Stationary Compressor Mounting Pads?

[RichT]

Brought my new Quincy compressor home yesterday. Getting ready to install on concrete floor and looking for advice. Plan to use redhead sleeve anchors to mount the compressor...research indicates sleeve anchors preferred over epoxy anchors for vibration loads. Having trouble locating suitable vibration pads. Anyone know where I can find these?

 

[Farwell]

I have seen rubber pads made from chunks of tires used as vibration pads on the supports for air compressors. They seemed to work fine. Not sure what's best to use to fasten the bolts to the concrete floor but I have always used the lead expansion gizmos.
Farwell

 

[VA_Joe]

Rich,

You might not need to bolt it down. I bought a 60 gallon compressor about five years ago. I left it on the pallet it came on and never bothered to bolt it down to the concrete. I have not had any problems with vibration. I use a short rubber hose to connect the compressor to the air dryer and other plumbing that pipes the air throughout my shop and garage.

One thing you should definetly do, whether or not you bolt it down, is to connect either a manual or automatic drain on the bottom. The petcock on the bottom of these things is next to useless. If you don't want to go automatic (cost appox. $40 - it drains the water each time the compressor cycles), Cambell-Hausfeld has a manual kit for about $10 that includes a small ball valve (quarter inch) that is much easier on the fingers than the petcock.

Automatic drain valves are made for working garages and/or people that do not want to empty the air out of their compressor on a daily basis to drain out the water. For large compressors (and my 60 gal. takes a while to empty) - it makes a lot of sense to go this approach.

Good luck and have fun with the new tool/toy.

Joe

 

[5030]

I mount all the machinery in my shop on vibration absorbing rubber pads. Try www.useenco.com. They sell many types of machinery mounting pads.

 

[Bird]

Joe, at the dealer's suggestion, I left my 60 gallon Puma on the pallet, as you did, and it never moved at all.

 

[George2615]

I'll third the vote and agree with Joe and Bird. My 60 gal vertical compressor is still mounted to the small shipping pallet it came on. It's been in the corner of my garage now since 93 and hasn't moved an inch.

 

[George2615]

WOW !! I just saw the compressor pics. Looks like its on a full size pallet. Mine came on a pallet about 30"x30". Hope you have room. If it was me I'd use the pallet wood to make a smaller frame pattern to bolt to the compressor bottom.
George

 

[RichT]

Yea, its definitely an industrial sized pallet - 1.5" pine about 4'x4'. To use this pallet I'd probably need to downsize the length/width.

 

[Bird]

There can be another reason for leaving it on a pallet, too. I never modified the condensation drain on mine, but having it on the pallet left it high enough for me to set a small pan under it and made it easy to reach that petcock to drain it.

 

[kennyd]

I replied on the Hobart forum....Got mine at Graingers.

 

[Louisiana_John]

I use 2x4's between the feet and the floor. I also use the redhead anchors.
John

 

[RichT]

John, just to clarify the redheads anchored the compressor feet through the 2x4s to the concrete? How deep in the concrete did you go?

 

[VA_Joe]

I just realized that my compressor currently sitting on top of a furniture dolly. I've been doing some work in the garage and put it up on the dolly several months ago to make it easier to move. Even with the dolly I get no movement due to vibration.

Joe

 

[Louisiana_John]

Around 2" to 3" I will tighten the studs to set then I back off a little. I have a friend he bolts the compressor to a 2x4 with carriage bolts. (Head down recessed in the board) They will look like studs sticking out. Cut the 2x4's long then anchor the ends of the 2x4's down.
John

 

[marks]

Joe,

What type of rubber hose and fittings did you use between the tank and the regulator/dryer?

 

[strokerduster]

i took mine off the shipping pallet and sat on a big truck mudflap (7.00 at napa) and had a short hydraulic hose made (also napa) to use as a vibration damper to my lines. no vibration/walking or problems. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[VA_Joe]

I used a 3/8" rubber air hose with the quick attach fittings (the non-SAE variety) on both ends to connect the compressor to the wall. The hose length is 10 or 15 feet, enough to move the compressor around. I forgot where I got such a short length of hose - it might have been either Harbor Freight or Sears.

On the wall, I have a regulator hooked up to an air dryer and an oiler. I have ball valves set up so that I can draw either dry air (for painting, tire filling, and non-oil nail guns) or oiled air (for mechanics tools). I am using 3/8 inch galvanized piping to connect all the pieces together.

Until recently, the dry air was piped from my garage to the shop located on the far end of the garage. For this I used 3/4 inch galvanized pipe to connect the pieces together (pipe is tilted back towards the compressor). I recently replaced the ceiling in my garage (built an addition above it) and am debating whether to put the gavanized back in. Because it is a pain to work all the fittings I am seriously considering the Garage Pak system as a replacement. It looks so easy to install - has anyone here used it in their garage??? If so - please let me know how it worked.

BTW - if you have a valve to draw air between the air dryer and oiler (as I have) then make sure you put a check valve between the two (between the ball valve and the oiler). Otherwise you will end up backdrawing oil from the oiler (via venturi vacuum effect). Don't worry about pressure drop - the spring-type check valves only lose about 1 or 2 psi of pressure (not enough to worry about)

Also - if you have a choice beetween 120v or 240v operation (some let you move a jumper in the motor box), always wire it up for the higher voltage. Because the current draw is less, the voltage drop across the house wiring and power cord will also be less. I have a small 120v unit for my nailer that won't pump air if I use anything smaller than a 12 gauge extension cord (the motor/compressor makes some pretty scary noises too).

Hope this helps.

Joe

 

[JustGary]

I used schedule 40 PVC pipe for my air system, secured under benchwork with steel straps and attached to the compressor with a short rubber hose segment. Good to 250 PSI, and about as cheap and easy to deal with as possible. Use several turns of teflon tape at threaded fittings for no leaks.

Each QD outlet along the bench (about 10' apart) has a vertical section of pipe: at bottom is petcock, up a few feet is pipe to next outlet, then above that is QD outlet, then at top is inlet from previous outlet (or the compressor for the first outlet). The idea is that water runs downhill and gets trapped in vertical standpipe to be released later through petcock.

Compressor is horizontal tank, so it just sits under the bench.

- Just Gary

 

[Bird]

Gary, that sounds just about the same as what I did with the PVC and never had a problem; however, all the "experts" warn against using PVC because of the possibility of it shattering and blowing pieces at you if it should ever break.

 

[JustGary]

Bird -

Well perhaps it could happen, but it hasn't in the last 17 years. Besides, they'd be lightweight pieces. I figure that it's good to 250 PSI and out of the weather, I'm probably OK. PVC tends to just split anyway instead of shatter, but that's just my opinion.

Speaking of out of the weather, did I ever tell you about the time a PVC water pipe froze in my shop?

We don't get a whole lot of winter here in NW Florida, but it did get in the teens for a few days straight some time ago. I went out to the shop for something and when I opened the door I was greeted with a beautiful winter wonderland inside! I figure it had been that way for a few days.

I don't have interior finish on my walls, and the only water pipe (to the spigot just outside the door) split and sprayed a mist at least 20 feet. When it all melted I had to drill a hole in the back wall (through the sill) to let it drain. I drove a piece of copper pipe in the hole to make it stay open. I had a fan running for weeks to help it dry out.

I may have a photo somewhere, but it's not digital. It was impressive, considering it was "out of the weather".

- Just Gary