I'm trying to find an air compressor in the $150-$300 price range but all of the ones I have looked at are oiless and I don't want an oiless unless I have to because I know that they are loud and I have heard they are only good for 2 or 3 years before they go out. Also I'm wanting one with atleast a 20 gallon capacity. My Uncle is letting me borrow his 10 gallon craftsman but it uses air faster than it can replenish it and the whole neighbor hood can hear it. Do ya'll have any recommendations for a good one?
I will say this- the best thing I have done with an air compressor is to put it in a different building than the garage! Where I lived before, the compressor was in the basement of our house, and we ran a big air line from the basement over to the garage. It could run all day, and we wouldn't care because we could barely hear it (even though it was fairly noisy). Even when I was in the house and someone else was using air, the compressor was still not so loud that it bothered me much. Since then, all my friends have relocated their compressors outside of the garage in various ways (a doghouse works nicely). Most garages are not carpeted, and therefore act like big echo chambers. -Bob Cunningham
Stay away from the oil-less compressors if possible. My buddy has rebuilt his twice and it blew up in the middle of a paint-job. Talk about getting PO'ed. That was a bad day to say the least. Thanks Kirk
7.5 hp look at this one....what do you guys think of this one...and I can get it 100 bux cheaper ...... are these Generals a good brand ....?? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=90836
They're nothing to jump up and down about...I think made in China... o No: But if that's a true 7.5 hp motor, I'll eat my hat AND shoes. (A REAL 7.5 hp electric motor would weigh about 200 lbs, and be 4X that size!) They're rating electric motors with outrageous hp ratings anymore, I think based on the peak hp at some theoretical bench somewhere. :rant: If you can do some poking around, you can often put a very good one together yourself for a lot less $$$, especially if you find parts that "aren't worth rebuilding" because of the time/labor. :Brow: I know of guys who use oxy tanks, propane tanks, etc. Just make sure it's not rusted on the inside. Compressors - Look for BIG old ones that can be rebuilt. I came across 2 really nice ones (3 cylinder, 2 stage) at an Air Force DRMO (excess/salvage) yard sale. Motors - Talk to somebody at an electric motor rebuilding shop, see what they've got buried in the back. Or you can go with a gas motor...that's what my AIr Force compressors had...until I went to electric. Gas can be a pain, but it's portable. If there are any Boy Scout or Church camps nearby, go and talk to their ranger/caretakers. Every Boy Scout camp I ever saw had a barn full of stuff that had been donated, but they don't use. Make 'em a cash offer, and away you go! :TU:
Forgot - I pieced mine together using a $5 garage sale tank, a $20 Air Force surplus compressor (from the Boy Scouts), and a free 3/4 hp electric motor out of an old house ac/furnace blower. Throw in $20 for bolts, a belt, a new plug, some assorted tubing to connect the pump-to-tank, and a startup-relief valve, and I've got a compressor twice what I need for $45 plus a couple of lazy Saturdays. :TU: [edit] Plus I ended up with a 3.5 hp Robin gasoline engine that only needed a good tuneup!
Your right not to go for an oil-less compressor. Try to look for auctions in and around your area. In IL there are quite a few auctioneers that are helping farms sell off all their tools, and equipment. i.e. an Air Compressor. I "googled" it Charleston auction and got THIS right off the bat. Goodluck. :TU:
no..not made in japan....I just came back from harbor freight....its made in the USA ......and seems 2 fit the bill with more hp and cfm's for its price,compared 2 more expensive 5hp and way less cfm's......even more than i ever will need... I have 2 find a pick up truck and pick it up....maybe 2morrow... :Brow: btw...i have a mini van....is it safe 2 lay it down on its sides...????
Rex, A friend of mine who bought a Ingersoll-Rand Compressor (vertical) 60 gal or something in that range was wondering the same. He has a Suburban and doesn't want it to leak oil in the burb'. Last time we went to pick it up, the doors were frozen shut. I will let you know what we did, and how we did it.
copper pipe plumbing ???? I have heard that copper pipe is fine for routing the plumbing....just plane ol jane copper or something else????? new compressor by sunday... :Brow: :Brow:
Better not lay it down. I have been told by more than one dealer not to do so. I have bought several over the years. The worst was an oil-less from Sears. It was not good and very loud. I replaced it with one from Lowes. It was in the $750 range. Good compressor, but I don't think it would stand up to everday garage use and parts were scarce for the pump. Replaced that one with an old US built horizontal 100 gallon compressor. Had a local shop build this one for us. It is a strong unit, but has always used too much oil. I hope to never replace it, but who knows. Yesterday I went to Harbor Freight and bought a cheap model for my home. Its performance is comparable to models sold at TSC, Lowes and Home Depot, but was cheaper in price. I bought it yesterday for $345 while the other stores wanted at least $90 more for one comparable. It actually had the same compressor on it as the unit Lowes had for $440. I don't know how it will hold up, but I am almost sure it will last a long time with no more hours than I will use it at home. Local hydralic shop that does compressor warranty work told me last year that Ingersol was not a good unit anymore. They have cut their quality. They also told me that parts were almost impossible to find for many overseas models sold now. I think you pay for what you get, but if you are just part-time working, you don't need the best unless you plan on doing sandblasting.
Never heard of regular copper. But, I would say it will work. I have used sch. 40 PVC a couple times and it worked good. Sch. 80 works very well and can take the bumps that might break the 40. I like how easy the PVC is to work with.
PVC ---ever had one of those "glued on" fittings come off with 120psi right behind it????? It will put a nice ding in the nose section of a 1969 Etype Jaguar!!(good thing no one was standing there). PVC=plastic=insulator=water problems in the air. Consider going to Lowes,e tc and running iron pipe/fittings instead. The metal will act as a radiator of sorts and help cool the air as it rushes through the lines. Regardless, you will most likely have some water coming through the business end of the hose so you will need filters/traps along the way. Sorry, from what I have personally seen it is not worth the risk to use PVC, no matter how easy it is to cut/install. It may NEVER BE A PROBLEM for others -- but see what damage a blown off fitting can do and you will be convinced otherwise.
I agree with Patton. I'm an irrigator, and I don't think solvent weld joints can withstand that kind of vibration. An option would be hydraulic hose... easy to get to fit, and with the right clamps it won't come apart. It can withstand way more PSI than a compressor will deliver... Frank
Don't use PVC piping with air compressors. The oils , particulary synthetic oils will degrade the PVC and it can explode under pressure. I purchased a 7-1/2 hp, 80 gal vertical Ingersoll Rand. Really like it. 24.3 CFM @ 175 PSI.
Sounds like you guys are having more problems than I have. I have one shop with Sch. 80 that was plumbed for over 20 years with no failures(don't use the building anymore). Another shop that has been done with 40 since 1998, and no failures yet. I did one last winter for a rental shop we built and the renter backed his truck into the quick disconnect on the wall breaking it. I fixed it and 1 year later, no problems. The hydralic repair shop I use have had it in their building since the early 70's and told me it has never failed on them (they were the ones who gave me the ideal many years back). I made sure all I installed were cleaned, primed and glued properly. BUT, I don't want to reccomend something that would cause harm to someone or something. So, don't do it. Sorry for mentioning it. Just because I have had luck, doesn't mean anyone else will. Metal pipe will work much better.
