If I haven’t messed up…here’s The Home Compressor ebook

I get lots of questions on my compressed air information site from folks that have questions about their home compressors that the stores where they bought them from cannot seem to answer.

So many in fact, that I’ve taken the ‘meat’ of the questions, plus my 3 decades of experience with compressed air, and written a dandy little ebook (not so little – 100+ pages) on everything that I could think of that you would like to know about the home compressor.

After March 3 2009 it will sell for $14.99 each. Until then, the ‘intro’ price is $7.99, and it comes with a money back guarantee.

If you have interest, you can see details at: The Home Compressor.

You will see the regular price posted on the page, yet when you click to purchase, the special price will show.

That’s assuming I haven’t messed up in trying to get this up online for you. If you “take a flier” and buy one, and you have any problems, I’d appreciate knowing. Thanks.

Cheers,

Bill

Not Enough Air Flow

I just purchased a Husky 6 gallon pancake air compressor delivering 2.5 scfm @ 90psi,1.5hp. I tried it out on my 1/2 drive impact gun and I was able to loose lug nuts with no problem, but by the 4 lug the compressor started up again. My impact gun is rated at 4.2cfm at load. I was wondering if this compressor was good match for my impact gun. The compressor manual or box doesn’t specify its cfm. Also I wanted to add a portable air tank as aux tank to expand my storage capacity. I was looking at adding maybe an 11 gallon tank, but I noticed that most tanks say 125psi max, and only found a 5 gallon tank rated at 135psi.My compressor runs at 135 psi. I wanted to know if I could use the 125psi tank or would that be dangerous, and just use the 5 gallon rated at 135psi.This setup which I have will be used occasionally when working on my car (DIY).I’ve asked a great deal, your feedback will be appreciated.

Bill answers…

Hi Al:

A lot of good questions, and all of them are answered if you want to take the time to wander the website and find the pages that apply to them.

Or…my ebook The Home Compressor will be released end of this week, and it answers all of the questions in one book, making it easier to find the answers.

Any air compressor can run any air tool. With some high demand air tools, the tool  run time will be measured in seconds though, due to the air compressor being too small to supply the high demand tool.

If your need is to do more work with an air tool without waiting for the compressor to catch up, you need a bigger compressor. Or, your small one will work fine, you will just have to wait for the air to catch up.

Adding a tank will help improving your tool run time.  Here is info on that.

I am surprised that the add-on air tanks you have found are only rated for 125 PSI. Find an industrial compressor shop to find ones with higher pressure rating. You can find them rated for up to 1,000’s of pounds of pressure. If a tank is specced for 125 PSI, do not put 135 PSI in it. You are only asking for trouble.

Cheers,

Bill

Compressed air & fire fighting foam

1. is there fire equipment ( to see compressed air foaming system) conventions in california or las vegas in 2009???

2. any information on compressed air forming fire equipment system ???

3.do yo know any manf. or distributors that handles this equipment ?

thanks,

mike

_______________________

Hey Mike:

Thank you for the questions. I’m sorry, but I have no knowledge of using compressed air for fire fighting or about the regulations.

What I will do is post your question to my blog in the hopes that a reader will have information on the subject, and post it for you here.

For information on DIY or industrial compressor use, here’s the place.

Bill

Task Force 10 gallon air tank / Need Brass Valve Part Also!!!!!

I need a part for this tank.

It’s the brass piece that attaches and connects the PSI gauge and drain valve. I damaged the threaded piece that connects the hose.

There isn’t much depth left on these threads but can it be unscrewed?

Can I get a replacement for this entire assembly somewhere? Any help is sincerely appreciated.

I also need the brass part for this air tank. Where in the great world of ours can a person get a new one???????

Larry

Hello Ken & Larry:

Further to your inquiries, here’s my advice.

If you know the store that sold the Task Force compressor, go there and ask.

If you don’t, go to any big-box compressor stores and ask them where they send their compressor warranty work. They will likely have a local vendor that works on all their compressors. Visit that local vendor, with your compressor, and show them the problem. With any luck, they will be able to help.

Good luck.

Bill

We’ve replaced 3 air compressor motors in 3 months.

We are a property mgmt company and we’ve replaced 3 air compressor motors in 3 months. The motor continues to burn out. The vendor suggested replacing a pump. We also checked out the voltage, since we have blown circuit breakers. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Bill answers…

Hi Darlene:

I’m going to assume that your compressor, when it’s running, isn’t exceeding it’s duty cycle.

If it isn’t, or it is a continuous run designed compressor, then you need to examine the application further.

An electric motor will burn out if it is experiencing higher load than it is engineered for, or, will burn out even more frequently if the motor gets into a stall situation where it is trying to turn the shaft, but the load on the that shaft is slowing or preventing the rotation.

When you say the vendor recommends you replace a pump, by that I understand that he wants you to replace or rebuild the compressor head(s)?

If that is correct, then I recommend you do so.

That you have replaced three motors would indicate that it’s not likely the motor that is the problem.

To me it seems that something about your compressor head (pump) has failed, and is preventing your electric motor from rotating at design speed, and that’s causing sufficient thermal overload that it’s destroying the motor.

And, overload of the motor would mean that when it tried to start, the much higher than normal inrush of current to try and start the overloaded motor, would blow fuses or pop breakers.

Cheers,

Bill

Where to get a fan and cover for modle 5Z598B compressor?

Bill answers…

Hi Robert:

It’s a bit difficult to find a part for a compressor if you don’t identify the manufacturer or brand.

If yours is a Speedaire compressor, please follow the Speedaire link from the nav bar on the site for more information.

If it’s another brand, if you know the store that sells them now, contact them for parts.

If your compressor doesn’t have a current vendor, ask your local compressor store who fixes their compressors under warranty, and contact those people. They may be able to help.

I don’t (though some of my advertisers may) sell compressors or compressor parts on www.about-air-compressors.com.

Cheers,

Bill

Failure to start – air compressor.

I have a problem with my compressor that sometimes fail to start when the pressure drops.

Usually when the motor is running and pressure builds up in the tank, once it reaches pressure the motor switches off with a shhh sound.

It now sometimes seems that this particular actions doesn’t take place, i.e the compressor reaches pressure, and the motor stops, but the pressure doesn’t get released. What happens then, is that the next time the motor starts, it tries to start against compression, which then draws to may amps and makes the circuit breaker trip. This happens about 3-4 times per day. This is what i have been told by a technician, who replaced the pressure release switch. This initially improved the problem in so far that it only happened about once a week or so, but of late it is happening more and more, to my frustration of course. If i then turn the motor/flywheel by hand a few times it helps and the motor then starts again turning the head.

Your advice on possible causes, other than the pressure release switch, will be appreciated. In other words, where can i start investigating to try and recify this niggle.

---

Bill answers…

Hello J Swanepoel:

Nice to hear from S.A.

Your description of the operation of an unloader valve is spot on.

And what you have described in your diagnosis is indicating to me that you clearly have an unloader valve problem.

Most of the modern pressure switches come complete with the unloader valve built in.  It’s the pressure switch, reaching the high pressure cut-off and the flipping of the contact to the motor that physically toggles the unloader valve to dump the air over the cylinder head.

If the pressure switch is shutting off the motor at high pressure, and you aren’t hearing that characteristic “pshhhhhht” as the unloader dumps that air, then you still have air trapped.

And if you have air trapped over the piston, and it’s not exiting through the unloader valve when the compressor shuts off, then you have an unloader valve problem.

Since the unloader valve is integral with the pressure switch, you need to change the pressure switch.

Tell your mechanic to replace the pressure switch, and maybe this time, to use a new one???

Cheers,

Bill

I have a Sears model 283-15066 compressor…help!

I have a Sears model 283-15066 compressor…and cannot find any information about it. Do you know a source, or mfg?  Is there an online source for the manual?

I am wanting to use it as a source for an airbrush.

Thanks,

RT

Bill answers…

Hey RT:

You’ve fallen into the inadvertent “trap” that many DIY type compressor owners have. You have purchased a “house brand” compressor.

The thing about house brand compressors is that it’s almost impossible to find out who the original manufacturer was, and therefore, almost impossible to get maintenance manuals and spare parts for older units.

It seems that every year or two that selling company has another source for their house brand compressors, meaning that employees of that store today don’t have any idea who it was that manufactured your compressor “way back when”.

In my ebook The Home Compressor, due to be released in 10 days – watch for notification on this website, in the Buying A Compressor chapter, I refer to a number of critical questions that you need to ask your compressor vendor before deciding to buy their compressor.

One of those is, “who fixes my compressor after the warranty period has run out?”.

So, in your case, go to Sears, and ask them, who is it that fixes their house brand compressor when it’s under warranty.

Contact that company to find out where to get information and parts for your compressor. With any luck they can help.

Cheers,

Bill

Pressure drop in wires???

All of us home DIY compressor users have to plug our portable compressors in somewhere. And often, that somewhere is farther away than the electrical power cord that comes with our compressors can reach.

The compressor power cord is the length it is because that’s the recommended length of a power supply to that unit, based on the electric motor size and power demands of that unit.

If you add an extension cord to lengthen the reach from the compressor to the outlet, you can actually damage the compressor motor, as electricity, along with compressed air and other fluids, suffers “pressure drop” as the lines get longer.

In terms of the electric motor, if the extension cord is too long, not enough power gets to the motor and it’s operation suffers. That suffering is often manifested in higher heat generation. This isn’t good.

That’s why the rule of thumb for portable compressors is….”add a longer air hose, not a longer extension cord” when you have to reach a distant workpiece.

Yes, the longer air hose will create pressure and flow drop in the lines to the air tool, but the nature of the air tool is that it will not be damaged by a drop in supply pressure. The worst case scenario is that there won’t be enough air to the tool to do the job, but the air tool itself won’t be damaged.

Here’s more tips on using compressed air.