Compressor closet ventilation

[Speedy!]

I plan to have a 3 foot by 4 foot compressor closet in my soon to be built detached garage. I'm going to use QuietRock for the sheet rock on that closet for noise abatement and have a solid core door on the closet as well. Planned compressor is a Quincy 60 Gallon 2 stage unit.

I've been talking to the builder about ventilation to keep the unit from getting too hot. He suggested two four inch vents at the bottom and top on the exterior wall and that passive cooling from those will be plenty. I'm not so sure that'll be enough.

Should I plan to have a ceiling exhaust fan installed tied to the compressor switch to exhaust hot air to the attic?

What about intake air? Have that come from outside or have a vent inside at the bottom of the solid core door?

Something like this?

I live in middle TN so winters are cold and damp (avg temp about 30?) and summer it gets hot and humid. Mid 90s and 60% humidity.

The garage will just be for my personal stuff, nothing professional and I don't expect the compressor to run constantly or anything, but I want to do this right the first time and not limit myself down the road if I want to sand blasting of parts or something where the compressor would run more.

 

[matt_i]

If you are blowing up tires, doing impact wrench work, and have a tight system, I'd just run with passive ventilation, as you said, one at the bottom and one at the top, knowing its going to transmit some noise.

Complete exterior air is OK but its sort of akin to having the compressor outside and a "cold closet" in side your building as it will equalize temps tiwh the outside ambient.

 

[Falcon67]

My compressor (60 gallon, 3.5 HP) is in a 3'x3' closet. It has Quiet Brace on the inside and the "door" is a piece of Quiet Brace. There is a 6x12 passive vent top and bottom of the door. No problems. It just doesn't run enough, even with the usual slow line leaks. I bought a duct vent that I planned to integrate into the closet but after some time without it, why bother. Yes it runs a lot when I blast, but I don't blast for hours every day either. Hosing off an intake manifold over 30 minutes or so won't really tax the compressor that much.

 

[404]

Just a bit of math to figure this out. Look at the motor amps and volts. Multiply for Watts. Just as an example, say the motor is 240 volts 22 amps.

240*22=5280 watts. (more or less)

Imagine a 5280 watt heater in this box being made. I think the air in there is going to get hot. Real hot. A power fan is good idea. Cinder blocks that are not painted are amazing at absorbing noise. More cost and harder to build a box, but they really soak up noise.

 

[Cyberbear]

Air compressors by their very nature are all about "air" and need it to breathe properly, and dispel heat produced by that pump and motor generating the heat. There are always too many variables when deciding on the merits of any a/c enclosure. First concern should always be about creating a "healthy" environment for the a/c unit. For some reason most air compressors are treated like a rented mule and are abused mostly from ignorance. Provisions for using cool outside incoming air should be considered. Some people also use mufflers to quiet down their a/c.
I'd have the fan installed and connected to a thermostat switch allowing the fan to cycle on when necessary. Also be sure to install a good auto water drain for those high humidity days and long run times. Check with your manufacturer's duty cycle allowances, you'll probably be surprised.

 

[engineer2]

You want to keep the compressor room close to ambient. If the compressor is taking in hot air, efficiency is reduced. It would also be wise to protect it from freezing conditions.
A roof-mounted thermostatically controlled "attic fan" would work to keep your shed cool. They have an adjustable thermostat.

 

[Speedy!]

You want to keep the compressor room close to ambient. If the compressor is taking in hot air, efficiency is reduced. It would also be wise to protect it from freezing conditions.
A roof-mounted thermostatically controlled "attic fan" would work to keep your shed cool. They have an adjustable thermostat.

The top of my closet won't reach the attic, is there one like this that's side exit similar to a bathroom exhaust fan? I'll do some Googling.

I've thought about using an electric fan that's slaved on the compressor motor's circuit. Both go on/off at the same time.

I met with the builder yesterday and he suggested having it on a separate switch. My initial idea was to have them come on together, but he said you may not always need it and options are good. I thought it was a good point.

 

[engineer2]

is there one like this that's side exit similar to a bathroom exhaust fan?

Yes, they have "through the wall" fans at Home Depot too. If you use the built-in thermostat, it would only come on when needed.

 

[jwdominick]

My garage happened to have a plumbing chase in the back corner that not only was vented already but more than sufficient to house my compressor. Its been in there 2 years and not only can i rarely hear it kick on, the few times I've opened it up, it was never warm