Compressor help

[daddycreswell]

I bought a blasting cabinet today knowing that my small craftsman air compressor would struggle to keep up. At this moment I don't have the funds to buy a large upright compressor. I have seen people add an air tank to give them more air. Would this be an idea in order to have more air on hand?

 

[nadogail]

IMHO, Adding more storage to your air system will alleviate the problem
of lnsufficent compressser size, but it will not cure it.

 

[Cyberbear]

Most small air compressors have a duty rating of 50%, meaning for every one half hour of run time the A/C needs a half hour to cool down. Running your unit constantly can cause it harm. If you acquire a large holding tank, you can fill it up in stages and then use it at will, until it is too empty and needs to be refilled. A slow process but better than burning up your air compressor. I installed a timer in my 7.5 hp, 80 gallon A/C that won't allow it to over run the factory recommended duty cycle until it has time to properly cool down. Heat is the enemy of air compressors.

 

[BearsFan315]

also look at the NOZZLE you are using in your blast cabinet this really helps dictate the CFM & Air you need to run it. Large Nozzle = more are requirements. TP sells a LOW Air nozzle for smaller compressors.

 

[redmondjp]

Most small air compressors have a duty rating of 50%, meaning for every one half hour of run time the A/C needs a half hour to cool down. Running your unit constantly can cause it harm. If you acquire a large holding tank, you can fill it up in stages and then use it at will, until it is too empty and needs to be refilled. A slow process but better than burning up your air compressor. I installed a timer in my 7.5 hp, 80 gallon A/C that won't allow it to over run the factory recommended duty cycle until it has time to properly cool down. Heat is the enemy of air compressors.

Additional forced-air cooling over the compressor pump fins will increase the duty cycle. A $10 Walmart box fan will do the trick. Also you don't want the compressor too close to the wall as this restricts the airflow around the pump (it says this in every compressor operator's manual but 99% of the time this is ignored).