New compressor gloat and questions (long)

Last week when I was draining the oil in my compressor I struck oil! Unfortunately, I discovered that the oil USED to be in the crankcase but had decided to vacation in the wide expanses of the 25 gallon tank. :(

The compressor was a 1972 25gal Craftsman model my dad bought the week I was born. He gave it to me a few years ago when we bought our house. After pricing components and considering the likely condition of the tank, I decided my best bet was to find a replacement. The old one had been thoroughly abused, having been used for bodywork and painting on my and my four brother's cars as teenagers along with several others along the way.

This week I looked at Craftsman, Porter-Cable and Campbell Hausfeld models. I quickly decided against an oil-free model which seemed to significantly limit the choices available without shipping. I also debated whether to go with a compressor that would probably last 10, 15, or even 20 years, or one that would likely last a lifetime, but with an appropriate cost. I also debated whether to go with a small upright or a full size upright. I didn't want another horizontal compressor because of the space. I use air for nailing (brad, finish, and stapler), occassional cleaning, an impact wrench for removing lug nuts and other jobs, occassional HVLP spraying. I also did extensive research on the Badger Pond Archive CD. Thanks to all those that asked the right questions many months or years ago!

I seriously considered a 30gal oiled Craftsman model, but just couldn't bring myself to risk it based on experience with other recent-model Craftsman tools. That one would have been $307 plus tax ($379 - 10% Craftsman Club discount - 10% floor model discount) I couldn't find anyone with a smaller, oiled CH in stock. I also decided against PC after learning the compressors were aluminum. :confused:

Today after much thought and discussion with SWMBO, I brought home a new Ingersoll-Rand SS3L3, a 60 gallon oil-filled upright. :) Tractor Supply just happened to have it on sale this week for $469. If you got a TSC credit card, you saved another 10% so the total was $450 with tax--about $100 less than Northern Tool. I basically decided there just wasn't enough savings to justify a cheaper model.

This was also my first chance to try out my new-to-me 5x8 utility trailer/wood hauler which worked great as well. After getting the compressor home, my dad, uncle, and brother-in-law helped unload and remove it from the pallet. I wired on a cord and we installed an elbow, some pipe, and a ball valve to make draining the water easier.

My initial impressions are that this will be a very good, last-a-lifetime, compressor. The compressor seems to run slower than the comparable Campbell Hausfeld model and everything seems to be just a little better constructed--though they do seem to use the same Emerson motor. Filling takes a long time compared to my old 25gal model and my dad's industrial sized two stage unit. However, I should get a lot of use between fill-ups for most things I do.

So, now that I have it home, a few questions:
First, related to mounting. The instructions say bolt it to the floor. My dad recommened getting rubber feet and not bolting it down, especially since it is in the garage and will hopefully only be here for about 2 more years before we build or buy our dream house. Any thoughts? What have others with uprights done? I'd probably somehow restrain it to the wall at the top to prevent tipping over, probably by a cord or something flexible. It does seem to transfer quite a bit of vibration to the floor compared to the old one which had rubber tires and feet.

Second, related to draining. I was never religious about draining the old one. I was always under the impression that draining required completely running all air out of the tank to get all the moisture. Is this necessary? Or can I just open the drain valve for a few seconds and get most of the crud? I figure my new drain valve setup will probably hold an ounce or two if something is left, at least keeping that out of the tank. A quick review of the manual just says drain the tank daily. I'd like to not waste a whole tank of air each time I use it if that's not necessary.

Third, my dad is recommending a bigger air filter. The current (tiny) one is plastic and threads on with 1/2" pipe thread. He's recommending I get some plastic 1/2" pipe components and basically make a 90-degree bend, go up a few inches, and put on a pipe flange. Then, he says get a small automotive air filter and use plywood to make a top and bottom (hopefully my description makes sense.) Any thoughts on this? Is this good advise? I know the compressor is going to try to inhale the same dust my dust filter is catching. I assume this would help keep the filter cleaner longer.

Hi Matt.
The Book advises to drain the tank daily and truth is that most of us try to but sometimes a couple of days or weeks slip by before it happens. I TRY to remember but am not always successful :rolleyes: What I have done is to add an automatic drain valve to the bottom and two ball valves up top. One before the regulator valve(to drain the tank in a hurry) and one after, which leads to the air hose so I can depressurize the hose, if I forget to shut the unit off and drain the tank. Hoses have been known to burst while stored under pressure. When I empty the tank by opening the 1st ball valve, which is on a tee, the pressure drops and when it hits around 8 PSI the automatic drain valve kicks open and drains the water in the bottom of the tank. When the comp. is turned on, it'll slowly build up pressure and once it hits around 8 PSI again, the drain valve closes and the comp. fills up normally. I believe that this is of some benefit in winter, when the temps are cold and the motor is struggling to fill the tank but with less resistance due to the open drain valve, this strain on the motor is lessened somewhat!
I guess it's a judgement call as to the wear on the motor with the extra fillings from daily drainings but better quality units will have a motor with a higher 'duty cycle' rating!
As for how to mount your unit. Why not leave it bolted to the skid(pallet), as long as you have easy access to the drain valve. That way, you won't have to worry about it dancing around on you and it shouldn't tip, the skid will provide some cushioning and it'll be all ready come time to move.
BTW nice unit! I was looking at one to replace the unit that persons unkown removed from the rear of my house but the insurance company said it was too big a price difference :mad: HTH
Cheers, Ken

We've got that unit at the mesquite outfit...it's a good'un.

We didn't tie it down, but did sit it on a rubber mat and wooden 'feet' to lift it up a bit for access to the drain. It's very heavy, doesn't vibrate much...not going anywhere.

I'll suggest you do some plumbing on the drain line before you ever set it in place. At the very least put some piping on so the petcock isn't directly under the unit...we brought ours just outside the legs. An old-time hardware store with a long-time associate will help in finding all the right fittings.

Again, do this before you set it down and 'pipe' it. Ours is piped through a wall and turns a corner with galvanized pipe...and like a dummy, I connected the entire maze of pipng directly to the compressor, working from the compressor out. Only way to undo it is one piece at a time, backwards. :rolleyes:

Once that dude is on the floor it's just incredibly difficult to work under it.

KC

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Matt Meiser

He's recommending I get some plastic 1/2" pipe components and basically make a 90-degree bend, go up a few inches, and put on a pipe flange.

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Be sure you are not using any plastic pipe on the compressed side of your installation. Plastic pipe is not approved by OSHA or the Army Corps of Engineers for compressed air applications and is very, very dangerous as it can easily shatter, sending sharp shards in all directions. Only use metal pipe for the pressure side; Type L copper or black pipe are both good choice with the former easier to work with.

The plastic pipe would only be on the intake side. I'll probably run copper for compressed air in my next shop. For now, its not worth it.