Buying air compressor just because it's cool?

[WhiffySpark]

Someone mentioned it already; but a decent die grinder(90 degree or straight!) And some roloc discs will really change how you view an air compressor. I didn't have access to really good CFM compressors until I started working in a shop environment. Of course we have huge compressors so our tools are probably overpowered a bit. But my previous experiences was a black max compressor from the 90s most likely set up with undersized hose.
So you should still have success with a 30 or 60 gallon with properly set up hoses.

I started using a die grinder and rolocs to clean gasket mating surfaces and i'll never look back. It takes 1/5th of the time of using a gasket scraper or emery cloth, and does a better job. Also get some cut off wheels and a good arbor, and you have a compact cutting system that can go where no grinder can. Very useful for me in the rust belt for body sectional repair.

And don't forget a good air hammer with a good tip set. It's one of those tools that you have no idea how useful it is until you have it on hand.

Not recommend. Espically for intake headgaskets etc

 

[crewchief888]

20 gallon should be enough for removing fasteners on a DIY basis.

i think mines a 25 gal..


mostly gets used for airing up tires, and 1/2" impact use changing tires.

an air ratchet is probably my least used air tool....

in the past (30 years) i pretty much used only air tools at work, but in the past 5 years or so, cordless 3/8" dr impact has been one of my most used tools...

in my garage it's mostly corded electric tools.....

 

[Diesel Mercedes]

i think mines a 25 gal..


mostly gets used for airing up tires, and 1/2" impact use changing tires.

an air ratchet is probably my least used air tool....

in the past (30 years) i pretty much used only air tools at work, but in the past 5 years or so, cordless 3/8" dr impact has been one of my most used tools...

in my garage it's mostly corded electric tools.....

I understand and fell the same as you, the air ratchet is a very niche tool.
It seems like a butterfly wrench is everything you would expect out an air ratchet, only it really does walk the walk.

I'm going to change ****** fluid and filter, and check my differential, so the air ratchet should come in handy then.

 

[PT Doc]

Sanborn makes compressors under many names. Kobalt, Industrial, Craftsman. Buy an 80g/5hp and you should be set for life. I am happy with my Quincy 80/5 but had to put a silencer between the intake and filter since it was louder than I wanted.

 

[firebox40dash5]

I got myself a compressor when I quit wrenching professionally and brought all my tools home. I wasn't sure if I really needed one as I also have plenty of cordless tools... but I figured unless I wanted to be using my cordless impact to put a spare on if I got a flat, I should probably have an air source. And I don't have a cordless air chisel either.

I got an oiled 30 gallon that runs on a 20A outlet. For me, 240V just wasn't in the cards... I *could* do it, but I'd have spent more making it happen than I spent on the compressor. It has yet to fail me or even really hold me back working at home, TBH most of its use is airing tires or blowing grass off my mower. The few times I've used it to run my wiz wheel, air chisel, or impact, it's done surprisingly well at keeping up. In a perfect world, sure, I'd buy a really nice 60-80 gallon 5-7.5hp unit to put in the spacious garage I also don't have... but this one cost me <$400 and does what I need good enough. Different answer if you had high volume needs like painting or blasting, but it works good enough if not.

 

[dnschmidt]

My old neighbor across the street, since moved, thought he was king of the neighborhood because he had a 60 gallon Husky in his garage. You should have seen the look on his face when I moved in and the movers took the 80 gallon two stage Quincy off the moving van. WHO'S THE KING OF THE HILL NOW BRIAN?

True story.

 

[hangfirew8]

Yup, I had a Husky 3.x HP 60 gallon single stage and never cared for it. By the time you put a swivel on your air ratchet and the compressor kicks on at 90 PSI you are running like 50 PSI at the tool and it won't remove what it did when the compressor tank was at 135 PSI. Been there, done that. I felt it was no more capable than a 2 HP 26 gallon because they both operated at the same pressures. I concluded the 60 gallon Husky does nothing more than look nice in the garage.

My 60 gallon has a single high flow quick release coming right off the tank. I hook the hose to that and right to my tool, and somehow I get work done every time. Just like I did when I had a 10 gallon tank.

I concluded that some people try to set up for everything at once- dry air paint, sandblasting, plus impact tools, etc., etc.- and end up with a system that's ready for anything, and good for nothing.

 

[ryan20021982]

I just have a Craftsman, the biggest 110v they made and i only use it for die grinders and cutoff tools really, but it can't keep up so i need a 220v but i don't regret it because i got it for $60 4 years ago but i am keeping an eye out for a bigger one and these are so loud also, you almost want earplugs just to be in the garage with it. So i guess i am saying if your buying one get a good one and a big one or you will just want to upgrade right away.

 

[bsaint]

I have a 20hp Atlas Copco GA15, a 15hp Atlas Copco GA11 with integrated air dryer, and a 10hp Joy Twistair. Just saying.

 

[dnschmidt]

We have a winner! ^^^^^^^

 

[Matt Matt]

We have a winner! ^^^^^^^

I agree.


The smallest shop I've ever worked in (besides my own), had 2=> 5 hp's and a 20hp(six man shop), with quite a few Jig grinders, about four presses and die grinders going nonstop.

So we got a winner for a one-man shop.

The largest shop I've ever worked in had a 325hp Rotary screw, with no storage tank 500k ft.²(Magna).

Matt

 

[bsaint]

Haha I own them but they aren't all hooked up. I dont have power to run them all.

 

[Todd.Brock]

I agree.


The smallest shop I've ever worked in (besides my own), had 2=> 5 hp's and a 20hp(six man shop), with quite a few Jig grinders, about four presses and die grinders going nonstop.

So we got a winner for a one-man shop.

The largest shop I've ever worked in had a 325hp Rotary screw, with no storage tank 500k ft.²(Magna).

Matt

Man, 500k cfm? I have to ask, when kind of process takes that much air, or is an entirely pneumatic setup for a factory being powered by something like that? That’s hard to comprehend!

 

[hangfirew8]

The largest shop I've ever worked in had a 325hp Rotary screw, with no storage tank 500k ft.²(Magna).

Matt

We have a NEW winner!

 

[Matt Matt]

Man, 500k cfm? I have to ask, when kind of process takes that much air, or is an entirely pneumatic setup for a factory being powered by something like that? That’s hard to comprehend!

I didn't say 500 K CFM. I said 500 K square-foot (or 500,000 square-foot) facility. It had about 1000 CFM. It wasn't my shop. It's owned by magna international.

It is a machine shop, stamping plant, assembly plant, that feeds the automotive industry.

 

[DGersic]

Ok. Looks like I'll wait for the 60 gallon one to go on sale again. Not sure how much work is involve in getting a 220v in the garage though


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Can you run your own wire? Depending on your local code, you might need to run conduit, then pull in some wires. Put a sub panel in the garage, then you can run 220 or 110 wherever you need to from there.


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[nbruno]

I own a small jeep repair/ resto business, and currently have 2 compressors, an old {20 yrs} Craftsman 30gal oil less that's still running very well and loud, and a 5yr old belt driven oiled 30g4al that's nice and quiet. I primarily use air for body saws and die grinders and very seldom paint guns impact guns. A bigger air supply would be nice, but i generally dont run out of air with those tools. Answer to the original question...yes you need a compressor and go at least 30 gals.

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[Unruh]

Okay not sure if this will hijack this thread, but how often do you guys drain your air compressor? I've been doing mine once a month, but I've been told that may not be enough.

 

[Matt Matt]

Okay not sure if this will hijack this thread, but how often do you guys drain your air compressor? I've been doing mine once a month, but I've been told that may not be enough.

Depending on the size and amount of time it runs , drain it once a week in high humidity situations. Measure the amount of drainage and then adjust to your circumstances.

At a few shops I consulte, I drain their tanks and show them what the problem is (in the owners face). A lot of times they're literally in shock.

There is a winery I consult at. They brought in 4 new state-of-the-art compressors. They were complaining that the compressors running almost nonstop, after four months of installation. I asked to see their maintenance logs on the air compressors. They didn't know what I was asking for. I went back out to the Jeep, pulled on my coveralls and emptied almost 100 gallons of water/oil! I set them up with a new maintenance program. Some people just don't know.

Edit; 95% of so called specialists don't, even know how to set up proper distribution/drains/traps. Thay think after an air compressor air is just air. But what about water???

95% of the shops I help out, do not know what a proper pneumatics take off is. They understand slope, but they don't understand take off. All pneumatic take offs need to have about a 3" reverse P-trap as part of the main. The main should have gravity fed ball valve bleeder.

 

[Todd.Brock]

Yes. A good ole reading comprehension fail. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[SamHandyman]

I think a 30 gallon would be a better fit for me. Because I've been able to work without an air compressor so it's good enough. The fact that it's somehow portable is excellent and it's a plug in 120v.

However, most 30 gallon outputs at 5.5CFM at 90PSI and I've been looking at this really power impact wrench which requires 5.9CFM. Is that a continuous rating? I imagine impact wrench wouldn't be used continuously and 5.5CFM output should do. But I don't want to spend $400 and get a 30 gallon and not get the full benefit of an air tool.


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[Citation]

Don't get hung up on differences like that (less than 1/2cfm). First remember there is a lot of spec inflation here. Second it's the tank (receiver) than drives your tools, not the pump. The pump refills the tank. What tools you can run is a combination of how much air they need and how long you run them plus how much air you have in the tank and the pump's ability to refill it. In the extreme (IE for illustration), a 15 cfm pump with a 1 gallon tank could keep up with your gun but would cycle every few seconds. Conversely a 1 cfm pump connected to a 80,000 gallon tank would likely have plenty of air to last you all week even if it would take two months to fill.

Real life is somewhere in the middle. With garage tools typically the pump can't keep up with continuous use but typically you don't actually run 100%. I found I could run my IR231 with a 4 gal,4 cfm compressor with basically no issue. It only takes a second or two to actually break the nut free. That compressor refills in 15 sec so by the time I move to the next wheel its ready to go. However its even nicer when I use my 20 gallon compressor because it can run tools that might go for a minute straight vs just a few seconds.

Anyway, I wouldn't get hung up on claims of 5 vs 5.5 cfm. I would suggest getting a 20+ gallon tank. Do keep in mind that higher pressure gives similar results to a bigger tank so a 125psi 30 gal may not give you longer run time vs a 150 psi 25 gal.

 

[Codejack]

I think a 30 gallon would be a better fit for me. Because I've been able to work without an air compressor so it's good enough. The fact that it's somehow portable is excellent and it's a plug in 120v.

However, most 30 gallon outputs at 5.5CFM at 90PSI and I've been looking at this really power impact wrench which requires 5.9CFM. Is that a continuous rating? I imagine impact wrench wouldn't be used continuously and 5.5CFM output should do. But I don't want to spend $400 and get a 30 gallon and not get the full benefit of an air tool.

That's why wrenching is rated lower, overall, than grinding and sanding; you don't tend to use an impact wrench continuously for 5 minutes.

30 gallons is about 5 cubic feet, which means that constant use of 5.9cfm for 36 seconds should drop the pressure from 125 psi to 90 psi, assuming the pump doesn't kick on, at which point it will no longer give full power.

 

[Lelandwelds]

95% of the shops I help out, do not know what a proper pneumatics take off is. They understand slope, but they don't understand take off. All pneumatic take offs need to have about a 3" reverse P-trap as part of the main. The main should have gravity fed ball valve bleeder.

Huh? I'm afraid I am part of the 95%.

Are you talking about the part where the station drop rises above the loop?
Is your last sentence about a drip leg where compressor ties into loop?

 

[Rich+]

Lowes no longer sells my first compressor, but it really told me that I always want a compressor but not necessarily the 60 gallon I was used to in my father's garage.

It was a tiny 2-Gallon oil-less with an included brad nailer and accessory kit. On sale, it was 50 dollars.

Filling tires took a little longer than expected, and using the blow gun to clear dust or chips really lost pressure fast. However, as a hobbyist I never found myself really wanting an impact wrench or die grinder. Now that I have a house I bought a "large" 110V compressor (California Air Tools 2HP 10Gallon). I am glad I went with this instead of the 60 gallon I originally envisioned; my garage is small enough that I want the space and move stuff around regularly.

 

[Citation]

The CAT 2hp, 10 gal struck me as a great home use compressor. Unlike my 5.5, 1hp CAT it has decent air flow and 10 gallons is enough to avoid frustration with impact tool jobs. It would also have the volume needed for blow gun work. And its quiet.

 

[rsanter]

Now days you can buy a good 60gal for nut much more than a good 30 gal compressor.
If you have the room on the side of the garage I would plan for an outside install from day one and put a shed cover over it

Bob

 

[Matt Matt]

Huh? I'm afraid I am part of the 95%.

Are you talking about the part where the station drop rises above the loop?
Is your last sentence about a drip leg where compressor ties into loop?

You're right about the drip leg.
I'll try to attach a picture for take off's

 

[SamHandyman]

Now days you can buy a good 60gal for nut much more than a good 30 gal compressor.

If you have the room on the side of the garage I would plan for an outside install from day one and put a shed cover over it



Bob

Ya. The price is not my major concern but I do have a budget. And the price for the 30 gallon and 60 gallon isn't a lot. We're talking about consumer grade air compressor here not professional. My major concern is getting a 220V in the garage where I'm going to use the air compressor once a month and can't move it around. Last night I was also thinking I could make use of the 30 gallon portability when I do my hardwood floor. I know it's still big but at least I can move it inside the house for a bit.

30 Gallon seems like would do the job for me. I just like that portability. It seems like I would need a truck to get the 60 gallon home as well.

Also I think installing it outside is not an option, I will probably rust in no time with Canadian winter.

I'm looking for a sale coming up. It could either be 30 gallon or 60 gallon.

Thanks so much guys great info! Man those air impact wrenches are friggin small compared to the Dewalt 899 I have.

I just feel like without an air compressor I'm an incomplete weekend warrior lol. With it, I feel like my garage is complete, I've collected enough tools over the past decade to get most work done.

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[Lelandwelds]

You're right about the drip leg.
I'll try to attach a picture for take off's

That's old school like I've seen in dozens of factories, repair depot, and diesel shops. I wonder how necessary that is. Ive seen the pipe interior of ONE factory being demolished. It was ancient but all except near the compressor was actually pretty clean. The compressor and filters were long gone of course. The compressor room was piped for four compressors in 2 in black pipe. Judging from the paint on the wall , it barely sloped to the compresser. Whoever piped it really liked unions.

It doesnt look like much water made it to the main loop.