New Compressor or just do some mods to current one?

[mercifiknow]

Currently I have a SpeedAire 3Z323D or 3Z355D or a 3Z395D (no model number or ID tag but i know it's one of these) and it's loud and small (although it currently serves my purpose). One of the things I'm considering strongly for my new shop is an upgraded compressor. My current one may do some of the work below but not sure except the quietness. Here is my list of criteria for small shop car hobby work:

Want:
quiet (this is my #1 requirement -my hearing is decreasing :-( and not building an enclosure or setting it outside shop)
less than 60 gallons
automatic drain
reliable
will be doing frequently in shop impact wrench (1/2"), light grinding, & small parts painting
US made (completely if possible)
small foot print

What are my options or what am i missing to help you make an informed decision? Can i quiet my current one and will it operate enough to spray small parts and do the light grinding work (i do have a dewalt grinder that will do the vast majority of the work)?

I suspect it will be challenging to help me figure this one out. Appreciate the help as always!

 

[cvairwerks]

Kaeser Air Tower

 

[legenddc]

I hope you're wearing hearing protection of some kind between the compressor and impact wrench.

 

[mercifiknow]

I’ve not yet bought an impact wrench yet so I’m good there. The basic premise is using hearing protection. So…unfortunately I can’t lift my arms to put the hearing protection on/in. Hence the quietness requirement…

 

[mercifiknow]

Kaeser Air Tower

Nice! Bet they are expensive

 

[GeoBruin]

Very tough requirements. I'm not even aware of any USA made compressors that aren't conventional 60/80 gallon units and there's only a small handful of those.

I don't know what your definition of quiet is but to get down around the decibel mark which is about what I think is reasonable to keep inside the shop with you, you're either looking at an oilless "quiet" compressor a-la California Air Tools style, or a big old compressor with a big old motor turning a big old pump real slow. The first is not going to be USA made, and the second is not going to be small.

An automatic drain is something you can add to any compressor. I'm sure you can buy compressors with them installed but it seems like a trivial thing to limit your options.

How much air do you think you need? If it's more than 5 or 6 cfm, an oilless is out of the question anyway.

There's always the Eastwood QST 30/60 though it's not US made and there have been some user issues with them (oh, and they're expensive).

 

[mercifiknow]

Yes I think my criteria is tough which is why I wanted more experienced people here might be able to help me out.

I think I’ll have to build something around it for sound deadening.

What would someone suggest for a 60 gallon then if I have to build an anechoic chamber?

 

[dnschmidt]

Eaton, Polar Air, EMAX (all the same company) has a series of compressors with extraordinarily effective mufflers. You can carry on a conversation standing right next to them. Just about as quite as a Kaeser screw which is about as good as it gets. Go to the Home Depot website and look up EMAX.

 

[GeoBruin]

Yes I think my criteria is tough which is why I wanted more experienced people here might be able to help me out.

I think I’ll have to build something around it for sound deadening.

What would someone suggest for a 60 gallon then if I have to build an anechoic chamber?

Built a shed for mine but it seems like the same principal. I built a trapdoor that separates the compressor compartment from the rest (which I use as a garden shed).

I used acoustic foam tiles along the back wall (which faces my shop) and side wall (which faces my neighbor's house) but on the trap door and the front door, I used a sheet of acoustic insulation board typically used behind drywall.

I created a baffle near the top where the air vents are with some wood blocking and some of the acoustic foam so there's no direct path for the sound without bouncing off some of the foam.

Even with the passive vents I had, I found it was getting warm inside with all the insulation so I installed a small solar vent fan on top to pull the hot air out and did some similar blocking/foam.

It was a lot of work but it performs fantastically well.

Edit: Oops! I see now you were asking about suggestions for the compressor, not the chamber! I'll leave the above in case it's helpful, but I wanted to follow up to ask how much air you think you need. That might help shape the discussion.

 

[Citation]

Without a picture of the pump it's hard to say what model you have. That said, the air intake is a big part of the noise from one of those compressors. For very little money a DIY intake muffler mod can help a lot. With my similar compressor I got about an 8 db reduction with a decent intake setup.
Here is an old thread of mine with some suggestions and Youtube links.
This one also might be of interest

Solberg Mufflers for air compressor | Compressor, Garage hacks, Metal shop

Jun 3, 2016 - Page 86- Compression - Show Off Your Compressor General Garage Discussion

www.pinterest.com

 

[mercifiknow]

I have figured it out to be 3Z395D. The intake is built into the pump and is a flat rectangular area with foam under the plate. So a Solberg won’t work. I’m beginning to think I may have to make a chamber in order to keep it quiet. I plan on starting on drawing up plans while I’m off on vacation.

 

[senlow]

The intake is built into the pump and is a flat rectangular area with foam under the plate. So, a Solberg won’t work.

You may still be able to add a Solberg silencer. Just fab up a plate that covers the area where the foam filter now resides. Then drill and tap the cover for a Solberg. Be sure to seal the cover plate to the cylinder head. Silicone sealant works well. I've done this mod on a few older compressors.

 

[The Cobbler]

.....The intake is built into the pump and is a flat rectangular area with foam under the plate. S......

a simple pc of bent angle with a NPT bung or threads welded or attached will work

 

[Citation]

I have figured it out to be 3Z395D. The intake is built into the pump and is a flat rectangular area with foam under the plate. So a Solberg won’t work. I’m beginning to think I may have to make a chamber in order to keep it quiet. I plan on starting on drawing up plans while I’m off on vacation.

I'm familiar with that pump. My father has an older Sears compressor with that pump on it. I don't think it's the original pump.
Anyway, one way to address this would be to replace the whole pump with one of the low cost HF pumps
https://www.harborfreight.com/145-psi-3-hp-twin-cylinder-air-compressor-pump-67697.html
At clearance prices these are under $100. Even with the stock air intake they are not too bad for a compressor. With a modified intake I suspect they would be quite tolerable.

Alternatively, you could look at getting a new head for the old pump. If you look at this listing you will see CH is basically using the same block design on current pumps

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076HD6YC9/?tag=atomicindus08-20

You would just have to buy a new head for the old pump (I think this is around $100, hence suggesting the HF pump instead).

 

[mercifiknow]

Citation,
How reliable are the HF pumps? I see them on FB market place and CL pretty cheap suggesting they may not be all that great. I will say though that they may not be the same model. I will swing by HF and take a gander at it. I also like the idea of doing a slight mod/replacement to that plate as Cob and Sen have suggested.

CH actually helped me figure out which model I have. They were not enthusiastic about telling me how to quiet it. lol

 

[Don-F]

I had an older 4hp Speedaire since 1986. A few years ago I bought a 50e25PC used off craigslist. It was sold by many different brands. Coleman, Industrial Air, Sanborn. I would say its the same general quality of the Speedaire, but noticably quieter and had a 5 gallon larger tank. From my parts sheet there was a 6.5hp made with a 25 gallon tank 65C250P1B1. All of the HP ratings are inflated, but it does fine for small bead blasting jobs and running air tools. Nice compact package.

 

[Citation]

Citation,
How reliable are the HF pumps? I see them on FB market place and CL pretty cheap suggesting they may not be all that great. I will say though that they may not be the same model. I will swing by HF and take a gander at it. I also like the idea of doing a slight mod/replacement to that plate as Cob and Sen have suggested.

CH actually helped me figure out which model I have. They were not enthusiastic about telling me how to quiet it. lol

I have some experience with those pumps, see the thread below. Otherwise, it's just what I've read on the web/seen on Youtube.

Air compressor fun with free stuff

My wife doesn't get this but I figure people here will. I've been having fun with compressors. Last spring a buddy of mine moved his construction company into a new (to him) shop. The previous tenants had left quite a bit of junk in the place including 3 lower end 80 gallon air compressors...

www.garagejournal.com

Short version, my brother has been using it at home for a few years now. We have no idea what kind of use it saw before then but it was a replacement pump on a compressor that wasn't that old even when I got it as one of three compressors left when a tenant moved out of a shop space. My brother's needs have been more than a 120V compressor can handle but not much more. So far no issues with the pump.

 

[david3921]

You might want to hurry if you chose to get the above suggested HF pump. It's on clearance now for about $100, at least here in Michigan. Your local store might be out.