Making a small Blower for diver use?

[99*]

Has anyone attempted to make a small blower for diver handheld use? I thought I saw one on a Fisher site (Mel) maybe? I like scooters but they are only good for battery time! If you could harness the the same scooter poer with an indefinitive supply of power what would that be like? Mr.Cornelius maybe you or Mr. Cablava have tried this before or Robert Gecy? Before I go fandangling I would appreciate any input...this could be fun. 99*

 

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[dk-diver]

How about a pneumatic power drill fitted with a fan, driven from a stage tank.

/DKD

 

[Cablava]

How small is small ? most of the stuff I have built and used is large and not sutable for this type of wreck clearing. My blowers and lifts, and water jets have been mainly used to clear out mud and sand from recent sunken ships i.e. past 30 to 40 years. I had a company clearing wrecks from harbours and creeks, the gear is heavy.

For light work I would think you could use 4" PVC pipe and a bilge pump with an umbilical to the surface for power. The problem will come from the inertia to push away so you may have to fit some sort of retro jet to compansate for it. Obviously it depends upon the power generated. More power more problems. Also the depth will cause problems with the seals of the motors, and the housing. But for shallow work it should not be to difficult.

 

[99*]

I work in the same conditions Cablava - I am using a scooter for now it works a charm but after 20 mins lacks power - I also need discretion so hoses etc are out of the question as I swim about 250 yards under radar just to get to the spot. I am interested in making something similar with more power. 99*

 

[Cablava]

Then if the scooter is adequate then you only need to get a bigger power supply to it. Read the manual and work out how many Amper Hours you will need for each dive. This will give you the size of power supply required i.e. battery. Then all you need is to have a method of getting the power to the scooter..

250m is too long for a power supply as many things could happen to it plus the power drop. maybe a floating cradle for the batteries.
How deep are you working and how long do you need to work at a time??

 

[99*]

Cablava - thank you. I am working in zero vis in two feet of mud in thirty feet of water the mound I am attacking is in 24 feet so there is six feet of ballast and mud between us. The scooter works great I use PVC to mark a square and the blow the grid out, problem being the battery power and the fact that nothing can be on the surface as its in a shipping lane which is heavily used about two ferries an hour and at least one small supply vessel 160 + feet long. It gets hairy most days and Ive seen a prop glaze my vision a month back needless to say no one is the wiser nor does anyone care. I was wondering about a small blower because the suction on an airlift is not sufficient to break the first 6 inches of mud not the next cake of clay. I thought i saw a picture on the mel fisher website of a diver using a handheld blower. If you could supply power from a dingy above there are no ships on a Thursday afternoon, so I could anchor right over the site. Then a cable to the scooter for the supply source?99*

 

[Cablava]

Sounds like a real dangerous task, zero viz. WOW No one can interest me in zero viz anymore, I like blue water. Any way shipping lanes are never easy to work when everyone "knows" you are there, let alone a clandestine arrangement. (hope you are careful).

Although I originally advocated against this but with more knowledge of the job another possible method is to run a cable to the shore and have a series of batteries in the van. The cable would need to be well anchored to protect against tide, current, bad weather. prop wash, idiots on the beach etc. A series of sea anchors. with a marsh marine connectors so you could leave it in the water when you leave for the day, and pick it up again the next day.
Voltage drop would need to be worked out.
But at least you would still be almost invisible.

The next major problem will be if you find what you are looking for then you will have to move it. It seems you are working alone so you will have your work cut out for you. Then of course there are the authorities to think of, they usually prove to a bigger problem than raising the Titanic.

Good look