advice needed on new air compressor

[daugen]

I currently have a small Craftsman 1hp 125psi 3 gallon 15 amp 2.4scfm@90psi air compressor I bought a few years back to upgrade from the typical Air Station tire filling pump. It's oil lubricated and seems to work ok, but puts up a terrible racket when running. Almost too much to take inside a residential garage. But it appears pretty well made, like a Campbell Hausfield rebadge. But it clearly is not enough to run air tools, though I did get it to run a small air ratchet.

I'd like to "move up" to a larger unit, that could run a 1/2-3/4 impact gun, and be able to handle "light" farm work. I'm thinking of an impact gun in the 600 pound torque range, mostly for taking off blades and other odd jobs. But a main priority to me is finding a machine that runs quietly, or more quietly perhaps than average. I saw a nice IR impact gun rated at 600 torque and 82db. Most of the other guns seems to make more than 90db, and I'm sure my compressor is louder than that.

I don't need a large commercial unit., and at the moment don't have room for it. Is there a compact unit that will give me enough air, not make a lot of noise and hold up? I'd like to know what works for all of you, and what specs I should be looking for. I have a 350 pound torque electric Dewalt gun that works fine on my lawn mowers, but I'd like to start a complete air system. How much cfm should I look for? I was thinking in the 8-10 range, but would like your opinions. Likely to stay out of Harbor Freight on this one, the stuff I buy "for life" I'd like not to be Chinese... And I'm wondering if I really need to think about building a sound enclosure for the compressor instead of paying three times more for a quieter unit. Loud noises bother my ears and I don't want to have to wear ear protection while using air tools, if possible.

thanks Drew

 

[Zebrafive]

Air compressers are loud. An enclosure might work, but I would be concerned about cooling. The pulley on mine is also a fan.

 

[daugen]

Ingersoll Rand makes a line of Garage Mate compressors that tout their quietness:
FREE SHIPPING — Ingersoll Rand Garage Mate Air Compressor — 2 HP, 5.2 CFM, Model# P1.5IU-A9 | 2 - 9 CFM| Northern Tool + Equipment
this one seemed reasonably compact, but is 5 cfm enough? I've never going to use a 1 inch 2000 pound torque driver, or some other
air hog, but I'd rather err (air?) on the side of something a little larger than I need.
Hmmm, made in Taiwan. Sigh.

 

[ray66v]

Compressors, and air tools, are often loud. But the truth is, they don't have to be.

One advantage I had working in a shop was, I got to try things first. As one example, I found some air ratchets are half as loud as others. And the quieter ones worked just as well, sometimes better.

This is another case where you usually get what you pay for. The better quality, higher prices stuff is usually quieter, but not always.

We had a direct drive Atlas Copco 10hp air compressor, that you could not stand to have in the same building, even if it was behind closed doors, and it was not a cheap compressor.

With compressors, direct drive is usually high speed, and it's usually loud.

A belt driven unit is where I would start. I have a belt drive compressor in my barn that is so quiet, it wouldn't wake a sleeping baby. Everyone who sees it want's one, but sadly, they don't make this model anymore.

Try to find a specialty retailer that has units you can hear run. They are few and far between anymore, but you never know.

Having a compressor room is nice to help keep down the noise, but you have to have good ventilation to keep it from getting hot in there.

 

[Soundguy]

as with many things.. bigger is better.. and there's no replacement for displacement..

a 60g upright compressor will probably more than do ya.

look around. betweent he large box stores ( lowes, HD, etc and harbor freight.. you can find units from 450-600$ for the economy models.. )

 

[cointoss]

I can't help you on the large compressor but I would not get rid of the smaller one either. Typically, you need air volume for air tools and sand blasters but who wants to wait or pay the cost to fill a tank for the small jobs i.e. filling car tires, bikes, etc.

 

[Soundguy]

yup.. my pancake comp satys int he garage to fill car tires... the big comp stays in the shop to fix tractors..

 

[ray66v]

I can't help you on the large compressor but I would not get rid of the smaller one either. Typically, you need air volume for air tools and sand blasters but who wants to wait or pay the cost to fill a tank for the small jobs i.e. filling car tires, bikes, etc.

I can agree to a point. But, If you have a good compressor, and your hoses and piping is all in good condition, it will stay full, or mostly full, for a long time, even when your not using it.

 

[Bird]

I can agree to a point. But, If you have a good compressor, and your hoses and piping is all in good condition, it will stay full, or mostly full, for a long time, even when your not using it.

Yep, I keep my compressor full all the time. My current 30 gallon Industrial Air by PowerMate is 5.7 cfm at 90 psi, kicks on around 125 and off at a little over 150 psi. It's plenty for all my air tools, but would be a bit small for sandblasting, impacts larger than a half inch, and some sanders. Of course, I probably use compressed air more than most. This morning, after I shaved, I used it to blow the whiskers out of my electric razor. Then I later used it to blow the debris off the Stihl string trimmer after I did some trimming and edging, and then I used it to clean up the ZTR after I finished mowing.

 

[Artisan]

I think I would select the largest tool you plan on
using and then determine it's air usage, probably expressed
in CFM and then look at compressors, and the size of their
storage tanks so as to make sure you buy something that
will run your biggest tool. You can always add an additional
storage tank as well...a small compressor = long recovery time,
more power = less, I do believe....