Questions about compressor accessories

[nolan7120]

I had this thread (https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=365237) asking for help in picking a compressor. I had it narrowed down to a few choices, and ultimately went with the Harbor Freight 29 gallon air compressor.

I was torn between the Kobalt 30 gallon from Lowe's, the Sanborn 20 gallon from Menards, and the HF 29 gallon. Well HF recently upped the specs on the 29 gallon to 6.4 CFM @ 90 and 7.5 CFM @ 40 (vs the older 5.9 @ 90 and 7.3 @ 40). That, along with it matching my other needs, propelled me to pull the trigger on it. It looks like some stores may be getting the older version of the 29 gallon because I called up my usual go-to HF and they said they only had the lower CFM spec model in stock. Another one about 5 mins further had the newer one, and the guy said they had sold a bunch recently to people in search of the higher spec compressor. I got the last one from the store.

First question: What kind of compressor oil does GJ like? I was looking at Sanborn Full Synthetic Compressor Oil from Menards (https://www.menards.com/main/tools-hardware/power-tools-accessories/air-compressors-pneumatic-tools-accessories/air-compressor-pneumatic-tool-accessories/sanborn-reg-full-synthetic-air-compressor-oil-quart/p-1473344143640-c-12917.htm?tid=-2579998037752789025&ipos=2). Any other recommendations for $10 per quart or under?

Second question: Any input on fittings or other accessories? I'm probably going to place an order tomorrow morning from JB Tools for Milton V-Style high flow fittings and a 25' 3/8" Goodyear hose. I know the coupler on the compressor needs to be replaced too because V-Style Couplers will take other style plugs, but other style couplers won't take V-Style plugs. Should I bother with a ball valve first, and then the coupler? If so, any idea of a specific valve/brand? I was looking at Milton's website, and all I saw was female fittings for both ends. I could use a male to male fitting to make the Milton work, but I want to minimize extra parts as much as possible.

Third question: PTFE tape on the threads or some other type of sealant? I have a bunch of PTFE tape lying around already.

Thanks!

 

[sberry]

I like to screw the hose to the comp, when one worries endlessly about loss thru a connector how much sense does it make to put 2 in a line? You really don't need a valve unless its plumbed in to the building.

 

[sberry]

Get a box of plugs,, they are the piece that goes on the tool so you don't have to scrounge or look every time you add a tool or a fitting. An air blower fitting and another with a long wand is good, tire fill tool also. Another piece of hose for reach is a good thing too.

 

[Boilerhouse]

For oil, I always advise that you follow the manufacturer's recommendation no matter what the equipment is. They know their product best. If full synthetic is OK by them, it's OK by me.

 

[sberry]

Full synthetic can be good for the life of the unit.

 

[Infinia]

I had it narrowed down to a few choices, and ultimately went with the Harbor Freight 29 gallon air compressor.

Any other recommendations for $10 per quart or under?

Second question: Any input on fittings or other accessories? I'm probably going to place an order tomorrow morning from JB Tools for Milton V-Style high flow fittings and a 25' 3/8" Goodyear hose. Third question: PTFE tape on the threads or some other type of sealant? I have a bunch of PTFE tape lying around already.

Thanks!

Any compressor oil should be fine, you can geek out on oils to the tenth degree but I don't esp. on a compressor. The 1st year will be "breaking it in" so actually you don't want synthetic or silly expensive oil. The thing TO KNOW about HF is they don't wash out their factory 'millings', so youll be picking metal and leftover abrasives out of the oil for the next couple of crankcase changes.
The more components you stick on your air line more drop youll see for a higher CFM tool. I use one quick disconnect only and therefor don't have to mess with special high flow parts ( turn up the pressure an extra 5 psi. hehe). Using the 1/2" impact gun youll want every bit of PSI you can muster, so the tanks regulator and cycling set point will be your enemy. With a quality rubber hose its no hassle to leave it pressurized 100% and turn off the auto switch when idle. Don't forget to open the water drain valve periodically. PTFE tape is fine.

 

[pcmeiners]

If you get valves, designate full flow instead of standard valves. I get a kick out of valve companies, with some if you get a "standard" valve, just say 3/4" or 1" or 1 1/4", the port could be 1/2" in all of them. One would expect the port to be the same size as the designated pipe size for maximum flow, the valve companies get away with it though.

 

[nolan7120]

The manual calls for SAE 40, unless it's a cold climate which it then calls for SAE 20. SAE 40 and 20 look to be difficult to locate except for a few places online which is annoying. Most of what is carried in stores is SAE 30.

HF doesn't even specify what weight their compressor oil is LOL.

I think I'll just use some regular SAE 30 from Menard's or Home Depot for the first few changes and then switch it up to the Sanborn Full Synthetic after that. I'm not paying $15-20 for a friggin quart of oil shipped online. That's nuts.

 

[nolan7120]

Thanks guys. I'm going to skip the ball valve, and will just attach the hose directly to the compressor. I'll have the one coupler on the end of the hose and that's it. Also going to order some extra plugs for random tools down the line. And PTFE tape it is!

I'm going to order a Milton S-506 Inflator Gauge Dual Head Chuck. I'll probably just grab a blow gun from HF and if that turns out to be a POS I'll order a better one off Amazon.

 

[sberry]

It doesn't need "a few " changes. Run it a few minutes with cheap dino oil if you want then put the synthetic comp oil in the thing and forget it.

 

[Coaster Mech]

Ive worked as a "big stuff" mechanic for over 20 years. I have never seen a 1/2" impact bog down on a 3/8" hose with standard fittings. No matter how many hoses I've chained together. and I've strung many 300-400 feet long.

Trying to make a 3/4" impact work on 3/8 hose is a different story.

Dont sweat the small stuff. Use a disconnect, or a ball valve. The pros outweigh the debatable cons any day.

 

[The Cobbler]

I...... I have never seen a 1/2" impact bog down on a 3/8" hose with standard fittings. No matter how many hoses I've chained together. and I've strung many 300-400 feet long.

.......

I removed 20 heavily rusted trailer lug nuts with an impact on 100' of 1/4" and 50' 3/8 hose (after the 1/4")
they came off, probably faster with 1/2 or 3/8 the entire run but it did work reasonably well

 

[sberry]

A heavy 1/2 gun will drop almost a # a foot with 3/8 hose.

 

[MrGiggles]

Ditch the quick connect on the compressor outlet and install a ball valve right after the regulator. Either thread the hose right to the valve (twist the hose up a few turns CCW before starting the threads) or cut it and use a hose barb.

Leave the compressor switched on and pressurized. When you want air, flip the valve, shut it off when done. The tank will hold air for days, but the hose ends will always leak some if you don't have a valve. You'll find it convenient to not have to wait for the compressor to pump up whenever you need it.

I have a short section of PVC hose that runs from my compressor to the hose reel, terminated with 1/4 NPT 3/8" hose barbs and hose clamps. Works fine, cheap, and no flow loss. Unless you need to move the compressor from place to place, there's no need for a quick connect on the compressor outlet.

The manual hose reels from HF are a bargain and make dealing with the hose 100 times easier. Well worth the 20 dollars. I much prefer a 50' hose to a 25 as well. The HF Diablo hoses are great.

No need to overthink oil, my shop isn't heated so I just use Ace house brand all season compressor oil. The stuff you linked will do fine.

You'll want to rig up a drain if you're placing the compressor in a spot where it'll be hard to get to.

Regular pipe tape is fine.

 

[jonesg]

Ditch the quick connect on the compressor outlet and install a ball valve right after the regulator. Either thread the hose right to the valve (twist the hose up a few turns CCW before starting the threads) or cut it and use a hose barb.

Leave the compressor switched on and pressurized. When you want air, flip the valve, shut it off when done. The tank will hold air for days, but the hose ends will always leak some if you don't have a valve. You'll find it convenient to not have to wait for the compressor to pump up whenever you need it.

I have a short section of PVC hose that runs from my compressor to the hose reel, terminated with 1/4 NPT 3/8" hose barbs and hose clamps. Works fine, cheap, and no flow loss. Unless you need to move the compressor from place to place, there's no need for a quick connect on the compressor outlet.

The manual hose reels from HF are a bargain and make dealing with the hose 100 times easier. Well worth the 20 dollars. I much prefer a 50' hose to a 25 as well. The HF Diablo hoses are great.

No need to overthink oil, my shop isn't heated so I just use Ace house brand all season compressor oil. The stuff you linked will do fine.

You'll want to rig up a drain if you're placing the compressor in a spot where it'll be hard to get to.

Regular pipe tape is fine.

Thats good info, I always opened the drain on my HF 21gal to let water out after using it, didn't know you can just leave it be.
Nice cheap compressor but NOISEY!

 

[sberry]

I agree the hose reel and a 50 ft hose is worth it. There is something about a reel that leads to discipline. A guy can wind it up on a hook but it still seems like it is always on the floor, its no harder but for dome reason it doesn't get done like it does with a reel. With only a couple connections eliminating leaks isn't such a problem.
I open a drain valve on occasion, usually when I read a thread about it, when its humid and have used it a lot. I have it plumbed for it with a hose thru the wall.
I actually have 3 vessels hooked to 1 drain line. I give each a little crack once in a while.

 

[stonesfan68]

I used RectorSeal t + 2 for the threaded connections on my air system.

http://www.rectorseal.com/rectorseal-t-plus-2/

 

[md21722]

I would install a ball valve at the compressor. Apollo makes nice ones. With a single stage that cycles 90-120 psi you do not need a regulator at all. The standard tank drains are usually poopy, I like to replace them with an elbow and long ****** and a ball valve.

 

[sberry]

I agree about the regulator, drain too.

 

[nolan7120]

Ditch the quick connect on the compressor outlet and install a ball valve right after the regulator. Either thread the hose right to the valve (twist the hose up a few turns CCW before starting the threads) or cut it and use a hose barb.

Leave the compressor switched on and pressurized. When you want air, flip the valve, shut it off when done. The tank will hold air for days, but the hose ends will always leak some if you don't have a valve. You'll find it convenient to not have to wait for the compressor to pump up whenever you need it.

I have a short section of PVC hose that runs from my compressor to the hose reel, terminated with 1/4 NPT 3/8" hose barbs and hose clamps. Works fine, cheap, and no flow loss. Unless you need to move the compressor from place to place, there's no need for a quick connect on the compressor outlet.

The manual hose reels from HF are a bargain and make dealing with the hose 100 times easier. Well worth the 20 dollars. I much prefer a 50' hose to a 25 as well. The HF Diablo hoses are great.

No need to overthink oil, my shop isn't heated so I just use Ace house brand all season compressor oil. The stuff you linked will do fine.

You'll want to rig up a drain if you're placing the compressor in a spot where it'll be hard to get to.

Regular pipe tape is fine.

Very good advice. However there are a few differences with my setup versus the setup most others have which I think negate having a ball valve and longer hose.

The compressor is at my moms's house in her garage because I live in a condo and have nowhere to put it here. My dedicated circuit is a receptacle attached to the breaker box downstairs which I would be running a 50' 12AWG extension cord to the garage. The garage door would be cracked open during use so the cord can fit through. When I'm done, it'll be drained and unplugged. If it were my house, I'd have run a 240V outlet to the garage and have gone with something bigger. I'd be leaving the compressor charged and put a ball valve on there for sure.

My work will be intermittent as well - a weekend here and there. The ball valve would be nice if I had a different setup.

The compressor is in an easily accessible place so it's not hard to get under there and drain the tank.

As far as a bigger hose, I already ordered a 25' 3/8" GoodYear earlier today. 25' is more than enough to get to anywhere on my car (I'm only using it for automotive work) while it's in the driveway and close to the garage. If I develop a need down the road for a longer hose, I'll get the reel for sure. For now, I plan on winding the hose around a large utility hook attached to the wall next to the compressor. It's rated for 30 lbs so the hose should be fine on there.

ETA: On second though maybe I'll get the ball valve (been looking at this one http://www.supplyhouse.com/Webstone-41687-1-4-FIP-x-MIP-Full-Port-Forged-Brass-Mini-Ball-Valve?gclid=CjwKCAjw2ZXMBRB2EiwA2HVD-PKOHzM6BhmMn3x_umAq_S39W7GaTGC7rw8vW3ukeDBBniEPYXuNQxoCJgcQAvD_BwE ). I was thinking when the tank was unplugged it would drain the air but that's obviously not the case. But the hose is staying at 25' for now.

 

[nolan7120]

I used RectorSeal t + 2 for the threaded connections on my air system.

http://www.rectorseal.com/rectorseal-t-plus-2/

$7.45 at amazon. Maybe I'll give it a whirl or keep it as a backup to the PTFE tape. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[md21722]

Teflon tape from the big bins at Home Depot is perfectly fine.

The reason I like the ball valve at the compressor for when you drop something on the hose and it breaks open or you need to change a coupler or something like that. I suppose you could let the tank drain out and then fix it.

 

[nolan7120]

Teflon tape from the big bins at Home Depot is perfectly fine.

The reason I like the ball valve at the compressor for when you drop something on the hose and it breaks open or you need to change a coupler or something like that. I suppose you could let the tank drain out and then fix it.

Those are very good reasons. I'm going to pick one up. It's strange that these big box stores don't sell a ball valve with a female and male end. They all have two female ends. If a local plumbing supply store doesn't have one then I'll just order one online through supplyhouse.com. Unless I'm supposed to use a male to male adapter for a connection like this and not hook the valve up straight to the compressor's female end.

 

[md21722]

Local supply house is a good option if your supply house is any good. Mine is and I use them. I try to avoid Home Depot because they charge the same or more and the quality and service isn't as good. Amazon is another place to look. A pipe ****** works just fine in place of male threads.

I don't think you need a valve with male threads if you're removing the regulator though.

And keep in mind you need enough space to swing the valve so a ****** may be needed anyway.

 

[MrGiggles]

Those are very good reasons. I'm going to pick one up. It's strange that these big box stores don't sell a ball valve with a female and male end. They all have two female ends. If a local plumbing supply store doesn't have one then I'll just order one online through supplyhouse.com. Unless I'm supposed to use a male to male adapter for a connection like this and not hook the valve up straight to the compressor's female end.

Just use a 1/4" pipe close ******. 50 cents at any hardware store.

 

[nolan7120]

Local supply house is a good option if your supply house is any good. Mine is and I use them. I try to avoid Home Depot because they charge the same or more and the quality and service isn't as good. Amazon is another place to look. A pipe ****** works just fine in place of male threads.

I don't think you need a valve with male threads if you're removing the regulator though.

And keep in mind you need enough space to swing the valve so a ****** may be needed anyway.

I'm not removing the regulator, just the coupler that comes on the compressor. I'll either buy a male to male ****** and follow that up with a ball valve, or just use the male to female ball valve if I can find one local. Thanks guys.

 

[nolan7120]

I'm annoyed as hell right now.

My Milton fittings and hose arrived today so I was all set to install them and the ball valve I bought form Home Depot. In the process, I ended up causing an air leak right below the pressure switch on this fitting that connects the pressure switch to the tank. It happened while I was tightening the hose onto the ball valve. You can see the fitting is too far to the left in the following pic.

It was either 1) torquing the hose too much which put stress on the tank fitting, 2) a garbage fitting that HF shouldn't be using, or 3) a combination of 1 & 2.

I went to both Home Depot and Menard's and they don't carry anything like what HF uses. It's a 3/8" FIP fitting on the bottom with the 1/4" MIP part at the top and can rotate freely. On the inside, there is a 8mm hex key opening which enables the user to not have to remove anything from the pressure switch (wires or fitting to the regulator) in order to take the fitting off. Here's a pic of it.

So now I have two options. Call HF's warranty service on Monday and inquire about having the fitting sent to me (and wait god knows how long), or use a 3/8" FIP x 1/4" FIP reducing coupler along with a 1/4" MIP x 1/4" MIP hex ******. If I go the latter route, that will involve having to remove the wires and fitting to the regulator so the pressure switch will be able to spin freely in order to tighten it down. I'd rather not do that but it all depends on what HF says on Monday. This *****!