Compression - Show Off Your Compressor

[RAYJAY]

I'd like to build a better air intake/cleaner for my 5hp 60gal IR
suggestions?
tks

Any reason why ....... factory one works great.

 

[Jim Johnstone]

Any reason why ....... factory one works great.

The factory ones work fine, but the better quality intake filter assemblies will quiet the compressor quite a bit.

 

[AndysMBgarage]

Renegade [Australian made] heavy duty cast iron 3 cyl pump with an industrial quality Teco 3.5HP single phase motor delivering 320 litres per/min Free Air Delivery [11.3 cfm] with an 82lt tank.

 

[70Camaro]

Renegade [Australian made] heavy duty cast iron 3 cyl pump with an industrial quality Teco 3.5HP single phase motor delivering 320 litres per/min Free Air Delivery [11.3 cfm] with an 82lt tank.

Andy, that is a thing of beauty!!

 

[james1savage]

How does one measure the cfm of their compressor?

 

[J Persons]

How does one measure the cfm of their compressor?

There should be a data plate or decal on the tank or somewhere on the compressor or the mounting plate.

 

[mdbeck1]

How does one measure the cfm of their compressor?

Someone had the equation and procedure posted on the site a while back. I poked through my links and came up with this one:http://www.ehow.com/how_5001852_calculate-cfm-air-compressor.html. Give it a try.

 

[AndysMBgarage]

How does one measure the cfm of their compressor?

Whatever data be it litres/ft2 it can be converted using this site

http://www.aircompressors.com.au/calculator.php?feature=volume

Cheers

 

[All Systemz]

I figured I would add my Curtis to this thread now that it's complete and I've been using it for a little while with no problems.
I have about 300 bucks into it and it works great, makes a true 15.41 cfm according to http://www.ehow.com/how_5001852_calculate-cfm-air-compressor.html

 

[Lakeozark]

nothing special here - 175Psi I/R 2-Stage compressor (80 gal)
I build a utility room around it that is now completely insulated and drywalled inside and out.
I will have 2 registers in the room for a return air vent for the furnace - hopefully I wont need any additional ventilation for the compressor

 

[dwright406]

Just brought this one home today:

My old 33 gallon Speedaire is going to be re-purposed as a dedicated paint booth compressor.

 

[AutoXRacer]

How much are you guys spending on these IR compressors...? I keep looking for them and keep seeing them in the $1,500 range...

 

[dwright406]

Mine was $1000 @ Lowes.

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...catorDisplayView&selectedLocalStoreBeanArray=

 

[AutoXRacer]

I also keep seeing 135 PSI max and others with 155 PSI max, even 175 PSI max... Is this as important as the CFM...?

 

[Shadowdog500]

Just picked up a new compressor today. 5HP 18.1 CFM @ 90 PSI continuous.

$849.99 at Tractor Supply.

 

[rkirshner]

so i am new to this garage thing but i am in the process of doing just that to an old garage
may i ask a real noob question. why does the size of the tank on a compressor matter
thanks

 

[Garage5.9]

so i am new to this garage thing but i am in the process of doing just that to an old garage
may i ask a real noob question. why does the size of the tank on a compressor matter
thanks

Simple volume

 

[J Persons]

Some air tools can consume more air than the compressor pump can provide. The tank allows you to run these tools longer before the pump needs to start. The larger the tank, the longer you can use your air tools. A 60 or 80 gallon tank is sufficient for most home shops.

 

[AutoXRacer]

Just picked up a new compressor today. 5HP 18.1 CFM @ 90 PSI continuous.

$849.99 at Tractor Supply.

Wow!!! I think thats the best price I've seen so far!!!

Now I was thinking of getting a Craftsman Professional 60 Gal tank compressor...before I joined this forum.

Craftsman Professional-60 gail Air Compressor

Reason for my interest is cost and my experience with Craftsman Professional tools. But after seeing that the most popular air compressor is IR...I am having doubts now; even though its much more costly.

Still on the fence about max PSI vs CFM...? How do these affect performance and what are the minimum specs one should shoot for?

Is 11 cfm @ 90 PSI good enough for the average Joe? Is 18 cfm @ 90 PSI over kill? I guess it may be one of those things where bigger is better?

 

[mdbeck1]

Wow!!! I think thats the best price I've seen so far!!!

Now I was thinking of getting a Craftsman Professional 60 Gal tank compressor...before I joined this forum.

Craftsman Professional-60 gail Air Compressor

Reason for my interest is cost and my experience with Craftsman Professional tools. But after seeing that the most popular air compressor is IR...I am having doubts now; even though its much more costly.

Still on the fence about max PSI vs CFM...? How do these affect performance and what are the minimum specs one should shoot for?

Is 11 cfm @ 90 PSI good enough for the average Joe? Is 18 cfm @ 90 PSI over kill? I guess it may be one of those things where bigger is better?

You will get a LOT of different answers on that question....
It comes down to: What do you need the air for?
- If you're going to air up tires a bicycle pump works just fine.
- If you're going to run a air nailer my two gallon HF compressor works just fine.
- If you're going to run impact tools you'll need an even larger compressor.

Take a look at the HF or Northern Tool web site and figure out the types of tools that you think would be useful. Then look at the CFM requirements for them. The CFM requirements will be the hard thing to match. Get a compressor that has a larger CFM rating than the largest tool you plan to buy.

BTW: I finally decided that I wanted to run my air impact tools and MIGHT EVENTUALLY like to have/run a sandblaster. So I bought an 80 gallon - 5hp twin cylinder 13 CFM (?) compressor. It's overkill for now but when I drop the money on the sandblaster I don't have to upgrade the compressor.

 

[AutoXRacer]

My uses for a compressor will be mechanics tools, air ratchet, impact gun, grinder, etc...

I tried matching the specs to tools I was using, ended up buying a HF special which couldn't even run an air ratchet... sigh

 

[keen]

Then look at the CFM requirements for them. The CFM requirements will be the hard thing to match. Get a compressor that has a larger CFM rating than the largest tool you plan to buy.

To start with the different answers - IMO, that's not entirely true.

Your compressor -tank- will output air at a much higher CFM than your compressor -pump- can. That's why we have tanks (and why we dont use rotary screws. ;-) )

So, if you need to run that 25scfm impact wrench you CAN run it with that 5scfm compressor. Just not very long at any one shot before you have to let the tank refill.

 

[Mbeaker70]

Good Morning everyone, I need some advice. I had a CH VT6275 delivered about two weeks ago and just got around to it. Last night after hooking up and trying to start. It did nothing. Checked all voltage from outlet thru pressure switch to motor. Good volts all the way (240v) everywhere. What gives? If power is xfering from switch to motor, could this be a capacitor issue. Item is brand new.....thanks in advance

Yes, mine has the marathon motor with two capacitors on top; says MCO19000av. How do you check the capacitors?

 

[1984Datsun]

I bought one of these... http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hard...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

I saw one at my local HD with a Marathon motor, instead of an Emerson, which is what mine has. The top plate where the motor and pump bolt to was bent to hell though... so watch out for that, no matter where you buy your compressor from.

More mods to be done on it yet.

It runs my air sander, die grinder, cut off wheel, and several other tools without a problem. I even hammered on some real rusty bolts with my IR 2135 TiMAX, and it had no problem running that. And yes, the IR got those suckers off. No way in hell could you turn them things with a breaker bar and a wrench... these are bumper bolts we're talking about... on a bumper that has lived in the salt belt for more than 10 years...

Heck, even with the cut off running and running, it kept up with no problem. I would always end up having to set the cut off wheel down because it gets so damn cold after running it for several minutes... cold enough that it actually burns...

11.5 SCFM at 40 psi, 10.2 SCFM at 90 psi...

Works for me, and is much, much more capable than the old 20 gallon water filled tank underpowered compressor I had. Kinda wish I kept the old pump off of the old compressor though... the motor and the tank was what was holding the compressor back, not the pump. Ended up selling it to a guy whose pump broke, and he had been without a compressor for months. (I know how that feels, I didn't have a compressor for a year until I got this one)

Which reminds me, it's probably time to change the oil... it's got close to 10 hours on it now. They say to change the oil after break in... I did a break in on the factory supplied oil (about 1 hour of run in time) and then put Valvoline Syn-Power in... now that oil is getting dark, and I also want to check for metal particles, etc...

And while I'm doing that, I might pull the head and make sure there are no casting flash **** in the ports, and work it a little to help flow and hopefully get some more performance out of it. And put an automotive style 14" air cleaner on it... that should make it breathe a lot easier than that tiny 7/16" pipe on the factory 3.5" air cleaner housing that it has to **** air through... it might even run quieter since it wouldn't have to work so hard to get some air and wouldn't have to work very hard to pump air through the cylinder head as well.

Do I need to buy new gaskets to put on there, or can I reuse the old ones?

Also, anyone know what the difference between CFM and SCFM? I (we) need a refresher course on that.

p.s. Sorry about the long winded post. I didn't expect it to be this long...

 

[GarageEnvy]

It's been a long wait but thanks to the sale of a piece of property, I got to splurge a little. Here's the new compressor. It's a Chicago Pneumatic 5hp, 80 gallon compressor. It's extremely quiet. It uses a Baldor-Reliance motor and a 220v German made "squirrel cage" blower to exhaust hot air out the top of the enclosure. Even without the sound enclosure, it's a quiet compressor. Way overkill for my home garage but a welcome replacement for the 15 year old oilless Craftsman compressor that was absurdly loud. It's connected to a Parker 3/4" filter/regulator combo and piping throughout the shop with a hose reel at the front. A trio of Norgren filters are on their way for the individual outlets. I switched everything to 3/8" Milton V fittings. Just got it up and running last night. I fabbed up a little cart with retractable casters and hockey pucks underneath to allow me to roll it out for service.

 

[irisservice]

It's been a long wait but thanks to the sale of a piece of property, I got to splurge a little. Here's the new compressor. It's a Chicago Pneumatic 5hp, 80 gallon compressor. It's extremely quiet. It uses a Baldor-Reliance motor and a 220v German made "squirrel cage" blower to exhaust hot air out the top of the enclosure. Even without the sound enclosure, it's a quiet compressor. Way overkill for my home garage but a welcome replacement for the 15 year old oilless Craftsman compressor that was absurdly loud. It's connected to a Parker 3/4" filter/regulator combo and piping throughout the shop with a hose reel at the front. A trio of Norgren filters are on their way for the individual outlets. I switched everything to 3/8" Milton V fittings. Just got it up and running last night. I fabbed up a little cart with retractable casters and hockey pucks underneath to allow me to roll it out for service.

VERY Nice

 

[Nightshift]

I'm not a big fan of leaving equipment on mobile bases ... but I do like yours GarageEnvy, and in tight quarters like your compressor there, it pretty much has to be on something like that ... or you'd be tempted never to service it, which is never a good thing on a compressor! Well done! Bill

 

[GarageEnvy]

Agreed on mobile bases. It would have been a lot easier to let it rest on retractable feet with fixed casters but since I feel like you do about mobile bases, this one is sitting on the frame with the hockey pucks. I'm OK with that.

 

[TAMPAGT07]

If, like me, you live in a place where high humidity is common, weird stuff also happens. If the moisture hasn't been removed:

• My sandblaster nozzle clogs with wet sand in about three minutes.
• Ice forms in my die grinder and it locks up after about five minutes of use.

Quick question: I have a few big sand blasting projects coming up next month, do you think I will have a moisture problem with a blaster? (this time of year.)

 

[Nightshift]

Agreed on mobile bases. It would have been a lot easier to let it rest on retractable feet with fixed casters but since I feel like you do about mobile bases, this one is sitting on the frame with the hockey pucks. I'm OK with that.

Ya, I've a huge fan of hockey pucks ... been professing their utility under equipment for over 30 years. My entire machine shop is pretty much sitting on pucks. Cheers, Bill

 

[Bob Heine]

Quick question: I have a few big sand blasting projects coming up next month, do you think I will have a moisture problem with a blaster? (this time of year.)

I just checked your weather. It's 73 degrees with 73% relative humidity as I write this. When the temperature drops to 66 degrees tonight, the relative humidity will be 84%. It isn't raining but that's not dry -- anything over 50% is a problem.

If you run a rubber hose from your compressor to the sandblaster without trying to dry the air, you'll have a clogged nozzle on the blaster within about two minutes (maybe less). You can fix that with 20 feet of copper tubing (or 40 feet of galvanized) with a tee at the end of the run. An 18-inch piece of pipe with a drain valve hanging down off the tee will collect a bunch of water real quick. A filter (Motor Guard is good) will dry that air a bit more and you should have fewer problems.

 

[customcabinetpro]

Here is my new baby, 5 HP 80 Gal 2 stage. Very similar to a Eaton and about the same cost but I did not have to pay for shipping or wait for it to arrive. I opted for belt guard mounted aftercooler which is supposed to take out 80% of the moisture from the air. I am ordering a Harbor Freight auto drain and will be building an air intake silencer to make this think super quiet.

-Dan

I've been looking at the same unit. How do you like it? Is it quiet? I also like the fact of the free metro delivery.

 

[djmartins]

Here is mine:

Built an intercooler with auto drains, what you can't see is the 25cfm refrigerated air dryer behind the unit.
it is in it's own vented room at the back of the garage with a 60amp disconnect just outside the door.
I used 3/4" black pipe to plumb the garage, about 3/4 of the way done with the plumbing but the first half is up an running so I can use the compressor.

 

[romafern]

What brand is that unit djmartins?

 

[chumley360]

It's not much, but it's mine. And it was all free! It's good to know "old" people. The motor needs to be replaced or rewound though, it's a little tired.

 

[phreke]

First post here at GJ. Got this for a $100 on CL, guy even delivered it. it weighs a lot and works great. Built by westinghouse air brake company 1948. This had been working hard for 34 years before i was even born. Thing doesnt have a single leak, smooth and quiet.

 

[djmartins]

What brand is that unit djmartins?

Belair 318, 80 gallon and 7-1/2hp.
Bought it used out of a tire shop and cleaned it up and adjusted it.

 

[Motofixxer]

Built an intercooler with auto drains...

Where did you find that intercooler with 3/4" threads on it? That looks like a viable option for many depending on cost. I have seen smaller units with 3/8 or 1/2" threads, but nothing like that.

 

[dennis111]

I have a small 2 car garage and separate wood shop. The single stage 60 gal Puma services the garage

My similar but re-badged 60 gallon Puma:

Modded it for easier and less sloppy oil changes and have the air piped out of this room and into various areas of the garage using 3/4" piping. Keeping the compressor in this storage room helps keep the working garage quiet. Got it new off of one of those traveling tool show trucks 10 or so years ago and I use the heck out of it.

 

[Gixerfixer]

Currently on another post on this very forum here http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1953300#post1953300 but thought I would say Hello and introduce myself to everyone from back here in England and show my recent find, I found this great forum while looking for compressor info Its an Ingersoll Rand dual stage late 1945 and works great (very quiet) air receiver is 50 gallons approx

at to replace the perished diaphragm in the pressure switch below the gauge as it was leaking air, also changed the oil and lubed the grease points on the motor, the tank internals are in great shape with just a little corrosion to the lower centre area which is reassuring after all those years, checked with Ingersoll Rand and all the spares are still available for the pump unit which is good news. It will being going into full time use at my garage business soon I just love getting life out of old stuff and this takes some beating by my standards, just got to acquire some wiring materials before its placed in the back room on its own RCD. Have to say some really nice set-ups on here guys impressive stuff.