Air Compressor Recommendations?

[Iplayfarmer]

New development:

I just picked up a 10 gallon pressure tank at an old farm sale. What's left of the labels leads me to believe that it was for refrigerant; R-12, R-14, etc.

I'll have to plumb some fittings to it, and then I'll have plenty of storage.

Now I just have to figure out how to plumb two air compressors and this extra tank so that I can use the one regulator that comes with the new compressor and not void the 2 year warranty that comes with the compressor.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Now that I've been convinced through the collective wisdom of TBN that I need more air storage and I have followed the advice to seek out old junk tanks for that storage, I need some more collective wisdom as to how to use the junk tank for additional storage.

See the picture below. These are the fittings that I've got to work with. I'm hoping that someone will post back that there's some fancy trick that if I soak the fittings in cabbage juice during a full moon or something like that I can beat them off with a pipe wrench and end up with nice, clean, NPT threaded something that I can reduce down to the perfect size for attaching air lines.

Since that's very likely not the case, I figure the worst case scenario is to cut them off just behind the square part and thread the remaining pipe.

Is anyone familiar with this type of fitting? Is it likely I could take it apart?

 

[schmism]

Now I just have to figure out how to plumb two air compressors and this extra tank so that I can use the one regulator that comes with the new compressor and not void the 2 year warranty that comes with the compressor.

i did a simular thing. this is how i riged mine

i have an addtional 15 gallon tank i use on my little pancake.

I made a pigtail with 2 male fittings (about 16" long)

i made a T fitting with attached pigtail (i use as a regular 3 way) pigtail has a male and the other 2 ouputs of the T have females.

the extra tank has a female.

i also made a portable regulator with a male (in) female out (i can plug it inline anywere)

so

pancake output - pigtale on T fitting.

15 gallon extra tank - 2male pigtale to T fitting

out of the other side i plug the regulator in and a hose into the regulator.

any any time i can pop the extra tank loose as a protable air tank to use with a regular hose.

or pop the pancake loose to take to a job site and use with a regular hose.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

i did a simular thing. this is how i riged mine

i have an addtional 15 gallon tank i use on my little pancake.

I made a pigtail with 2 male fittings (about 16" long)

i made a T fitting with attached pigtail (i use as a regular 3 way) pigtail has a male and the other 2 ouputs of the T have females.

the extra tank has a female.

i also made a portable regulator with a male (in) female out (i can plug it inline anywere)

so

pancake output - pigtale on T fitting.

15 gallon extra tank - 2male pigtale to T fitting

out of the other side i plug the regulator in and a hose into the regulator.

any any time i can pop the extra tank loose as a protable air tank to use with a regular hose.

or pop the pancake loose to take to a job site and use with a regular hose.

Do you have a regulator on your pancake?

If so, do I understand correctly that the auxilliary air tank is down stream from the regulator?

I suppose that would work. Most of these regulators actually regulate the flow more than pressure, don't they? I.e. the auxilliary tank and the compressor tank will equilibrate to the same pressure eventually regardless of what the compressor regulator is set at. (As long as I'm not drawing air out of one or the other.)

 

[schmism]

Do you have a regulator on your pancake?

If so, do I understand correctly that the auxilliary air tank is down stream from the regulator?

I suppose that would work. Most of these regulators actually regulate the flow more than pressure, don't they? I.e. the auxilliary tank and the compressor tank will equilibrate to the same pressure eventually regardless of what the compressor regulator is set at. (As long as I'm not drawing air out of one or the other.)

yes i have a regulator on the pancake but i run it wide open, as to have no effect on the output pressure/flow rate.

Ive run the above setup for over 2 years now and it has been great. The only down side is my little HF (oil bath) pancake has run nearly contionusly for 10+ mins at times. (i have yet to see any issues) Ive had my pancake for near on 4 years with regular shop tool use. (no spay guns or air sanders)

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Nothing is simple with me it seems. I had another development in this saga that I thought some of you may appreciate.

I took my old worn out compressor and moved it back to it's "home" in the garage. The plan was to tinker with it a bit to bring the pressure setting down so that I could still use it albeit with a lower maximum pressure.

I turned it on and watched the pressure guage climb so that I could see about where it peaked out. (Previously it would just keep running without building pressure enough to shut itself off.) Low and behold it pressured right up and shut itself off. I hooked up a blowgun and ran the pressure down a few times to warm it up good and re-create the problem. (my workbench and cupboards are all completely dust free now)

It cycled perfectly at least a half dozen times without fail. I pressured up some tires and blew off a few more surfaces and put the thing away for the night. I guess it works now.

The new one is already on it's way to me by now I'm sure. I guess I'll have two working air compressors. No problem there other than the money spent. It will be nice if I can get them effectively hooked up in tandem.

 

[Bill_C]

You can hook up two compressors together, no problem, just tee them both into a common line. When you're using a low-demand item, you could actually only turn one compressor on, if it keeps up with the volume needed...then for higher demands, turn the other one on. (No need to close valves, just flip the electrical switch on or of for the second compressor)

Many factories will do exactly this, they will have several compressors teed into their plant's air supply header.

Worst case, if the air pressure leaks out through the non-working compressor, you simply put a check valve in the line at that compressor. A check valve allows air to freely flow in one direction, but completely blocks the air in the other direction of flow--so it will let air exit the compressor, but not flow back into it.

 

[bones1]

You could connect a pressure switch downstream and set it to turn on the backup compressor at a certain pressure.

 

[Bill_C]

Or, if the existing pressure switch on the backup compressor is adjustable, just adjust it so the backup compressor kicks on 10 or 15 psi lower than the primary compressor...

 

[travis potter]

At times I need lots of air so I'm building a Volkswagon air compressor it runs on 2 cyl and pumps on 2 cyl. A company advertises in VW Mag and sells the kit to convert a air cooled vw. About 45 cfm at 90 psi. I found mine at at an air compressor repair shop for $ 100.00 It was made in Germany.should be 100% duty cyl. A co. in the states used to build heavy duty compressors from 289 Fords and 427Fords run on 4 pump on 4. Just something to think about.