Wall mounted compressor

[z28snksknr]

Anyone have one of these? Seems like it's the perfect "entry level" system and it's modular since you can add on more capacity with extra tanks.

http://www.everyaircompressor.com/Campbell-Hausfeld-WL6750-CHP1875.html

with extra tanks:
http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/Resource.ashx?sn=TPCompressorWall

I'm looking for a <$300 compressor system that will power general automotive air tools.

 

[chevelle67]

A buddy of mine has one and I can tell you they are very loud, as all oil less are but I think they seem louder due to the wall its mounted to amplifying the noise. They seem to be for filling tires, balls etc.

 

[truck]

At $300 I would look for a better used compressor.

Truck

 

[hetkind]

that should be handy for filling a car tire, using a small staple gun or blowing dust off a workbench. However, it is too small to run a impact wrench, bike lift, sandblaster or paint gun.

It will look nice mounted on the wall next to a little vacuum cleaner

Note that it is not a "real" compressor...much too small for real work and they don't give ANY cfm figures or power consumption. My IR type -30 puts out 17 cfm at 90 psi.


Howard

 

[Zrexxer]

"Perfect entry level" compressor in the sense that you'd be so unhappy with that it would motivate you to upgrade to a real compressor within a week

Unlike a lot of things, you have some real options in the $400 and less range for a compressor. For instance, HF sells this (refurb) American-made Campbell Hausfeld with a 60 gallon ASME-certified vertical tank, a cast iron oil-lubricated pump, and a real motor for $329. That machine is 100x the compressor the wall-mount thing is.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=55996

 

[Falcon67]

That looks like 68 lbs of "buyer's remorse".

>I'm looking for a <$300 compressor system that will power general automotive air tools.
Keep looking! Plenty of options but I'd suggest you raise your price point about $100. After the tool box, the two most used things in my shop are the drill press and air supply. You will not be sorry you spent a few extra $$.

 

[z28snksknr]

Thanks for all the opinions. Sounds like the vote is a definate "no" so far. I don't have 220V anywhere in the house, so that would have to be added for that compressor you listed. My 100A service box is completely full, so adding anything is going to get expensive, right? That puts most of the "good" compressors out of my price range (and garage floorspace)

What would be my best 110V option? I'm not looking to paint or sand much at all, so do I really need that much CFM? The Campbell Hausfield website says the wall unit + 2 expansion tanks would be ok for most air tools that I'm looking at (air ratchet, impact gun).

I'm more looking for a compressor to get me by for about 5 years doing automotive repair (not body work) than a big compressor to power tools I haven't bought yet and don't have immediate need for.

 

[Costner]

The idea of a wall mount would be ok if you had a detached shop, but I can just imagine the first time I fired that up in my garage which shares a wall with the house. The wife would be outside in about 30 seconds wondering why all the pictures on the walls are shaking.

No thanks.

The compressor itself is the size of a portable unit, but it isn't portable since it is mounted to the wall. This seems like a huge negative for me - if I buy something small enough to be portable, it gives me the options of taking it to the work instead of bringing the work to it. This is why I own two compressors - one medium size for my primary use and one smaller pancake compressor for those times when I need to use a nailer somewhere other than the garage etc.

 

[z28snksknr]

The compressor itself is the size of a portable unit, but it isn't portable since it is mounted to the wall. This seems like a huge negative for me - if I buy something small enough to be portable, it gives me the options of taking it to the work instead of bringing the work to it. This is why I own two compressors - one medium size for my primary use and one smaller pancake compressor for those times when I need to use a nailer somewhere other than the garage etc.

Good point.

You guys talked me out of it. Thanks.

I don't have a problem raising my price range to $400 or so, but if I have to install 220V wiring, that money takes from the "air compressor pile".

 

[Zrexxer]

The Campbell Hausfield website says the wall unit + 2 expansion tanks would be ok for most air tools that I'm looking at (air ratchet, impact gun).

The problem with that isn't the tanks - the problem is the little oil-less buzz-box compressor. Here's a 120V option - sorry to keep steering you to Campbell but frankly they're a pretty good compressor in the lower price ranges. Sears and others have similar. This particular site lists this one for about $500 but if you were shrewd about finding a used one on CL or somewhere you could do much better on price:
http://www.cpocampbellhausfeld.com/air_compressors/professional_air_compressors/vs5006.html

 

[djjsr]

I have one of those wall mounted things made by Campbell Hausfeld. Don't waste your money. It's ok for filling tires and it doesn't take up much space but it won't keep up with most tools. When it quits, I won't buy another.

 

[z28snksknr]

So I gather I should avoid oil-less motors all together then? It is for longevity reasons or are they just not able to build them with sufficient capacity for proper air tool use?

 

[snorky18]

So I gather I should avoid oil-less motors all together then? It is for longevity reasons or are they just not able to build them with sufficient capacity for proper air tool use?

I would avoid oil-less and avoid belt driven for 3 reasons
1) they're typically a cheaper design that will not last as long
2) they're a LOT more noisy, and you only get one set of eardrums
3) they're not as repairable if something breaks

I lived with the biggest 120 Volt compressor you can get from Craftsman (Red, vertical, 33 gallon I think) for 5 years, and I had to wear earplugs every time it came on (frequently by the way). Then I got a 60 gallon oil lubed belt driven (Kobalt from lowes, new for $270), and oh what a difference it makes.

In terms of the idea of a wall mounted compressor, there are entire threads here about people trying to reduce noise and vibration of decently quiet and smooth compressors using hockey pucks, special padded mounts, building seperate sheds/rooms for them, etc.

By bolting a compressor (especially a noisy one with lots of vibration) to the wall you would be amplifying the noise and vibration, and in my house I would worry about it cracking drywall mud in nearby corner joints, etc.

My 100A service box is completely full, so adding anything is going to get expensive, right?

Not necessairly - depending on what brand box you have and what type of breakers you have installed already, you may be able to install "skinny" breakers and put 2 where 1 used to be (look at my awesome terminology, clearly I'm not an electrician )

What would be my best 110V option? I'm not looking to paint or sand much at all, so do I really need that much CFM? The Campbell Hausfield website says the wall unit + 2 expansion tanks would be ok for most air tools that I'm looking at (air ratchet, impact gun).

I'm more looking for a compressor to get me by for about 5 years doing automotive repair (not body work) than a big compressor to power tools I haven't bought yet and don't have immediate need for.

That's basically what I was looking for when I first started, a 120 Volt compressor that would last 5+ years to run impacts etc. You can get by with an oil-less direct drive for that description.

But if I did it again, and I had to get 120 Volt, my first compressor would have been something similiar to this:
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/1NNF4

Which can get quite cheaper if you can find a used one on craigslist. It will last and last, and if a single component fails (compressor or motor) you can buy an inexpensive replacement part rather than replacing the whole unit.

 

[Zrexxer]

But if I did it again, and I had to get 120 Volt, my first compressor would have been something similiar to this:
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/1NNF4

Guess I shouldn't be surprised, yet I was anyway... that link to Grainger's Speedaire compressor lists in bold letters "Country of Origin: China." Sigh.

 

[z28snksknr]

I'm definately steering away from the wall mounted one based on the responses so far.

Next question: I see suggestions for relatively small capacity tanks with relatively large air flow numbers. Wouldn't these compressors be cycling more often (with less duration) than a large capacity unit with lower flow?

Should I focus more on flow than capacity?

 

[snorky18]

I'm definately steering away from the wall mounted one based on the responses so far.

Next question: I see suggestions for relatively small capacity tanks with relatively large air flow numbers. Wouldn't these compressors be cycling more often (with less duration) than a large capacity unit with lower flow?

Should I focus more on flow than capacity?

One word answer: Yes.

Long answer: Flow of the compressor itself is really what decides how big of an air tool you can run continuously. If you had an 80 gallon tank with a cheap little non-oil-lubed compressor on top, it would take FOREVER to fill the tank, would get really hot, and capacity in that tank to run an impact for several seconds, but once that air ran out, you would be waiting a long time for the wimpy compressor to refill the huge tank. Think of the tank as a "buffer", but if the compressor can't put out the air your tool needs continously, you're going to run out of air at some point.

All that being said, if you're limited to 120 Volts, you're not going to get much above 5-6 SCFM at 90 PSI at any price range. Anyone that says they can get more CFM than that with a normal reciprocating type compressor on a typical 15 or 20 amp breaker can probably also sell you some beach front property

Same goes for "horsepower" ratings (sears got in a big lawsuit over this years ago). No matter what a manufacture says the "horsepower" of their motor is, the rule is basically 9 Amps per HP at 120 Volt, and 4.5 Amps per HP at 240 Volt. So there's no way a 15 Amp breaker can power more than ~1.5 HP motor. But that didn't keep some companies from claiming their 15 Amp 120 Volt compressors were 6+ HP

BTW, if you haven't already, check out Eaton compressor's webpage, they make some nice stuff. I'm not affiliated with them in any way but everything I've heard about them has been positive. There's some reading there that may clear some stuff up for you, even though they mostly sell 240 Volt units, the same principles apply to smaller ones.

Go to http://www.eatoncompressor.com/catalog/item/504747/172983.htm and read some of his general info about compressors (it's the long section towards the bottom with no paragraph breaks, but its good info).

 

[hetkind]

Last year, while in a rental house, with NO power to the ramshackle barn, my 8 year old 110v 35 gallon "3.5hp" compressor bit the dust, to the point I simply dropped the whole assembly in the recycle bin. I dropped by Harbor Freight for a little 20 gallon portable, with an oil bath and on wheels for $139 and that has run without problems for the last year, including pulling a wheel off a military power wagon (1.5" lug nuts) on a single tank of air.

In the years time it did everything from changing motorcycle tires, repairing tubeless backhoe tires (full size Case and Deere tractors) and a zillion other odd jobs. Now, since the big IR type -30 is up and running, it has been retired to corner.

Best of luck in your seach.

Howard

 

[z28snksknr]

Go to http://www.eatoncompressor.com/catalog/item/504747/172983.htm and read some of his general info about compressors (it's the long section towards the bottom with no paragraph breaks, but its good info).

Thanks for the info . Helpful stuff. I'm certainly getting an education from all you knowledgeable guys, which is why I come here instead of manufacturers websites.

I've heard that alot of Craftsman compressors will not achieve the advertised 150 psi. Is that accurate? Are they worth considering if they cannot perform?

 

[snorky18]

There's nothing "magic" about hitting 150PSI. The higher pressure your have, the more air is in your tank, but that doesn't matter much whether your pressure cuts off at 125 vs 135 vs 150 PSI. The two stage compressors that go to 175 PSI obviously provide a LOT more air, but they're 240 Volt, and $$.

Pretty much every handheld tool I can think of is designed to run at 90 PSI. The only time my regulator is ever adjusted to over 90 psi is when:

1) I'm filling up 125 PSI road bike tires
2) I've got a couple hundred feet of hose run so I go to 95 or 100 psi to help compensate for the pressure loss through all that hose
3) My impact won't budge a bolt at 90 PSI so I try it with full tank pressure (not the nicest thing to do to your impact, but some pro. guys run all their tools at full tank pressure all the time)

My craftsman went to 150 psi, but as it aged it seem like it stopped at 145 psi (got tired, lol). All this is assuming the cheap gauge that comes with it was correct the whole time.

The craftsman ones are worth consideration, but most of them are oil-less and direct drive, which is not so great.

 

[z28snksknr]

Thanks. I was more coming from a "truth in advertising" angle than a "125# vs. 150#" compressor but you make valid points regarding what desireable performance you should look for vs. being wowed by the numbers.

Is anyone with a portable compressor (small tank) utilizing any add-on tanks to increase capacity? I'm leaning towards a portable Craftsman Professional series 8 gal. compressor, but was thinking of adding a pressure tank to make it a bit less "sensitive" for large volume tool usage or possibly powering two tools at once.

 

[Falcon67]

Too bad you are in NJ - I have a very nice Porter Cable 33 gallon oil bath unit I'd make a good deal on. PS - anything you can buy at Sears in air compressors you can get elsewhere for less. I love Craftsman but some things are not worth the upcharge. Their 60 gallon vertical units sell for $599 "on sale" all the time - same unit as the CH or Husky etc that you can get all over for $399~$439.

Better: http://www.google.com/products/cata...ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQ8wIwAA#ps-sellers.

 

[hetkind]

Air compressed to 180 psi has TWICE the mechanical energy as air compressed to 90 psi, so by going to a higher storage pressure, you increase your storage capacity. I keep my distribution system set to 90 psi for most jobs also, but sometimes you need more flow to get some tires seated.

For that, I have a direct tap off the main line with a ball valve... Close the valve, hook up a hose with a clamp on chuck minus the center post, to a valve stem with the core pulled. Put it around the corner, whack the valve open, watch the gage and listen for seating.

Howard