Moving Compressor Outside - Need Input

[Colin Len]

Well, I'm finally fed up and motivated to get the compressor out of my tiny garage to help free up some space. The only practical spot I have to relocate it is outside and I've never had an outside compressor before and wanted to make sure I'm not missing any potential issues.

As you can see in the picture below, I have a shed built off the back of my garage and there's about a 34" gap between the shed and my property wall. I'd like to stash the compressor in that area due to it being out of the way and still having easy access to add an elec outlet and plumb the air lines thru the back wall of the garage. I've got two ideas on how to accomplish this:

1) Water Heater Enclosure: Buy a 30", sheet metal, water heater enclosure, secure it and then stick the compressor inside. Should be pretty easy/simple. I'm a little worried about maybe too much heat in there though. This area gets direct, afternoon sun but of course water heater enclosures are vented and I could even add additional vents if needed. Ideally, I'd also be able to put some foam sound insulation in there but I'm thinking that may make the heat problem too severe.

2) Build a Roof: Build a simple, lean-to roof which would mount to the side of the shed and cover this entire area between the shed and the property wall. I'd probably use corrugated metal roofing panels and maybe add some sort of panels above the property wall to sort of enclose the lean-to. It wouldn't be water tight or anything, just something to help protect more from the sun and elements. I've never built something like this but it seems pretty straight forward. Other than it getting a little dirty and covered in spider webs I'm assuming I could put the compressor under that roof without needing an additional enclosure.

If anyone else has some experience moving their compressor outside I'd be interested to hear your experience and if there's anything I'm neglecting to factor in. I'm assuming the cost of the two options above is relatively similar, but likely more for the lean-to, especially if I got nicer roofing panels.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that my compressor is an older version of this Craftsman 25gal. It's 20yrs old at this point but still working well. https://www.searshometownstores.com...ssor-16-hp-Vertical-Tank-2Stage-Oil-Free-Pump

 

[mikedodge]

Dont over think it. Put down a patio stone for it to sit on and box it in. Think mini out house. Leave enough space inside the box for air movement and put a vent on opposite sides for cooling. If you're OK with it out in the weather or it's protected in that corner skip the box and just do your roof over it.

 

[AldeanFan]

Here’s my compressor enclosure.
Simple framing and fence boards
This was one of the best improvements I’ve made to my garage after heat and lighting.

There are doors on both ends and no back. The second pic was before I finished the “siding”

 

[LXCam]

To add to dodges. Vent top/bottom and opposite sides. This way convention will vent it as effectively as possible without help. I’d also suggest you go with the aluminized foam insulation to mitigate both heat and noise.

 

[ArmyVW_GuyInTX]

Well, I'm finally fed up and motivated to get the compressor out of my tiny garage to help free up some space. The only practical spot I have to relocate it is outside and I've never had an outside compressor before and wanted to make sure I'm not missing any potential issues.

As you can see in the picture below, I have a shed built off the back of my garage and there's about a 34" gap between the shed and my property wall. I'd like to stash the compressor in that area due to it being out of the way and still having easy access to add an elec outlet and plumb the air lines thru the back wall of the garage. I've got two ideas on how to accomplish this:

1) Water Heater Enclosure: Buy a 30", sheet metal, water heater enclosure, secure it and then stick the compressor inside. Should be pretty easy/simple. I'm a little worried about maybe too much heat in there though. This area gets direct, afternoon sun but of course water heater enclosures are vented and I could even add additional vents if needed. Ideally, I'd also be able to put some foam sound insulation in there but I'm thinking that may make the heat problem too severe.

2) Build a Roof: Build a simple, lean-to roof which would mount to the side of the shed and cover this entire area between the shed and the property wall. I'd probably use corrugated metal roofing panels and maybe add some sort of panels above the property wall to sort of enclose the lean-to. It wouldn't be water tight or anything, just something to help protect more from the sun and elements. I've never built something like this but it seems pretty straight forward. Other than it getting a little dirty and covered in spider webs I'm assuming I could put the compressor under that roof without needing an additional enclosure.

If anyone else has some experience moving their compressor outside I'd be interested to hear your experience and if there's anything I'm neglecting to factor in. I'm assuming the cost of the two options above is relatively similar, but likely more for the lean-to, especially if I got nicer roofing panels.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that my compressor is an older version of this Craftsman 25gal. It's 20yrs old at this point but still working well. https://www.searshometownstores.com...ssor-16-hp-Vertical-Tank-2Stage-Oil-Free-Pump

I have a huge compressor (for a home garage) and there was no way I had space inside for it, not to mention the noise. I poured a small pad, close the the garage brick wall. it looks like a, outhouse with a raked shed type roof under the eave, but not by much. I used screen to keep out the wasps (found this out afterwards while changing the oil and air filters). I made the front panel accessible for service. My compressor is a I.R. 7hp, two stage with and 80 gallon tank/receiver.

 

[Juiced06GTO]

What do you guys in freezing climates do? I've thought about putting mine outside, but worried about the cold in the winter up here.

 

[nadogail]

A water heater enclosure made of sheet metal will not have any appreciable sound deadening capability. The compressor box will rattle like a marble in a Prince Albert can.

A wooden shed will be much quieter.

 

[The Cobbler]

^^^my compressor that has lived in an unheated shed for years seems to have been unscathed . nor has the PVC airlin that runs above ground to my garage. never an issue with frozen condensation .

 

[John McA]

I would think your neighbor will thank you if noise is addressed. Either by a sched timer or heavy sound batt insulation. Or both. Also you will find it is nice not having to deal with noise yourself while working. Use double walled PVC piping for double safety. I can hear out of one ear now, since the accident..... what???

 

[ycgoat]

My dad had his outside in a cheap rubbermaid cabinet and sitting on pre-fab fiberglass pad. The only draw back was space when servicing it. He did have to cut in some screened vents

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I wrap my work compressor head with a battery heater in the winter. I've worked to -20C.
I do the same with my propane tanks. I've used 100lb tanks down to - 37C that way.

 

[dzahm]

moved mine outside about 10 yrs ago- Poured a small pad- built a small lean to style roof- Thats it- no walls- full air circulation- It does freeze here- never an issue (well one time it was about 20* F outside and the auto drain froze when I turned it on) Not really an issue as the compressor only ran a minute or two and the heat of compression melted the auto drain and back to normal- It was easy - cheap, and I gained space (and not hearing a compressor all day is simply wonderful)- I don't intend to ever have the compressor back inside

 

[firebirdparts]

The walls are really not a good idea functionally. You could certainly make it a requirement to stop sound, but obviously a LOT of air needs to get in there for cooling and so you'd have to include that in your design to control sound.

If you're not expressly trying to control sound, then don't build walls. They're not useful and frankly it's not confusing.

 

[strutaeng]

What about a large dog house for enclosure? Or are those more expensive than a regular plastic shed now?

 

[vavet]

I'm caught up on this water heater enclosure. I googled it, so I now know what it is, but I don't recall ever seeing one of those in any house, apartment, duplex, or condo where I've lived...ranging from Florida , Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.
Maybe it's a regional thing...and I've never lived in that region?

 

[Colin Len]

Dont over think it. Put down a patio stone for it to sit on and box it in. Think mini out house. Leave enough space inside the box for air movement and put a vent on opposite sides for cooling. If you're OK with it out in the weather or it's protected in that corner skip the box and just do your roof over it.

Not trying to overthink it. Just don't know what I don't know so wanted to make sure there weren't any concerns I was missing or unaware of in regard to having a compressor outside. I'm OK with it out in the weather IF IT's OK out in the weather.

Here’s my compressor enclosure.
Simple framing and fence boards
This was one of the best improvements I’ve made to my garage after heat and lighting.

There are doors on both ends and no back. The second pic was before I finished the “siding”

Looks good!

A water heater enclosure made of sheet metal will not have any appreciable sound deadening capability. The compressor box will rattle like a marble in a Prince Albert can.

A wooden shed will be much quieter.

I realize the metal won't dampen sound much, if at all. That wasn't the intention of using the water heater enclosure. Building the same size enclosure out of wood isn't an option I'd like to pursue.

I would think your neighbor will thank you if noise is addressed. Either by a sched timer or heavy sound batt insulation. Or both. Also you will find it is nice not having to deal with noise yourself while working. Use double walled PVC piping for double safety. I can hear out of one ear now, since the accident..... what???

I plan on discussing with my neighbor before I do anything, I'm not a ****** neighbor so will 100% be factoring in their concerns as needed.

The walls are really not a good idea functionally. You could certainly make it a requirement to stop sound, but obviously a LOT of air needs to get in there for cooling and so you'd have to include that in your design to control sound.

If you're not expressly trying to control sound, then don't build walls. They're not useful and frankly it's not confusing.

Why are the walls not a good idea "functionally"? The "function" I would be asking them to have would be to keep rain and sunlight off my compressor and it seems like they'd do that just perfectly. If I "wall" in the area there would still be quite a bit of free air space and flow. I think heat is only a concern if I use the water heater enclosure instead. And yes, I will most likely want to control some sound but I'm taking that as it's own issue to be dealt with. First is keeping rain/sun off the compressor, then I can add insulation of some sort afterward as needed.

What about a large dog house for enclosure? Or are those more expensive than a regular plastic shed now?

I don't think I've ever seen a dog house the correct size. My compressor is vertical and takes up roughly 26"x26" of floor space and is almost 4' tall. That'd be a strange dog house.

 

[vrinner]

Something to keep in mind if it's a concern, your neighbors are going to love this...unless they are far away. So you may want to enclose it and ad some sound proofing. I have a similar compressor in my garage an I know it's pretty loud.

 

[John 37]

A timber frame with removable roof and sides makes maintenance easy. Here in UK we use Yorkshire boarding on agricultural buildings. Even the single layer keeps the rain out remarkably well while still allowing ventilation. It also cuts down sound too. If you make the wall nearest your neighbour solid, it will reflect the sound away from them

 

[mikedodge]

The walls are really not a good idea functionally. You could certainly make it a requirement to stop sound, but obviously a LOT of air needs to get in there for cooling and so you'd have to include that in your design to control sound.

If you're not expressly trying to control sound, then don't build walls. They're not useful and frankly it's not confusing.

Compressors aren't made to be out in the weather. Build something vented and with inside space around the compressor and heat isn't an issue.

 

[softailgarage]

A water heater enclosure made of sheet metal will not have any appreciable sound deadening capability. The compressor box will rattle like a marble in a Prince Albert can.

A wooden shed will be much quieter.

Something to keep in mind if it's a concern, your neighbors are going to love this...unless they are far away. So you may want to enclose it and ad some sound proofing. I have a similar compressor in my garage an I know it's pretty loud.

^^^^^This^^^^^^

 

[ToolPolisher]

If you're running electrical or have access on the outside of the garage where you plan to put the compressor, why not build in an exhaust fan into the enclosure for air movement? Seems like an easy thing to do while you're building it. The fan toward the top of the enclosure, screened air inlet towards the bottom and you should have your bases covered.

 

[Worsedog]

How about making space in the shed for it? I have a 12x18 lean to on the back of my garage that holds my yard junk, bulk supply stuff etc. I can just hear it run inside the garage and it's only a tick louder outside.

 

[chinboys]

My Bendpak 80 gallon, 7.5 HP unit's 4 feet are on 1/2 inch Amazon polyurethane 4-inch locking wheels.
Dampens any vibrations and doest walk after I added 1/2 thick rubber pads between the feet and the caster body
And it moves effortlessly on the smooth concrete floor. I would move up to 5-inch wheels for gravel or rough surfaces.

 

[Spareparts]

I have a 5' X 8' pad poured beside my shop where my wood burning stove was, plumbed 2- 8" ducts into the shop
worked great for a long time, just got tired of cutting/splitting wood, so installed a used NG furnace and did away with the wood stove.
Well then I boxed the pad in and opened the wall up and put my 7 hp- 80 gal compressor there to free up more room, but the noise
was terrible. Got hold of the compressor manufacturer and got a muffler kit, it was just a glasspack muffler sized to fit the air intake
of the compressor and relocated the filter to it, not being happy with the little filter I cut a plate, welded it to the muffler and used a 14"
automotive filter with a foam wrap. That thing is so quite the only thing you notice is the motor starter kicking in, I can actually talk on the phone when it is running.

 

[Cairo94507]

If your compressor does not have rubber feet pads, add them to reduce noise and vibration. I had my compressor in my last home outside, next to the garage, in a rubber-made shed. I plumbed a water trap and ran the line into the garage wall and up into the ceiling to a hose reel and then let that line drop through the ceiling. The compressor was so quiet I never heard it turn on while in the garage.

 

[tester19]

Spareparts do you have a picture of what you made?
Sounds like a good solution and I have a very similar North Star air compressor which is surprisingly quiet already but I would like to quiet it more if possible.
.
.
.

 

[Spareparts]

I got the kit from North Central Air in Downs Ks, that is where I got the compressor from in 1996 all Made in the USA
The muffler was just a Cherry Bomb automotive mufflerand I think is 1 &1/2" in and out, just removed the original air cleaner
slid the muffler on and clamped it with a muffler clamp, it goes up vertical with the original air cleaner mounted (clamped) to it
I wanted a bigger air cleaner so I cut 2- 14" circles out of 3/16" plate, cut the center hole out and welded it to the muffler, mounted
the filter and the top plate. The original air cleaner was sufficent and quite I just wanted a bigger one.

 

[56rpm]

Since you're in Long Beach CA, I'd just install it outside and forget about it. Don't run it between 10pm and 6am (curfew and noise law) and you'll be fine. Put a muffler on the intake of you're worried about noise. I've had mine outside my shop for years without issue.

 

[Denwood]

What do you guys in freezing climates do? I've thought about putting mine outside, but worried about the cold in the winter up here.

I have two outside for about 4 years now. Just replace the crank oil with synthetic. We see -35 C here in winter and they fire up just fine with synthetic. Zero issues.

Getting the compressors out of the shop into the adjacent shed..best "shop mod" ever

 

[rayra]

Long Beach CA is not an area know for wide open spaces in its Residential zones.
So 'moving my compressor outside' - particularly in the corner of two exterior walls - is going to be blasting noise at a very close neighbor. A pisspoor thing to do.

 

[Bill T]

Couple of recommendations:
*Shed roof is fine, as others have mentioned
*You will have to be proactive in your maintenance if the compressor is not convenient. I would suggest adding an automatic tank drain. The cost is not too high, and will help in mantainance. The drains are cheap on the internet.
*If you are hard wiring the compressor in (no receptacle), Code requires a disconnent within sight of the compressor. Nothing expensive required, just a simple disconnect for safety
*I wired a light in the power circuit of mine. The light is in the shop. When the compressor is powered up, the light is on in the shop. It helps me remember to turn of the compressor when I leave the shop. I learned the hard way on this one. I was workng in the shop, forgot to turn off the cpompressor (it was pumped up, shut off and I did not realize it was on). I left town for the weekend, I came back on Sunday, went down to the shop, realized I had left the compressor on. Over the weekend, the flex connection on the outlet of the compressor had a major leak. The compressor ran continuously until it seized.

 

[Denwood]

I did the same with a shed light. I power off the compressors at the panel when not in use to avoid any of those “run forever on a leak” scenarios.

 

[pickles]

Is it possible to make something to keep an outside compressor quiet enough from disturbing nearby neighbors. I would love to get a compressor but I don’t see how I could fit it in the garage. i could find a place outside but my neighbors are very close. would love to find a solution if one were possible.

 

[CJM8515]

build an insulated enclosure is all you can really do if you want it outside and not to bother the neighbors. I keep mine inside but it worries me since its older and the tank could blow, its RIGHT under my main work bench

 

[casmurbax]

This might be a little more work then what you had in mind, but this person is west of you about 1.5 hours. He built a pretty nice enclosure for his, might give you some ideas.

Compressor shed project

So, not wanting the compressor to echo in my steel building I've decided to mount it in a shed behind building. I'm getting close to seeing how this all works out. Sent from my LG-LS998 using Tapatalk

www.garagejournal.com

 

[Colin Len]

Compressors aren't made to be out in the weather. Build something vented and with inside space around the compressor and heat isn't an issue.

Funny you say that because you're the first so far. Everyone else seems to think you just stick them outside and it's no problem. I've seen them outside a good amount in commercial settings but there's a whole lotta plastic and such on top of mine which I would worry about being outside without at least some UV protection.

How about making space in the shed for it? I have a 12x18 lean to on the back of my garage that holds my yard junk, bulk supply stuff etc. I can just hear it run inside the garage and it's only a tick louder outside.

This is an option, but only one of absolute last resort. Space is at a huge premium and the shed is already full. Moving the compressor into the shed means something in the shed has to go or has to go in the garage. Neither of those two options are practical.

My Bendpak 80 gallon, 7.5 HP unit's 4 feet are on 1/2 inch Amazon polyurethane 4-inch locking wheels.
Dampens any vibrations and doest walk after I added 1/2 thick rubber pads between the feet and the caster body
And it moves effortlessly on the smooth concrete floor. I would move up to 5-inch wheels for gravel or rough surfaces.

Oh, I really like that idea! I had been planning on some sort of pad for vibration damping due to another concern I won't bother to go into at the moment. Having it able to roll easily on casters (vs the current pneumatic tires) would be very convenient.

Since you're in Long Beach CA, I'd just install it outside and forget about it. Don't run it between 10pm and 6am (curfew and noise law) and you'll be fine. Put a muffler on the intake of you're worried about noise. I've had mine outside my shop for years without issue.

Hilarious that just a few posts down someone else thinks I'm a jerk for even thinking about putting my compressor outside. Everyone's got their own opinion despite not living in my neighborhood or knowing my neighbors. I'm conscious of the noise and a considerate neighbor. In fact, moving the compressor to this location might actually make it quieter for my neighbor. It'll be closer to the shared wall but it'll be about 20' further back on the property. Currently, it's in my garage so if the garage door is open the compressor is only about 25' from the back corner of their house.

Couple of recommendations:
*Shed roof is fine, as others have mentioned
*You will have to be proactive in your maintenance if the compressor is not convenient. I would suggest adding an automatic tank drain. The cost is not too high, and will help in mantainance. The drains are cheap on the internet.
*If you are hard wiring the compressor in (no receptacle), Code requires a disconnent within sight of the compressor. Nothing expensive required, just a simple disconnect for safety
*I wired a light in the power circuit of mine. The light is in the shop. When the compressor is powered up, the light is on in the shop. It helps me remember to turn of the compressor when I leave the shop. I learned the hard way on this one. I was workng in the shop, forgot to turn off the cpompressor (it was pumped up, shut off and I did not realize it was on). I left town for the weekend, I came back on Sunday, went down to the shop, realized I had left the compressor on. Over the weekend, the flex connection on the outlet of the compressor had a major leak. The compressor ran continuously until it seized.

Automatic drain was a thought but I may cheap out and just plumb a small valve into the garage which I can operate manually. I do like the idea of some sort of shut off. It'd be nice if it could be some sort of smart device but I'm guessing with the current draw there may not be many good, affordable options for that.

This might be a little more work then what you had in mind, but this person is west of you about 1.5 hours. He built a pretty nice enclosure for his, might give you some ideas.

Compressor shed project

So, not wanting the compressor to echo in my steel building I've decided to mount it in a shed behind building. I'm getting close to seeing how this all works out. Sent from my LG-LS998 using Tapatalk

www.garagejournal.com

That's a nice setup! Definitely more than I'm looking to do - at least initially. I kinda need to just get it outside and setup so that I can start moving other things in my garage for the new layout. Also, my plan would be to utilize the property, garage and shed walls as the enclosure walls - basically just add a roof and close up the open spaces above the property wall.