compressor technology and overpriced for what you are getting.
Click to expand...

Awww! That Hill Compressor is a cute little thing! It looks like a mini Daystate LC 110. lol! 
 
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Thanks to all for chiming in. After reading all I could find regarding booster setups, seems like a viable option if you invest wisely in ancillary equipment & are vigilant with tweaking things to keep it operating at optimum conditions. Not completely comfortable that I'd make great choices with the surrounding equipment, and at this point not really interested in experimenting to find out. Going to pass on it as an option. 

Have been down the standalone compressor road twice before with sub-$2k units. A total of four compressors entered my garage, and a total of four compressors were crated up & shipped back to the vendors. Never got the first tank fill from any of them (four separate serious quality issues). Bad luck? Maybe. I look at it glass-half-full... the vendors were great, trying to solve problems, exchanging units, and eventually refunding. Better that the heartburn started right away, rather than one of them muddling along, always one small fix away from excellence, until the warranty was up- then going full lemon. Not at all interested in driving that road again.

The Hill unit may eventually change my mind. The experiences I've read about from early adopters does not inspire confidence that it's ready for prime time as a long term, trouble free solution. Have a MK4 hand pump that has done yeoman's work, so respect the company. And it appears they're working hard to address issues. As time goes on though, I'm less & less impressed by great customer service in fixing or replacing troublesome equipment. More and more impressed by companies whose customer service is rarely or never needed.

Think I'm going the dive compressor route. Still need to save a few (ok, a lot of) pennies. 

Thanks again to all who contributed!





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UGH! Wow, that is some terrible luck. I can't say I blame you for having hesitations after going through all that! I will say that I've had my Omega Turbo Charger for 2.5 years and have not had a single hiccup. It just starts, runs, and stops when it's done. I haven't rebuilt it or performed any service to it, outside of twisting the 2 knobs on the top about once a year. 

Good luck with whatever you decide to go with! I really hope you have a better outcome than what you've been dealing with! 

Tom
 
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Interesting thread! My 2nd Daystate LC110 pump unit is already showing signs of wanting to fail. I have an Ayrrtek booster pump, and the instructions say that it can operate with a 150PSI shop compressor. I haven't put that to the test (all that I have layers nf around is a cheapo P&G 6 gallon that takes forever to hit 150).

This booster pump is pretty solid. Looking for alternatives to fill my 97' tank 1-2x per week, but ai might just wind up having to bite the bullet and get a proper HPA compressor if it would take more than an hour to fill this tank with a shop compressor + booster pump.
 
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I have had an Altaros booster for two years now and I am very happy with it; zero problems so far. It is very low maintenance and the air is dry and clean.

As to compressors:

The harbor freight one should be okay to directly fill a rifle, but forget about tanks. Also these Chinese direct drive compressors are not exactly made to run for an hour a week for years to come. They are hobby / DIY grade compressors... And if you shoot on regular basis, you will very soon wear it out.

At the very least you will want a belt driven two first stage cylinder compressor. There is no need for a two stage compressor as the booster takes max 10 bar. With the booster it is Volume > Pressure. Multi cylinder, belt driven, single stage compressors tend to be low wear and low noise (which is a plus). These compressors also tend to be 220V+ / 15A+ ( make sure your place is wired for that).



But a nice thing about the booster is that you can regulate its air consumption, so you could have your compressor run 30 % of the time, so it does not over heat. But take my word for it, if you shoot a lot and or want to fill tanks; at least get a small industrial compressor. Forget about your typical domestic compressor.



There is no way I would take the Hill over the Altaros. The Hill is direct drive, which undesirable, especially at that price point. The Hill will need more maintenance, cannot be used for longer periods, cannot charge larger tanks, uses propitiatory parts etc... The Altaros is very low maintenance (it has only one major moving part) and is largely made out of parts that you can get anywhere, it cools itself down whilst pumping, the air is very clean and dry (the first stage takes out most of the moisture). Also, booster technology is time tested, there is nothing new to it.

Customer service: Altaros is easy to talk to. Hill, will tell you to get lost (I speak from experience).

If you are considering the Hill: I would go for a Yong Heng and spend the difference on spare parts, filters and pellets.








 
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UGH! Wow, that is some terrible luck. I can't say I blame you for having hesitations after going through all that! I will say that I've had my Omega Turbo Charger for 2.5 years and have not had a single hiccup. It just starts, runs, and stops when it's done. I haven't rebuilt it or performed any service to it, outside of twisting the 2 knobs on the top about once a year. 

Good luck with whatever you decide to go with! I really hope you have a better outcome than what you've been dealing with! 

Tom
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Thanks Tom!

Hesitated to even bring up that experience, it seemed ridiculously far fetched as I was typing it, even having lived it. Others have had good results from those & other compressors in the price range, & in the end it didn't cost a dime (only frustration)... so there's a healthy dose of bad luck involved.

These things tend to balance out though. Have bought at least a hundred new & used Airguns & firearms in the last three decades. Not one true lemon. Some didn't fit me or my usage as well as hoped, but all have worked like they're supposed to. I'm careful about researching reliability before buying, but still... that's a healthy dose of good luck. 
 
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I saw pictures of your exploded booster in another thread. The desiccant pearls shot out with so much force that it damaged the casing.

Something tells me, that the pressure spike that caused the unit to rupture was caused by an explosion, perhaps by flammable lubricant entering the unit. I in all sincerely do not believe, that that was caused by 'normal' use.
 
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I use my Altaros in two ways:

1) Run from a compressor for work air and the HP stage fed 100bar~1500psi from a regulated airtank. That vill boost my 9liter tank from 240bar to 330bar in a little more than an hour (and my compressor is a 0.75HP model)

2) I set the booster to run 100% of compressor air and use it to fill my LP airtank to some 200bar~3000psi while i do other tasks.

I run two silica gel filters each about pint size between compressor and booster. And my HP filter only needs replacing every 3-4 tank fills, the "pre" filters is that effective.
 
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