# Small Home Air Compressor thoughts?



## Sigman (Mar 23, 2006)

I'm "thinking" (uh-oh!  ) I "need" (yeah, right!  ) a small air compressor at home for blowing out dust from equipment (and please tell me what other tasks?).

It's possible I could use it for adding air to vehicle tires, possible I "may" be using it with an air ratchet (3/8" or 1/2"?) to remove lug nuts when changing out winter tires. I could possibly use it for some minor sand blasting...(not really planning on any paint jobs)...

I don't want to spend a lot, but want to get something that will do the job and is durable as well.

Thoughts, guidelines, directions, suggested brands, would be appreciated from those who have one.


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## bjn70 (Mar 23, 2006)

Hey, I really need one too, I just haven't found a place in my garage for one yet.

For serious automotive use, I think you need a good 1/2" drive impact wrench. I never saw the need for a 3/8" drive wrench, or the newer air ratchets, but if someone gets used to using one they might be quicker than doing it by hand.

If you want to run air drills, sanders, etc. then you probably need a good sized tank. For real light use the real small tanks are probably ok. I've seen 3 guys running nailguns off of a single "pancake" style compressor so even those are somewhat useful.


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## zespectre (Mar 23, 2006)

I have a small compressor very similar to this one.

I use it to clean stuff out, blow out computers, airbrush, once to clear a clogged drain, air up tires, and one time to launch a small stone a really long way (oops, total mistake).

Have you owned an air compressor before? If not read up on safety. It's terribly easy to severely damage eyes, ears, and so forth. 

You'll also want a filter bowl (captures moisture, oil, dust and crud from the tank).

Check the CFM rating against any tools you are going to use because few things are more pathetic than an underpowered impact wrench


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## Raven (Mar 23, 2006)

Amazing

Just 30 minutes ago, I was researching this subject.

What about one of these, with an extension hose attached to an air nozzle.


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## powernoodle (Mar 23, 2006)

I have a tank on wheels, which is not very portable. I'd recommend something small enough to carry around - one with a handle on top - as long as it has enough capacity and PSI to meet your needs. 

Or, a big tank for garage or basement use, and a smaller portable one for mobility.

peace


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## ABTOMAT (Mar 23, 2006)

OK, first off, do not under any circumstances get an oilless compressor unless you need to use it on a roof or a pitching ship's deck. Aside from the megabucks industrial units they're all crap. Different levels of crap depending on price, but that's it. It _will_ wear out without a lot of use, and it will be hot and deafening while running even when new.

Now that we have that out of the way...How small is small to you? Carry around or on wheels or stationary? There are two factors when buying a compressor. One is tank size, the other is CFM of the pump. Many people get too wrapped up in CFM. A good size tank will hold enough air at full pressure for a good amount of use before the machine has to pump up. The CFM of the compressor will determine how fast it refills on a small compressor. On a big compressor you can get pumps that will deliver more air than you can take out, so it'll determine what size tool you can use continuously.

Also, your list has two conflicting types of use:

Group 1 is low volume or short duty cycle use--blowing stuff off, filling tirings, using some air tools (get a decent 1/2" impact wrench--even an expensive 3/8" is almost useless for lug nuts) for short periods.

Group 2 is high-volume or long-duty stuff. You mentioned sandblaster, there's also spraypainting, powering other air tools (die grinders, cutoff saws), and supplying air to things like plasma cutters.

A small four gallon twin-tank portable will work for group 1. You won't get lots of runtime before it turns on again (and charges for a minute) if you're using a tool, but with things like impact wrenches it's intermittant use.

Group 2 requires a more manly compressor. A _minimum_ for any kind of sandblasting would be a 20-20 gallon unit on wheels. And even at this size you won't get more than 5-15 seconds running one before the pressure gets too low and the compressor turns on. Any kind of sandblasting usually is only done efficiently with a 40+ gallon machine and with a big pump.

As far as brands, it also depends on what you're buying. For smaller home stuff I'd recommend either products made/sold by CH, DeVilbiss, or the cheap IRs. They're all similar units but the brands have good support, vs. a black hole like Harbor Freight. Home Depot's Husky brand and Sears' Craftsman compressors can be a good value, since they're CH and Dev, respectively, but cheaper. If you're looking at a better compressor, try IR, Champion, Eaton, and Quincy.


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## Raven (Mar 23, 2006)

I don't know about Sigman, but I'm interested in a tire inflator that can use a hose extension and air duster.

Nothing heavy duty, but more along the lines of what you see in barbershops.

I'm just tired of burning though 5 dollar cans of air duster, and would like something a bit more cost efficient.

Something that I can use to clean off home electronics, and inside computer cases.


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## CLHC (Mar 23, 2006)

Nice rundown by ABTOMAT.

There's the Contractor type air compressors too.

Hope you find what you're looking for and Enjoy!


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## Sigman (Mar 23, 2006)

All good stuff, thank you...still reading/researching...

Group 1 is sounding like my needs. 

What about a filter that filters out dirt/moisture from the tanks - required on a small twin tank unit?

Any thought on this Campbell Hausfeld (it's on clearance at Costco for $65), I'd have to buy a blow gun, as that's probably the tool I'd use the most. It's only a 2 gallon tank though.

What's the purpose of the 2 tanks on the twin tank units? One being pressurized while the other is charging?


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## joecandlepower (Mar 23, 2006)

Another flashaholic here thats just been researching compressors.

I was once told if you could get a dual voltage for lack of the correct term, that it would cost less to run.
Like if you could run it on 220v setting if you have that 220v socket, it would use less amps.

Is this true?


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## Reptilezs (Mar 23, 2006)

joecandlepower said:


> Another flashaholic here thats just been researching compressors.
> 
> I was once told if you could get a dual voltage for lack of the correct term, that it would cost less to run.
> Like if you could run it on 220v setting if you have that 220v socket, it would use less amps.
> ...


 it will probaly half the amps but wattage is the same. volts X amps = watts


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## LitFuse (Mar 23, 2006)

Sigman said:


> Any thought on this Campbell Hausfeld (it's on clearance at Costco for $65), I'd have to buy a blow gun, as that's probably the tool I'd use the most. It's only a 2 gallon tank though.



I picked up two of those units on Clearance at Wal-Mart for $22 ea! 

For airing up tires and blowing the dust off of stuff they are perfect, nice and quiet too. Your not going to be doing any sandblasting or air tool work with one of the those though, the SCFM is way too low.

Peter


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## Sigman (Mar 23, 2006)

$22? WOW - wait did I say WOW?! I'll swing by and check it out...doesn't mean they'll be that price in my neck of the woods though!


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## LitFuse (Mar 23, 2006)

That was about two months ago, I doubt that there are still any left in stock. This was a deal that was posted on various "deal" forums, and they went pretty quick. 

If you do happen to find one, be sure to have an employee scan it. These were marked $88 nationwide, but scanned at $22 and some change. Lots of them found their way to eBay, so you might have a look there, but shipping to AK is probably gonna be a dealbreaker for you.

Peter


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## joecandlepower (Mar 23, 2006)

Reptilezs said:


> it will probaly half the amps but wattage is the same. volts X amps = watts


Thanks for the info Reptilez!


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## tvodrd (Mar 23, 2006)

I have a 2HP, 2-stage, 20gal that came from Graingers many years ago. I haven't a clue as to the output specs, but the duty cycle is pretty high when using even a 3/8" air impact. It will run a 1/2" impact, but one lug nut and it will kick back on! On the other hand, I can typically top-off 4 tires a few psi each without it starting back up. I have a hand held sandblaster, that really gobbles air. Bigger is better, if you're actually use it for much!

Larry


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## ABTOMAT (Mar 23, 2006)

I don't mean to sound like some kind of snob (really! I get my tools from the dump) but I wouldn't even considering something like that wall-mount CH. It's basically for occasional use with tires and maybe a blow gun. If that's all you need, though, it would be OK. And CH still has it cheaper on their own site.

I don't know what your space is like, but this seems quite small and has an oil-lubed pump. Could run air tools at low usage with this. Forget sandblasting or painting other than airbrushes:

http://www.campbellhausfeld.net/web...ctId=66057&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=10537

Here's a smaller portable unit with a similar pump:

http://www.campbellhausfeld.net/web...ctId=66059&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=10536

This is what I'd considering my personal minimum. While we're here, this is a good place to point out that the iron pump on this model should be much more durable, and because it's belt driven much quieter:

http://www.campbellhausfeld.net/web...ctId=60829&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=10537

Home Depot has a variety of similar units with different names on them. I'm just using CH as an example because they're cheap and popular. Dev Air, Emglo, Hitachi, IR, etc all have small compressors of different types.

Oh yeah, about the motor thing. You won't find a compressor with more than 2 running HP that works on 120V wall power. Anything more and you'll need 240V. A dual voltage motor is nice, since you can use it almost anywhere, but when you want the best installation (240V wiring can much much lighter and cheaper due to the lower current for a given HP) you can run it on 240V.

And before I forget, don't put too much stock into HP figures. Until a recent lawsuit (which all CH and Devair owners got free tools out of) they were rating them in "peak" HP which is basically gibberish. Now most companies use running (real) HP but I'm sure they're fudging somewhere.

I'm surprised Larry's impact uses so much air. Probably either a really nice, big one or one that's worn out. My most often used 1/2" impact is a cheapie, but it'll take off 5-10 properly maintained lugnuts from a portable 5-gallon tank.


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## Sigman (Mar 23, 2006)

GREAT info...still reading...still researching. I'm not going to just run out and purchase (yeah right!). I do want to be armed with info/knowledge when I run across the right deal!


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## Bill.H (Mar 23, 2006)

I have a Husky (HD brand) unit that is 8 gal., 2.35 [email protected] PSI. As mentioned above, ignore any horsepower figures. Use SCFM @ 90 PSI instead, because if you start looking at air tools, they'll usually show their requirements at that pressure. They're under $200 at HD, noisy as hell, but so far it's been dependable. Came with a bunch of accessories, all useful.
My unit was made by some Italian company, can't remember the name right now. Even says "Made in Italy" on the label. For now it's in the basement shop, but it will soon reside in my attached garage and I'll run tubing to the basement and tap off it there. Good deal for the price, seems better made than the Chinese ones I saw - even some "name" brands.
If you're not in a rush, check HD before Christmas, they will have units with extras thrown in at a good savings - they don't carry those package deals all year.

For less money, and more portability, you can always get a portable air tank and a small tankless compressor and use it to charge the tank. Don't plan on running any tools with that setup.

Another thought... check CHtools.com for factory refurbs. Look for "Hot Buys" link. I got my welder that way, was cheaper than ebay and came with a warranty. You can even view the manual online.


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## Bucky (Mar 23, 2006)

I have a "Husky Easy Air To Go 1.75 Gal, 135 Psi Mobile Compressor W/deflation Kit" that I found on sale a few weeks back for I think $60 or $65, down from $100. 

I have used it to blow out keyboards and knives and to inflate car tires and it has worked extremely well. I was afraid that if I didn't get a larger more powerful compressor that I might be disappointed, but I honestly am very suprised at just how much power this machine has. 

For random household and garage tasks I can't imagine needing anything more substantial. If you need to use impact wrenches and so forth though, this unit may not be the model for you. Short of that though, I can't see a better deal for the money. (BTW, it does come with all the nozzles, needles, blow gun accessories, etc. that you need for most every normal compressor task.)

http://www.homedepot.com then search for "husky easy air"

Bucky


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## Trashman (Mar 24, 2006)

A while back I bought a CH 5 or 6 gallon compressor that looks like the 8 gallon one linked above, but only smaller. It was pretty light, too. My brother bought the same one after seeing mine and how light it was(he was tired of lugging his 8 or 10 gallon one around). He uses the small one for shooting ceing and wall texture with a hopper, and apparently, it works fine (to my surprise). I sold mine because I thought I was going to delight in the ease of quick metal cutting (the aluminum scrap I find) using it and an air cut-off tool. Well, as you might have guessed after reading this thread, the tank wasn't large enough and the SCFM wasn't high enough to power it. Sure, it'd spin the wheel, but it wasn't powerful enough to cut through light aluminum tubing (or anything). I sold it with minimal loss of investment, and I traded the $15 pneumatic cut-off tool + $35 for a Nightsun 30w bike light!

Well, luckily, right before (or right after) buying an R/C Nitro car, which needs a good air compressor to blow the dust and dirt out/off of it, I found a working CH 6 gallon compressor that somebody was throwing out. It's beat up, and you can't actually turn it off without unplugging it, though it does turn itself off when it's full and back on when it needs more air, but, hey, it works, and it was free, so I think it's great. Actually, I found two working compressors around the same time, but I kept one and sold the other (cheap($5)). 6 Gallons seems to be perfect for my use, which is blowing stuff out and filling tires. One full tank should be enough to fill a really low tire, completely, even if the compressor is unplugged.


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## ABTOMAT (Mar 24, 2006)

Was this one of those abrasive wheel cutoff tools? I don't think you'd get very far with one in aluminum regardless of your compressor. 99% of the wheels available don't work with aluminum--it's too soft a metal.


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## James S (Mar 24, 2006)

I have this one that I got with a combo with a couple of brad nailers. I'm very happy with it. the 6 gallon tank doesn't hold a lot of air, but you have to weigh price and size against how often you're going to use a high air flow tool. I have used it to spray paint and though it runs a lot to keep up it did work just fine. But for nailing or just blowing it's terrific while the PSI is high enough to run just about any tool as long as you dont mind waiting for it to catch up a bit while running the air impact wrench. I use it extensively for inflating tires too and it works just great for that. I have also been walking past the sand blaster and bead blaster stuff at the tool shop here lately  Not got any use for it right now, but this compressor will run them OK for small parts, just would need to pause to let it catch up every few minutes.

The thing is tiny and easy to cart around and not very expensive. 

Once you've attached molding to a project with an air nailgun you will never go back to a hammer either


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## MoonRise (Mar 24, 2006)

Like others have said above, first figure out what you want the tool to be able to do for you. There is no "one-size-fits-all". A jeweler doesn't use a 4lb hand sledge for fine work, a blacksmith doesn't use a 2 oz brass hammer for pattern-welding steel, nobody will EDC a Thor, an Arc-AAA won't light up a stadium, etc

For filling some tires, running a nail gun, dusting things off with a blow gun, etc, the small 'pancake' or 'hot-dog' compressors work fine. They are not the right compressor to run any 'air-hog' tools (big impact wrench, sandblaster, etc). Look at the tool you're interested in running and check the SCFM requirements. Compare that to the SCFM that the compressor can supply and see if the air tool and compressor are compatible.

Some more ramblings. Air has moisture, so does compressed air in an airtank. Moisture is not so good for airtools. If the set-up doesn't come with a water separator, get one (most that I've seen nowadays come with a filter/separator). Make sure to drain your airtank regularly, the moisture from the air is now in the tank and the tank is steel!

Regarding running a hard airline from a compressor, unless you know what you are doing, DON'T. Compressed air at 100 psi has a lot of energy. You don't want that energy to burst your hard pipe and spray schrapnel around. Absolutely do NOT use PVC pipe for a compressed air line.

A bigger tank let's you run longer before the compressor kicks back on, but will tank longer to fill back up. Balance the air tool's SCFM demands against the compressor's SCFM supply and the air tank's size.

Like abtomat said, generally an oil-lube compressor will last longer. But if you will be spray painting, note that an atomized oil in an air-stream is not conducive to a good paint finish. Put an oil separator in the airline before the spraygun, the really cautious would use a known clean air hose between the separator and the spraygun as well.

Oh, Sigman, the two tanks small units are that way just for size/space. They are piped together and act like one tank to the compressor and the air tools.


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## Ras_Thavas (Mar 24, 2006)

I have a Sears Craftsman oiless compressor, 3.5 HP, 33 gallon tank that I have been using for about 20 years now. I have a lot of hours on this unit. I have replaced the piston and some other internal parts one time. The good thing about Sears is you can get replacement parts fairly easy. While repairing the motor the first time I found a wiring diagram inside the motor cover that had instructions for re-wiring the motor for 220v. I re-wired it and it is still going strong.

An oil lubed compressor will be more powerful and quieter. You will have to do more maintenance on an oil lubed compressor.


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## tino_ale (Jul 24, 2010)

deleted, sorry


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