Compressor location...

[TAftonomos]

Hi! I've got a question about where to put my compressor.

2 car typical household garage (20x20). Putting the compressor outside isn't possible, due to the location of the garage, neighbors, noise, etc.

I can leave it in the garage, taking up valuble floor space, or I could put it in the basement, and plumb the lines up.

My basement isn't finished currently, but the room I'd be putting the compressor in sits just to the side of the garage, so the line would basically run straight up then through the wall. The compressor would be in the "storage" room in the basement, where the air handler will go for the HVAC (ie - unfinished).

Since the basement isn't finished, am I going to have a problem with cold condensed air in my lines? I don't have a ton of money to toss at this setup, but I do think I can afford the copper pipe, a few fittings, valves etc....
What kind of water trap would you guys suggest?

Any other hints/tips?

Currently I was planning on putting a hanging air reel on the ceiling of the garage, and another line on my wall-o-cabinets, and one more at the welding table.
Thanks!

 

[Junkman]

Cold air holds less moisture than warm air, and with the line going vertical, all moisture should fall back into the tank. I think that you will find that this is a very good situation to be in. Make sure to use an automatic drain on the compressor tank and all should be well.

 

[stuckinohio]

I've been thinking about doing the same, but am worried about the noise inside the house. I can hear my sump pump kick on upstairs, and it's not that loud when I am in the basement. Makes me think the noise from a compressor would be too much too my wife.

 

[autoclassicnut]

Turn your stereo up loud when you're using the compressor.That will keep the neighbors from complaining about the compressor. LOL

 

[ovilla]

How about putting the compressor within an insulated closet within the storage room? That would make it very quiet. My neighbor did this to his sump pump and even put a 12X12 grill on a wall so there was access to fresh air for his mini closet. Anyway, you hardly even here his pump turning on.

 

[Merkava_4]

How about putting the compressor within an insulated closet within the storage room?

I was thinking the same thing. There ought to be a way to build a simple inexpensive closet out of that soundproof board they sell at Home Depot and places.

 

[Junkman]

For soundproofing I like the foam egg crate material. I haven't purchased any in many years, but I know that when you had that stuff on the walls, someone could be screaming and it absorbs all the sound.

 

[dxdexter]

What kind of water trap would you guys suggest?

Any other hints/tips?

Thanks!

For an inexpensive setup to remove moisture, I use two standpipes or moisture traps (air dryer). The photo below shows both a homemade version and a store bought version. The one on the left is similar to those shop-made for decades and more or less causes the moisture to drop out of the airstream as it travels from the bottom to the top of the pipe. The one on the left is filled with a pelletized dessacant which entraps any remaining moisture as well as acts the same as the first. The water is evacuated manually by the valves at the bottom.

For added security I also have a water trap and filter after the standpipes.

These can be made cheaply or purchased (around here) for $40. They are quite effective and I spray furniture lacquer quite frequently and have never had any issues.

 

[PoorOwner]

a properly plumbed copper pipe system will trap most of the water on it's own, unless you are painting then maybe additional water trap / filter is required.

www.tptools.com has diagram you can download.

 

[dxdexter]

a properly plumbed copper pipe system will trap most of the water on it's own, unless you are painting then maybe additional water trap / filter is required.

www.tptools.com has diagram you can download.

Thats a great link.http://www.tptools.com/StaticText/airline-piping-diagram.pdf

Interestingly enough the diagrams shown on that website specifically do not recommend copper. The airline layout uses risers and drains at the bottom of the risers. This is the same principal as the standpipe type air/water separator that I have pictured.

I think I may switch to black iron lines in the future.

 

[rsanter]

the sound proof room is a good idea

you need to rememeber that the compressor will transmit sound through any solid point of contact. you will need to insulate the compressor from the ground with rubber pads and you will need a flex hose from the compressor to the rigid line or else you will get noise transmitted to the structure of the house.

bob

 

[dxdexter]

Remember a compressor consumes huge volumes of air and therefore needs circulating air to cool itself. Placing it in a confined space may be the quickest way to burning it out. You will need to supply fresh air for the proper operation and cooling.

My wife would kill me if I had the compressor rattling away in the basement. She would say "that belongs in the garage!!" and I agree.

 

[SteveU]

Something quiet like an Eaton might be able to go in the basement but a noisy oiless would drive anyone in the house nuts anytime it runs & would be almost guarenteed to wake everyone up if you forgot to turn it off & it started up in the middle of the night. Not sure where your compressor falls noise wise but most likely I would keep it in the garage if at all possible. If you are married & have small kids & it woke them up in the middle of the night it doesn't put the wife in a very good mood.

 

[PoorOwner]

I think many will agree for home use copper with the proper solder will handle the compressed air just fine, run cleaner than iron pipes. We probably don't see it for commercial shops due to cost and iron pipe is easier to configure and make changes.. I think.

As to the compressor location, I have mine closer to the garage door, far from where I stand, usually near the hood of the car where most of the work is done.. I like to watch the tank pressure and see it work etc.

 

[dxdexter]

Something quiet like an Eaton might be able to go in the basement but a noisy oiless would drive anyone in the house nuts anytime it runs & would be almost guarenteed to wake everyone up if you forgot to turn it off & it started up in the middle of the night. Not sure where your compressor falls noise wise but most likely I would keep it in the garage if at all possible. If you are married & have small kids & it woke them up in the middle of the night it doesn't put the wife in a very good mood.

My wife will wake me up and tell me that I forgot to turn off the compressor. She can hear it and its in a detached garage.

I think many will agree for home use copper with the proper solder will handle the compressed air just fine, run cleaner than iron pipes. We probably don't see it for commercial shops due to cost and iron pipe is easier to configure and make changes.. I think.

I agree, but found it interesting that they don't recommend it on that site. Probably because the additional mass of the iron will remain cooler and cause more moisture to condense from the air and fall down to the drains.

 

[CRAZYASTRO]

my compressor is in that lil shed behind the garage.
i hear nothing inside the garage. I got a main power switch, so when i remember, i switch the comp off, when going inside...

 

[Frankishelby]

Hey Chris, what is the coldest temoperature in your country?
because I thing it's the best way but here in Canada it's very cold during winter ( sometime 10 bellow 0)I don't know if I can put mine in a isolated shed

 

[TAftonomos]

Wow, lots of info here! As far as the noise is concerned, the basement would actually be better....our master bedroom is above the garage.

Compressor is a 30gallon craftsman pro oiled unit, it's actually not to loud at all. Maybe I could look at putting it in the storage closet on the side of the garage, where the parts storage is. Only big drawback is power there....the water heater is in there on 220, and there is one overhead light (and I'm not sure how it's wired....probably not by iteself on a 20a circuit).

Can I take one leg off the feed to the heater to power the compressor? Maybe there is a way to wire the compressor 220v?

 

[malodin]

alot of compresors have the option of 110/220v with just a simple rewire, your model number and a manual search should turn up that info....it might even be on the motor its self, if not all you have to do is get the model number of the motor itself and specs and you can buy a 220v motor that matches that size and shape and hp rating from places like www.mcmastercarr.com or www.grainger.com(no i dont work for them just use them alot)

 

[CRAZYASTRO]

frankishelby, in germany it also get's down till 10 below, but C, dunno if u r talking about Fs??
dunno about the cold, but your's not watercooled, right? so i think u can. if it really gets too cold, u could prolly use a thinner oil. As for the condense water, i never had problems..

 

[TAftonomos]

I should have double checked that....yup, it draws 15A on 110, and 7.5A on 240v. Says 6.7scfm @90psi and something else at 40psi....not that I run my air tools below about 90 but

I'll just need to figure out what the H20 heater draws, and make sure I can wire it in with that circuit!

 

[Frankishelby]

frankishelby, in germany it also get's down till 10 below, but C, dunno if u r talking about Fs??
dunno about the cold, but your's not watercooled, right? so i think u can. if it really gets too cold, u could prolly use a thinner oil. As for the condense water, i never had problems..

forgot to mention, 10 bellow 0 F or -30 C
Thank's for the tip about the thinner oil

 

[SteveU]

forgot to mention, 10 bellow 0 F or -30 C
Thank's for the tip about the thinner oil

Going to a synthetic oil helps in the real cold temps also.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I'll just need to figure out what the H20 heater draws, and make sure I can wire it in with that circuit!

I would not consider attempting to power it off the water heater. Many water heaters have 4500 watt elements. this is nearly 19 amps. Water heater elements usually stay on quite a while if the water is being consumed, such as running the laundry or a shower. Here you go trying to add another 7.5 amps to that, probably on a 10 gauge wire and a 30 amp breaker, and this isn't even considering start up loads. Code says a fixed storage water heater is a continuous load and thus you cannot load the circuit over 80% which is 24 amps for a 30 amp breaker.

Much better to keep things like this on separate circuits.

I had a small (1 hp) compressor in my parents basement for years. You could hear it run but it wasn't objectionable. Later I put a slightly larger compressor in (rated at 4 hp but I think it was more like 2-1/2 hp) but it had an oil lubed aluminum pump as opposed to the iron pump of the smaller unit. It was louder, and never bothered anyone, but dad's little dog (who stayed in the basement on cold winter nights) didn't like the tone of it at all. The dog never complained about the first compressor, just the louder, tinnier one.

Charles

 

[Matti]

I put mine in the basement under the stairs. It's all enclosed with a man door. I ran an air hose up through the wall into the attached garage. The compressor is dead quiet when I'm in the garage

I'm building a detached garage this summer so I'll probably put the unit in the attic which will be open to the rest of the garage. It may not be ideal but it doesn't get used a lot. Getting it up there might be a chore!

 

[kbs2244]

My boy put his in the garage attic. Getting it up there will make a man out of you.
He got a bit upset when, after he had it up there, I sugested he could have just put the tank up there and kept the smaller, but heavier motor/compressor under the work bench.
The plumbing from a low compressor up to a high tank is a good place to put in your coolers, driers, and such.

 

[ovilla]

I've been thinking of putting my compressor in the garage attic too but am concerned about my exterme heat/cold wether here in Chicago. Is there any danger of a compressor sweating too much in the summer in a hot attic or blowing up when it's below zero? Also, would an automatic drain be able to remove all of the moisture that may be produced?

 

[ron in sc]

Hi! I've got a question about where to put my compressor.

As far away from your shop as possible so it doesn't take up valuable space and so you don't have to listen to it run.

 

[TAftonomos]

I would not consider attempting to power it off the water heater. Many water heaters have 4500 watt elements. this is nearly 19 amps. Water heater elements usually stay on quite a while if the water is being consumed, such as running the laundry or a shower. Here you go trying to add another 7.5 amps to that, probably on a 10 gauge wire and a 30 amp breaker, and this isn't even considering start up loads. Code says a fixed storage water heater is a continuous load and thus you cannot load the circuit over 80% which is 24 amps for a 30 amp breaker.

Much better to keep things like this on separate circuits.

I had a small (1 hp) compressor in my parents basement for years. You could hear it run but it wasn't objectionable. Later I put a slightly larger compressor in (rated at 4 hp but I think it was more like 2-1/2 hp) but it had an oil lubed aluminum pump as opposed to the iron pump of the smaller unit. It was louder, and never bothered anyone, but dad's little dog (who stayed in the basement on cold winter nights) didn't like the tone of it at all. The dog never complained about the first compressor, just the louder, tinnier one.

Charles

I'll double check on the heater...I think it's on a 40amp breaker but I could be wrong.

Does the heater pull more on startup than constant run like a motor? If the heater only pulled 18amps, and the compressor is 7... 25 is damn close.

I don't have the luxury of running a seperate circuit to the heater, the only access I'd have on that side is the basement, and we just finished that part. Ripping apart some drywall to run a wire isn't going to fly with the wife

 

[SteveU]

I'll double check on the heater...I think it's on a 40amp breaker but I could be wrong.

Does the heater pull more on startup than constant run like a motor? If the heater only pulled 18amps, and the compressor is 7... 25 is damn close.

I don't have the luxury of running a seperate circuit to the heater, the only access I'd have on that side is the basement, and we just finished that part. Ripping apart some drywall to run a wire isn't going to fly with the wife

The compressor will pull several times the plate rating on startup. My 5 hp is plated 22-25 amps but pulls 45 amps to start and settles down to 19.5 amps when running. Wouldn't be a good idea to run them together, if you blow the circuit you won't know unless you are out with the compressor & when the wife is halfway thru a shower & runs out of hot water with her hair soaped up it isn't going to be a good night

 

[ovilla]

SteveU - That's hilarious and so right on!!!

 

[russlaferrera]

One more idea. Split the system. Put the compressor in the garage, the tank in the basement.