Air Compressor

[roadrunnerh]

Ok guys, I need some advice. I would love to be able to run an air compressor in my home garage.
How powerful of a unit do I need? I want to be able to remove lug nuts, inflate tires, general maintenance etc....

Any brands ya recommend?

 

[george68hemirr]

Ok guys, I need some advice. I would love to be able to run an air compressor in my home garage.
How powerful of a unit do I need? I want to be able to remove lug nuts, inflate tires, general maintenance etc....

Any brands ya recommend?

IF YOU GO WITH A 2 HP 30GALLON it will do the job but may run out of air if you constantly run air tools and if you want to hear it running to keep up[ not much storage]
i have a 60 gallon 6.5 hp up-rite and works fine....the guy painted my car with it
or you can go for the gusto and get a 80 gallon 8hp two stage to blow up your blow up dolls...haha

the more you spend the more you get...sometimes.....brands???......anybody??

 

[zupanj]

I have a 60 gal upright that I bought at Sears about 10 years ago. I think it was a close out model. It works great. I run power tools with no problem. My only complaint is that it is extremely loud when it pumps and I have it in an out-of-the-way place where the sound bounces off three walls. I don't know what I did without one now that I have it.

 

[3BIRDS1X]

I run a big upright too, the garage I do my work in is detached but I ran a bunch of pvc tubes from the basement to the garage. I keep the compressor in the basement and run the hose thru the pvc tubes to the garage and the compressor switch is in the garage with the wiring in the pvc tube for wires.Anyhow with it in the basement I don't have to listen to the compressor, it's in a stable enviroment and most importantly it doesn't take up garage space.

 

[Big John]

I have an older 5hp sears compressor in my basement. It does most everything I need, but bigger is always better and its replacement will probably be 6hp or more.

 

[Roadcuda]

Mine is only a 3.5 hp, 15 gal, compressor. But for the amount I use it, which is changing a few tires, putting air in a tire, or just cleaning parts off, it does the job I need. It only has a single cylinder for compression so when it runs to build pressure it does make a racket.

 

[Hoosier Bird]

I've got a 60 gallon upright, 7 1/5 horse. It keeps up with all my air tools. I would want a 10 hp if I ever replace it.......good luck........

 

[jays69bird]

I have a Craftsman professional series,these are black & gold opposed to red like the regular Craftsman,they are two stage which is better for high air usage like painting or die grinding.Mine is the smaller tank(25 gal) and runs on 120 because when I bought it I didn't have 220 in the garage,they also make a 60 gal 230 v,wish I had the bigger tank but actually for what I do its enough compressor,no matter which one you buy I recommend a two stage.Good Luck.

 

[roadrunnerh]

Thanks for all the input guys! I think I know what I want for Christmas.......

 

[John69RR]

I've got a 5 hp 30 gallon Craftsman also. Mine is under the workbench. A little loud but it works. I ran the Sch40 PVC pipe in the garage with numerous drops.

 

[Big John]

I'm not a fan of PVC pipe for compressed air.

While it may be rated at (IIRC) 300 PSI, that rating is for liquid pressure. Divide that by a factor of about 3 for air pressure and suddenly your working pressure rating is about 100 PSI. Combine that with the "shrapnel" factor of burst PVC and you've got some potential for you or someone you love to be seriously hurt.

I know some people use this with sucess, but I've also read of the pipes bursting. One horror story I read was of a small garage fire that got a section under pressure hot. It burst and faned the fire and it went from a small fire that was under control to a major fire that took the garage and the street rods in it.

Better materials are black pipe (my preference), galvanized pipe and Type K or L copper. Type M (red stripe) copper won't cut it.

 

[Big John]

OSHA's position on the use of PVC

http://www.osha.gov/dts/hib/hib_data/hib19880520.html

 

[zupanj]

I sweated 1/2" copper, Type L if I recall. Probably a little bit more expensive than pvc but you are not talking about that much stuff for a garage.

Jack

 

[Hoosier Bird]

Black pipe............. Do it once and it'll last for ever....

 

[ACME A12]

Wow. I have a LOT (pretty big toy box if you recall) of PVC running all over the shop. Starting to think I may need to add replacing it to my already lengthy "To-Do List"...

Never realized the 300 PSI rating was reduced to a 1/3 when used for air...just assumed 300 PSI was 300 PSI...

 

[Hoosier Bird]

Wow. I have a LOT (pretty big toy box if you recall) of PVC running all over the shop. Starting to think I may need to add replacing it to my already lengthy "To-Do List"...

Never realized the 300 PSI rating was reduced to a 1/3 when used for air...just assumed 300 PSI was 300 PSI...

I'll help you do that when I move in with you when snow starts to fly........

 

[Basketcase]

I'm not a fan of PVC pipe for compressed air.

While it may be rated at (IIRC) 300 PSI, that rating is for liquid pressure. Divide that by a factor of about 3 for air pressure and suddenly your working pressure rating is about 100 PSI. Combine that with the "shrapnel" factor of burst PVC and you've got some potential for you or someone you love to be seriously hurt.

I know some people use this with sucess, but I've also read of the pipes bursting. One horror story I read was of a small garage fire that got a section under pressure hot. It burst and faned the fire and it went from a small fire that was under control to a major fire that took the garage and the street rods in it.

Better materials are black pipe (my preference), galvanized pipe and Type K or L copper. Type M (red stripe) copper won't cut it.

I've never heard of PVC pipe being used for air. Big's right, the shrapnel factor is plain scarey. I replaced all my water lines with cpvc years ago. Our kitchen has a crawel space under it. The second year after I ran the plastic, we had a week of below 20 degree weather. One pipe to the washer burst. Nice long sharp pieces. And that was just under water pressure, not air pressure. If you want cheap and easy, run rubber hose, at least when that bursts, it's just a hole, with no sharp pieces flying. Black pipe it, and forget it.

 

[Big John]

Spending a lot of my life working with and around compressed air, I've come to respect its power to hurt you.

A friend bought a used compressor... I even hauled it for him.... and we didn't realize the tank was actually a water tank. It had been painted up nice and looked right at first glance.

He left his shop one night and the cops were waiting for him when he got home.... about a 2 mile drive.... In the time he was driving home, the compressor tank had ruptured where the end cap was welded on. Sitting next to the tank was several crankshafts (including one from a T/A Challenger) Two were broken in half. A 727 auto trans case was broken from the shrapnel and probably the scariest thing of all... an almost full 55 gallon drum of anti-freeze was thrown over two cars, never touching either one and smashed against the wall of the garage.

 

[Hoosier Bird]

We sometimes get hydraulic cylinders that don't want to come apart, even after everything is taken loose. I don't allow anyone to blow them out with air unless they park the fork truck in front of it with only 1" of clearance between the vertical part of the fork to the end of the cylinder rod, which only alows the rod to move 1". I had a guy in a big hurry one time that just started pumping air into a cylinder to blow it apart. It was a 5" diameter rod about 6 foot long and he blew it out bounced off of the floor and went through an overhead door that was closed. He no longer work here.....just remember liquid (oil) will only compress 1% by volume and air will compress an unlimited amount. Very, very, dangerous.........be safe guys.......

 

[John69RR]

Interesting. Now I have another project. It's been 12 years with Sch 40 PVC, time for black pipe.