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Alkin W31 vertical. Manual or auto version?

Mine was well packed but the strapping was broken by the shipper, fortunately the compressor was unharmed. Unfortunately we are all at the mercy of the shipper and during this pandemic shipping has seemed to have had more problems than normal. Mine even stayed in a local warehouse for 4 days until the driver that does residential deliveries came back to work. But I wouldn’t worry, Alkin is a stand up company that I believe will make everything right.
 
I'm thinking of going with the manual W31 220V and adding my own pressure switch. I can manually drain after fill, but the auto shut off is optimum. I don't want to rely on keeping an eye on it even if it is only minutes. Exercising the pressure relief valve doesn't sound like a good solution either. I see in some pictures the PS wiring looks to be low voltage so it should be simple. Off the hat and not owning one I can visualize there being a terminal bar with a jumper on it for manual versions. Maybe I can purchase the PS from Alkin or if not source my own and save. decisions decisions 
 
I don't rely on the pressure relief. Back when I worked on high pressure air systems the pressure relief was the most common leak. Either a speck would get in the needle keeping the PRD from resealing or the o-ring would go. As much as I use my Alkin that probably would never happen. to top off my 75 tank from 200 Bar it only takes about 6 minutes. But what I do is when the pressure in the tank is where I want it. I close the tank valve with one hand while opening the bottle bleeder. that give me time to do what ever I want without the pressure relief opening. And just so I don't get in a hurry or have a brain fart. I have fill instructions laminated hanging on the wall behind the compressor.
 
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Reporting back i went with the full auto and i’m very happy i did. You get so much more for the additional cost such as the 1st & 2nd stage gages plus the plumbing and fittings to them. Very helpful i’m sure when trouble shooting. The manual type is a snap action manual line voltage switch with an in line thermal overload. The full auto has a 24v control circuit with contactor and thermal resettable and delay adjustable overload. For folks in high or low humidity locations the adjustable time delay relay from 1-10minutes, to actuate purge, followed by 1-10seconds of purging is awesome control. Momentary on/off switch has a back light to let you know the control circuit is active ie: when the compressor is stopped, do to Pressure switch, the control circuit is still active. Only when you press the off button the back light goes off letting you know the control circuit is off.


 
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The procedure list is a good idea, however the last line written in red purges the air purifier which removes no moisture. It should say to purge the two valves on the left on the water separator. Purging the valve on the right side only depressurizes the air filter, If any moisture comes out of that valve, the air filter is saturated and needs replacement.
 
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Good point Humdinger. I wrote that before I ever filled a tank. So I would have something to look at as I fill. But after filling I realized I don't even run my compressor 10 minutes before the tank is full. I think I wrote this some where but what I do now when the tank meets desired psi is close the tank valve then open the tank bleeder. since they are at the same location that can happen almost in one motion. Avoiding the pressure relief from opening on the compressor. Then open the left valves letting any moisture out. I then let the compressor run a minute or two at no load then shut it down and close all valves for storage. 

thanks humdinger!
 
Well I got the replacement parts from the guys at Alkin. They were very quick to help me out, only took a couple days and parts were on route to me.

I have had the parts for a bit over a week now and finally got around to installing them. Only took a few minutes to complete. 

Haven't filled a tanks yet, but ran it up a couple times to set pressure and everything seems like it will be a great setup.



Couple quick photos of the new toy. 

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I own the Alkin W31 manual version. It is all you need. It fills so fast that the auto drain is only ever used when filling a 6.8 or 9 liter tank from zero. How often do you do that? Once a year or less? A refill from 3K psi will take 5-8 minutes depending upon the tank size. It only requires the lines to be purged after the fill is complete. I set my phone's alarm for every 12 minutes when I fill a tank from zero and purge once or twice at most. As far as the auto shutoff, it isn't a necessity either. The compressor has a pressure relief valve set at 4500 psi. If you aren't monitoring your fill and the compressor reaches 4500 psi it will vent the excess pressure until you stop the compressor.

On slower filling compressors these two features are desirable if you don't wish to sit through a 45 minute or longer fill. But on the W31, the extra cost of these features is kind of an unnecessary luxury since it fills so fast. Save your money. The manual version is the way to go for the occasional user like most of us.
i'm on the verge of ordering the alkin w31 vertical, debating wheather to get the auto off, after reading your post i see auto off may not be needed plus saving 750.00 bucks, thanks for your post.
 
What Humdinger said about the auto drain is spot on for how I use my compressor. The only reason I ever had wished I bought the other is for the auto shut off, but that was short lived. I only needed to find a good way to operate the manual compressor. When I first started operating mine the pressure relief would vent before I could get valves closed and the compressor shut down. I dont care to use the pressure relief regularly. After filling a few times I found a standard operating procedure for me that I am comfortable with. What I do now is when the pressure in the bottle reaches the desired fill, I close the bottle fill valve and open the bottle bleeder. With the bottle bleeder open or bleeding. I have plenty of time without rushing to then open my water separators. Then shut down the compressor. I don't feel I would benefit at all with the auto shut down. The only advantage I imagine is if the operator was going to leave the bottle unattended.