Compressors

[Anonymous Poster]

Will be building a shop next spring and want to get the right compressor. I wiil be useing it mainly to air tires on the tractor and cars, blow out air filters, pre-filters and power pneumatic tools. I have never owned one. What should I look for. Any makes better than others?

Thank-you. You guys are making life on the new farm survivable.

Tracy

 

[MikePA]

Tracy, have you tried doing a search of TBN for the words 'air compressor"? I found a number of older discussions on the topic. Here's <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=buildit&Number=172612&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post172612>one</A> of them. There's no problem starting a new discussion, but I thought you might be interested in reading the olders ones, too.

 

[Thomas]

There some really good compressor on the market now a days,just couple thing you may want to consider.

Voltage & Portable..I do indeed like my Coleman compressor..runs my air tools..handy for welding..cleaning..blowing up tires etc..for air drying...but make sure your holding tank has a valve to blow out the moisture or the tank will rust out in years to come.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I like a belt drive. Just something about the bbbbuuuuurrrrrrppppppppppp of those oiless ones that send irritators up and down my spine.

Air compressors are like pecan pie at a family reunion. You never have enough no matter how much you over order.

You start out only gonna need one for this and that and then the next thing you know you find out you wanna do that there and the compressor is a size or three too small.

Box stores, HD, Lowes, Wallyworld, etc. are carrying five horse two stage IR's for under a grand with sixty to eighty gallon tanks. If you can afford it that is the way to go.

Something is going to break and you're gonna want to use your air tools to fix it. Then when you get it fixed you're gonna want to paint it while you have it down. But before you paint it would sure be easier to sand blast off that gunk and rust. After that you think it would be better to use a spray gun and factory paint.........it just goes on and on and never finds a place to stop.

Do develop the habit of draining the water from the tank regularly. Find a routine that you do every week or so and add the draining of the tank to it.

BTW keep in mind that someday you're gonna want to start a little welding. Then you're gonna wanna plasma torch. A baby compressor ain't gonna cut it.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I have been working in a friend's shop lately and he has a newer PUMA compressor with a vertical tank. This unit came from his local farm supply store. I like the space-saving vertical tank, AND.........the condensate water drains out better. This compressor is belt drive, 3 HP, 220V, pulls 17 AMPs, and is a Vee-2 configuration. Both cylinders pump in TANDEM, not in series. We have NOT been able to run out of air with this machine, no matter what I was doing, be it blasting out the radiator and the screens on the combine, or running an impact wrench steady while I changed the sickle guards on a 20-foot bean header. By having a belt drive, the motor is generic......any motor of that frame size will bolt up and work, so it's something to keep in mind. I LOVE that vertical tank, it is truly the best idea since sliced bread. The semi-elliptical tank end is a natural sump and it gets every cc of water out when you blow the drain. The tandem cylinder arrangement gets you more air at the lower pressures where you need volume. I've had both kinds of compressors.......several of both kinds.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Tracy,.....do you know the difference between a two-stage, two-cylinder compressor and a one-stage two cylinder compressor? I's kind of essential to your making a good choice here.

 

[dummy]

I added an automatic drain to my tank. It's an electric solenoid that automatically bleeds off the tank. I always forgot to, now it's one less thing to remember. <A target="_blank" HREF=http://compressorworld.com/>compressor world</A>

Using this link, if you look at air compressors...more.. click on more, then there's a guide to help you figure out which one may be better for what you want.

 

[RanchMan]

<font color=blue>and power pneumatic tools.</font color=blue>

Get one that has a BIG air tank! It's amazing how quickly air tools suck up that compressed air!! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif If you don't, you'll have a compressor that you push beyond its designed duty cycle (bad), which will either lead you to (1) burn it up from abuse, or (2) slow your work way down while you wait on things to "cool off." /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif

If it is for your shop, get a big one and forget about portability - run some air hose "outlets" for hoses to the outside or get a cheap small second compressor for jobs away from the shop. Years ago I was under the delusion that a 5 HP/20 gal compressor could handle my needs - needless to say that I'm a bit wiser now.

 

[dourobob]

wroughtn harv - you are a dirty rascal - just when I though I had something figured out you go and tell me there's no pecan pie left. I just started using some air tools for the first time at my friend's shop and I can see how insidious this can get. Now, fortunately my friend is close by and I can get most things over to his shop if I really need to so, I am gonna go with a smaller piece of pie to start with (maybe the portable piece that he doesn't have) - I know I'll feel better once I get up from the table but I am really afraid of the nagging "I shouldda had another piece" feeling you are forecasting.

Always a delight to read your posts.

Bob

 

[DocHeb]

Consider putting the compressor in a remote location, and putting in pipe to the workstations. This keeps the noise of the compressor distant from where you're working. I used the heavier sweated copper (can't remember if Type L or Type M is the heavier) and it has worked out well. It is easier to put in than cutting and threading pipe. Some will say to use PVC (and it's pros and cons have been debated here before), I think is unsafe as it has a higher chance of failure from fatigue and trauma.

As mentionied above, I put a "normally open" solenoid (energized with a 120v coil) at the bottom of the tank so that the tank drains whenever the AC is cut to the plug, and closes the solenoid whenever the plug is energized. I also wired in two remote three way switches to control a motor control relay (sized for my compressor). The coil on the motor control relay is run by a 120v AC. This allows me to turn the compressor on from the two remote 3-way switch locations, and when I turn it off it drains the tank through the solenoid.

Don't expect an oilless unit to provide more than intermittant, limited duty use.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I beleive that would be kind of like a water pump-- twice the pressure at half the volume or twice the volume at half the pressure.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

You have it figured out!

 

[em14]

I went the "I only need the compressor for ...." route and I soon found the same as others, it was to small .... I then broke down and bought an 80 gal with a two stage compressor 175 psi, 26 cfm, 220v, ... I use this for almost any thing I need ... glass bead cabinet, sand blasting outside, airing up: soccer balls, bikes, cars, tractors, and operating many air tools ... the uses go on and on .... but once in a while it would be nice to have a larger compressor and motor, but not often, ..... Good Quality will last a life time ... get the very best that you can afford ... Use black pipe (the best and safest way to install ... PVC is a risk I would not take nor most copper) for your heavier duty Air Compressors. ... Go to "www.TipTools.com" ... call them ... they are good people to deal with from my experinces with them ... more than happy to answer your qustions ...

Where can you find an used air compressor ... Old service stations ... buildings with elevators being torn down ... classified ad in news papers ... industral sites being modified or torn down ... ask everyone ... if you get an industial one be sure your power can handle it ... I would stay with a 220 v single phase motor ...

 

[RobertN]

I rusted one out, partly because the little teeny valve was impossible to get at.

On this upright compressor I got a couple years ago, the first thing I did was fix that. I took the teeny little valve out of the bottom of the tank. I used a 3/8 pipe into the tank. I put a 90 on that. Then I used another short piece of 3/8 pipe to come out towards the side of the compressor. On the end of that, I put a regular hand squeeze blower end. It sits just where it is protected, but I can still get my toe on the blower lever.

Now, every time I use the compressor, I quickly and simply drain the water from the tank.

My Dentist has this setup on the compressor at his office. I saw it and thought it was cool. Thier compressor runs a lot when they dril and grind on folks teeth, so it has to be drained daily.

 

[OkieG]

To all of you lucky enough to have a stationary compressor:

Do you release all the air pressure at the end of the day, or just leak enough air to blow out the water collected at the bottom of the tank?

OkieG

 

[Thomas]

Automatic blow valve in which you can set the time can save a new tank in the long run.

 

[em14]

I have a valve between the tank and the main air line that feeds the shop ... I turn that off so that the compressor does not come on due to small leaks in the line ... this just waste electrical ... and I blow the tank at least once a day after use and sometimes twice ... just depends on the water in the air ... if I do not use the compressor, I see no need in blowing the tank more than once a week or sometimes once a month ...

 

[OkieG]

Thomas and em14,

Thanks for the rapid response. Sounds like there is no problem leaving the tank pressurized. I always unplug and depressurize my 20 gal. oil-less portable after each use, but it kind of makes sense leaving the bigger tanks pressurized and just blow out the water, as necessary.

OkieG

 

[bgott]

Most trucks with air brakes have a fitting in the tanks that has a cable attached. When you walk around the truck and check the tires you give the cable a pull and it blows the water out. You can get these from a parts house that carries truck parts. I don't know what the parts book name is, I always called them a spit valve. I imagine the technical term would be an air tank drain valve.

 

[Wingnut]

I have an automatic valve on mine that works whenever the tank is depressurized. It was pretty cheap, as I recall. Installed it and forgot it ... guess I'll have to check and see fi it's still functioning.