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Thread: Upgrading my shop air to something more respectable.

  1. #1

    Upgrading my shop air to something more respectable.

    I've limped along over the past few years with borrowed compressors from friends and an old crappy (and LOUD!) 20 gal. Husky. Well no more! Decided I wanted something that would be more capable to doing real work and pushing "real" air tools, so I bought this 261 lb monstrosity from Harbor Freight:

    [img width=600 height=800]http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/mastacox/2012-01-15_10-18-41_120.jpg[/img]

    It's a US General 3.5hp 60 gallon compressor, belt drive dual-piston, 220v, and pushes 12.8cfm at 90psi Yes it's not the best one ever made, but it only cost $500 with tax (missed the sale that would have made it more like $430) which means I was also able to get a 50ft retractable hose reel, and will be putting in a dedicated circuit for it with plumbing and stuff. Also bought an Ingersol Rand regulator and filter and about $60 worth of brass/copper hardware to plumb it all up.

    All told I'm looking at about $800 worth of stuff to get it wired, plumbed, and ready for action; not too bad when the "competitive" compressors from more elite establishments run well over $1000.

    Woo hoo, an air system worth having!
    Brian
    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4x4
    Supercharged, URD'd, Lifted, etc. etc.
    Quote Originally Posted by GoodTimes
    I for one will say that I am the superb ultimate cream of the crop web wheeler and will not take anything less than that as my moniker.

  2. #2

    Re: Upgrading my shop air to something more respectable.

    Congrats. Compressed air is so handy and almost necessary. Having the right tool to do the job saves time and money in the long run.

    I've got a belt driven 120v unit with 38 gallons of storage. It sits in the corner of my garage under my hanging bikes. I built a manifold with a filter at the compressor. The manifold allows me to plug in air at the tank. There is also another line that goes up along the wall into the attic. I ran hose through the attic to the other side of the garage where I do my work. I mounted a hose reel where the hose pokes out and I'm good to go.

    I'd read up on your compressor. From what I remember the tanks aren't ASME rated and might be a little thin. Drain it often or look into an auto drain to make sure you get all the water out of the tank. Your IR filter should keep it from your lines.

  3. #3

    Re: Upgrading my shop air to something more respectable.

    Thanks for the tips. I'll keep an eye out for water every now and then, but the humidity here is low enough where I've never drained water out of my old compressor (my buddy has an 80 gal. Ingersol Rand which never seems to get a water accumulation either). These compressors are well rated online from what I've seen, so I'm happy with the trade-offs made.

    My plumbing will basically be a 90 degree elbow straight out of the tank's bung, a ball valve, the filter and regulator, another 90 and then a quick-disco. I've got 1/2" copper pipe and brass compression fittings that I'm hoping when properly fitted won't leak... much. I'm then putting a 6ft 3/8" hp hose from the disco to the retracting reel. This way if the reel leaks (possible at the rotating seal for example) I can either shut the ball valve and/or detach the quick disco to prevent the tank from leaking down during times of non-use.

    We'll see how the additional connections will affect flow, I've been doing my best to minimize restrictions while not going overboard I was considering trying to put in a 3/8" disco instead of 1/4" for flow's sake, but decided I'd use what I had lying around first and see how it goes. Changing from one to the other would be pretty straightforward, and having the quick disco at the compressor means I could have a shorter 1/2" air hose if I wanted lots of flow for something that needed it.

    EDIT: I'm planning on putting this thing on some sort of vibration-absorbing feet to bolt to the floor, any suggestions? I hear bolting directly to the floor can crack housings, but being that this thing is pretty top-heavy I'd kind of like to secure it...
    Brian
    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4x4
    Supercharged, URD'd, Lifted, etc. etc.
    Quote Originally Posted by GoodTimes
    I for one will say that I am the superb ultimate cream of the crop web wheeler and will not take anything less than that as my moniker.

  4. #4

    Re: Upgrading my shop air to something more respectable.

    Very nice setup! For mounting... Maybe cut out squares of an old tire's tread that has good tread on it?
    2012 Tacoma 4x4 6spd TRD, e-locker, LT265/75R16E Michelin LTX A/T2s, Stubbs HD-SKOs
    2003 Taco-was K.I.A. 4/31/12-RIP

  5. #5

    Re: Upgrading my shop air to something more respectable.

    Yeah I was looking at the 4x4 thick neoprene pads you can buy, but I might go the local hardware store to see if I can piece something together with some 1/2" thick rubber and big fender washers with 1/2" bolts and anchors in the floor.
    Brian
    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4x4
    Supercharged, URD'd, Lifted, etc. etc.
    Quote Originally Posted by GoodTimes
    I for one will say that I am the superb ultimate cream of the crop web wheeler and will not take anything less than that as my moniker.

  6. #6

    Re: Upgrading my shop air to something more respectable.

    Quote Originally Posted by 4x4mike
    From what I remember the tanks aren't ASME rated and might be a little thin. Drain it often or look into an auto drain to make sure you get all the water out of the tank.
    It's worth mentioning that my tank is ASME certified, see for yourself:

    ASME Code Symbol:


    Certification:
    [img width=800 height=600]http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/mastacox/2012-01-16_16-42-43_877.jpg[/img]

    Note the sticker says "60 Gallon Vertical ASME Tank."
    [img width=800 height=600]http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/mastacox/2012-01-16_16-42-54_627.jpg[/img]

    Not sure if all of these compressors are ASME certified, but this one is!
    Brian
    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4x4
    Supercharged, URD'd, Lifted, etc. etc.
    Quote Originally Posted by GoodTimes
    I for one will say that I am the superb ultimate cream of the crop web wheeler and will not take anything less than that as my moniker.

  7. #7

    Re: Upgrading my shop air to something more respectable.

    im really looking forward to seeing how you like it!

    we have a medium sized craftsman compressor that my dad purchased as a return (original purchase was made w/o wife's knowledge or approval, so it got sent back) and its going strong. only thing we've done to it was to remove the crappy petcock on the bottom and install a high quality ball valve.
    2005 Lexus LX470 - Stock for now...

    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 + a bunch of goodies. Lifted, Locked, Illuminated and Armored. Winner,"Best Offroad Truck" - 2010 Pismo Jamboree. It's been upside down and still drives me to work.

  8. #8

    Re: Upgrading my shop air to something more respectable.

    The ASME tag is new. I had a smaller HF compressor about 10 years ago and it wasn't tagged. I don't thinkbit matters where you live, you will get water in the tank. The air comes out of the compressor hot. As it cools/gets used it will create condisate. Even in the winter my tank gets warm at say 70% duty cycle. Once the air cools, even in the summer, moisture will form.
    If you get rust when you drain the tank you've got some work to do. Frame Saver, made for bike frames, works well but you'll have to pull the motor and pump.

  9. #9

    Re: Upgrading my shop air to something more respectable.

    Got the bling regulator and filter in today, Ingersoll Rand ARO 2000-series (from AutoZone of all places):

    [img width=800 height=600]http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/mastacox/2012-01-17_19-56-25_193.jpg[/img]

    The ARO series has good flow ratings, way more than I'll be using anyway. They also have a whole modular setup you can use, but the parts are too rich for my blood ($40 for the metal adapter to link the regulator to the filter for example, when the regulator itself only cost $60). They also have 1/2" threads so I'll just connect them together the old-fashioned way.

    Haven't bought wiring yet, but planning on getting it from Lowes. Other than that, think I have most that I'll need now.
    Brian
    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4x4
    Supercharged, URD'd, Lifted, etc. etc.
    Quote Originally Posted by GoodTimes
    I for one will say that I am the superb ultimate cream of the crop web wheeler and will not take anything less than that as my moniker.

  10. #10

    Re: Upgrading my shop air to something more respectable.

    Got the compressor's circuit wired today with the help of one of my co-workers. 20A 220V circuit from the breaker box, conduit with 10ga 3-wire; also got a 10ft 3-wire 10ga power umbilical with 20A plug. We put the plug high off the ground to avoid little curious hands...

    Fired up the compressor and it's a beast! Aired up in about 10 mins after quick break-in, the 60gal capacity is nice because it goes much longer between cycles, and cycles are much shorter than before. I just plumbed a simple setup right now, ball valve to filter, regulator, and high pressure hose to the reel. Has a few small leaks that I might try to hunt down, but can just close the ball valve also. I'll have to move some shelving and a cabinet before the compressor goes to its new permanent home.

    Pics:
    [img width=600 height=800]http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/mastacox/2012-01-21_19-40-51_276.jpg[/img]
    [img width=600 height=800]http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/mastacox/2012-01-21_19-41-02_847.jpg[/img]
    Brian
    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4x4
    Supercharged, URD'd, Lifted, etc. etc.
    Quote Originally Posted by GoodTimes
    I for one will say that I am the superb ultimate cream of the crop web wheeler and will not take anything less than that as my moniker.

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