# Rebuilding my compressor



## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

I noticed late last summer that my Vertex Air 1 Plus that I intalled in June of 2007 wasn't moving as much water as it did. When it was first installed you couldn't swim a raft to the boil as the current was so strong. I "flex" the membrane diffusers several times per year to keep them clean and via a call to Vertex, they said my compressor was probably due for a rebuild.

I finally got around to ordering the parts ($65) for the rebuild from their distributor. They arrived in a couple of days and included some instructions that didn't exactly match my compressor, a new piston cup, various gaskets and new fasteners. I set out last night to rebuild the compressor.

I attempted to remove the airhose at the manifold but the Goodyear hose wasn't coming off so I decided to split at the coupling to the irrigation pipe underground. I was reaching underneath the base to loosen the hoses from the dirt when I felt something very strange enter my sleeve. I pulled my arm out and wrote it off to to a stick or piece of grass and returned to fiddling. Shortly thereafter I felt something touch my hand and move. After a twitch and and chill I looked underneath and found a toad that had set up housekeeping under the base.

I took down part of the retaining wall and began looseing the soil and pulling the hoses out. I found the coupling, loosened the hoseclamps, and disconnected at the Goodyear hose to irrigation pipe connection without incident. I picked up the entire unit and began carrying it up to the garage to make the repairs when I felt a burning sensation in my arm. Bearing the pain I made it to the garage and rolled up my sleeve to fine half a dozen red ants apparently not very happy that I had disturbed their residence.

I managed to get it disassembled last night. The piston cup (serves in place of cylinder rings) was worn. The new cup had about 1/8" more meat around the outside so it was due. Finish reassembly tonight.

A few less common tools needed are a set of torx drivers, torque wrench and a mapp torch. On a scale of 1-10 skill level, 1 being easy and 10 being a V8 rebuild, this is about a 3 so far. If you're comfortable rebuilding a 1 cyl briggs, this should be pretty easy.


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

I had some other obligations on Tuesday so I ended up reassembling last night. All went well until it came time hook the hoses back up. The stainless hose couplers were packed full of sandy clay soil and wouldn't tighten. They had held up well, even being underground but I opted to replace after two wouldn't tighten properly. A quick run to TSC for satisfactory replacements, though not as heavy duty as the ones that came with the system. Plugged in, checked for leaks and all was well.

It's quite a bit quieter now and the boils seem to have increased by about 20%. Still not as good as new. The next step is to pull the two coactive air stations as they've never been out of the pond. They're past due for a cleaning.

All I need now is a small boat.


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

But vertex templates are maintence free


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

I still haven't pulled the diffusers yet. I doubt anything could be maintenance free in Ohio waters. It does seem to have picked up a little momentum over the past week. 

Any tips on cleaning a membrane diffuser? Are there any cleaners/chemicals/tools that help in the process? I'm thinking a little Dawn and a scrub and rinse followed by a diluted muratic acid or CLR soak and scrub and rinse.


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

Start with something soft, like an old towel. You can usually hit them with a plastic bristled brush but go easy. In your neck of the woods muratic acid does wonders to getting rid of the calcium deposits. When I use to live down south, I always got reactivity from the acid applying it to diffusers. I live in the great north now and the water chemistry pretty different, rarley do I get reactions from muratic acid up here.


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## JoeFish (Apr 2, 2011)

I helped clean my lake assoc. air bubblers(diffusers?) last year. I dove and grabbed them, they were pretty heavy, and a helper stayed on the paddle boat. I held them at the boat, and he used a stiff bristle brush to scrub the membrane. We did not turn the pump off. We really just cleaned the membrane, and did not worry about cleaning anything else on the bubblers. 

Im not sure I would try any chemicals anywhere near the membrane, but Im pretty new at pond management.

I plan on tieing some floating polypropelene rope to them this year, or next time we clean, to make it so I dont have to swim for them. Its a workout!

Clean your pump air filter if it has one, if you have not already.


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

I finally got around to pulling my diffusers last night. I was afraid to just drag them out by the airhose as I thought the pipe clamps holding the hose to the weighted box may slip off so I looped a rope around the hose and worked it out to the diffuser box then pulled it straight up from the bottom and into the boat.

Here what they looked like 1 month short of 5 years.










I started with a very soft, car type brush and worked around some Simple Green. It didn't take off more than the loose dirt. I progressively used stronger cleaners begining with vinegar and eventually Limeaway. There were some very hard to remove deposits that looked like red crystals stuck to the rubber. Eventually, the Limeaway and a stiffer brush got them fairly clean after probably an hour of scrubbing. Soaking in something like CLR or muratic acid may provide better results with less scrubbing.










I reinstalled the airstations and improvement was noticeable. I'd say between the compressor rebuild and diffuser cleaning I'm at 90-95% of like new.

I think when it's time to pull these again in a few years, I'll just replace the diffusers.


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

A couple of days ago I contacted Vertex about the red crystals and for recommendations on further cleaning due to the slightly less than new performance despite the cleaning and compressor rebuild. Their rep said they'd get back to me. To my surprise, look what arrived at my office this morning! Apparently this was covered under warranty.


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