Firebrick43
Well-known member
I think you have an oil leakThis little guy keeps up pretty well!
How big does my air compressor need to be?
- Thread starter Sanderguy777
- Start date
I think you are correct. But it is reallly slow.
Aaron_W
Well-known member
There is a reason a lot of people have gone to electric tools for so many traditional air tools, but I don't know of an airless option for sand blasters.
I've come down to three useful sizes for compressors. Fixed 60-80 gallon units, and don't cheap out on the compressor for your tool needs. I'd love to go this route and run airlines all through the house, but that remains a dream.
On the small size a good 2-6 gallon compressor is portable and fairly cheap. Good for small tasks, running a small sprayer / airbrush, filling tires etc. I've not had any issue running nail guns off of a 6 gallon pancake. I have a 2 gallon ultra quiet Fortress (Harbor Freight) which is a nice little compressor. You hear it of course, but I can carry on a conversation in the same room while it is running. Good for really small jobs, I use it in the house for blowing things out, and running an air brush. I also have a 6 gallon Porter Cable ear blaster. Decent compressor, but I hate the noise. One of these days I'll fire the Porter Cable and buy a 6 gallon Fortress ultra quiet compressor. I find the 6 gallon size is still a handy size even with the 30 gallon available.
In the middle I think a good, mobile 30 gallon is the sweet spot. Far less capable than a good fixed unit, but you can find them capable of 5-6cfm @ 90psi and that combined with the relatively large tank will allow it to do an ok job for a lot of air tools as long as you don't have big expectations. Mounted on wheels so not hard to move around, but it is around 150lbs so moving it is not trivial. I use the 6 gallon in the house for anything the 2 gallon can't pull off.
I'd love to have a 60 gal 5hp but just not in the cards. I bought a Dewalt 30 gallon at a Tractor Supply Black Friday sale a few years back, and have been happy with it. Certainly not quiet but not painfully loud like cheap oilless compressors. I compare it to standing next to a diesel pickup at idle. The price has nearly doubled since I bought it, but what else is new.
Personally I'm not a fan of the 10-20 gallon compressors. Too big and yet not enough. It seems like most have a compressor only marginally better than a 6 gallon pancake, the tank isn't big enough to really make a difference and you've lost a lot of the portaility.
Certainly there are niche use cases where a 10 gallon will do the job that a 6 falls short on, but in general use these seem like what you get when you don't want to pay for what you actually need.
TLDR, If you want to do any serious sand blasting, I think you really need to be looking at a good 60-80 gallon compressor.
If you are on a budget don't over look Harbor Freight. Air compressors is one of those items that they tend to do well at a decent price. If you can afford a name brand, go for it, but HF isn't a bad budget option, much better than what you get from most box store brands.
I've come down to three useful sizes for compressors. Fixed 60-80 gallon units, and don't cheap out on the compressor for your tool needs. I'd love to go this route and run airlines all through the house, but that remains a dream.
On the small size a good 2-6 gallon compressor is portable and fairly cheap. Good for small tasks, running a small sprayer / airbrush, filling tires etc. I've not had any issue running nail guns off of a 6 gallon pancake. I have a 2 gallon ultra quiet Fortress (Harbor Freight) which is a nice little compressor. You hear it of course, but I can carry on a conversation in the same room while it is running. Good for really small jobs, I use it in the house for blowing things out, and running an air brush. I also have a 6 gallon Porter Cable ear blaster. Decent compressor, but I hate the noise. One of these days I'll fire the Porter Cable and buy a 6 gallon Fortress ultra quiet compressor. I find the 6 gallon size is still a handy size even with the 30 gallon available.
In the middle I think a good, mobile 30 gallon is the sweet spot. Far less capable than a good fixed unit, but you can find them capable of 5-6cfm @ 90psi and that combined with the relatively large tank will allow it to do an ok job for a lot of air tools as long as you don't have big expectations. Mounted on wheels so not hard to move around, but it is around 150lbs so moving it is not trivial. I use the 6 gallon in the house for anything the 2 gallon can't pull off.
I'd love to have a 60 gal 5hp but just not in the cards. I bought a Dewalt 30 gallon at a Tractor Supply Black Friday sale a few years back, and have been happy with it. Certainly not quiet but not painfully loud like cheap oilless compressors. I compare it to standing next to a diesel pickup at idle. The price has nearly doubled since I bought it, but what else is new.
Personally I'm not a fan of the 10-20 gallon compressors. Too big and yet not enough. It seems like most have a compressor only marginally better than a 6 gallon pancake, the tank isn't big enough to really make a difference and you've lost a lot of the portaility.
Certainly there are niche use cases where a 10 gallon will do the job that a 6 falls short on, but in general use these seem like what you get when you don't want to pay for what you actually need.
TLDR, If you want to do any serious sand blasting, I think you really need to be looking at a good 60-80 gallon compressor.
If you are on a budget don't over look Harbor Freight. Air compressors is one of those items that they tend to do well at a decent price. If you can afford a name brand, go for it, but HF isn't a bad budget option, much better than what you get from most box store brands.
OP
Sanderguy777
Well-known member
If you have the capacity on the main panel, then it might work. If you have a 40 amp breaker, it would probably be fine.
Now, if it is a 15a breaker, then you really need to look for a new one, cause it probably isn't working..
If
Get a gas powered compressor. Or diesel. Or natural gas.
All the HP you could ever need and no limitations. I saw a 13hp, 30 gallon, gas powered compressor the other day retailing for under $5K.
If you are concerned about wall power being a weak link, then the answer to that is simple.
Get a gas powered compressor. Or diesel. Or natural gas.
All the HP you could ever need and no limitations. I saw a 13hp, 30 gallon, gas powered compressor the other day retailing for under $5K.
Might work? As I said in a prior post, I have 200A service with plenty of capacity.
Compressor is on a 60A breaker. It's been working fine for 20+ years; never tripped a breaker. It runs a pressure pot blaster just fine.
You're asking questions and then you're giving me electrical advice? My setup works just fine. Good luck with yours.
micromind
Well-known member
I just finished hooking up the controls for a 1250HP piston compressor. 4160 volts, 3 phase, 144 amps.
The suction is about 200PSI, discharge is 1400PSI. 4 cylinder, 2 stage, low pressure is about 14" bore and 16" stroke, high pressure is more like 8" bore and 16" stroke. Runs at 705RPM.
Yours will likely be smaller.........
The suction is about 200PSI, discharge is 1400PSI. 4 cylinder, 2 stage, low pressure is about 14" bore and 16" stroke, high pressure is more like 8" bore and 16" stroke. Runs at 705RPM.
Yours will likely be smaller.........
Beerhippie
Well-known member
And sounds like a continuous train wreck when running.This little guy keeps up pretty well!
Way better than the new high pitch ones!
Beerhippie
Well-known member
Dunno. Our IR screw comp just quietly rumbles. Our back-up ca. 1970 DeVilBliss recip
sounds like an endless rolling artillery barrage--from "danger close".
It’s actually not bad, kind slower and deeper tone. Does not really bother me much. Bearly runs. Had a 1/4” coil hose blow overnight a while back. It was still maintaining 50psi.Dunno. Our IR screw comp just quietly rumbles. Our back-up ca. 1970 DeVilBliss recip
sounds like an endless rolling artillery barrage--from "danger close".
finn
Well-known member
My neighbor had an issue with what I think is a 7.5 hp compressor in his home garage. He was formerly a body man by trade, and still does a lot of that type of work at home.
We’re on the lake, about ten miles from town, with maybe eight or so houses to the end of the road.
His garage was wired to handle the starting current of that compressor, but every time it would cycle, the lights would dim. My 5hp Rand with a Marathon motor didn’t do that, and the transformer is on a pole between our garages, which are about sixty feet apart.
The power company came out a couple of times, and eventually upgraded the transformer, which helped but didn’t completely eliminate the sag caused by that oversized compressor.
Bottom line: that’s where the note to check with your power company comes from on your 7.5 hp compressor paperwork.
We’re living with the power droop, as he works out of town in the construction season, and we’re gonna when he’s laid off in the winter when ho works out of his garage.