What to do with a Horizontal Compressor?

[Reverend Bow]

I have a Craftsman 6hp/33Gal Horizontial oil-less (HHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMM) compressor.

See on the left against the wall:

As you know, they have a pretty healthy footprint.

Anybody have any ideas on how to mount it off the floor, or do anything else with it (not get rid of it for a vertical ) for storage and or quieting it down?

 

[sscustom]

Maybe make a heavy duty shelf then mount it on that then you can have some storage underneath

 

[kaptain howdie]

oil-less compressors are for the occasional user or filling up your tires. they have a quarter of the life span of a piston unit, and are stupidly loud. if you plan on expanding your garage into a proper work space in the future i would.............PUMP IT or DUMP IT?..........sorry, i would dump it.

 

[Reverend Bow]

SS Custom,

I was thinking that...

I guess it would have to be a pretty stout shelf

Kap'n,

I actually use it very little, not enough to justify Dumping it.

I rarely use air tools, so it works well for what I do use it for

 

[bazzateer]

Build a sound-proofed (but ventillated) lean-to on an outside wall and put it in there. Run lines etc through the wall and round the garage. On the few occasions it's in use you won't hear it much (hopefully nor will the neighbours) and you'll have the floor space available at all times.

 

[wolflrv]

Just from looking at your pic you posted, I'd say the compressor is actually in a decent place, since it's sitting under the breaker box. What I see taking up room on the wall is the bikes. I'd take one bike and hang it from the ceiling directly over the compressor. Then take the other bike and wall mount it direct below, using a wall mount. That will cover the breaker box, but it won't be getting opened often and you can just drop the bike to the floor for easy access. That consolidates 3 huge wall hogs into one vertical footprint and frees up the whole rest of the wall for storage or workbench space.

Just an idea...

 

[Reverend Bow]

Hell of an idea Wolf... I'll look into that.

Bazzateer,
I'm not so sure I want to put it outside, but I total understand you idea, however it might not get past the "Boss"

 

[MG David]

I did as Bazzateer said except it is in a free standing shed that is very close to the garage wall. The wire is run to give me a switch inside the garage. It works very well.

 

[scott37300]

I mounted my rolair on the wall because floor space in my garage is very limited. It weighs 315 pounds and was a challenge getting it up onto the shelf by myself! I made up so shelf brackets and it's really strong with three of them and then a 2x4 frame and then 2 sheets of 1/2" ply on top.



It's solid and doesn't vibrate much at all. I'm thinking about making a shelf for my miller XMT welder and then just a small cart for the S64 wirefeeder since I have 50 ft gas hose and cables for the wire feeder from the power source. That would free up some more room on the floor.

 

[jduffle]

Scott....you might want to consider putting that cover on that breaker box.....A piece of metal from that chop saw would make some awesome fireworks if it were to fall into that box....just sayin......

 

[scott37300]

Scott....you might want to consider putting that cover on that breaker box.....A piece of metal from that chop saw would make some awesome fireworks if it were to fall into that box....just sayin......

Yes it's on now. Had it off while building the compressor stand and also I just temp wired the compressor when I put it up until I ran seal tight conduit from the panel to the compressor switch. I also was in the process of cleaning up the wiring that the previous owner put in there, he ran one 12 gauge romex out to the garage and then a 2 breaker panel(more of a disconnect) and then ran lights and outlets off that. I ran new cable and put the 100 amp sub panel in and was in the process of switching the lights over to the new panel so that mess above the panel is now gone. Just a during construction pic.

 

[Joe B.]

I have a similar compressor. I have some shelving units that have 2' x 4' shelves. It just sits on the bottom shelf and I use all of the shelves above it. Works great. I don't know if big box store shelves would be big enough so I bought mine from an industrial supplier which was nice because I was able to specify the number of shelves & the height that I wanted.

I can't comment on that exact model but my new Craftsman Pro oil-less is pretty quiet. It is no where near as loud as typical oil-less compressors.

 

[csp]

I have mine mounted on the top shelf of a 4' section (4' wide, 30" deep, 7' tall) of pallet racking sitting in a corner.

 

[Zeke]

I thought everyone put them under the work bench.

 

[dmeadow]

oil-less compressors are for the occasional user or filling up your tires. they have a quarter of the life span of a piston unit, and are stupidly loud. if you plan on expanding your garage into a proper work space in the future i would.............PUMP IT or DUMP IT?..........sorry, i would dump it.

Oh, I KNOW! I've been trying to kill my Black Max for 22 years, now! Dang thing is always so loud, I almost went deaf painting my car!

Just DIE already, PLEASE! I'd really like to get one of those stand-up oil-using types.

 

[olds70supreme]

If I end up staying in my current garage/house long term I plan on getting a horizontal compressor and using pallet racking to mount it just under the ceiling. The rest of the pallet racking will be configured for shelving and a workbench. The area under the compressor could be left open to allow a car to pull in all the way to the back wall.

 

[r6_cannibal]

I have been looking to pick up a compressor locally and all the inexpensive oiled compressors here seem to be of the same horizontal setup.
I was thinking about mounting the tank vertically, maybe even bolting it to the wall with straps and a stand under it, then relocating the motor to the top and plumbing a line to the tank. Not really sure what the repercussions of this would be, as i have not really seen a lot of people do it which leads me to believe it's not the best idea in the world

failing that, i would build a shelf into part of the garage with the compressor fitting perfectly under it, then making use of the space over the compressor with storage.

 

[eldirector]

I have that same compressor. Loud, but works fine. It is under my bench.

I've thought about moving it to the garage attic, but just haven't got around to it yet.

 

[tuner4life]

Have you thought about putting it in the attic and then running a line down into the garage? I know it wouldn't do much for the noise, but it would save space.

I have mine on the top shelf of a large Gorilla rack in the backroom of my garage and ran a line through the wall to a reel.

The nice part about putting the horizontal compressors up high is that you have access to the drain. It is alot easier to drain them from eye level than on your knees. If you dont drain them every now and then they will rust up on the inside and eventually leak (Unless you are trying to kill it lol).

 

[Weekend_warrior]

In Texas the Attic Idea while vented would be way to hot in the summer.

If you don't do the lean to, how about build a shelf over it so you can store things above it and not have to support the compresser. Just attach a reel hose next to it so you it will be a little more conventent. Maybe build in a drawer to catch all the accessores.

 

[kbs2244]

My son put his in the garage attic.
I have my pump on the top shelf of my storage rack and the tank hidden under the workbench.

 

[CARS]

I have one on the floor in the storage room (newer one) and one up on a shelf (1948 model tank, newer pump. Has since been condemned by the state of mn).

Once I find a bare tank, I will take it down, swap the compressor on the new tank and put it back up there. Only down side I see is that the air is hotter up there than it is on floor. Other than that, I love it up there out of the way.

 

[Falcon67]

For an oiless - the best way to quiet one is to get rid of it. I didn't wait for it to die, I gave it to my son-in-law. They live 500' away and if he plugs it in, I can still hear it.

 

[melliott28]

I wish that I had a horizontal compressor (mine is a 33 gallon oilless vertical). From what I can see from your photo, I think that a horizontal compressor can work really well for your space. I would suggest that you enclose it under a workbench and run the airline and drain line out of the enclosure. Also, install an outlet inside the enclosure and wire it to a light switch on the outside of the enclosure. This way you can operate the compressor without opening the door. A couple of air vents will be needed, but you don't want to make a straight path into the enclosure. It should have at least one bend in it. Also, the enclosure should be lined with some kind of sound absorbing material. With the compressor enclosed like this, it will be a lot quieter and simpler than building an enclosure outside and running lines through the wall. Also, the enclosure could serve as part of the support for a long work surface, under which you could put a couple of hose reels, additional shelves, tool cabinet, or whatever else you want. Just my 2 cents.

 

[camarotoolman]

Put it outside, so the neighbor you don't like can hear it!

 

[crewchief888]

mines on a shelf in the corner.
it's up high enough i have some space underneath for storage, and enough room under the bottom shelf to keep propane tanks.

built with some leftover tubing, couple scraps of plywood, and lag bolted to the 2x4 studs