Brownie F390X Gas-powered direct drive hookah compressor air compressors

1 report to CPSC, the latest made May 2, 2017. A report isn’t a recall.

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At a glance

From SaferProducts.gov, released Oct 25, 2026.

1report to CPSC
May 2, 2017the latest report was made
May 2, 2017the earliest
1with the company’s comments

Brand: Brownie F390X Gas-powered direct drive hookah compressor
Maker: Brownie’s Third LungMakers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
Product: Air compressorsOn their ownCPSC’s product type: Air Compressors (Separate) (code 823), in Home Maintenance and Structures: Tools & Hardware

By month

1 report from June 2016 to May 2017; the most in May 2017, 1.

The numbers, as a table

Reports to CPSC by the month each was made, newest first
Month	Reports
May 2017	1

How badly anyone was hurt

No one hurt 1 CPSC: Incident, No Injury

As each report says it, in short words; CPSC’s own words are under each.

The reports, as CPSC published them

Reports people made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC publishes each one after sending it to the company named, and doesn’t guarantee they’re accurate. A report isn’t a recall.

Each report is the words of the person who made it, as CPSC published them. The company’s comments, where CPSC published any, are set apart as the company’s own.

CPSC, SaferProducts.gov public database export. Released Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily.

No one hurt
Made May 2, 2017, sent to the company May 10, 2017, published by CPSC May 24, 2017

The product, in the report: Gas-powered direct drive hookah compressor assembly

While using my Brownie F390X Gas-powered direct drive hookah compressor unit on a recent dive trip, my son-in-law and I experienced a sudden loss of air pressure. Fortunately we were in shallow water and were able to return to the beach without incident. Had this failure occurred a few minutes later after we had reached our intended dive depth, the consequences would have been much more serious, if not fatal.
I purchased this unit new from the Brownie corporation in June of 2013 and by the time the above listed incident occurred in December 2016, the unit had less than 20 hours of total run time on it. I notified Brownie Corporation of the compressor failure and was informed the unit was no longer under warranty and I needed to buy a “rebuild kit” to fix the problem. I was told, the problem was probably due to a flapper valve which is considered a “consumable” and not covered under warranty.
purchased the rebuild kit but expressed my concern over the serious danger of this type of failure. I advised Brownie that I would be getting back in touch with them with photos and details once I had disassembled the compressor, determined the cause of the failur and installed the rebuild kit.
Upon complete disassembly of the compressor, I discovered the problem was indeed due to failure of one of the compressors four flapper valves. I took photos of the broken flapper valve and sent them to Brownie along with a brief report indicating the flapper valve failure was due to a poor design which allowed sea water to enter into critical parts of the compressor which could not be accessed for cleaning without removing the engine/compressor from the housing, and then completely disassembly of the compressor.
Brownie responded by saying the failure was due to lack of proper maintenance, even though the photos I provided reflected an area within the compressor that could only be accessed by total disassembly.

Model
F390X
Serial number
19854
Bought from
Brownie, Florida
Bought
Aug 15, 2013, about then
Where
Roatan, Honduras: Place of Recreation or Sports
Who was involved
Age 59, Male
The reporter’s relation to them
Self
As this report names them
Brand Brownie F390X Gas-powered direct drive hookah compressor, made or sold by Brownie’s Third Lung
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(6/1/2017) Brownie’s Third Lung: [REDACTED] contacted the Brownie’s sales department by email on January 8, 2017 describing an incident in which the compressor ceased providing air to 2 divers. The divers were able to regain the surface of the water. In his initial email message to Brownie’s reporting the incident, [REDACTED] asked “Please advise what Brownie will do to fix this problem on my machine…” In a subsequent email message [REDACTED] also reported that he had used the compressor twice in the 4 days prior to the incident and he noticed “we were having to draw harder on the regulators by the end of the second day.” In the product manual, in the Troubleshooting section for Insufficient Air, one possible cause is listed as “Compressor may require servicing. SOLUTION: Have the unit inspected and repaired by a qualified technician.” [REDACTED] was informed that the seals and valves in the compressor have a limited life and need to be replaced on a regular basis. Based on his description of the event, the situation was estimated to be the result of the failure of any of 4 thin SS flapper valves that control the flow of air into and out of the compressor. [REDACTED] purchased 2 compressor head rebuild kits, part BTL-DDRB1, which included all the seals and valves that should be replaced as a set in each compressor head. The kits include step-by-step instructions to perform the service and reassemble the compressor. [REDACTED] provided 2 photos to Brownie’s of the interior of the compressor after it was disassembled for service. The photos showed that one of the SS flapper valves had broken, as suspected. The photos also showed residue on the surfaces of the plate on which the valves are mounted, presumably from salt water that had entered the compressor. Salt, or any other foreign material, inside a compressor can cause a more rapid aging/degradation of the seals and valves. [REDACTED] has also contended that “the flapper valve failure was due to a poor design which allowed sea water to enter into critical parts of the compressor” which is inaccurate. The gasket and o-ring seals on the valve plate assembly keep water from entering from the sides of the compressor. The most plausible way for water to enter the compressor is through the intake socket. All Brownie’s compressors include a cover on a lanyard connected to the intake socket. The purpose of the cover is to keep foreign matter from entering the compressor while the system is not in use. Before starting the compressor, the cover should be removed and the intake staff installed into the intake socket. The intake staff has a machined outer dimension to create a water tight seal with the inner dimension of the intake socket. If the staff is properly installed, water will not enter through the intake socket connection. We have seen water enter the compressor resulting from the staff being removed after the dive, but the cover not being placed over the intake socket. As the compressor is handled on the beach or on the boat deck, splashed water can get into the uncovered intake socket and subsequently into the compressor. We have no way to determine how [REDACTED]’s compressor was handled before, during or after his dives, but we can definitely see that some foreign matter (presumably salt water) was allowed to enter his compressor as the residue is obvious on the photos he supplied. The compressor was produced in June 2013. [REDACTED] purchased the compressor in 2013 with the original 1 year warranty covering any defects in materials or workmanship. [REDACTED]’s incident occurred in January 2017 – approximately 3.5 years after the manufacture date. [REDACTED] has stated the compressor has approximately 20 hours of use, but we have no way to corroborate his estimate. The SS flapper valves historically last longer than the soft seals in the compressor which are typically providing over 150 hours of service as tracked with our repeat customers/users in south Florida. The failed SS flapper valves have not been returned to Brownie’s for analysis so there is no way to determine if there was a material defect or other anomaly with the parts involved in this particular incident. Brownie’s has not experienced premature failure of the SS flapper valves in the gas-powered floating compressors, battery-powered floating compressors, or portable electric compressors. The compressor design and internal parts are common to all Brownie’s “hookah” compressor models and have been in production with only minor design changes since approximately 1999.
While Brownie’s strives to manufacture the absolute highest quality diving compressor systems available, we suggest the users of Brownie’s products train for how to handle an out of air condition. Brownie’s acknowledges that surface supplied compressors may stop without warning for a variety of reasons: gas engines run out of fuel, floating system hit by boat or other object, compressor part failure, engine/motor part failure, loss of air in float resulting submersion, etc. All divers – scuba or hookah – are taught that an out of air situation can occur at any time. The diver must know the best action to take in order to safely regain the surface of the water. Common diver training teaches that, should a diver be at a depth that he/she would not be comfortable making an emergency ascent, that diver should carry a completely redundant air supply of adequate size/volume to allow the diver to regain the surface. Brownie’s offers just such a system in 2 sizes to suit almost any diver need. The Brownie’s Egressor mini scuba system, http://www.browniesdiving.com/egressor-mini-scuba-system.html, is a completely independent air supply carried on the diver’s belt and can be utilized almost instantly. Like scuba diving, Brownie’s encourages all participants of hookah to dive within their training and comfort level.

CPSC report 20170502-D45F0-2147403844. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov

CPSC’s disclaimer

Disclaimer: CPSC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database on SaferProducts.gov, particularly with respect to information submitted by people outside of CPSC.

Word for word, from the disclaimer in CPSC’s export.

Sources

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, SaferProducts.gov public database export.

Released Oct 25, 2026 and checked Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.

Reports of harm are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on SaferProducts.gov. CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record.

Brownie F390X Gas-powered direct drive hookah compressor air compressors

At a glance

By month

How badly anyone was hurt

The reports, as CPSC published them

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources

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