Air compressor options

[propav8r]

Hi GJ!

I'm starting to plan out my basement shop and have a couple options on air compressors.

The place I work at has a large automatic PCB assembly area, all pneumatically powered. Recently, we retired two industrial air compressors we had been using for the past 20 years or so. One is still good, so it will be kept as a spare. The other had a pump failure. The electric motor is still good, so it will be kept as a spare as well.

They have no use for the tank (80gal) so it has been offered to me.

Now, we have a couple of options here. I can either pick up a pump and motor to match the tank (5hp motor+pump = $480 or so) OR I can buy a new 60 gallon Porter Cable 3.7hp air compressor ($450 on sale) and just run the tanks in parallel.

The tank with a new motor/pump would give me a slightly higher CFM, but I'm thinking that it would be nicer to have the extra air capacity of a second large tank, plus (even though it's just a rebranded Chinese pump) a warranty to fall back on.

Thoughts?

 

[zkling]

I'd look for a quality used pump and motor. Is the tank vertical or horizontal config? How did the old pump fail? You might be able to rebuild it.

The problem with adding that much capacity to a prebuilt compressor is you will exceed the duty cycle of the pump, greatly shortening the lift of the unit. You will gain very little benefit (longer off time) of adding that much capacity, ~2.3x of what it was designed for.

 

[propav8r]

Should have mentioned. They are both vertical tanks.

 

[Loscaldazar]

I highly doubt the Porter Cable 3.7HP has a high duty cycle rating. I'd just take the 80 gal tank and buy what it needs to get it working.

 

[davidhiep86]

I do not trust Chinese products, I have used over the product and is not satisfied

 

[larry_g]

If your working a hi volume air tool like a grinder or a DA sander tank size soon becomes almost irrelevant. If your compressor is not able to make more air than the tool is using then you start the run/wait game. At the end of the day your working time is determined by the compressors delivery, not the tank size.

lg
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