Outdoor Air Compressor Enclosure

[P51Mustang]

I am thinking about building a small enclosure outside of my shop to house my air compressor to get me a bit more floor space and to cut down the noise in the shop (maybe 3x4 or 3x6 in size). One question I have is, would I need to do something to condition the air in the enclosure (living in Iowa, heat in the winter or cooling in the summer)? I would do something to give the space some venting. The compressor is a fair large 80 gal tank, two stage (175 psi).

Thanks!

 

[The Cobbler]

my compressor has lived in an unheated shed for years with no issues

 

[Lucid Moments]

The one thing I will say about an outdoor enclosure is be a little cautious. A friend of mine had one on his house and it was all great until the pressure switch on the compressor failed and it ran until it died, You couldn't hear it from in the house so no telling how long it ran. His electric bill wasn't too high that month so it wasn't all that long.

 

[Sumboodie]

The one thing I will say about an outdoor enclosure is be a little cautious. A friend of mine had one on his house and it was all great until the pressure switch on the compressor failed and it ran until it died, You couldn't hear it from in the house so no telling how long it ran. His electric bill wasn't too high that month so it wasn't all that long.

Never thought about that. Mine was in for over 12 years out in the shed with about 100ft of underground line to the garage.

 

[Lucid Moments]

Never thought about that. Mine was in for over 12 years out in the shed with about 100ft of underground line to the garage.

I don't know how long he had it out there, quite a while from my fallible memory. He was very careless about it. Basically never shut the power to the compressor off, just relied on the pressure switch to deal with it. Never knew for sure if he developed a leak in his hoses or the switch failed to be certain, but either way it cost him a new compressor.

 

[The Cobbler]

good reason shut down when not in use

 

[P51Mustang]

Thanks for the input guys,

I always try to kill the power to mine when I am not in the shop (I do some times forget). My enclosure will be just outside the wall of the shop, so I am guessing that I may still be able to hear it somewhat.

Cobbler, good to know that yours held up in an unheated shed in Ontario. I am guessing that you get at least as cold as I do here or maybe even colder. Any comments from someone in a warmer area?

 

[Sumboodie]

I don't know how long he had it out there, quite a while from my fallible memory. He was very careless about it. Basically never shut the power to the compressor off, just relied on the pressure switch to deal with it. Never knew for sure if he developed a leak in his hoses or the switch failed to be certain, but either way it cost him a new compressor.

I never shut mine off. It would trip the breaker when cold though (like -25* cold)

 

[GeoBruin]

Best thing I ever did was kick my compressor out of the shop and into a shed. I had previously built a 3 x 6 shed for kids bikes, surfboards, skis, and other such equipment, and I still had a rubbermade garden shed for my yard tools. I decided to replicate the first shed exactly but I built a "trap door" to isolate the compressor in one section, primarily so I could acousticly insulate it. I did an intake vent right where the pump pulley is so it draws in fresh air and I used a small solar powered exhaust fan to evacuate the hot air out the top.

At first I just wired a shutoff switch on the outside of the shed so anyone could turn it off without access to my shop or the need to open the shed. But then I got paranoid and I wired in a pool pump style timer switch that automatically cuts power ever day after quitting time, just in case I forget.

As for weather, I live in Southern California so it never gets too hot or too cold. I don't have much advise to offer in that regard.

 

[larry4406]

How are you folks in cold climates (freezing) dealing with any moisture in the bottom of the tank freezing the drain? I have a street elbow and ****** then the valve to make it accessible.

I want to move my compressor to my unheated barn. I have a buried RapidAir line for this purpose already installed that just needs to be connected at each end.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Best thing I ever did was kick my compressor out of the shop and into a shed. ...

Brilliant !!! Outside power switch !

What do you do for a drain ?

 

[GeoBruin]

Brilliant !!! Outside power switch !

What do you do for a drain ?

I was experimenting with putting a water separator with an auto drain between my aftercooler so I ran the drain tube into a clear plastic bucket so I could measure the amount of water it captured. It would up being so effective that I get very little water in the tank, and it acts as a reservoir I can dump occasionally.

Because I put the compressor up on blocks, I have room for several inches of vertical pipe coming off the tank drain with an elbow and then about another 12 inches of pipe with a ball valve on the end. With my usage habits, I can go for weeks without accumulating more than a quarter cup of water in the drain, all of which is sitting below the level of the tank.

As a result, I didn't bother running a drain pipe/hose out of the shed. Occasionally when I'm in there getting yard tools out, I give the ball valve on the tank drain a crank and it blows the moisture out the door. Then, when my bucket from the drain on the water trap gets near full, I just dump it. That said, I think I've only dumped it maybe twice in the time I've had it set up this way.

I did experiment with the Harbor freight auto drain but after two of them leaking near max pressure, even after replacing all the the o-rings, I gave up. If I ever decide to install an electric auto drain, it will have to be a 240 volt model.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I was experimenting with putting a water separator with an auto drain between my aftercooler so I ran the drain tube into a clear plastic bucket so I could measure the amount of water it captured. It would up being so effective that I get very little water in the tank, and it acts as a reservoir I can dump occasionally.

I saw the water separator but did not understand how it was plumbed. Great place to put it !

Is the aftercooler standard that model ?