Air tools rant

[deereman75]

Okay, you got me. But my point being that it doesn't have anything to do with the issue. To the OP, if you look under the specs there should be a box somewhere that lists the air compressor requirements for continuous use. That should help for future purchases.

They only listed the avg CFM in the store, and didnt even say it was avg. The only way I could find out what the actual CFM was, was to look in the manual and see what it said, and it was 2x the listed CFM. From now on I think I will just buy Ingersoll Rand air tools, because they are much better quality, and list the true CFM. Also, home depot took the return no problem, they didnt even look in the box.

 

[MMagis]

They only listed the avg CFM in the store, and didnt even say it was avg. The only way I could find out what the actual CFM was, was to look in the manual and see what it said, and it was 2x the listed CFM. From now on I think I will just buy Ingersoll Rand air tools, because they are much better quality, and list the true CFM. Also, home depot took the return no problem, they didnt even look in the box.

Are you sure it wasn't on the back of the box? I just happen to have a CH brad nailer at home, and right on the back of the box, under the "specifications", is a box listing the air compressor requirements for continuous use.

 

[deereman75]

Are you sure it wasn't on the back of the box? I just happen to have a CH brad nailer at home, and right on the back of the box, under the "specifications", is a box listing the air compressor requirements for continuous use.

That just says the needed tank size, even though my compressor only has a 26 gallon tank, it produces the same cfm as most 60 gallon compressors. It is 220v 3 real hp, 10.2 cfm at 90 psi. It is a campbell hausfeld, 5000 hour rated life (will last me forever) from their extreme duty line. (love the KMS tools sales)

 

[Bird]

Are you sure it wasn't on the back of the box? I just happen to have a CH brad nailer at home, and right on the back of the box, under the "specifications", is a box listing the air compressor requirements for continuous use.

I'm sure it's probably different for different tools and different times, but you made me curious. The only CH air powered product I currently have is a cheap DH3800, nearly 6 year old, paint spray gun. So I just now carefully examined the original box it came in (yep, I clean it up and put it back in the box each time I use it) and on the box it does list air consumption as "2.0 avg" and that's the only air consumption information anywhere on that box. Now the manual does list "2.0 avg" and "4.0 continuous" so I have no doubt deereman75 is right.

However, I would probably have not been concerned with the sander he bought. I know some people think a sander runs "continuously", but for how long? I'll bet it's a rare person indeed who would run it long enough at a time to use more air volume than what they list as "average".

 

[MMagis]

Maybe it’s a new thing they do, or like you say, maybe it’s just certain products. I think it’s clear deerman75’s compressor isn’t big enough, no matter how good it is. Honestly, even our large industrial compressors here at work would have a tough time running any sander continuously. 10 cfm just isn’t enough unless it’s a very small sander.

 

[deereman75]

I agree my compressor wasnt big enough, I returned the sander. Since the box listed 10 cfm, I thought my compressor would be big enough, but Since it actually needs 20 cfm, it is way too small. I will just use my 7 inch angle grinder with a flap disc for heavy sanding. For my needs this compressor is perfect, but it is too small for sanding, that is something I will just use electric tools for.

 

[bindian]

Very good link, Brandi.:thumbsup:

Thanks Bird.:thumbsup:
hugs, Brandi

 

[not2old]

JB,
Sounds like you could use a bigger tank. It takes about 5 minutes for my air nozzle to lower tank pressure enough to kick the compressor on. I love my air tools. But I am bias as my specialty is aviation sheetmetal. You can't unplug an extenstion cord and hook up a nozzle and blow the metal shavings off of your face and arms.:laughing:
hugs, Brandi

That's a dangerous practice. You can actually blow stuff into your skin. I ignored it as a kid and had a piece of stainless steel imbedded in my hand for 20 years before it festered out.

 

[JB4310]

This is mine, 30 gallon tank and 5 hp

Does not keep up well with my air tools. bought this at NAPA I believe but it is a CH.

JB

 

[bindian]

That's a dangerous practice. You can actually blow stuff into your skin. I ignored it as a kid and had a piece of stainless steel imbedded in my hand for 20 years before it festered out.

I am a professional aircraft mechanic that has been using the same air nozzle for 30 years. I know how to squeeze and regulate the "trigger" to get low pressure flowing.
Nothing to see here folks, move along.
hugs, Brandi

 

[Bird]

This is mine, 30 gallon tank and 5 hp

Does not keep up well with my air tools. bought this at NAPA I believe but it is a CH.

JB

That's probably a good compressor, but calling it a 5 hp means that's using the old rating system that all the manufacturers had to get away from after a lawsuit. Perhaps that's peak horsepower, but my Industrial Air by Coleman Powermate also has a 30 gallon tank and I see in the link the new one is rated at 1.9 running hp while my manual shows 1.8. Of course mine will be 6 years old in less than 2 months.

 

[deereman75]

This is the one I have,Product - Cast Iron Compressor, 3 Running HP, 26 Gallon - from Campbell Hausfeld

 

[Bird]

This is the one I have,Product - Cast Iron Compressor, 3 Running HP, 26 Gallon - from Campbell Hausfeld

That should be plenty of compressor for most people, but of course some tools do require more, or you have to periodically wait on a smaller compressor to catch up.

 

[deereman75]

That should be plenty of compressor for most people, but of course some tools do require more, or you have to periodically wait on a smaller compressor to catch up.

I agree, for anything I do, 10 CFM is more then enough, but it is a bit small for things like sanding and way too small for most sand blasting.

 

[dex3361]

I drug a Quincy Model 325 home and fixed it up. Needed some gaskets and the air unloader valve cleaned up. Changed the oil and the intake filter and that is about all. The motor and pump is mounted on a 80 gallon horizontal receiver and the motor starter is on the wall. There was a 3 phase 5 HP motor on it and I changed it out to a 5 HP GE triclad capacitor start single phase motor. I set up the pulleys so that at 200PSI it would pull 23A so as not to stress the motor. It has been a good set up. I think set up this way it makes about 17 CFM @175# PSI. If I remember correctly that is.

 

[5030]

The slower the compressor turns, the longer it lasts. Quincy, Champion, Saylor-Beal are all slow turning (less than 800 rpm) compressors and with minimal care, will outlast a mortal and all the above are available in pressure lubricated/spin on oil filter models.

I had a friend who got a deal on a direct drive oil less from Sears and it literally shook itself apart. I looked at it after it destructed and it had a die cast aluminum connecting rod running an aluminum piston in a die cast aluminum bore with plastic piston rings.

What junk.

 

[JB4310]

This is the one I have,Product - Cast Iron Compressor, 3 Running HP, 26 Gallon - from Campbell Hausfeld

That odd, my CH compressor has a higher HP motor and little bigger tank but is only 5.8 AVG SCFM compared to your 10.2 ?? and mine is in that Extreme Duty line as well. IT is 10 years old though.

Maybe as Bird Mentioned mine is over rated, but that motor is pretty big, My 10,000 watt generator has trouble starting it if there is pressure in the tank ?

JB.

 

[mjncad]

That's a dangerous practice. You can actually blow stuff into your skin. I ignored it as a kid and had a piece of stainless steel imbedded in my hand for 20 years before it festered out.

That's why modern OSHA rated nozzles were invented as a way to minimize this from happening; but I'm still careful when blowing shavings and dirt off of me.

What's that got to do with anything? The specs are written in english.

www.engrish.com

 

[Bird]

I agree, for anything I do, 10 CFM is more then enough, but it is a bit small for things like sanding and way too small for most sand blasting.

My first experience with sandblasting was with a one quart can like a paint sprayer and I think my compressor at that time was a 12 gallon tank and supposedly one hp motor. It worked . . . incredibly slowly and I spent a lot more time waiting for the compressor to catch up than I did blasting.:laughing:

Then in the late '90s I bought a Craftsman rig that held 100 pounds of sand. And with a 30 gallon Craftsman (by DeVilbiss) 3.5 hp (claimed) oilless compressor, I not only had to spend more time waiting than blasting, but ran the compressor long enough to break the reed valves while it was still in warranty.:laughing:

 

[deereman75]

That odd, my CH compressor has a higher HP motor and little bigger tank but is only 5.8 AVG SCFM compared to your 10.2 ?? and mine is in that Extreme Duty line as well. IT is 10 years old though.

Maybe as Bird Mentioned mine is over rated, but that motor is pretty big, My 10,000 watt generator has trouble starting it if there is pressure in the tank ?

JB.

Is the motor 110v or 220v, mine is a 220v motor that draws I think 16.5 amps, If yours is a 110v motor, it is way over rated, the most you can get from a 110v 15 amp, circut is 1.5 hp.