cfm consumption for the Wagner HVLP conversion gun?

[Aaron Heck]

Hi gang,

I'm trying to see if the Wagner gun on gleempaint.com will match up at all with my small compressor (5.4cfm@40lbs). Does anyone know the cfm this gun requires? If my 4g tank couldn't meet the volume requirements, I thought I could always add an external tank.

Thanks!
Aaron

[Jim Becker]

Aaron, the 5.4 CFM @40 psi will be no problem with the gun (I don't recall the exact specs), but the small tank will be frustrating as your compressor will be running constantly to keep up. That's both a noise and a potential moisture problem; both can be dealt with, of course. Adding additional tank space will certainly help and in the short term make for a better spraying experience. But putting a larger compressor into service when you are able will greatly enhance your enjoyment with this and other tools over time.

[Aaron Heck]

Perfect, that's exactly the info I was looking for. Thanks.

I still haven't opened the smaller compressor. It's still sitting in the garage while I look at the IR Garagemate for $499 with free shipping at NorthernTool. But anymore big tools and we're not going to have any walking room in the garage.

On a similar note, are all "extension" tanks created equal? Any recomendations there?

Aaron

[Ken Garlock]

Hi Aaron. You can use Boyle's Law to solve your problem. Boyle stated that there is an inverse relationship between pressure and volume, ceteris parabus. Hence, we can say that P*V = P*V. You can substitute your compressor numbers into the equation and determine what is required. 40*5.4 = (gun pressure * gun volume) in CFM. If 216 (40*5.4) is more than the product of the gun(pressure*volume), you are OK, the compressor can keep up with the gun air usage. If 216 is less than the gun air consumption, you need a bigger compressor. I think that it would be advisable to give include a fudge factor and cut the 216 number back to 20 or even lower, so that you are not running your compressor all the time when using the gun.

I went to the gleem website, and tried to find some pressure and volume numbers. The best I could find said that the gun worked well at about 16 to 18 psi, but nothing about the amount of air it consumed. Without some volume numbers to go with the pressure, it is a crap shoot

[Aaron Heck]

Hey Ken,

Yeah, I checked around the Gleem site and the Wagner site but couldn't find too much info. If anyone know where an online users guide for this gun is, I'd be curious to take a look.

Aaron

[Jim Becker]

I still haven't opened the smaller compressor. It's still sitting in the garage while I look at the IR Garagemate for $499 with free shipping at NorthernTool.

Had I not found the deal at Tractor Supply on the 60 gallon IR, I would have considered the GargeMate...it's a very good compressor. I've never heard a bad word about it. (And it will run on 120v, although you absolutely need a 20 amp circuit)

[Michael Perata]

Hi gang,

I'm trying to see if the Wagner gun on gleempaint.com will match up at all with my small compressor (5.4cfm@40lbs). Does anyone know the cfm this gun requires? If my 4g tank couldn't meet the volume requirements, I thought I could always add an external tank.

Thanks!
Aaron

Aaron

I have that gun, a nice unit for the price - $125ish. The compressor motor will keep up with the gun but you do not have the tank capacity. It will be forever on.

I upgraded my compressor to a PC Model CPLC7060V 135 PSI, 60 Gal. I got mine at Loew's about a year ago for $488.