Small oilless compressor for cold weather use

[General Geoff]

I have a 20+ year old craftsman tankless 1.2hp compressor that I've been using for years as a tire inflator for my fleet of vehicles. It's been very convenient because it only weighs about 10-15 lbs and is easy to tote around. A couple nights ago I went to put air in the tires of my girlfriend's car, and it worked for a few minutes but then the chintzy in-line pressure regulator gave out and wouldn't let more than about 20psi reach the inflator chuck I have on the end. It was about 20 degrees F at the time.

So, now I'm looking at picking up one of these from HF: https://www.harborfreight.com/1-gal...l-free-professional-air-compressor-64592.html

I like it because it's super quiet and relatively small and light, though still a bit heavier than the one it's replacing. Most importantly it will fit in the plastic tote that I keep in my driveway so it's close at hand when needed.

My question is, do oilless compressors have any difficulty when stored and started in super cold weather? The existing craftsman one never had any trouble starting and running, the weak point was the pressure regulator which appears to be a diaphragm type with a plastic slider switch to increase or decrease pressure going through. The HF one is probably built much more robustly than this old cman unit, but I'm just wondering if there are any other issues I might encounter when storing it in cold weather. The coldest it gets here is about -5, but I'll probably only be using it when it's above 10F. Thanks

 

[DFB]

Those new compressors at HF look really good for the money an I do like the one you linked too. They remind me of the California Air. IMO probably be worth getting the xtended warranty for sure

I have had an oil less Craftsman Professional pancake compressor for at 15 years no problems I have used it in the cold, left it out in the vehicle overnight (it's flipped it rolled still works good ).

When I'm not using it right it stays between 2 doors in my basement garage and so not an entirely unheated area but often lot of cold air in the winter

 

[General Geoff]

The extended warranty could be a good idea, but it says they stock replacement parts for it if I have issues as well.

Even more interesting to me is that because it's only 0.5hp, it should be able to run on a 400w inverter for off roading use.

 

[DFB]

The extended warranty could be a good idea, but it says they stock replacement parts for it if I have issues as well.

Even more interesting to me is that because it's only 0.5hp, it should be able to run on a 400w inverter for off roading use.

Seriously some of the small compressors have very low amperage draw even for startup. Even those $50 Central ones are only like 2.5amp draw

Not this old Craftsman of mine used to blow standard 15amp fuses at my grandmothers like nothing

I've also had my eye on that Fortress especially to bring to my job the other one is super heavy to carry around.

I'm thinking I may I've seen it at a better price than that $129 since they been released too.

 

[General Geoff]

There's a coupon here: https://www.hfqpdb.com/best_coupon/FORTRESS+1+GALLON,+.5HP,+135+PSI+OIL+FREE+PORTABLE+AIR+COMPRESSOR

$110. Expires tomorrow though.

 

[yrly]

Regarding your craftsman my dad has one of those and got and installed an in line pressure regulator somewhere a few years ago it was only a few bucks.

I have a small Porter Cable pancake one for when I don’t feel like messing around with running air hoses down the driveway in the winter. It works fine I once used it to blow out my AC coils which takes a good while (more than most would ever use one for casual tire inflations) and it never had an issue.

 

[Citation]

I have a 5.5 gallon CAT compressor that ends up serving that sort of purpose. I didn't get it for that but my Emglo compressor oil has cold start issues (I've never tried alternative oils so perhaps this is solvable). The CAT seems to not care about temperatures down to the teens. Never tried colder than that.

Personally I would suggest a larger oil free compressor given the request but that's for the OP to decide. Given the one the OP is looking at, I would suggest taking a look at this deal at Lowes
https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-...le-Electric-Hot-Dog-Air-Compressor/1000940484
$40 for a unit with similar specs but noisier. If size isn't too big an issue I might go with one of those 6 gallon Porter Cable pancakes for $100. It's still not powerful but it's a BIG step up in capacity and pump flow (and a big step up in noise).

 

[General Geoff]

Picked up the HF Fortress compressor this evening and got it broken in, this little thing is sweet. It's scary quiet. About as loud as an idling car with stock exhaust. Aired up all my tires in short order. I'm gonna let it sit overnight in the cold and try it again tomorrow, see how it starts up when cold.