What size air compressor should I buy?
Posted on March 8th, 2010 by admin
I want to blow out my sprinkler lines in the fall. be able to inflate the tires on my riding lawnmower and maybe use a few air tools such as nailers.
Well, if you’re not going to use it very often, you may just want to get a used one from a flea market, Craig’s list, eBay, etc.
Most nail guns operate in the 70 to 120 psi range, though a few of the smaller brad nailers will operate on as little as 60 psi.
Your lawn mower tires are probably less than 50 psi.
CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) is an important measurement when looking at using air ratchets, paint and texture sprayers, impact guns, etc, as these tools require a constant supply of air, at a minimum pressure. If you’re going to use these kinds of tools, or hope to, then you need to look at the requirements of the particular tool you want, and get a compressor that will do more than that. Most palm sanders, for example, will need about 8 to 10 cfm @ 90 psi. If you intended to use 2 of them at the same time, your compressor would need to be able to deliver about 20 cfm @ 90 psi. How many gallons the tank will hold doesn’t tell you this, so don’t be misled by thinking a ‘bigger tank’ means it will put out more cfm.
I carry a 2.5 gallon compressor around that will put many 5 gallon compressors to shame, hehehe.
Take your time shopping for a compressor… get a good idea of what tools you want to use, and their requirements.
Have Fun
March 8th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Look for a compressor that is rated for at least 5 SCFM (standard cubic feet per minute) at 90 p.s.i. This is a much more important specification than HP. This is the amount of air that the compressor can move at a given pressure. Each tool that you may use has a minimum rating, and you will want to make sure that the compressor can handle it. Hope this helps.
References :
Carpenter, use air tools all the time.
March 8th, 2010 at 10:26 am
Suggestion: Rule of thumb is to get a compressor that is the smallest you can, that will efficiently do the work. A compressor that is too big won’t do the job, will use too much energy, and could damage your belongings.
References :
March 8th, 2010 at 10:56 am
15-40 gallon between 90-150 psi between 2-5 horsepower
I have a 30 gallon @ 150 psi and it will run all my air tools etc.
It’s a little noisy though.
References :
March 8th, 2010 at 11:04 am
Tank size is important when purchasing. For tires and a nailer, even a 2 gallon tank will work. Blowing out the sprinklers is a once a year chore and you could probably still get by with a small tank. For tools that run more than a couple minutes, I would suggest at least a 10 gallon tank.
References :
March 8th, 2010 at 11:09 am
Well, if you’re not going to use it very often, you may just want to get a used one from a flea market, Craig’s list, eBay, etc.
Most nail guns operate in the 70 to 120 psi range, though a few of the smaller brad nailers will operate on as little as 60 psi.
Your lawn mower tires are probably less than 50 psi.
CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) is an important measurement when looking at using air ratchets, paint and texture sprayers, impact guns, etc, as these tools require a constant supply of air, at a minimum pressure. If you’re going to use these kinds of tools, or hope to, then you need to look at the requirements of the particular tool you want, and get a compressor that will do more than that. Most palm sanders, for example, will need about 8 to 10 cfm @ 90 psi. If you intended to use 2 of them at the same time, your compressor would need to be able to deliver about 20 cfm @ 90 psi. How many gallons the tank will hold doesn’t tell you this, so don’t be misled by thinking a ‘bigger tank’ means it will put out more cfm.
I carry a 2.5 gallon compressor around that will put many 5 gallon compressors to shame, hehehe.
Take your time shopping for a compressor… get a good idea of what tools you want to use, and their requirements.
Have Fun
References :