Tips on buying a air compressor
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fflintstone
Well-known member
you have to define "working on the car"
always buy the most CFM for the $
do you have 240V power in your shop?
IMO I would look for a used 2 stage.
always buy the most CFM for the $
do you have 240V power in your shop?
IMO I would look for a used 2 stage.
bobcatdan
Well-known member
Go as big as humanly possable, you will not regret it.
rogersmithiii
Well-known member
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- Jan 15, 2012
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I made the mistake of buying a 5 hsp Sears 220 V unit, and it doesn't have the muscle to run an impact wrench.
Rog
Rog
Very few compressors will run an impact continually. They are in the 15-20 cfm range @ 90 psi. Even a 10 gal 120v compressor can power an impact.
olytdi
Well-known member
+1 on finding a used two stage, cast iron, pressure oiled, 80 gal compressor used -- even if it needs some tlc to get er running.
Here's what works for me, doing misc. mechanical and body work on my cars > oops, make that vehicles>
Kludged together (all used-yeah, recycled, you greenies) : 80 gal horizontal tank, 2 HP 240V 1728 rmp Baldor motor, 3.6 cfm @ 900rpm two-stage compressor, Load Genie mechanical unloader.
In the last 20 years, the only time this rig has been unable to keep up is when running my straight-line sander for extended periods - like 10-15 minutes straight. I run it at 120 PSI, probably much less than the compressor is capable of, but sure makes my 90PSI rated impact wrench kikas.
Even painting a whole car doesn't run it out. My sandblaster probably would , but for what I do, it runs something like 15 sec. on, a minute off.
Bottom line: I think you've got a defective compressor. Take it back.
I'm kinda proud of the scrounging I did to put my rig together, so here goes the brag: The tank came from an acquaintance who owns a body shop. The pump siezed, which blew up the motor. He had to get back in business, so a complete, new unit was the way to go. He sold me the tank for $50. I went searching for motors, didn't like one dealer's prices, but on the way out spied a stack of junkers-one was the 2HP Baldor which looked brand new, except it didn't work. How much, I asked. Five bux, he replied. About twice the scrap value in those days. It had a bad start capacitor. Another $10. Then, the pump. I scoured the want ads (no Craigs List or eBay back then!) until I found one that seemed marginally suitable. I didn't really want a 2-stage, but the price was right. When I went to look at it, it was a real all-iron monster, much bigger than I had expected. I was hesitant, but when the seller told me the story, I couldn't resist. Seems this pump had spent its live rolling up and down the Mississippi on a towboad, pumping up the air starters for the big diesels. This little pump was responsible for putting 250 psi into two 1,000 gallon tanks to bring the big towboat diesels back to life. With a displacement of 4.6 cfm, you can only guess at how long that must have taken!
It was removed and made available to the towboat operators when the diesels were converted to electric start. The seller had planned to do just what I did with it, but time caught up with him, and he realized a mobile home park is nowhere to make an auto shop. He let it go for $45. I didn't even try to bargain.
So, a total of $210 I had the basic unit. A little research revealed the need for an unloader. I decided the Load Genie was the simplest, so I got one new from Grainger for about $25. Salvaged electrical fittings, a cheapie regulator and some new copper air lines got the whole system up and running for under $300.
Bottom line (in case you missed it the first time) Your compressor is defective. Take it back.
sorry if i'm long-winded.
get it?
long ... WINDED??
Kludged together (all used-yeah, recycled, you greenies) : 80 gal horizontal tank, 2 HP 240V 1728 rmp Baldor motor, 3.6 cfm @ 900rpm two-stage compressor, Load Genie mechanical unloader.
In the last 20 years, the only time this rig has been unable to keep up is when running my straight-line sander for extended periods - like 10-15 minutes straight. I run it at 120 PSI, probably much less than the compressor is capable of, but sure makes my 90PSI rated impact wrench kikas.
Even painting a whole car doesn't run it out. My sandblaster probably would , but for what I do, it runs something like 15 sec. on, a minute off.
Bottom line: I think you've got a defective compressor. Take it back.
I'm kinda proud of the scrounging I did to put my rig together, so here goes the brag: The tank came from an acquaintance who owns a body shop. The pump siezed, which blew up the motor. He had to get back in business, so a complete, new unit was the way to go. He sold me the tank for $50. I went searching for motors, didn't like one dealer's prices, but on the way out spied a stack of junkers-one was the 2HP Baldor which looked brand new, except it didn't work. How much, I asked. Five bux, he replied. About twice the scrap value in those days. It had a bad start capacitor. Another $10. Then, the pump. I scoured the want ads (no Craigs List or eBay back then!) until I found one that seemed marginally suitable. I didn't really want a 2-stage, but the price was right. When I went to look at it, it was a real all-iron monster, much bigger than I had expected. I was hesitant, but when the seller told me the story, I couldn't resist. Seems this pump had spent its live rolling up and down the Mississippi on a towboad, pumping up the air starters for the big diesels. This little pump was responsible for putting 250 psi into two 1,000 gallon tanks to bring the big towboat diesels back to life. With a displacement of 4.6 cfm, you can only guess at how long that must have taken!
It was removed and made available to the towboat operators when the diesels were converted to electric start. The seller had planned to do just what I did with it, but time caught up with him, and he realized a mobile home park is nowhere to make an auto shop. He let it go for $45. I didn't even try to bargain.
So, a total of $210 I had the basic unit. A little research revealed the need for an unloader. I decided the Load Genie was the simplest, so I got one new from Grainger for about $25. Salvaged electrical fittings, a cheapie regulator and some new copper air lines got the whole system up and running for under $300.
Bottom line (in case you missed it the first time) Your compressor is defective. Take it back.
sorry if i'm long-winded.
get it?
long ... WINDED??
I have started looking at air compressors for my garage at home. I am not a professional mechanic, but I like to work on cars with my spare time, so this will likely get used only a few times a month.
I however am quite capable at working on cars, and need an air compressor that is capable of spinning off some of the toughest bolts....IE Lower/Upper control arm bolts to the frame and rear axle, engine to ****** bolts etc.
I however am quite capable at working on cars, and need an air compressor that is capable of spinning off some of the toughest bolts....IE Lower/Upper control arm bolts to the frame and rear axle, engine to ****** bolts etc.
Key with 120v impact use is tank size and tank psi. The pump doesn't run the impact, the stored air does. You can run an impact effectively for short time frames with a 10-15 gal compressor w/ a 125 psi tank. If you aren't going to be running anything continuously like a die grinder (except for things like sharpening lawn mower blades) look at 120v units. For sandblasting etc. you need a 240v unit. That is where you start looking at CFM output.
If you want a 120v unit, buy the biggest tank with the highest PSI rating you can. About the highest they go is 30 gal @ 150 +/- psi. You can find that one at Lowes or reconditioned at Northern Tool. Husky sells a 30 gal but it's 135 psi. It'll just hold less air is all.
Best 120v units to get are belt driven with a separate pump and electric motor. They will be the quietest. Cast iron pumps stay cooler, and generally are considered to be more durable than aluminum pumps w/ cast iron sleeves.
I own the Craftsman Pro black compressor. It's the horizontal, 25 gallon. The vertical one is 27 gal. It is over priced for what it is. It's a good compressor but uses an aluminum pump with iron sleeves for the piston. If I were doing it again, I would probably buy the one at Northern Tool for $300, although I really do like the horizontal design.
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http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200455341_200455341
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_158284_158284
Was thinking of those two what u guy think?
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_158284_158284
Was thinking of those two what u guy think?
I have a Husky 20 gallon 155psi compressor from the home depot. It seems to power my IR231 pretty well. I honestly think it's enough compressor for most home-owners who might need to change out ball joints or something like that occasionally... obviously not a professional air compressor. If you want to run a grinder or another spinning tool, then you might want something with more air output, but the impact is generally run in short bursts from my few experiences.
1984Datsun
Well-known member
CFM, CFM, CFM... and a big tank.
So far, I've found my Husky 3.2 running HP 60 gallon to be a good buy. No trouble with it so far, other than running it hard and long enough to make lots and lots of water. That problem will be solved at some point with a home brewed Franzinator.
I'm even doing soda blasting with my compressor... home brewed soda blasting gun too... siphon pick up type. Keeps up no problem. It'll run and run and run while I blast, but as soon as I stop blasting, it'll top of for about a second and then stop.
I'd stay away from anything that's oilless, even a chi-com oiled reciprocating compressor will last much longer than a oilless made in the US or where ever.
Not to mention they're a hell of a lot quieter than an oilless...
So far, I've found my Husky 3.2 running HP 60 gallon to be a good buy. No trouble with it so far, other than running it hard and long enough to make lots and lots of water. That problem will be solved at some point with a home brewed Franzinator.
I'm even doing soda blasting with my compressor... home brewed soda blasting gun too... siphon pick up type. Keeps up no problem. It'll run and run and run while I blast, but as soon as I stop blasting, it'll top of for about a second and then stop.
I'd stay away from anything that's oilless, even a chi-com oiled reciprocating compressor will last much longer than a oilless made in the US or where ever.
Not to mention they're a hell of a lot quieter than an oilless...
Major Ramifications
Well-known member
Those are both fine. You could use a two stage unit, but those will get the job done OK.
Home Depot, Lowes, TSC, Sears, etc. all have good units in that category. Even Harbor Freight does.
Diverbill45
Well-known member
A couple of years ago I was in the market for a new compressor and was also on a budget. I ran up on this unit and decided to purchase it, even though it was $200 more, than my budget. When I purchased it, it cost me $699. A friend of mine also had one and before I purchased the unit I have, he showed me what this unit could do. At the time I was only interested in geting a 2-stage unit, but after seeing what this single stage unit can do I decided to get it. Also it was about $400 less than the 2-stage unit and has the same CFM delivery as the 2-stage unit. My compressor has 3 cyclinders instead of 2, which makes up for it being a single stage unit.
This compressor can run my sandblast cabinet all day long and has no problem keeping up with it.
Of all the air tools I use, the blast cabinet is the one that demands the most air and is the roughest and hardest on air compressors.
I've been very satified with the purchase of this compressor and would recommend it to anyone.
Here's their web site. www.aircompressorsdirect.com
This compressor can run my sandblast cabinet all day long and has no problem keeping up with it.
Of all the air tools I use, the blast cabinet is the one that demands the most air and is the roughest and hardest on air compressors.
I've been very satified with the purchase of this compressor and would recommend it to anyone.
Here's their web site. www.aircompressorsdirect.com
