Air compressor newbie - Garage setup suggestions requested

[CZ Eddie]

Hi folks, I own my house and have no plans of leaving anytime soon.
My HF 2.5 HP/21 Gallon compressor was fine for knocking lug nuts off the wheels of my Bronco, but I'm looking to step up my game a little.
I'm NOT asking for advice on which Air Compressor to buy.

Instead, I need help with accessories suggestions.
What are some good keywords for me to search so I can learn about piping size, regulator types, dryer/water traps and oilers and anything else I may not know about?

What's the hot setup for a DIY weekend warrior on a budget?

I've got a 50' 3/8 retractable reel on the way.
My compressor will probably be a 60 gallon.

I want to someday paint my Bronco in my garage, using my 9 CFM HVLP gun (DeVilbiss FLG5). And will actually be painting its engine bay in a few weeks.

I enjoy working with wood and want to build cabinets/dressers/furniture for my home someday.

 

[sberry]

Order every gadiet you can read about.

 

[gotham]

I'd say filter and regulator are the must haves. I've been scrounging ebay and other places and I'm ready to start putting my system together.

Tank -> flexible hose -> centrifugal style air / water separator -> filter -> T to full pressure port -> regulator -> output

I have a cool old gauge I'm going to use on the output but it only goes up to 110 I think so I'm putting a port to access full tank pressure if I ever need it. I'm not planning on piping my garage at this point so output is going to be a quick connect to a hose for the time being.

 

[sberry]

Ball valve first thing as a means of .disconnect.

 

[matt_i]

First, no oilers, ever. Its a gimmick from a production line/assembly line that's run constantly which will contaminate everything and is hard to mitigate short of putting stuff in the trash can. Put 1 drop of air tool oil into the tool before you use it each time.

Look at ebay for used industrial stuff. Parker, Norgren, Aro, SMC, DeVilbiss, Speedaire, Numatics, Festo, MasterPneumatic is just a short & incomplete list of manufacturers of airline "stuff" I could find in my head. Often things can be good-used or new-in box, either choice is good but as long as the stuff isn't damaged it an live a long life in a residential shop. If you can get part numbers, sometimes you can back reference that to a manufacturer's catalog and "study" their product line.

I would look at filters which are typically cyclonic filters, a coalescing filter uses a replaceable element and is usually pretty restrictive, and then for painting I would want a dessicant dryer as the final stage (after going thru the previous 2). Most of your nailers and air tools can be run between cyclonic and coalescing filters stages.

I like to use metal piping for air lines, and specifically copper pipe that's typically used in residential water service. Its expensive but clean inside and easy to modify. Steel ("black iron") and aluminum pipe systems also exist. My guidance would be to stay away from anything plastic-based other than braided rubberized hose and polyurethane tubing specificially designed for air service as your final flex hoses.

 

[rok_hunter]

Something I'm looking at too. I've read that without a good moisture filter the black steel pipe can rust internally and flake, causing problems for your tools. How long does that take? No idea. I do know a lot of people use it though. I'm actually looking at a plastic line system on Amazon (my apologies to the previous poster who said to avoid plastic), a maxline M7500. Seems well liked by those who have used it.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[nadogail]

You might consider an extra tank to give your system more reserve for the occasional surges in demand.

IMHO, extra tank capacity, in the form of an auxiliary tank will be cheaper than a bigger pump.

 

[terpfords]

Lol, me too !

I don’t prefer pneumatic tools but would be interested in occasionally painting

 

[ZRX61]

tptools.com has diagrams of garage airline layout.

 

[CZ Eddie]

Order every gadget you can read about.

Sounds like a reasonable suggestion.

I'd say filter and regulator are the must haves. I've been scrounging ebay and other places and I'm ready to start putting my system together.

Tank -> flexible hose -> centrifugal style air / water separator -> filter -> T to full pressure port -> regulator -> output

I have a cool old gauge I'm going to use on the output but it only goes up to 110 I think so I'm putting a port to access full tank pressure if I ever need it. I'm not planning on piping my garage at this point so output is going to be a quick connect to a hose for the time being.

Ball valve first thing as a means of .disconnect.

Ball valve added to list, thanks!

First, no oilers, ever. Its a gimmick from a production line/assembly line that's run constantly which will contaminate everything and is hard to mitigate short of putting stuff in the trash can. Put 1 drop of air tool oil into the tool before you use it each time.

Look at ebay for used industrial stuff. Parker, Norgren, Aro, SMC, DeVilbiss, Speedaire, Numatics, Festo, MasterPneumatic is just a short & incomplete list of manufacturers of airline "stuff" I could find in my head. Often things can be good-used or new-in box, either choice is good but as long as the stuff isn't damaged it an live a long life in a residential shop. If you can get part numbers, sometimes you can back reference that to a manufacturer's catalog and "study" their product line.

I would look at filters which are typically cyclonic filters, a coalescing filter uses a replaceable element and is usually pretty restrictive, and then for painting I would want a dessicant dryer as the final stage (after going thru the previous 2). Most of your nailers and air tools can be run between cyclonic and coalescing filters stages.

I like to use metal piping for air lines, and specifically copper pipe that's typically used in residential water service. Its expensive but clean inside and easy to modify. Steel ("black iron") and aluminum pipe systems also exist. My guidance would be to stay away from anything plastic-based other than braided rubberized hose and polyurethane tubing specificially designed for air service as your final flex hoses.

No oilers, check. Heard the same from a friend.
Used air tools are generally okay to buy? Check.
Would a dessicant dryer be needed in Central Texas? It's humid, but not real humid.
I will google the Filter types, thanks.
The RapidAir lines seem to be all the rage, but I like the idea of copper also.
Does anyone think copper lines have a real cooling affect on the air? For distances less than say, 25'?

You might consider an extra tank to give your system more reserve for the occasional surges in demand.

IMHO, extra tank capacity, in the form of an auxiliary tank will be cheaper than a bigger pump.

Good tip!

tptools.com has diagrams of garage airline layout.

I'll check it out, thanks.

 

[travisn1]

I've had the 60 gal from home depot for about 3 years.

I have a 90 come out of the tank using 3/4 piping to a ball valve, then a 3/4" 3' long air hose to keep pump vibrations isolated, then to the drier/filter/regulator, then to the hose reel.

I get to the hose reel with a piece of old air hose screwed to the wall. No hardlines.

30x42 shop, a 50' hose is plenty. I have extra hoses if I need it but I never do. Compressor is still bolted to the pallet it came on.

I piped out of the bottom with hard piping to a solenoid valve then to a piece of tubing. It runs on a timer, most it can delay is 45 minutes so I don't leave it plugged in else it would drain the tank over time. Eventually I want to put it on a relay to turn on if the compressor is running. Right now I just plug it in for 5 seconds for it to cycle when I open/close the main valve. I'm also going to run the tube out of the wall but it doesn't drain much so I haven't bothered.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KS6B9D8/?tag=atomicindus08-20
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PR2U984/?tag=atomicindus08-20
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AOOVQIC/?tag=atomicindus08-20
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015IY9VJI/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I can post a few pics if there is interest, it's pretty simple though.

 

[CZ Eddie]

I piped out of the bottom with hard piping to a solenoid valve then to a piece of tubing. It runs on a timer, most it can delay is 45 minutes so I don't leave it plugged in else it would drain the tank over time.

Thanks very much for the helpful info and especially the links!

I was reading a review on an electric Tsunami auto drain, where the poster said the same thing. He wasn't happy that the most he could delay it was 45 minutes.

What about the mechanical Tsusnami?
It's the same price as the electric, but says it drains every time the compressor cycles. So it's not using any electricity.
https://www.filters.com/product/152...mponent-moisture-minder-i-external-reservoir/

That is on my current wishlist but I've only just started researching these.

 

[Marctrees]

This is a USA made regulator I have used on a few comps for years... great bang for the buck NOS.

3/8 ports so that is good... more than all you need.

I have purchased this first item from this seller linked below ... factory sealed NOS.

My opinion is to just setup the comp very basic w valve, regulator, and water separator... then add other stuff after you get some experience w it as is.

Marc



https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Amflo-...849638&hash=item2c9bf9672c:g:sC4AAOSwBLlVcKlI

I also have had a few of these...also USA made before this company went to china.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Amflo-3-8-...606016&hash=item3f64057e33:g:GzAAAOSwcwhVLB6M

 

[Citation]

An "automotive style" (my term) air filter + some rubber hose can do a lot for noise reduction. I'm referring to the round, pan housing that have a snout off one side. They look a lot like the air filter housing on an old, carbureted car. Slip a few feet of rubber hose onto the outside of snout. It's cheap and really helps noise levels.

 

[Yankee2bbq]

Hi folks, I own my house and have no plans of leaving anytime soon.
My HF 2.5 HP/21 Gallon compressor was fine for knocking lug nuts off the wheels of my Bronco, but I'm looking to step up my game a little.
I'm NOT asking for advice on which Air Compressor to buy.

Instead, I need help with accessories suggestions.
What are some good keywords for me to search so I can learn about piping size, regulator types, dryer/water traps and oilers and anything else I may not know about?

What's the hot setup for a DIY weekend warrior on a budget?

I've got a 50' 3/8 retractable reel on the way.
My compressor will probably be a 60 gallon.

I want to someday paint my Bronco in my garage, using my 9 CFM HVLP gun (DeVilbiss FLG5). And will actually be painting its engine bay in a few weeks.

I enjoy working with wood and want to build cabinets/dressers/furniture for my home someday.

I was in the same situation as you, except replace the Bronco with a Scout, and I went with TP tools and equipment:
tptools.com
I went with the 1/2 metal line piping kit. And a Water separator and regulator.
Hope this helps,
Justin

 

[travisn1]

Thanks very much for the helpful info and especially the links!

I was reading a review on an electric Tsunami auto drain, where the poster said the same thing. He wasn't happy that the most he could delay it was 45 minutes.

What about the mechanical Tsusnami?
It's the same price as the electric, but says it drains every time the compressor cycles. So it's not using any electricity.
https://www.filters.com/product/152...mponent-moisture-minder-i-external-reservoir/

That is on my current wishlist but I've only just started researching these.

Very interesting. Hard to swallow at $100 though. Might have made sense to do originally because I've had that electronic valve for years and haven't had it properly working yet.

I could use one of these to make it go once a day, I have one on hand already. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVFF59S/?tag=atomicindus08-20 hmm....

 

[travisn1]

I went home during lunch and grabbed a few pics. I also put that timer on.

 

[sberry]

I skip all the auto drain **** to start with. If you are not in frost plumb a valve out the bottom and crack it open on occasion.