Air Compressor

I'm in the market for a new Air Compressor and was wondering what you guys are using. Specifically in terms of make, size, type (piston/oil less, etc.....

Also if you use a piston type do you have to use oil that is designed painting?

Thanks for the help!

I don't think the make / brand matters that much (they're all pretty much the same), but the size matters. I have a 5.5 hp motor, oil-less piston compressor(DeVilbiss), with a 26 gal vertical tank (saves floor space), and 15 ft. of 3/8" ID air hose (the 1/4" ID drops too much pressure). I can't remember the CFM, but it's more than I need for my biggest spray gun. Oh, and I've added a small water trap (centrifugal type) to eliminate blushing in dope. With this setup, I can put a coat on a full-size stunter without the compressor kicking in a single time. If you use a large and/or HVLP spray gun, and get a small "pancake" compressor, your motor will be on almost 100% of the time, and pressure may drop significantly every time you pull a spray trigger. Make sure you match (better, exceed) the CFM of your largest air tool (i.e., spray gun, air wrench, etc) when you shop for your new compressor. Then look at the tank size. I would not recommend anything below 15-20 gal.

God luck.

Just remember that anything over a 2HP motor will require a special high-capacity circuit. A 15 amp circuit won't handle any more...

No Special oil is required other than rated being rated for air compressor use. Its pretty much like crankcase oil. I don't like the oilless units because they are really noisy.

Get the biggest, baddest, most HP, biggest tank unit you can afford, fit in the garage, convince wife to allow, wire in, etc.

I think minimum for an HVLP gun is probably 3-5 real HP (non of that PEAK HP crap)and 25gal min. Wire it up for 240VAC. For conventional guns--like touch up guns, 1-2 HP with 10 gal will work ok.

Use a good oil and water seperator/filter installed some piping distance from the tank to allow the hot vapor to condense prior to the se unit. Plumb it with 3/8 to 1/2" pipe.

Overill? perhaps but you wont ever have to go through the upgrade again. And you will find alot of other uses for air when working on other things--replacing heads on the old Jag, new shocks and ball joints on the Suburban, and a new universal joint in the Land Rover.

Cheers

Depending on your budget, you've already been given some good advice. Especially about ignoring the "Peak" HP garbage. Almost all "consumer" electrical toys are over-rated to a ridiculous degree, air compressors included. A "real" 3 HP motor will draw 15 Amps at 220 volts. Watts (V x A) is the only valid measurement.

Before you buy anything, go to a specialty shop and check out a Quincy, General or Yale compressor. You'll be amazed at how quiet a big compressor can be. You'll be amazed at the price, too, of course. Also check the Ingersoll compressors from Harbour Freight; they're louder, but relatively inexpensive and very long-lived.

WalMart is selling the IR's right now - two models at $200 and $250, I believe. I can't remember the ratings, but both are the horizontal tank on wheels type. Check the auto parts section, they're flying off the floor in my area. Wish I had that much change right now.

I don't know about you Ralph, but I have found that ALL the oil-less compressors are NOISY. Is that what you find??

> I don't know about you Ralph, but I have found that ALL
>the oil-less compressors are NOISY. Is that what you find??
>
> Bigiron

Without exception, Marvin. Extremely noisy. BTW, you can soften the racket by using felt typewriter pads under the oilless compressors. It doesn't silence them, but it does reduce the horrible "cratcheting". (Don't know a better word.)

We visited a Quincy retailer in SoCal a couple of years ago, and he "lit up" the compressor just before starting his speil. He continued to talk at normal volume with the compressor running full-tilt! I could hear pulses, but they were soft. Conversation was easy.Worth the price if you value your hearing.

In my experience the "oil less" noise makers can't keepm up to much more than a touch-up gun, run constantly, and wear out fairly quickly.

Another one to watch out for is the SEARS or Crafstman ( and copies) that look like a conventional belt drive piston type, but do not have an oil sump. This lets them use sealed bearings on the crank pin end of the rods, and they work OK for very light duty. The problem is when you run them for extended periods they heat up and sieze the pistons in the bore- breaking the rod.

Get the best/ biggest cast iron bore / 2 cylinder / belt drive you can afford. Check the want ads for a used one, some times a deal is out there wating for you. I got a used 6hp Coleman "Black Max" 60 gal vertical tank for $275. Cost me another $200 for the electrical service. That's still less than $500 for the best labor saving investment ever.

I do some auto repair on the side, and the compressor and air rachets / impact wrenches paid for themselves in the 1st year.

Oh yeah - if you get a big'un, mount it to the floor of the garage with anchor bolts up through drilled hockey pucks for noise / vibration isolators. Kinda like a soft mount on a big R/C plane.

I knew my unit would result in a noise that I would not want to hear so I built a simple 3 1/2 foot building on the back of my shop and as close to it as I could get ( less than a foot away ). The air line goes through 3" pvc to my shop and the wiring goes through conduit. Just enough noise that I can tell when it comes on - if my radio is not on.