Air compressor locations

[Polarexpress]

Hi, been a Garage Journal "lurker" long enough....1st question
Where is the best place to put an air compressor, mine is looking for a forever mounting place, not noisy but large vertical Ingersoll Rand. It takes up valuable floor space, wondering if any members installed outside of shop, on up high on wall ?
Ideas and suggestions welcome !

 

[jallyn]

If you can put it high up on a wall inside that would probably be best.

Outside the shop one would have to build a shed to keep rain and snow off it, heat it in the winter to keep from freezing, and provide ventilation so the compressor doesn't overheat.

Hope that helps.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Im going to place mine outside the shop but under a large overhang that I park a vehicle under as well. There is plenty of space. Im not going to worry about anything freezing since I live where I live.

Which begs the question, where does the OP reside?

 

[engineer2]

Put mine in the basement back room and piped it up to the garage. Nice and quiet in the garage. Only PITA is having to run down there to turn it on and off. Maybe someday I'll put a disconnect in the garage.

 

[sberry]

Put mine in the basement back room and piped it up to the garage. Nice and quiet in the garage. Only PITA is having to run down there to turn it on and off. Maybe someday I'll put a disconnect in the garage.

I have mine in the shop, they are shielded somewhat. I can hear it and found a couple problems over the years due to it. For a home basement setup I wouldn't ignore it but may consider what you have done, hard pipe it to the garage and put a ball valve in. If it doesn't leak it doesn't run. Mine has been off twice in 25 yrs in 1 location now. Only reason to disconnect the power is to work on it.

 

[American Locomotive]

Yup, if you have no leaks there's no reason to turn it off. We disconnected and shut off a hardwired compressor ~3 months ago to do garage renovations. Tank still has 150 PSI in it.

 

[454ragtop]

Mines in its own little shed attached to the side of the shop, can just barely hear it. As far as shutting it off, I usually leave mine on, but do have a switch to break the wires going from the pressure switch to the mag starter, super low voltage.

 

[engineer2]

hard pipe it to the garage and put a ball valve in

I did that and it rarely turns on except at 2 am! I also have a refrigerated air dryer and a timed drain valve in my basement, so leaving the everything on 24/7 isn't a good option.

Running a two pole disconnect up to the garage is not too difficult.
An ideal solution would be a Bluetooth controlled contactor.

 

[Carroll B]

I have an unfinished basement that is used for storage. When I bought a 60 gallon vertical I mounted it in the basement rather than giving up more space in my small 2-car garage. I put an AC switch for the compressor in the garage to turn it on when I want air, and plumbed it under the crawl space to the garage. Just have to remember to go into the basement to drain the water after I use it, which is only several times a month. It's wonderful to have a quiet garage as I can barely hear the compressor run.

 

[Polarexpress]

Thanks for the responses, I am located in southern Ontario , like the idea of a small shed outside garage.

 

[engineer2]

southern Ontario , like the idea of a small shed outside

I don't think it's good to run an air compressor outside if it will get below freezing. Maybe some other members do it, but there are several precautions you must take.

 

[454ragtop]

I don't think it's good to run an air compressor outside if it will get below freezing. Maybe some other members do it, but there are several precautions you must take.

Such as? Mines been outside for about 30 years with no ill effects.

 

[bdelmar2]

At work we just keep it in the corner over by the fuse panel and its piped around the rest of the building.

Its an old 4 cylinder horizontal tank and it isn't very loud, more bass than most compressors. Actually nice sounding, that and hit the radio button and you have instant shop atmosphere.


The last place I lived I had my compressor out in the attached garage, its a 7hp vertical 80 gallon and the noise it makes can't justifiably be called 'atmosphere' more like extended bombing run.
You definitely noticed if it kicked on in the middle of the night. Good for scaring the wife and dog if you left the door open.

I plan on living in this new place forever, so I'm going to take the time to build a little shed for it, something with good venting that blends in with the other buildings.

I haven't decided if it will be a separate structure, or built off of an existing wall.

Off existing would be cheaper to build, wire, and plumb. Probably I'd be more likely to notice an issue, and less pressure drop besides.

Separate would cost more all around and less pressure, but would be less noise.

A neighbor has a small shed with his well pump and compressor both inside. Its about 30' from his shop and maybe 60' from his house - about the end of his garage driveway and next to one of his entrance drives.

Everything is run underground and its pretty nice, plus he has extra power outlets which I'm sure come in quite handy given its location.

My well pump is on the other side of my house away from everything so I'll probably go with a lean to type compressor house off the shop as a separate building has no extra benefits in my situation.

I'll eventually insulate the walls so noise shouldn't be that bad.

 

[Cope]

When I had a 30 gallon Craftsman, it lived under my workbench in the rear of the garage. When I bought a 60 gallon, I moved it to the front of the garage next to the door.

 

[67King]

Used to keep mine inside the garage, but moved some things around, and finally ran it outside. It is now under my porch in an area that was kind of a patio, but really where I park the mower and other yard tools. Can't believe it took me like 9 years to do it.

As I had run 220 to my garage and had a sub-panel in there, I kept the compressor on it. So I just turn on the breaker when I need to use the air compressor, which isn't that often. Very rarely would cycle before, but I have a water trap, a few other connectors between it and the ball valve in the garage, so it would eventually leak down (now I need a new petcock valve in the bottom, but that's not really relevant).

 

[engineer2]

Such as?

You may have to adjust the compressor oil type to the temperature. You have to drain the tank regularly. If condensation freezes in the tank, how would you drain it?

 

[bdelmar2]

You may have to adjust the compressor oil type to the temperature. You have to drain the tank regularly. If condensation freezes in the tank, how would you drain it?

You might change oil viscosity if you are really concerned about it, but its not a pressurized system, the crank is sitting in the oil already pretty much and will warm up quickly.


You don't have to drain your tank regularly.

I agree you Should drain regularly, and I do, but you would be surprised how many people/shops don't - as in never, much less regularly.

I haven't actually run a compressor that was mounted outside in the snow, so I don't know this for a fact, but I do know winter air is a lot drier than summer air, so internal condensation might not be as much of an issue.

I did grow up in MN, but the compressors I used were either mounted inside, or portable and didn't need drained that often.

Not like here in FL where your tools will start blowing water if you don't drain your tank regularly, pretty much daily in the summer.

Plus tanks get warm, so if you stayed on it, and drained it at the end of the day it might never form ice.

Would be interesting to hear comments from someone who actually has a compressor mounted outside in a snowy region.

 

[Ign]

Mines been in a shed outside the shop for 14 years. I've taken zero "precautions" and IIRC changed the oil once in all that time with basic compressor oil.

I kill it every night w a breaker in the shop & a ball valve on the wall.

Every night say October through March here is below freezing. Shed is not insulated. It snows plenty here. Dec, Jan & Feb most nights are single digits to low teens, with not-uncommon negative numbers.

If anything the best "precaution" you can take is to kill the power each night, and esp if you go out of town. A line can burst anytime. Unless your compressor is rated for 100% duty cycle (many are) and you don't mind a noticeably higher electric bill - then no need to kill it!

 

[encantofred]

lots of opinions and experiences here so i will through mine in as well. i was worried about location as i built my garage. i was going to put it on a pad on the outside corner but it would have had full afternoon arizona sun. i ended up putting it inside and under one of the pallet rack shelves, that was i could enclose and soundproof it if needed. i have a champion 60 gallon horizontal that does 19cfm at 125psi. i have several hundered feet of aluminum fastpipe that doesnt leak at all. i am not a body shop so the noise from the compressor is minimal. i am glad i put it inside.

my two cents worth

tom

 

[sberry]

With the original petcock in the bottom freezing water doesn't hurt much. Some units had a dip tube in them with another drain valve, it amounted to a piece of hose laying to the bottom of the tank. , this was so a guy could drain it if there wasn't too much in it in freezing weather. If a guy was running it a lot every day drain may be an issue but many could go all winter without it.
I have had them in low level heated shed too, you could put a crank case heater and a blanky on but almost any equipment kept above freezing works better and lasts longer.

 

[sberry]

Yup, if you have no leaks there's no reason to turn it off. We disconnected and shut off a hardwired compressor ~3 months ago to do garage renovations. Tank still has 150 PSI in it.

This is the easiest and most simple thing.

 

[Ign]

Oh AND in all those years, the compressor only had one problem - due to summer heat!

Ever hung out in an uninsulated wood-framed shed in the summer with no vents? Yeah, it's a death trap.

Mine shut down when the motor overheated when I was working it HARD after a long hot summer day and the setting western sun was blazing on the shed. This was many years ago. Let it cool and all was well.

I had installed basic wall vents at opposing ends before that but it wasn't enough. One of those spinny roof vents would be a good idea.

Heat is way harder on electric motors than cold. In fact everyone knows heat is the #1 enemy of electric motors. And the other parts of the compressor including pistons, etc, don't much care about cold. It's just an extremely crude engine without spark.

I will say, however, we have zero humidity to speak of here.