Compressor additive questions

[hotspur0425]

Hello all. I have an Omega Air Charger (the no-frills grey one). Knock on wood, it has operated flawlessly for about three years now. I was just wondering if it would be necessary to flush and change the water/anti-freeze in it?



Also, in reading some of the threads on here, I noticed that a lot of you with the YH compressors use water wetter. I added some Royal Purple ICE to mine when I set it up. What is the advantage of water wetter over the ICE or is there one?

Sitting on the fence on this because I want to do everything I can to make it last as long as possible, but at the same time "If it ain't broke"....

Thoughts?



Brian

 

[TMH]

I have never been a 'convert' to the Royal Purple club. I don't doubt that they make good products, but it just always seemed to me that they over-hype and that turns me off.

OTOH I have been using Water Wetter for years, starting in off road motorcycles and today in my water cooled compressors. And in my applications it has done a good job.

But Water Wetter and Purple Ice probably both work just as effectively in our compressors. They likely allow them to run a little cooler, but more importantly have additives which protect against internal corrosion much better than water alone.

So after 3 years of service, I would definitely replace your coolant fluid. Maybe do it annually. And use either of the 2 additives for the best internal cooling system protection.

 

[Motorhead]

I too have an open frame OMEGA, actually the original ALPHA 90 going on 5 years old now. Have had the same Prestone / Distilled water in it sense day one. ( Only topped off a few times )

It remains clear and contaminate free and see no reason to change it.

 

[hawkeye69]

I noticed that water flow had decreased on my 4year old Air Charger, so I drained the system and flushed out the lines. It did make a difference. I used Royal Ice and anti-freeze for the refill as per the recommendations.

 

[dizzums]

you cant buy anything in a bottle or that bolts on that will make any major difference in performance, goes for anything .. use your noggin is the best thing you can do for something .. you want it cooler run it in a cooler place ... common sense ..

 

[TMH]

you cant buy anything in a bottle or that bolts on that will make any major difference in performance, goes for anything .. use your noggin is the best thing you can do for something .. you want it cooler run it in a cooler place ... common sense ..

Well, I can't say that I agree with such a blanket generality. And 'running cooler' is really only part of the equation, and not one which was even mentioned in the OP.

However for longest service life, which was brought up in the OP, you can definitely buy something in a bottle which will make a major difference - the difference between clogged and corroded water channels caused by plain water in contact with metal, versus a clean (and therefore more effective) interior of the cooling system resulting from using proper additives.

 

[hawkeye69]

I too have an open frame OMEGA, actually the original ALPHA 90 going on 5 years old now. Have had the same Prestone / Distilled water in it sense day one. ( Only topped off a few times )

It remains clear and contaminate free and see no reason to change it.

From the manual:
Check radiator fluid before each use and change when needed. Use non-distilled purifiedwater, regular anti-freeze
and Purple Icewhen refilling the radiator. Add 1/2 ounce of Purple Ice and 1 ounce of Anti-freeze to the radiator
chamber first with the remaining balance of fluid being non-distilled purifiedwater. Keepmaximumradiator fluid level
1/2inchbelowthewater output.DO NOT USE DISTILLED WATER.

 

[hotspur0425]

I haven't gone anywhere guys...just reading your replies. It seems that this is like most topics on here (and really pretty much everything in life), there are two schools of thought. I guess I will use my best judgement. And, like I said originally..."If it ain't broke..." probably flush and refill with what I have been using. I had never used the water wetter and was curious if it would work better.

Thank you all for the input and advice as I consider y'all some of the "heavy hitters" on here and much more knowledgeable than myself.

 

[TMH]

I too have an open frame OMEGA, actually the original ALPHA 90 going on 5 years old now. Have had the same Prestone / Distilled water in it sense day one. ( Only topped off a few times )

It remains clear and contaminate free and see no reason to change it.

From the manual:
Check radiator fluid before each use and change when needed. Use non-distilled purifiedwater, regular anti-freeze
and Purple Icewhen refilling the radiator. Add 1/2 ounce of Purple Ice and 1 ounce of Anti-freeze to the radiator
chamber first with the remaining balance of fluid being non-distilled purifiedwater. Keepmaximumradiator fluid level
1/2inchbelowthewater output.DO NOT USE DISTILLED WATER.

Distilled water has been stripped of its minerals, and the farther you purify water, the more corrosive it becomes. As such, distilled water will want to grab minerals out of the metals (and any other materials) it comes in contact with. Which equals corrosion.

Yes, purified water won't have a bunch of extra cr@p in it, but will be more pH balanced = less corrosive. Save your distilled water for filling flooded batteries.

 

[Kaeokini]

Aloha,

While I don't have a compressor that's water cooled. I have use both "water wetter & purple ice" (not a the same time) in my modified Dodge 5.9 cummins and have kept my engine temperature cooler, about 15 degrees. I would recommend using it in your compressor to keep the temperature down.

Aloha,

Keone

 

[hotspur0425]

So my thoughts to drain are to unhook the line feeding back into the resovior and turn the pump (not the compressor) on and just pump the majority of fluid out. Maybe add purified/distilled water and repeat to flush...before refilling with water/Prestone/ICE???

 

[Motorhead]

I too have an open frame OMEGA, actually the original ALPHA 90 going on 5 years old now. Have had the same Prestone / Distilled water in it sense day one. ( Only topped off a few times )

It remains clear and contaminate free and see no reason to change it.

From the manual:
Check radiator fluid before each use and change when needed. Use non-distilled purifiedwater, regular anti-freeze
and Purple Icewhen refilling the radiator. Add 1/2 ounce of Purple Ice and 1 ounce of Anti-freeze to the radiator
chamber first with the remaining balance of fluid being non-distilled purifiedwater. Keepmaximumradiator fluid level
1/2inchbelowthewater output.DO NOT USE DISTILLED WATER.

I'm sure i followed directions ... been 5 years ago & was going off memory ... or whats left of it ... LOL

 

[MaineJim]

I used water wetter and distilled water on my Yong Heng for about a year and noticed white residue inside the clear container i keep the coolant in.

I'm pretty sure it was aluminum corrosion.In any case i dumped the crap out and used a mix of distilled water and automotive antifreeze and i haven't seen any more of that sendiment.

Makes sense since that's whats used in aluminum car radiators.

I'm sure if the water wetter was also added to that mixture it would be ok but i didn't bother adding it.