Air compressor advice???

[Fred Oliver]

My air compressor is making funny noises, and it seems to be cycling more and running longer. Well, that's okay; it's 25-30 years old. It's a Craftsman 3 HP 20-gallon, and when it dies, I can get a better one.

So I've done some initial research and gotten myself thoroughly confused. I'm figuring on a 60-gallon upright, 220v, and 5-7.5 HP. There's so much available and such a range of prices.

It seems to me a belt-driven model that requires oil is considered quieter and longer-lived. (My current compressor is the oil-free variety, and it sure is loud.)

Is the maintenance for an oil-lubricated compressor a big deal? Will I need a filter to remove oil? (Especially if used with a paint gun.)

What should I be looking for, and what features are important?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Fred

[Ken Garlock]

Hi Fred.

I have the Ingersoll Rand 5 hp, 40 gal compressor since 2004. It has been totally problem free. I bought mine through Northern Tool, and it was shipped from the IR plant in Tennessee(I think). At that time the shipping was free....As far as maintenance goes, I just check the air filter from time to time, and open up the crankcase filler plug to see what the synthetic oil look like. Changing oil should be a no-op, just remove the drain plug and let it flow. In addition, I open the drain valve for a few seconds every week or two to get rid of the accumulated water.

On the output side, I have a coalescing filter followed by a pressure regulator.

My compressor get little real use, just the occasional tire filling, and blowing dust "around" the shop. I have done very little spray painting - something I need to get back to.

If you are planning on running numerous air driven tools, then the 7hp compressor is probably what you want. For the average shop my 5 hp is more than adequate, if not overkill.

Ingersoll Rand and Quincy are well respected compressors. I happen to be an IR fan. I think they started in business the day after air was invented.

[robert hainstock]

I have used an oil less sor a long time, and it is noisy and troulbesome.
Bob

[Mike Minto]

Fred, do you need that much compressor? You didn't say what you were doing with it - I'm assuming you must spray finishes ALOT, and if so, I can see the need for a large tank / 2 stage unit. Remember, the bigger the tank, the longer it takes to get up to pressure - noise & electricity. All I ever do is drive brads, clean off my turnings and blow dust for clean-up in my shop - I use a small, extreme duty Campbell Hausfeld pancake compressor - oilless. It's all I need. I used one (crapsman) that needed to be oiled, and it blew oil all over a room I was working in. Never again. Mike

[Bob Hallowell]

Fred I have a little oiless pancake. But I want a bigger one, for an air powered 3" random orbital sander for my turnings. They need 5 cfpm of flow so that is something to consider.

Bob

[Bernie Weishapl]

I bought a Craftsman 33 gal 1.6 hp for my shop. I just punch a few 18 ga brads, blow off my turnings, blow dust off things and air up a tire now and then. This is the oil less one and is a great deal quieter than my 8 gallon oil filled compressor. I got the bigger one as I want to start airbrushing and didn't want one cycling all the time.

[Nathan Hawkes]

I have a Dayton 30G. oil filled compressor. Its not "that" quiet; Its still loud to me, but I have sensitive ears!! The oil level has never dropped significantly, and I haven't noticed any oil go through the line. Some tools, however, need an AUXILIARY oiler, and some need a filter to remove WATER from the line; such as a spray gun. I've had problems b/c I don't always remember to empty the drain line of the compressor every day; when water gets into the line when you're spraying, it fouls things up, and doesn't spray right for quite some time, as it doesn't mix well with lacquer thinner or mineral spirits!!

[Paul Andrews]

Fred,

I believe your observations are correct, compressors requiring oil do last longer and are somewhat quieter. As for what to look for in a compressor, the two most important factors to me are CFM output and parts availability. Another item you might be interested in, is the compressor rated for continuous duty, especially if your use requires extended high consumption.

To determine how much CFM you need, take the highest air use tool you use, or may use in the future, and research its consumption and buy a compressor rated at 1-2 CFM more and that should satisfy you. Horsepower ratings on compressors really mean nothing, the only thing that matters is how much air can it make!

Where in Boone are you? I live on Beech Mountain not far away.

Paul

[Jim Becker]

Oiled.

I have a 60 gallon 3hp IR that I'm extremely pleased with. Picked it up from Tractor Supply a few years ago. I know that it will last in my shop probably longer than I will.

[Fred Oliver]

I read somewhere that I should get a 60-gallon tank if I want to use a random orbital sander. IIRC, a flow of 10 CFM @ 90 PSI (or was it 40 PSI) would cover most applications and tools.

I've always thought I'd like to try an HVLP conversion gun whenever I upgraded compressors. (The regular paint gun I've used is too wasteful.)

Currently my main use is blowing chips and dust off myself and other hollow forms, although I have a couple of air nailers that see occasional use.

Another question that came up in my reading is the difference between single stage and 2-stage compressors.

So far, it appears that Ingersoll Rand is the favorite brand, followed by Campbell Hausfield and Quincy.

My thinking is to put it in the corner of the garage with a line through the wall to my little "shop", have a short flexible hose from the compressor to a wall-mounted fitting with a drop line and valve to dump water. (I've seen plans for this somewhere, but now can't recall where.)

Fred

[Bruce Page]

Fred, you can’t go wrong with a Ingersoll-Rand compressor coupled to an automatic drain valve for an almost maintenance free setup. A filter to remove oil is recommended if you’re going to be doing a lot of spraying, but I have shot a fair amount of lacquer without one and didn’t have any problems.

Ps., I have read about a lot of people being unhappy with their Campbell Hausfield. Quincy is a well respected name though.

[Bill Arnold]

I read somewhere that I should get a 60-gallon tank if I want to use a random orbital sander. IIRC, a flow of 10 CFM @ 90 PSI (or was it 40 PSI) would cover most applications and tools.

I've always thought I'd like to try an HVLP conversion gun whenever I upgraded compressors. (The regular paint gun I've used is too wasteful.)

...

I have a 6hp, 60gal CH -- bought it from a friend for $200 a few years ago when he upgraded to a larger unit. It handles everything I've asked it to do -- HVLP guns, pneumatic drill, etc.

When I bought my first HVLP conversion gun, I had a 3hp, 20gal compressor with about an 8cfm capability. The gun wanted 9-10cfm, but I just backed it down a little so I got good atomization. I had to plan my spraying somewhat to allow the compressor to catch up, but it worked. Sure is nice to have a larger compressor, though!

[Bob Slater]

If you get a 5HP make sure it is 220V. I briefly had a CH 5hp (claimed) that plugged into 110V. It was inadequate for my needs. Now I have too much compressor for the time being (80 Gallon two stage Shulz) Bought it direct from Shulz of America.

[Joe Jensen]

I read somewhere that I should get a 60-gallon tank if I want to use a random orbital sander. IIRC, a flow of 10 CFM @ 90 PSI (or was it 40 PSI) would cover most applications and tools.

I've always thought I'd like to try an HVLP conversion gun whenever I upgraded compressors. (The regular paint gun I've used is too wasteful.)

Currently my main use is blowing chips and dust off myself and other hollow forms, although I have a couple of air nailers that see occasional use.

Another question that came up in my reading is the difference between single stage and 2-stage compressors.

So far, it appears that Ingersoll Rand is the favorite brand, followed by Campbell Hausfield and Quincy.

My thinking is to put it in the corner of the garage with a line through the wall to my little "shop", have a short flexible hose from the compressor to a wall-mounted fitting with a drop line and valve to dump water. (I've seen plans for this somewhere, but now can't recall where.)

Fred

Tank size and CFM are unrelated. There 7.481 cu ft in a gallon, so a 60 gallon tank has only 8 cubic feet. If the sander needs say 90 psi to work, the 60 gallon tank will very quickly drop below 90 psi. If the pump cannot deliver 10 cfm @ 90 psi, the pressure will pretty quickly fall below the min 90 psi. An air sander is one of the tougher loads for a compressor. I sprayed for years with a 3HP, 5 cfm @90 psi. Because I started and stopped a lot while spraying, it worked ok. I sand pretty much continuously, so it would be a much tougher load on the compressor. The tank lets a compressor cycle less often of the cfm consumption by the tool is within the working range of the pump. If it's greater the tank will only give a very short extension before you run out of air...joe

[Ted Baca]

Another vote for oiled. I would get the belt drive with a 2 stage comp unit. I have a DeVilbliss 30gallon with a belt/2 stage and it does quite well as I run impacts from time to time when I play mechanic. I did after a break in period switch to synthetic oil to add life and run cooler. I wish I had bought a 60 gallon when I bought this but wasn't thinking far enough down the road. I do get a lot of extra capacity with the air lines and 2 hose reels. I have considered a 10gal add on tank too.