Electric 12 volt Keene Hookah

[Northwestgoat]

Electric 12 volt Keene Hookah
Has anybody else bought the KEENE 12 volt Hydro Air? I have tried my Hydro air a couple of times and I am not too sure about it. It works ok but I got caught in a little bit of a current in the river which made me breath a little harder and the compressor had a hard time keeping up. When I put the reserve tank in line the pump never shut off ( I waited for quite a long time for the reservoir to build up but the compressor never shut off) There were no instructions with the unit and the skirt that goes around the tube float is so big for the tube that it sags in the water. When you go to pull the unit out of the water the skirt was so heavy due to being so full of water that you have to unzip the skirt pull the tube out drag the skirt to shore and try to dump the water out. I figure for the price they could have put a little more thought into this expensive unit.
I know whaaaaa!! But hey I feel better now.

 

[Waterdog]

I was thinking about going Electric myself. Is this the one and only time you have had it out? Have you ever had it in a Lake or calmer water where you could try it to see if you can go very deep in the water?
Thank you
HH

 

[Northwestgoat]

I have used it three times since I purchased it a month ago. As of now I only have a 30 foot hose on it and I was probably close to 25 feet down.
The compressor did do well, my only concern was when I worked a little harder the compressor did not seem to keep up with my needs. ( I am a old man of 49)
With the compressor sitting below the water line you here the compressor running even with headphones on. I really do not see how two divers could draw from this compressor like KEENE claims you can.

 

[Frank in NH]

I use one it is the Keene Little Buddy for one man. Gives me plenty of air til the one time the battery clip came off, glad i wasn't very deep.

 

[Northwestgoat]

Frank, The compressor I have does supply enough air it just seemed like I could not pull enough air when I was working harder. I just can't see how this will supply two people. And the part about the skirt being so loose and filling up with water and not being able to lift it out of the water really bothers me.

I Will be selling my Gas Hookah on e-bay soon. I need to fix the engine after a expensive shipping problem with UPS.

Take care and HAPPY HUNTING!!!!

 

[GraveDiggerMax-VaBch-Va]

i have also been looking at the electric model, but i did find this unit.................been out about 12 years, made in england

little more money than the keene - anyone got any feed back on it

http://www.easydivehawaii.com/recreation.html

 

[Easydiver]

We are the exclusive dealer for PowerDive (made in Australia) in North America. We are at: www.easydivehawaii.com, I have some feedback for some of the issues brought up in these discussions.

We have primarily focused on resort applications for shallow water introductory dives. Our main concern is safety, followed by performance of the products and ease of use. Our standards for performance are established by accepted guidelines of certain dive agencies.

We tested the Canadian unit and found it didn

 

[drwhou02]

Hi I also use the Keene Hooka. It is a little prototypish but seems to do the job for me..If your compressors stay running all the time id suspect one of your micro switches isnt working properly. These machines use 2 switches under the panel <black panel> where the main air line tube comes out the tip of the machine. One switch works for each compressor etc. If I am not relaxed or tired I seem to be able to out breath the machine also if working hard. One recomendation for all hooka divers is to dive with a divers BC vest and have a 20 cu bottle on your back with a safe second regulator.. No sense dying beacuse you had a air malfunction and prefer to dive alone right?
SO stay safe and have FUN!!


Vern

 

[coiner]

After reading these older posts i am happy to say i purchased a 2010 unit this year new off the shelf and did get a substantial discount on it. I have only used it once with another diver in a large pool. We had no problem with having plenty of air and we we're struggling most of the time do to not having enough weight to get our buoyancy where it needed to be. At first breathing was a little strained but after adjusting the ease of flow on the regulator we we're both fine. I guess i am convinced that keene hookah has worked the earlier bugs out of there unit. I do have a question for anybody with answers. I do a lot of camping and don't always have access to electricity. I would like to know if anyone can recommend a solar charger that will charge the 12 volt battery. I have looked at some that maintain but i want it to charge not just maintain. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks Chuck

 

[ZOFCHAK]

After reading these older posts i am happy to say i purchased a 2010 unit this year new off the shelf and did get a substantial discount on it. I have only used it once with another diver in a large pool. We had no problem with having plenty of air and we we're struggling most of the time do to not having enough weight to get our buoyancy where it needed to be. At first breathing was a little strained but after adjusting the ease of flow on the regulator we we're both fine. I guess i am convinced that keene hookah has worked the earlier bugs out of there unit. I do have a question for anybody with answers. I do a lot of camping and don't always have access to electricity. I would like to know if anyone can recommend a solar charger that will charge the 12 volt battery. I have looked at some that maintain but i want it to charge not just maintain. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks Chuck

Chuck, I'm in the market for a Keene Hydro Air as well, and I'm glad to see that yours seems to be working out for you. I currently have a 12v Powerdive Deck Snorkel Model (I converted it to use in a kayak) and a homemade 12v hookah similar to the Hookahmax units.

As far as the solar charger, I think you will be a little bummed to find that it takes an incredible amount of solar capacity to fully charge the 27 series batteries that the Hydro Air uses. I have a 135 watt panel and a Sunsaver Mppt controller that I use to maintain two AGM batteries in my van. It takes about 3 days straight in full sun to charge one of my 90ah batteries when it's drained down, so even in the best sunny conditions it would probably take about 2 days to charge one of the batteries for the Hydro Air.
That being said, I actually plan on setting up a solar system on my enclosed trailer this season with the sole purpose of charging my hookah batteries. While solar may be slow, it's also great for topping off batteries. I plan on using a small Honda generator and charger to bulk charge and 3 200w panels with a controller to fully charge and maintain. I can go through 3 batteries in a long day, so I now have 6 AGM batteries and will be able to use one set while the other charges.

 

[OldBeechnut]

ZOFCHAK...keep me informed of your findings...Looking for a safe setup for two ...

 

[coiner]

After reading these older posts i am happy to say i purchased a 2010 unit this year new off the shelf and did get a substantial discount on it. I have only used it once with another diver in a large pool. We had no problem with having plenty of air and we we're struggling most of the time do to not having enough weight to get our buoyancy where it needed to be. At first breathing was a little strained but after adjusting the ease of flow on the regulator we we're both fine. I guess i am convinced that keene hookah has worked the earlier bugs out of there unit. I do have a question for anybody with answers. I do a lot of camping and don't always have access to electricity. I would like to know if anyone can recommend a solar charger that will charge the 12 volt battery. I have looked at some that maintain but i want it to charge not just maintain. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks Chuck

Chuck, I'm in the market for a Keene Hydro Air as well, and I'm glad to see that yours seems to be working out for you. I currently have a 12v Powerdive Deck Snorkel Model (I converted it to use in a kayak) and a homemade 12v hookah similar to the Hookahmax units.

As far as the solar charger, I think you will be a little bummed to find that it takes an incredible amount of solar capacity to fully charge the 27 series batteries that the Hydro Air uses. I have a 135 watt panel and a Sunsaver Mppt controller that I use to maintain two AGM batteries in my van. It takes about 3 days straight in full sun to charge one of my 90ah batteries when it's drained down, so even in the best sunny conditions it would probably take about 2 days to charge one of the batteries for the Hydro Air.
That being said, I actually plan on setting up a solar system on my enclosed trailer this season with the sole purpose of charging my hookah batteries. While solar may be slow, it's also great for topping off batteries. I plan on using a small Honda generator and charger to bulk charge and 3 200w panels with a controller to fully charge and maintain. I can go through 3 batteries in a long day, so I now have 6 AGM batteries and will be able to use one set while the other charges.

Thanks for the info ZOFCHAK. I guess i'm not to bummed, I was thinking that was the way of things from what i had read so far. I guess i will continue to use a generator and use the solar to keep the ones not in use topped off. Would love to go all green but solar just isn't green enough yet. Chuck

 

[southernstyle]

Mine is a hookahmax 12v system and I have had two divers at 20 ft with no problems. I have (2) 100 ft hoses attached. I do have to open my regulator up some the deeper I go to make it more easy to breath. The motor is really quiet so I can run it just offshore with no noise complants. Even with 2 divers my compressor does shut down when tank is full then turns back on as needed.
Hope this helps,
Chris

 

[2wheeldevil]

Northwestgoat, I am pretty sure your unit is designed to sit low in the water to cool the compressor, this prolongs the life of your compressor.
If you are having problems with not getting enough air if you are working hard, I would suggest you try different settings
on your air flow on your regulator, worth a try anyway.
Suggestion, if you have not been scuba certified, at least take the on line hookah course(SASS) by The Air Line. This is a fun hobby but there are many dangers especially if
you are diving alone. Practice, practice, practice, clearing your mask and regulator and NEVER ascend holding your breath.
By the way, how much weight do you have in your weight belt and do you use any ankle weights? I was surprised by the amount of weight needed when using a wet suit.
Have fun and be safe!!!!!!

 

[Hehehaha]

I can go through 3 batteries in a long day, so I now have 6 AGM batteries and will be able to use one set while the other charges.

Hi people

what size batteries are you using on your hookah please ?

I just bought one and want to know what dive time you get per amp hour rating of the batteries , i was going to just buy an average car battery unless there is something with more power per kilo

( i have to carry the battery a long way )

thankyou