The RovAir compressor is a gun-only compressor that’s light, fast and inexpensive.
This report covers:
- Apology
- Maintaining the RovAir
- One more maintenance step
- Accuracy of the shutoff
- Cooling
- Battery-powered
- Lesson learned
Apology
A couple weeks ago I got a question on the Part 1 report on the RovAir air compressor. Was there a Part 2? I looked and no, there wasn’t. Tools that I use like scopes and air compressors are hard to keep up with. I use them all the time but writing reports about them seems difficult. But today’s report will be different.
It seems that I owe Pyramyd AIR an apology. I thought my first RovAir compressor had failed and I returned it for another one. They replaced it immediately.
Well, I may have been wrong about that. In fact I probably was. Here is why. Today when I tried to use the replacement RovAir to fill my AvengeX rifle it “failed” in the same way! It took forever to fill my rifle to 1400 psi (6.5 minutes) and then it would fill no higher. That pressure should have been reached in about one minute or less. Boy, was I bummed!
I was all set to box the RovAir for a return and then I had a thought. My new Hill Evo-310 compressor is sitting there (a report will be coming) and had just filled a 98 cubic foot carbon fiber tank to 300 bar so it is working fine. Why don’t I use it to fill the AvengeX?
I tried and it would not fill the rifle, either! And when I stopped the compressor it said the pressure kept dropping. Therefore it’s the rifle and not the compressor that’s at fault. So I got a AirForce TalonSS and filled it with the RovAir in two minutes. Then I realized that the first RovAir compressor had “failed” in exactly the same way—while trying to fill the same AvengeX. Pyramyd AIR, BB Pelletier is sorry!
Maintaining the RovAir
The RovAir compressor is dirt-simple to maintain. There is an inline moisture and particle filter that they call a cigarette filter and all you have to do is remove it from its aluminum housing. Four replacement filters are sent with the compressor and of course you can purchase more. It’s not as thorough at eliminating moisture as a desiccant filter, but it does the job.
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Open the knurled aluminum housing on the RovAir air hose and the white filter can be removed.
Slip the filter in the container and the o-ring in place then screw the cap tight.
Two more maintenance steps
There are two additional things you can do to help keep your RovAir amd your PCPs sealed. First you can seal both ends of the RovAir fill hose (the thing pictured above) with plumber’s tape. I’m talking about the threaded part of both female air fittings. That stops and small air leaks.
And second, before you attach the RovAir’s female hose fitting to your airgun put some high-flashpoint silicone oil into the female fitting. It will be blown into your airgun and will seal in the same way that we put Crosman Pellgunoil on the tips of CO2 cartridges before they are pierced.
Before connecting the RovAir hose to your airgun drop several drops of high-flashpoint silicone oil into the fitting. It will be blown into the gun by the high-pressure air.
When silicone oil gets into the reservoir of an airgun it coats the metal surface and any moisture will tend to ball up (water droplets form into small balls under pressure) and be expelled by shooting.
Accuracy of the shutoff
The RovAir is equipped to shut off automatically when the target pressure is reached. Naturally this is adjustable by the user. The fill gauge on the first compressor I had differed from my AvengeX gauge somewhat. This one doesn’t seem to differ from the gauge on my TalonSS (remember, I had to use it because the AvengeX isn’t holding air) at all.
When set to shut off at 3000 psi the RovAir stopped exactly where the Talon SS said it was filled to 3,000.
That was just by chance and other PCPs will differ from the RovAir gauge somewhat. So when you connect it to a new PCP for the first time, make certain the gun is not overfilled.
Cooling
The RovAir is air cooled, so run it for some time after filling an airgun. I allow the cooling air to blow on my hand and if it feels warm I continue to run the fan. Since you are only filling an airgun this does not have to take long, but if that gun’s reservoir has one of those mega-capacity air volumes, allow the compressor to cool down.
Battery-powered
In reading Part One I see I had said I would test the compressor when it was powered by a car battery. That didn’t happen this time so I guess there will have to be a Part 3. Or I will find another way to update you.
Is the RovAir “worth ” it?
As far as I can tell, a small gun-only air compressor like the Air Venturi RovAir is worth what you pay for. Looking online I see that there are Chinese compressors going for under $200. I have no idea how good they are, but I do hear from people who own them saying they like the one they have.
The Chinese compressor that most closely copies the RovAir but may not have all the same features sells for $450. If anyone has one of those I’d like to hear what you think.
Lesson learned
We learned a valuable lesson today. Sometimes it is the airgun and not the compressor that is the leaking problem. That’s why I also checked this RovAir with a TalonSS. I know AirForce PCPs are extremely reliable, so if I had gotten the same results as with the AvengeX it would most likely have been the compressor’s fault. But today it wasn’t.
B.B.
It always confounds me when people show up at the range and want either their tank or airgun filled up, and then do do not have the right fitting. How many fittings are there for airgun compressors and airguns and tanks. Both male and female. Do the UK airguns still use an oddball?
-Yogi
Yogi,
How else will the company create a devoted following other than making “exclusive” parts?
Siraniko
Tom,
How often does one have to replace those “cigarette” filters? I mean 4 were included in the package so is that a year’s supply (assuming one will change it every 3 months with regular use).
Siraniko
PS Section Two more maintenance steps 1st paragraph first sentence. “There are two additional things you can do to help keep your RovAir amd (and) your PCPs sealed.”
And Last sentence. “That stops and (delete and?) small air leaks.