air compressor recommendations

[dfarmxj]

I'm finally looking at buying an air compressor for my garage.

My most common tools used will be impact wrenches, air ratchets, and an air nozzle for blowing crap off. I want to be able to use sanders and die grinders and cut-off tools as well.

What do you guys recommend? Something quiet would be nice, and a small foot print would be good, but I may be putting it in my crawl space and plumbing the garage for air, so foot print isn't terribly important (within reason)

 

[souske]

get an oiled compressor if you can, the oilless are quite noisy

 

[2stix]

we need more info to be able to give you any sort of recommendations.
do you have 220 volts available? what is your budget? pneumatic tools can be run a short time on a small compressor, but you will run out of air quickly. sanders, grinders, and cut off tools normally use alot of CFM. check the tool rating (cfm) you want to use, then determine how much you will be needing. my 5hp 60 gal sanborn industrial was rated at something like 15 cfm at 90 psi. but it barely keeps up to much of anything now that the pump has worn out. but i can still give it some quick blasts with a die grinder or the like because the tank is 60 gal. a smaller 20 gal tank will empty much faster and will need a good pump to keep up with the tool requirements.
as for putting it in your crawl space. i am not exactly sure what you mean by that, but you want the compressor in a place it can get cool air, easy to maintain, drain the tank of moisture (do this daily if you use the compressor a lot), and clean the air filter.
for most any garage/shop i would recommend atleast a 5hp 60 gal 220volt unit. the higher the CFM the better and i prefer 2 stage pumps for higher pressure.
hope that helps.

 

[souske]

I built my jeep from a shell up using a 1.5hp 3gal oilless compressor.
anything is possible
i agree more info is needed

 

[dfarmxj]

Sorry for the lack of info.

As far as budget goes I'm ok with $500 to $1000 (less is always better, but I always buy good tools for stuff I use regularly )

110v or 220v, doesn't really matter, my garage already has both, and if I put the compressor in the crawl space, I'm going to have to putpower down there anyways.

As far as putting it in the crawl space is concerned, my crawl space is massive (the size of my house, minus garage, and 8 feet from ground to floor joists) and putting stuff down there means I have more room in the garage, and I don't have to hear the compressor. Another plus to that arrangement is that I wont have to drag air hose all over the garage, I will put hard lines with plugs strategically around the work space and plug in near where I'm working.

I'm pretty sure I want something with more than 6 cfm @ 90 psi, but I'm not sure how much tank I'll need, or what brands to get or stay away from in my price range. Some of the sub $500 compressors from the big box stores look like they are pretty close to what I need.

I have been without air at home since I started wrenching, so I'm sure anything is an improvement. I just want to make sure I don't buy more compressor than I need while making sure its enough to do the jobs I want to do. (General mechanic stuff, some fab work, some construction stuff )

 

[souske]

Other than sandblasting, continuous die grinder use, and spraying raptorliner, I have had plenty of air with 6.4cfm@90, with a 30 gallon tank. oilless craftsman.

I would look for a quality , used, 220v compressor
220 is cheaper to run
oiled compressor head
60+ galllon tank

Should be at or below tge low side of your budget, and will

 

[Vanimal]

60-80 gal, 5hp is very nice.

i have a 5hp 80 gal curtis (18cfm at 175psi) and i never run out of air. that and 1/2" air lines really makes your impact tools work great.
got it off of craigslist used for a fraction of your budget.

 

[2stix]

60-80 gal, 5hp is very nice.

i have a 5hp 80 gal curtis (18cfm at 175psi) and i never run out of air. that and 1/2" air lines really makes your impact tools work great.
got it off of craigslist used for a fraction of your budget.

Dude..... You are glued to craigslist at all times aren't you? nice score. curtis are great units. i keep looking (though apparently not as much as you do).

 

[Vanimal]

not really, it was just a really poor ad. just said compressor, $175 with a phone number. called it and turns out it was a fairly large local cabinet shop and they put the busy manager in charge of selling it when they upgraded, so he just unloaded it cheap.

 

[xjjeeper19]

I have a Ciasons 60 Gallon stand up, it's the 220v 3 cylinder 22cfm 135psi machine. It has worked awsome for everything I do at home. I got it used off craigslist for cheap, just like Vanimal. Its in need of a rebuild, but it still keeps humping along running a die grinder and a DA, and all my other air tools.

Justin

 

[xcm]

If you want something nice, the key word is 'invest'. I have the top of the line home depot one (Oilless), and it is LOUD and not that good. The really good ones, as mentioned above, are oiled, belt driven, and expensive, but they do come up used from time to time.

Unless your 'crawl space' is actually pretty much a 'loft'... forget about it.... You need to get up to it to drain condensation. They do make remote h20 bleeders, but ive never used one.

There is no such thing as 'too much compressor'... within reason, and if it fits in your shop. If youve got a badass compressor you can run a die grinder with all damn day, you WILL find a use for it... But if you get a cheapy, you will kick yourself later on, when you gotta listen to it run all damn day.

Dont forget to budget for copper hardlines, accessories, tools, etc.

 

[Vanimal]

If you want something nice, the key word is 'invest'. I have the top of the line home depot one (Oilless), and it is LOUD and not that good. The really good ones, as mentioned above, are oiled, belt driven, and expensive, but they do come up used from time to time.

Unless your 'crawl space' is actually pretty much a 'loft'... forget about it.... You need to get up to it to drain condensation. They do make remote h20 bleeders, but ive never used one.

There is no such thing as 'too much compressor'... within reason, and if it fits in your shop. If youve got a badass compressor you can run a die grinder with all damn day, you WILL find a use for it... But if you get a cheapy, you will kick yourself later on, when you gotta listen to it run all damn day.

Dont forget to budget for copper hardlines, accessories, tools, etc.

you do realize a crawl space is under the house, right?

 

[2stix]

yea when he said crawl space i was thinking what we californians mostly have and that is about 18" (min state code) to maybe 24". what the OP is saying he has is more like a full on basement. or even a first floor not used. at 8' high, i would be making that into a shop where all the expensive tools go. garage is saved for the jeep parking with a chair and the pepsi machine, and stereo.

 

[Vanimal]

probably has a dirt floor.

 

[alex22]

I have a 30 gallon 5HP craftsman compressor my brother picked up at a swap meet for around 100 bucks. Its on the loud side, but no were near as bad as an oilless one.
If you put the compressor in the crawlspace I'd recommend you use a hose or pipe and grab some dry fresh air (crawl spaces are usually damp) and you can hook a hose up to the water drain and run it up to ground level with a ball valve.
I'm with the others who say to get a belt driven 220v off of CL.

~Alex

 

[dfarmxj]

My crawl space is dirt floor, but I have plans to pour a slab down there and use it for storage.

I'm going to shop craigslist when I'm ready, there seem to be quite a few deals in my area.

There is actually a nice, newer looking ir 60 gallon for $300 that I'd jump on if I wasn't out of of town.

 

[xcm]

you do realize a crawl space is under the house, right?

I did not! my mistake.

 

[alex22]

you do realize a crawl space is under the house, right?

The crawl space on my house is on the 2nd floor where the roof has a steep pitch (something like 6 or 7) and goes from the rafters till the ceiling is about 4 feet tall. I've also worked on a house with a crawl space between the first and second floor, I'm told that back in the day it was a lumber drying area.
But yea, generally a crawl space is under the house, just sayin' its not always the case.:rof:

~Alex

 

[souske]

In places that freeze, raised wood floors are common

Out here in earthquake land, a poured slab is the norm,
the tiny attics ( not much pitch needed) are pretty much crawlspaces

Sounds like the OP has more of a root cellar

 

[dfarmxj]

Its a crawl space, space between the dirt and the bottom of my first floor, accessed through a hole in the floor in a closet, just abnormally tall because my house is built on a hill.