I need more Air

[y5e06]

Well,

I've reached my limit and tolerance for the compressor I currently have.
Normally that wouldn't be a problem since I'd just go out and buy something proper. I'd really like to run my air tools (small cut off wheels, body saw, angle grinder, air drill, etc) w/o experiencing the dreaded pressure drop or even try to run sanders etc if I could for doing body work. However, I have no space....
I live in OK sized house but I have a very small back yard, a small 2-car (380sqft at best), and no spare nooks or crannies.
I have to leave the garage so that, if I move items around, I can still fit two cars if needed. Right now its about at its limit w/ surrounding shelving, work space, storage, etc

I've been trying to think of ways or places to squeeze in a good quincy 60g or similar. I just don't think i have the space, certainly not in the garage.
attached are pics of my current portable Husky 2hp 26g oil bath compressor (a campbell hausfeld as far as i can tell) I have in my laundry room. it makes loading and unloading the dryer a pain.

Options are:

1) do nothing

2) move to a much nicer house w/ a proper shop which, of course, we cannot afford

3) figure out how to upgrade my current compressor
3a) upgrade pump & motor to 3-5 HP 10+cfm @90 hp, leave on the portable tank, rewire laundry room for an extra 220V for the new motor.
3b) upgrade as above but buy a gas dryer and use existing dryer 220V for compressor (my laundry room is both 220V and natural gas). Dryer is currently 220V.
3c) plumb an auxillary air tank in, but that does not improve my pump output. and I'd have to run a higher pressure line to take advantage of it (pre regulator). say a 60g in the attic (w/o motor/compressor etc) but my attic is not rated for storage loads and I already have enough car parts up there that shouldn't be. typical tract home. I don't think i'd want or could put a full compressor up there. and in the end i'd probably end up lacking on air supply anyway...

4) stackable washer and gas dryer w/ the compressor in current dryer spot- i looked into this. new unit sets are $1500-$2K. sheshhh. no way. and also my laundry room isn't deep enough for new units. only 30" from my door jamb to the wall. most dryers are 29-32" plus the 3-5" for ducting, wiring, hot/cold hoses, etc. I wouldn't be able to get the door open! my current old school top loaders are damn reliable too. at 25" plus the 5" of accessories it barely fits. No way I'd go to an apartment sized unit.

5) locate it outside. well, my side neighbors are about 20' from my sides and both have bedrooms adjacent so that would be quite rude to run a compressor at who knows when. I'd have to build a shelter too to shield it from the elements. these 60g units seem to all state to locate indoors too. I'd need to run 80+' of cabling for the 220, tap into the main box etc. I don't feel comfortable going into my main box myself either. there is no main breaker/switch.
5a) locate out back. my back yard is small. I'd have to build a shelter. the 220 run would only have to be 10' or so but then i'd have to run 60-100 ft' of iron pipe or that blue plastic tubing through the attic rafters of a vaulted ceiling house, over the main living area, to get to the garage.

None of these options seem reasonable to me.
The upgrading my current compressor seems interesting at first but then i have to throw out all the good usable parts on mine, add more $, hope for the best, and then still be left w/ a low volume tank.
My current one is similar to many you see available. It is 'rated' at 5.5cfm at 90 and 135psi. It can't even supply enough constant air to run my plasma cutter for more than 5 seconds. When i look at the tank mfg tag it looks like its really rated at 175psi? is that the safe rating? can I bump my storage pressure up closer to that? is the 135psi purely a limit of the lower end pump? If I stay w/ a tank in its current location I have to leave it portable. the HVAC door is adjacent and I need access to that when needed.

I went as far as ordering washer/dryer on black friday w/ the fantastic deals. but i ended up cancelling it when i realized the fit was absolutely too close to call. I could end up w/ $2K in appliances that don't fit my space and no compressor. Used ones are an option but I don't trust the reliability of used stuff like that anymore (i'm getting old, i guess)

ignore the garage mess. its no 12ga Garage...
there is about 6" from right side of the car to the workbench/shelf w/ tools. at the right front is a hydraulic press and horizontal/verticle band saw.
2" from nose of car to shelving. w/ a 2nd car there is enough room to walk down between them but not much more. Work bench space and took box on the left side, front. and barely enough room to get out of the car and walk up or down on the left side w/ the 2nd car.
Normally the red car goes on the left w/ enough room to work on it etc.


any solid ideas?

 

[72Anthony]

I will let the experts confirm, but even a 5 HP with 60 gallon tank is probably not enough to keep up with continuous use of cut off tools or sanders. A lot of tools list a nominal cfm rating, say 8 cfm, but under full load it may be more like 16 or 24 cfm.

Have you looked into any 60 gallon horizontal units that you mount near the ceiling with a shelf and avoid taking up floor space?

 

[nutjob]

Move the press to a shed outside, put it on wheels if you need to.
Hard to see what all is in that corner?
Purchase 60-80 gallon 2 stage and put it in the front right corner.


Kevin

 

[Farmall450]

I've seen little air tanks attached as well so they act as a bigger tank/extra storage so you have longer before it has to kick on.

 

[Nick Danger]

Replace the toolboxes with a 5' tall Vidmar. Put a compressor in the corner.

 

[y5e06]

perhaps relocating/replacing the tool boxes is an option. that just happens to be my main work space. or maybe a horizontal compressor in the left front with a work bench & boxes built over it w/ some other relocating.

at the right front where the press is.... thats where my hot water heater is. there is a door there. If something goes wrong I have to move my band saw and then drag out the press to get the door open. I haven't had to open it in a couple years so it isn't frequent. given then overall lenth of the red car, there is only 18-20" between the nose and the right front wall. its tight on that side. on the other side of that right front wall is the washer/drier room.

that empty rack in front of the red car up top is for race tires/wheels. I think about 220lbs total. I'd be more nervous to put much more weight up there w/ a compressor. but again perhaps I should think about that a bit more.

thanks, guys

 

[MJB24]

Get a small vane or screw compressor. These can run continuously and very quiet.

I have some literature for a new compressor we are buying here at work. Not sure which one we are getting but this one has a footprint of 27" x 19" and only 41" tall.

http://www.hydrovaneproducts.com/Products/02Vertical_Enclosed_Fixed.aspx

Pipe it into your current tank.

Thing can run for hours straight and wont overheat.

Negative is the price is just under $5,000

 

[y5e06]

yowza! $5k is a big negative. I'll check them out though.

when the race car is on the left side, there is only 28" from the nose (right about where that step/ledge is) to my work bench. work bench is only 22" or so deep.

wow, beyond this topic, i really need to spend some time this weekend cleaning and reorganizing my space...

 

[zurud]

Buy cordless tools.

 

[Zeke]

Buy cordless tools.

Buy corded tools for cutoff and sanding.

I think you can find the room in there for a horizontal unit under a bench.

 

[firebox40dash5]

Wow, that looks like a wonderfully convenient spot you have now!

I don't think stacking your washer/drier is the best solution, but I will say I'd much rather buy used appliances than newer ones... oddly enough, I feel about the same about compressors. When the drier in my house went **** up, I had a nice Kenmore-rebranded (either Whirlpool or Maytag, I forget which, according to my appliance repairman buddy) off CL within 2 hours, including pickup and install, for all of $120. I'll take that any day over $400+ for a newer one that's probably not as well built.

Personally, I'd build a shack either on the side or in the back yard. I imagine with some foam board and insulation, you could make it pretty damn quiet. Which option you like is pick your poison. If you run a long electrical run, you'll need some heavy, expensive cable... our 5hp at work is on 6/3, which is quite overkill for its short run, but what we had laying around. Piping air has less loss over length, but of course is more rigid and arguably not a whole bunch cheaper. I hate to say it, but I'd go with the long wiring run... electricity doesn't leak much (unlike pipes) and hey, it only hurts once.

I've run a whiz wheel (on a large straight die grinder, not a real cutoff tool) and a needle scaler at the same time at work. The compressor never cuts off running both tools and you can tell the pressure is a little low, but it's usable. I'm sure you'd be fine running one, it's not like an impact where you need to be at max pressure to be useful.

There's always option... um... whatever- bastardize your tank with a bigger motor and pump.