Air compressors

Carol Reed

In Memoriam
Messages
5,533
Location
Coolidge, AZ
The new toy requires more air than my tired old rebuilt twice little compressor can deliver. I need 6 CFM @ 90 PSI. Suggestions as to brands? HF any good? Stuff from the borgs? Also watching on-line but need to know what the right things at the right price. So far, 5PH with 30 gallon tank is the best priced but getting air ratings is becoming problematic. I need more information than horsepower, fer cryin' out loud. You'd think that was the only important thing looking at some of these ads.

And if I hear one more,'what you need, little lady...' I may go postal. He's lucky to still be alive.
 
This is a timely thread as dad has been looking around for one in about that category. Neither of us is really qualified to make a determination and so will be learning anything that others can share.
 
I've had this compressor at least ten years. Bought it used from another woodworker. All I've had to do is change the oil occasionally.

These used to have a problem with the small line running to I believe the pressure switch. A small black line running through a hole in the head & motor mounting base with no protective grommet. The vibration would cause the line to rub against the raw edge of the hole & wear a hole in the line.
 
These used to have a problem with the small line running to I believe the pressure switch. A small black line running through a hole in the head & motor mounting base with no protective grommet. The vibration would cause the line to rub against the raw edge of the hole & wear a hole in the line.

I just took a look at mine to check that little black line. It has no grommet, as you said, but this one has been in operation for 15 or so years and there's only a very small abrasion on it. Since you mentioned it, I'll stuff a piece of foam in the hole.
 
I have about the same one that I bought used on craigslist, electric motor was shot due to a constant leak in the line (previous owners fault, not the motors). Been running great with the new motor. I had also looked a the 3.7hp one that Lowes has with the 60 gallon tank, looked to be comparable.

Mine has a tag that calls it a 6hp motor, but I know that is all "specsmanship". The Lowe's unit has a specification of 15 amps; so does mine.
 
Mine has a tag that calls it a 6hp motor, but I know that is all "specsmanship". The Lowe's unit has a specification of 15 amps; so does mine.

In contrast, my 5hp compressor has a spec of 24 running amps, and 48 starting amps (at 220v). I run it on a dedicated 40 amp circuit.
 
Carol, it looks to me like (IF) you really have to have 6CFM minimum at 90lbs, it will take more than your standard 20amp 110volt plug to do this.

The bigger 220volt 40 amp units can be a couple hundred pounds, and they are big. Taking up floor space.

With a bigger unit, you will have to invest in a dedicated 220 circuit, as well as the possibility of special electrical cutoffs like HVAC units use (depends on local code).

Yes you can wire it up yourself, if you know what you are doing, but it's probably better to hire an electrician to do it right.

All of the units will probably be made in China, but some will be closer in output to what their labels say than others.

What you might want to do is rent a compressor for a day that is 110 volt and at 20amps or less (if your home system can handle that much amperage)

If the rental is 5 CFM and that works fine, might as well save the money on buying such a huge compressor. the big ones will do 14CFM at 90, which is overkill for your needs.

Be cognoscente of overloading your electric system with 110V at 20amp compressors. If the compressor will not start, or keeps blowing the breaker, it is too big for your electrical system

Also, be wary of 220V machines coming in 3 Phase. You can't use those at home. That electrical service is not available to you. They should not be rewired to single phase either, because its easy to electrocute yourself with it then.

So in a nutshell I'd say, rent a tester machine, run it for a while under your intended load, if it works out buy that one, if not poney up and have an electrician wire you up for a 220volt single phase unit, which is much more expensive.



http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/Compare?storeId=10155&catalogId=12602&partNumber_1=00916474000P&partNumber_2=00916475000P&partNumber_3=00916485000P&partNumber_4=00916578000P&prodCount=4
 
Carol,

I purchased a used Campbell Hausfeld from a friend of my son Greg in approximately 1963. Specs: 2 hp, 110 or 220v, 20 gal, 10.7 cuft/min displacement, 125 PSI.
Delivery: 8.8 SCFM @ 40 PSI, 7.4 SCFM @ 90 PSI.

It has worked flawlessly. The only large thing it has been used for was painting my rather large house in approximately 1970 with some Sears water based paint. I had air all of the time that I wanted it.

I'm going to steal the motor off of it and junk it. The reason I am doing that is its age. I'm just getting leery to turn it on for fear the old tank will go boom.

Anyway the CH of that era seems to be a very reliable piece of equipment.

Enjoy,
JimB
 
I couldn't come up with Quincy, even though I have one (got lucky and found it on CL, lightly used). Also have a larger (before the motor size lawsuit), 5 or 6 (labeled) HP, 60 gallon for my brothers farm (Campbell Hausfield that was a present). It has the cast iron pump, where some of the ones I dealt with (one Craftsman in the mechanics shop), had the aluminum pumps, that were known to go bad (pump cost almost as much as the compressor)
Eaton's are good as well (generally, Eaton and Quincy use a slower motor and a dual belt setup, verses the homeowner units of the building centers). My dad has been happy with his HF (one wheels, I used to have a portable HF, just for nailers), but it is lightly used.
Agree on the Ingersol Rand as well (better then homeowner models, and not quite a commercial model).
 
Concerns here seem to be cast iron pump, 220V on single circuit, double belt drive, and a tank that is not rusty. That is hard to tell, cause they rust from the inside. Causing me some hesitation in buying used. Vertical for a smaller footprint is a bonus. But, DARN! They're spendy!
 
I would like to have a nice compressor too.

I also like to do things that many people tell me I cannot do.

This past summer I spray painted my six panel doors with nothing more than a Porter Cable pancake compressor.

To me - a Big two stage cast iron piston compressor for a hobby shop sounds like owning a 18 wheel Kenworth V16 Detriot Diesel to commute 10 miles to work.

Yeah, I know my pancake compressor is too small, and I do desire something better.

Not knocking anyone - but is that industrial stuff "really" a must have, for a small hobby, or even a light commercial shop?
 
Leo, this is a case of a piece of equipment with minimum air requirements to function properly. I don't particularly WANT a new compressor but my little guy can't produce what the plasma cutter requires in terms of volume and pressure. It is also quite old and getting pretty tired. Not anywhere what it used to be. This is more the case of using a bellows instead of a soda straw to blow air.
 
There is a definite and real need to be filled. In a case where there is a real need, that is what needs to be filled. I will also agree with the "want" scenerio. Often times someone will "want" the Kenworth to commute to work. I'm also OK with that. What I find distressing is when advise is given that the hobbyist "needs" a Kenworth when a VW beetle is adequate. That happens all the time. My point is - be careful to get what you really need, or "want", and not to be swayed by the others. Personally I am on the "practical" side of things, perhaps a little "cheap". Heck, I have been called a typical New Englander. I try to squeeze a dime out of a nickel, and don't like to spend a $dollar$.
 
Concerns here seem to be cast iron pump, 220V on single circuit, double belt drive, and a tank that is not rusty. That is hard to tell, cause they rust from the inside...

If you're looking at used ones, be sure to open the tank drain, first thing (after de-pressurizing, of course). If a quantity of rusty water comes out, don't bother looking any further. You don't want that one!

When you do buy one, consider getting an automatic drain valve for it. Get a solenoid-actuated one - not that $6.00 one from Horrible Fright. I paid about a hundred bucks (fifteen years ago) for the I-R one on my compressor. It pops for a second each time the compressor starts, and every 45 minutes between starts. It's a bit disconcerting to hear it pop in an otherwise quiet shop, when you're not expecting it, but it keeps the tank well drained. Scares the crap out of the shop dog, too!:D
 
One way to eliminate the rust issue is to coat the tank with a ceramic coating product. Commonly used on gas tanks for classic car restoration. Since the air outlet is on the top of the compressor...no worries about clogging.
 
Top