Got the new compressor

[Alan L.]

Spent the day picking the Campbell Hausfeld 60 gal compressor at Tractor Supply today. Turns out they didn't have a regulator nor any kind of wiring so I had to go around town picking up everything I needed. Got it unloaded (see pics) and set up, except that I need to figure out where I am going to mount the hose spool, as its in the shop and there are no walls I can screw into and the pearlings are pretty high and not enough vertical surface to mount the bracket.

I wanted to plug in to my 50 amp welder outlet so I went to Lowes, they had a universal plug but no 6/3 wire that I needed. Instead I got a 6' dryer plug with 6/4 wire, cut off the plug and wired to a plug that would plug into the welder outlet. In hindsight, I probably went with too large a wire as it was pretty hard to get it hooked up on the compressor side. But since the breaker is 50 amp I wanted to make sure the wire could handle it.

I had them drain the oil and we laid it on it side for transport, with pallet still attached. It was quite a strain standing it up by myself and I got it unloaded with my forks.

Seems to work great, maybe a little louder than I expected but not near as loud as my old oilless compressor, and won't run near as much anyway. The manual which is completely deficient as to hooking up the wires did at at least recommend Mobil 1 10-W30 oil - 8.5 ounces. Actually I bought a quarter of IR sythetic all temperature oil, which I figure would be about the same. However I was surprised that after the 30 minute break in and a few other cyles today the oil got dark (see pic) so dark it was hard to see the red spot indicator in the glass. Is this normal?

The other concern is that with air cutoff valve, regulator and whatnot there is about 10" or so of "stuff" sticking out the side for the air hose to hook to. Do I really need an air cutoff valve? Not sure what it accomplishess.

The first tank of compressed air had LOTS of water in it. I put a blower on and go most of it out. It was a humid day.

I got the best IR 1/2" impact wrench that Lowe's sells - $179 I think. Its listed at 600 fp. I opened it up and the lack of useful documentation is ridiculous. Virtually no information such as, how much oil to squirt in there before use, what kind of oil etc? I squirted a little 3 in one oil in there and spun it a couple of times - very quiet. There are 4 different powers, but the documentation does not mention the relative power of each setting.

All in all it seems to work great, but I will probably go ahead and put Mobil 1 oil in it at the first oil change. The manual doesn't say when to change the oil the first time, or at least I couldn't find it.

 

[rswyan]

Alan,

Looks Good :thumbsup:

Spent the day picking the Campbell Hausfeld 60 gal compressor at Tractor Supply today. Turns out they didn't have a regulator nor any kind of wiring so I had to go around town picking up everything I needed.

Kinda surprising on the regulator (not so much on the cord ... :confused2

SGot it unloaded (see pics) and set up, except that I need to figure out where I am going to mount the hose spool, as its in the shop and there are no walls I can screw into and the pearlings are pretty high and not enough vertical surface to mount the bracket.

How long is the hose on the reel ?

I'd try to mount it high - and in the center of the work area.

SI wanted to plug in to my 50 amp welder outlet so I went to Lowes, they had a universal plug but no 6/3 wire that I needed.

Yup ..... ran into the same thing myself ....

SInstead I got a 6' dryer plug with 6/4 wire, cut off the plug and wired to a plug that would plug into the welder outlet.

That's what I started to do as well .... bought the 6/4 cord and a 6/4 receptacle to wire up and connect it into (I already had a 30/50A 3 hole receptacle for the welder) ... and then got home and started thinking about it said "Screw it ...."

Returned the cord and receptacle to Lowes and picked another 30/50A plug .... and then went up to McMaster-Carr and picked up some proper SO cord (SOOW) :thumbsup:

SIn hindsight, I probably went with too large a wire as it was pretty hard to get it hooked up on the compressor side.

Yeah .... I think I used 8/3 SO ..... and it was a bear stuffing it up inside the control box ....

SBut since the breaker is 50 amp I wanted to make sure the wire could handle it.

Understandable .... breaker should be sized for the wiring ....

In normal ops, it probably won't ever draw much more than 20A ..... but breakers/fuses aren't for normal circumstances ....

Seems to work great, maybe a little louder than I expected but not near as loud as my old oilless compressor, and won't run near as much anyway.

Amazing how loud them oilless units are .....

The manual which is completely deficient as to hooking up the wires

Huh ?

did at at least recommend Mobil 1 10-W30 oil - 8.5 ounces.

Interesting .....

Actually I bought a quarter of IR sythetic all temperature oil, which I figure would be about the same.

Be careful using synthetic oil ....... in doing some research on .... I think it was filter/regulators (... but could have been painting ....) some synthetic oils will attack the plastics ....

SHowever I was surprised that after the 30 minute break in and a few other cyles today the oil got dark (see pic) so dark it was hard to see the red spot indicator in the glass. Is this normal?

I would think not .....

Mine has not done that ... I probably have between 1 to 2 hours of actual run time on it.

SThe other concern is that with air cutoff valve, regulator and whatnot there is about 10" or so of "stuff" sticking out the side for the air hose to hook to.

My outlet was on the top, in front .... so with everything plumbed in and hung on it didn't extend much past the compressor width ....

Eventually, when I move the unit to the polebarn, the filter and regulator will be removed and (wall-) mounted into permanent plumbing .... leaving the cut-off valve and a quick-coupler on the tank ..

Do I really need an air cutoff valve? Not sure what it accomplishess.

Your filter should be before the regulator ..... do you really wanna dump a whole tank of air just to service it ?

..... another one - what if a component (filter, regulator, etc) fails ? (leaks)

Make a habit of closing that air cutoff valve whenever you are finished using the compressor - it really sucks to go away for some period of time (like a weekend, week's vacation, or a Caribbean cruise .....) .... and come home to find that the hose you left connected has blown ..... and that your "new" compressor has been running non-stop ..... for several days ..... or longer ....

SThe first tank of compressed air had LOTS of water in it. I put a blower on and go most of it out. It was a humid day.

Normal for a humid day .... just be sure you use the tank drain on the bottom regularly .... like at the end of every day's use ....

If you are manually draining it, drain it daily - so it isn't sitting there with an inch of water in it .... - and leave the drain valve open until you use it the next time .... so the tank can dry out.

I got the best IR 1/2" impact wrench that Lowe's sells - $179 I think. Its listed at 600 fp. I opened it up and the lack of useful documentation is ridiculous. Virtually no information such as, how much oil to squirt in there before use,

A few drops ....

What kind of oil etc?

Air tool oil ... Marvel (and others) make it:

Marvel Air Tool Oil

Pretty sure Autozone has it ... in a pinch you can use Marvel Mystery Oil as well.

I squirted a little 3 in one oil in there and spun it a couple of times - very quiet. There are 4 different powers, but the documentation does not mention the relative power of each setting.

Yeah .... that would qualify as actual "useful information" ...

All in all it seems to work great, but I will probably go ahead and put Mobil 1 oil in it at the first oil change. The manual doesn't say when to change the oil the first time, or at least I couldn't find it.

I'd change it sooner rather than later - after a little bit of run in (1 hour ?) .... particularly given the way the oil is looking.

I need to do ours ..... now that it has a little time on it.

Pics of our new one attached below .... unfortunately my iPhone takes pretty crappy pics in low light :laughing:

Note the difference in the tank pressure gauge (@125 psi) and the regulator pressure gauge (@ 0 psi) - the regulator is actually set to 90 psi .... but all the plumbing (filter, regulator, quick-coupler) downstrean of the cutoff valve leaked down to 0 in about 6 or 8 hours .... (the quick-coupler is a harbor freight unit, and is particularly leaky) ..... that's why you might want an air cut off valve.

 

[Western]

Alan, Nice set up, just one day? purdy good considering.

All I need for mine is a couple of filters and possibly a desiccant filter, and a finished shop.

Having a good compressor to me, is like after you bought your first tractor, can't figure out how you went so long without one.

 

[Bird]

I was surprised that after the 30 minute break in and a few other cyles today the oil got dark (see pic) so dark it was hard to see the red spot indicator in the glass. Is this normal?

That surprises me, too. I change oil in my compressors about once a year or year and a half, but the oil I drain out usually looks just about as good as the new oil I'm putting in. And I, too, use the synthetic air-compressor oil from Northern Tool.

When I was repairing air tools, I used Marvel Air Tool Oil, but now I get Campbell-Hausfeld Air Tool Oil at Walmart. Two or three drops at a time is all you need. As far as the power settings on the impact wrench, all they do is reduce the air flow volume. Almost no one turns it down from the maximum setting. If you're loosening something, it really makes no difference and when tightening, if you need less power, you just don't hold the trigger as long. I don't know of an impact wrench manual from any company that tells you what torque the different settings provide. But I am surprised about your manual. I thought all the IR tools came with a parts list and exploded view of the parts.

 

[Turbys_1700]

That's a very nice compressor Alan. I purchased a 30 gallon industrial Campbell Hausfeld several years ago off of Craigslist and have really enjoyed it. I really wanted the unit that you purchased and was saving my pennies but came across my current unit and it was local. I got lucky. That 60 gallon tank will give you plenty of volume for most all of your applications.

I needed a compressor that would pull my impact wrench to loosen the nuts on my 6' RFM blades. I got tired of using a breaker bar and wrench. That impact wrench and compressor were two of the best investments I have ever made.

On a side note, I really like your bucket forks. Did you fabricate them?

 

[JCByrd24]

I would recommend draining the break in oil anyway, but especially if it turned dark. As has been said, it shouldn't do it again, it's not an engine.

 

[Alan L.]

Thanks for all the comments. I think I will drain that oil today and see if it gets dark again.

Historically I have left my compressors on so I don't have to wait for air when I need it. With the recommendation to drain the tank you have to lose the whole tank of air, so I figured this meant to leave the drain open and the power switch off until the next use (and have to wait for air next time). If I do that, then it seems like I wouldn't need the air shut off valve.

But what about draining the tank then then turning it back on and closing the air shut off valve?

When I "drained" the tank I expected to release the air using that air release valve with the ring on it, then draining the water. But the release valve leaves about 50 pounds of air in the tank, and so when I then opened the drain valve on the bottom it was just air (I'm sure there had to be some water in there - just couldn't see it).

 

[Alan L.]

That's a very nice compressor Alan. I purchased a 30 gallon industrial Campbell Hausfeld several years ago off of Craigslist and have really enjoyed it. I really wanted the unit that you purchased and was saving my pennies but came across my current unit and it was local. I got lucky. That 60 gallon tank will give you plenty of volume for most all of your applications.

I needed a compressor that would pull my impact wrench to loosen the nuts on my 6' RFM blades. I got tired of using a breaker bar and wrench. That impact wrench and compressor were two of the best investments I have ever made.

On a side note, I really like your bucket forks. Did you fabricate them?

Turby's I bought those forks several years ago from Blue Manufacturing (off the internet). I don't see them listed on their website anymore. I got them because they only weigh 45 pounds each thus not taking away so much of the FEL capacity on my B2710 tractor. They work great and are easy to put on and take off.

I use them alot, the result of which the bottom edge of my bucket kind of droops in the middle by maybe as much as an inch along the length of it.

 

[Bird]

Alan, I turn off my compressor for one simple reason. I keep it pressurized all the time and a hose with a blow gun hooked up, so I wouldn't want it to come on and run continuously if the hose should burst. I flip the switch on when I start to use it, but mine holds its pressure just fine from day to day. I put an elbow, short pipe, and ball valve in the bottom of my compressor, so I can open that valve to drain condensation, which I do every time I run the compressor, but I just quickly open and close that valve, drain very little air, just water.

And the air release valve with the ring on it is just the emergency pop-off valve to prevent excess pressure in the event the pressure switch failed to shut off the motor when it reached its maximum pressure. You don't use it to drain the air, although nothing wrong with testing it. I think I've checked mine either 2 or 3 times in the last 5 and a half years.:laughing:

 

[grsthegreat]

On mine, i wired a lighted switch by the man door and flip it on whenever the compressor is necessary. I have a shut off valve on th pipe coming out of the air compressor before the regulator. This allows me to depressurize the shops air lines when not in use.

I installed my own water bowl/ air regulator on the wall between the air dryer and the shop air lines so i can control the pressures as necessary.

I see you have a metal framed shop, you can simply build a wood or steel mounting bracket and screw it into the steel side frames with some self tapping screws. Then you can mount the air reel onto that. I piped my shop with 3/4" copper piping for air supply to all walls in the shop and have 2 hose reels. i can get air where needed. a great thing to have.

Congrats on the new compressor. oh, mines real noisy also. someday i plan on building an outside enclosure for the thing, and moving it totally out of the shop. Thats the problem with plugging them into a 50 amp recepticle...there designed for 30 amps, so theres not enuf room for the #6 cord.

 

[rswyan]

Historically I have left my compressors on so I don't have to wait for air when I need it. With the recommendation to drain the tank you have to lose the whole tank of air, so I figured this meant to leave the drain open and the power switch off until the next use (and have to wait for air next time).

My bad ..... was just some random thoughts/strategy on long-term care and feeding of air compressors ... but it all depends on how you use it.

I should have said: "If you use it irregularly, then drain after each day that it is used .... and leave the drain open ...."

As Bird mentions, there is no reason to dump an entire tank of air to drain condensation.

In my case, compressors might get left on on while I'm at home, off work ... if I'm doing work that potentially involves air .....

I drive over the road for a living .... so when I'm working I may be gone for a week .... or a couple of months .....

Same deal when I'm home .... I could be here a couple of days .... or a month or more .....

Makes no sense for me to leave them on when I'm not here .....

If I do that, then it seems like I wouldn't need the air shut off valve.

True enough.

But what about draining the tank then then turning it back on and closing the air shut off valve?

Easiest thing to do is buy an automatic drain valve - these are usually set up run off the compressor's unloader valve, which dumps every time the compressor cycles and shuts off ... just a quick, automatic "p-f-f-f-f-t" for a second or so, releasing any accumulated moisture in the tank ....

My 5 HP Single Stage Coleman Powermate has an el cheapo one ($10) on it that Harbor Freight used to sell .....

When I "drained" the tank I expected to release the air using that air release valve with the ring on it, then draining the water.

But the release valve leaves about 50 pounds of air in the tank, and so when I then opened the drain valve on the bottom it was just air (I'm sure there had to be some water in there - just couldn't see it).

Again, as Bird says, forget the relief valve, use the drain on the bottom of the tank .... the more air pressure in the tank when you do it, the better AFAIC ....

 

[Alan L.]

Ok, I used the compressor today, but first I drained the oil and made a terrific mess. I need to order an extension for the drain..... I put the IR synthetic oil back and at the end of the day it was still clean, but the compressor didn't run that long, I can't get over how long you can use it before it needs to cycle on!

Duh, I guess a short little opening of the bottom drain while under pressure should get rid of any water in there. I will do that from now on, leave it pressurized and the shut off valve turned off.

If I mount the hose reel 20' feet from the compressor can I connect it to the compressor with a regular 3/8" air hose or should I run copper line to it? Right now all I have is cutoff valve, regulator and npt fitting. I guess when I am sure I want the compressor in that location permanently I should run a pipe to a mounted piece of plywood and put the regulator and such there?

The building is metal of course. but only has c-pearlings every 5 feet of height or so. The one five feet off the floor in this location has conduit mounted on it. I will need to screw a piece of plywood to it but there is only a couple of inches to screw it to so it might not be too stable. The steel is fairly thin too, but I guess I could weld a plate to it. Would be more stable if I could connect two of the pearlings, which I can't do.

I tried out the new impact wrench and it worked great. Almost never figured out how to get a socket on it - then figured it took alot of pressure. I have not idea how I am going to get it off. I hate to be stupid, but it would nice if the thing came with some kind of manual and not 50 pages of CYA text in 20 foreign languages......

 

[whistlepig]

Alan, I turn off my compressor for one simple reason. I keep it pressurized all the time and a hose with a blow gun hooked up, so I wouldn't want it to come on and run continuously if the hose should burst. I flip the switch on when I start to use it, but mine holds its pressure just fine from day to day. I put an elbow, short pipe, and ball valve in the bottom of my compressor, so I can open that valve to drain condensation, which I do every time I run the compressor, but I just quickly open and close that valve, drain very little air, just water.

And the air release valve with the ring on it is just the emergency pop-off valve to prevent excess pressure in the event the pressure switch failed to shut off the motor when it reached its maximum pressure. You don't use it to drain the air, although nothing wrong with testing it. I think I've checked mine either 2 or 3 times in the last 5 and a half years.:laughing:

Not meaning to be critical but curious. Why would you keep the compressor pressurized all the time?

 

[rswyan]

Alan,

Ok, I used the compressor today, but first I drained the oil and made terrific mess. I need to order an extension for the drain .....

Yeah ... I see a similar mess looming my horizon ....

Given that these companies go to the trouble of specifying periodic maintenance, you'd think that they would expend the slight amount of resources to make it easily do-able, without making a huge mess.

I put the IR synthetic back and at the end of the day it was still clean, but the compressor didn't run that long, I can't get over how long you can use it before it needs to cycle on!

Nice, ain it ?

Earlier today I pulled the 46" mower deck off the ZTR, and the 6' MMM off the tractor, and blew all the crud off of them ..... and then blew the driveway off with the blowgun .....

Duh, I guess a short little opening of the bottom drain while under pressure should get rid of any water in there.

You got it ...

I will do that from now on, leave it pressurized and the shut off valve turned off.

:thumbsup:

If I mount the hose reel 20' feet can I connect it to the compressor with a regular 3/8" air hose or should I run copper line to it?

You can use regular 3/8 air hose and I suppose from a isolation/avoiding stress-from-vibration perspective, at least a short length of hose ought to be used to isolate the compressor from any sort of hard line .... although I think we plumbed directly to blackpipe at the shop back in the day ...

Copper has the advantage of cooling the air (which will further condense out moisture), has good working pressures, doesn't rust, and is fairly easy to work with (if you are familiar with sweating copper tube) .... downside is that it's pricey these days.

It is what I will likely use eventually to plumb air lines throughout the barn, to various work areas.

If you want to see/read a good short primer on how to plumb compressed properly, Sharpe has a good web page on it here:

Air Piping Layout

One's own setup doesn't have to be quite that elaborate, or have every piece of equipment they list (keep in mind it's meant for someone doing auto-refinishing) ..... unless maybe you're planning on painting professionally ... but it covers the basics of good air handling - use what seems appropriate (like a "drop" here or there, with a drain on it), skip the rest ....

Right now all I have is cutoff valve, regulator and npt fitting. I guess when I am sure I want the compressor in that location permanently I should run a pipe to a mounted piece of plywood and put the regular and such there?

Makes sense to me ..... :thumbsup:

The building is metal of course. but only has c-pearlings every 5 feet of height or so. The one five feet off the floor in this location has conduit mounted on it. I will need to screw a piece of plywood to it but there is only a couple of inches to screw it to so it might not be too stable. The steel is fairly thin too, but I guess I could well a plate to it.

Or use a backer board/plate behind it (if possible)

I'd definitely look for a secure, stable mounting point for your reel - I'd imagine that the the amount of retraction force the hose reel has is fairly significant (I know mine are)

I have two 25' HF air hose reels up in the little shed/shop - since the ceiling there is low (8'), I lag-bolted a couple of 2 x 6's to the ceiling joists and used that as the mounting point.

I tried out the new impact wrench and it worked great. Almost never figured out how to get a socket on it - then figured it took alot of pressure. I have not idea how I am going to get it off.

Sometimes they'll just pop off ... but being new, it might take awhile and some use before the impact is more willing to give it up ..... I often use a smaller straight blade screwdriver or a little prybar.

I hate to be stupid, but it would nice if the thing came with some kind of manual and not 50 pages of CYA text in 20 foreign languages......

LOL ..... I hear ya .... :laughing:

 

[rswyan]

Here's another one:

Designing a Proper Air Line System for your Shop

Same document attached as a PDF:

 

[Alan L.]

Thanks, thats good information. I can see having only a couple drops, like one right by the compressor and one on the other side of the shop. Typically I'm the only one that will use it, but would be nice to be able to air up a tire out front without pulling out 50 feet of hose.

 

[Bird]

Not meaning to be critical but curious. Why would you keep the compressor pressurized all the time?

I guess it's because I use a compressor more frequently than most and wouldn't want to wait on it to build up pressure in the tank every time.:laughing: Right now it's just 12' out the back door across the breezeway/patio into the shop and the compressor is just inside the shop, with 50' of hose hooked up and a little short air blow gun.

When I shave, I use an electric razor, then step out there and blow the whiskers out of the razor; never have to take it apart or use the little brush that came with it. When my wife gives me a haircut there on the patio, I clean the hair clippers the same way. Then I blow the hair off the patio instead of sweeping. Every time I mow and/or use the string trimmer, the hedge shears, chain saw, reciprocating saw, jig saw, sander, etc. I blow all the dust, leaves, grass clippings, sawdust, etc. off before putting it away. For things like the mower and string trimmer, I change to the 2' air blow gun. For blowing the grass clippings off the driveway and sidewalk and patio, I change to the 4' air blow gun. I have an 8' x 12' garden tool storage building, so I occasionally use the 4' gun to blow the dust & debris out of there. For cleaning the leaves out of the rain gutters, I have a telecoping tool made to hook a garden hose to it and be able to walk along on the ground and wash out the rain gutters. But I put fittings on it to use the air hose instead of water hose. Of course, I have quick couplers on everything; impact wrench, ratchet, die grinder, paint gun, engine cleaner (siphon spray), a couple of different kinds of tools for airing up tires, as well as the blow guns and gutter cleaner, and I'm not sure what all else. Oh, I also open the case on this desktop computer occasionally and bring the air hose in the house and blow the dust out of the computer.:laughing: That's the only one my wife objects to, but it's easier than unplugging everything to take the computer out there.:laughing: And of course, I keep one 50' hose hooked up all the time, but I have two more 50' hoses for when I need air farther from the compressor.

In other words, there's very few days go by that I don't use a little compressed air for something.

 

[Bird]

I got the best IR 1/2" impact wrench that Lowe's sells - $179 I think. Its listed at 600 fp. I opened it up and the lack of useful documentation is ridiculous. Virtually no information such as, how much oil to squirt in there before use, what kind of oil etc? I squirted a little 3 in one oil in there and spun it a couple of times - very quiet. There are 4 different powers, but the documentation does not mention the relative power of each setting.

Alan, I don't know what documentation you got, but I thought they all came with an owner's manual and parts list. Apparently you have model 2132G. Now I've had no personal experience with that particular model, but I see that the Parts List & Exploded View shows all the parts to be model 2131 parts except the labelling. And I've worked on several of those; very good impacts. If you don't already have it, you might want to print out this Maintenance Information for the 2131 which is identical to your 2132G. And if you'd like to see what they say about the power management system, it's on the second page of this form. Apparently they just use the different model number because of what store it'll be sold in.

 

[grsthegreat]

Not meaning to be critical but curious. Why would you keep the compressor pressurized all the time?

why not. it wont hurt it. as long as you keep the moisture out. it takes quite some time to fill a 60-80 gal air tank. why empty it.

 

[Alan L.]

Alan, I don't know what documentation you got, but I thought they all came with an owner's manual and parts list. Apparently you have model 2132G. Now I've had no personal experience with that particular model, but I see that the Parts List & Exploded View shows all the parts to be model 2131 parts except the labelling. And I've worked on several of those; very good impacts. If you don't already have it, you might want to print out this Maintenance Information for the 2131 which is identical to your 2132G. And if you'd like to see what they say about the power management system, it's on the second page of this form. Apparently they just use the different model number because of what store it'll be sold in.

Yep, that is the one I got. Thanks for the link - strange that the manual didn't come with the tool. I see that the settings are for tightening only, and I'd probably pretty much use the highest setting. It refers to an external grease fitting which I haven't located yet.