One tank, two compressors?

1. Can I use one air reservoir for two compressor? Or if I have two compressors, I have to have 2 reservoirs also? Because we have 1 compressor, and we will add one more.

2. Should I add the air dryer to for the new compressor?

Thank you.

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Thanks for writing in.

Yes, you can use one air reservoir for two air compressors.

Since the two compressors will be generating air flow at different times and different pressures, it is necessary to put a check valve in each of the outflow lines to the reservoir, so that air cannot flow back down the line to the other compressor.

If you have an air dryer, I would install it downstream from the reservoir. Therefore, you would have two compressors both feeding air into the single reservoir, and the discharge line from the reservoir would then flow into the dryer, and from the dryer, to the plant.

There’s benefit in having the air flow into the reservoir before the dryer. It then has some time to cool naturally, to drop water out naturally, reducing the load on the dryer.

Make sure your reservoir has a auto-drain installed to rid the tank of water regularly.

Also, double check to ensure that the dryer will have the capacity needed to handle the outflow from two compressors.

 

Parts for an older air compressor.

I have an older compressor # 5F212.  I need air valves in the compressor head.  The parts people say this one is discontinued.  Can I get these valves from another compress’s part list or is there a sub??
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Good question.

There are so many manufacturers (or should I say suppliers ) of air compressors, finding parts for current, let alone older models, is always an issue.

You don’t indicate the manufacturer of your compressor, but it seems clear that you have contacted them, and they can’t help.

If you have torn down the compressor and have the parts, find a local compressor repair shop - here is a list - and take the broken part to them. They may be able to provide a like part, or advise a source.

If the compressor is valuable enough, a local machine shop can make the part for you. That will be expensive, but if the compressor is worth it, that may be the way to go. I don’t have a ready source for older compressor parts…sorry about that. If any visitor knows of a source for older compressor parts, please post it.

A compressor for Christmas?

Hard to believe that it’s mid-November, and we’re only 5 weeks or so from Christmas eve.

If you’re stumped in looking for a gift for Mr. or Mrs. Special, why not consider getting them a Home Compressor?

Not only are there some great deals on DIY (do it yourself) type compressors these days, many of them come bundled with an accessory kit and even some with a variety of air tools. For a couple of hundred bucks you can help propel someone from the hand tool, into the air driven tool world.

It is true that the low cost, fairly small, home compressors can’t run high demand air tools, air tools such as drills, ratchets, or impact wrenches very well, they can run them in small increments. Where the home compressor shines is in using one for brad nailing, blowing clean benches and tools, or even roofing nailing, for example.

If you opt for getting someone a home workshop compressor also steer them to www.about-air-compressors.com where they can access a website full of compressed air ‘how-to’s at no cost and post any questions they may have about using their new compressor.

And, if you do get a newbie a home compressor, then do them a really big favor and direct them to the Ebook sales site for The Home Compressor which will answer pretty much any questions they may have about how to operate and look after this most useful workshop accessory.

Compressed air for breathing?

One question or two from me, onboard here we do a lot of tank work cleaning painting etc, and we use our firefighting Breething Apparatus for the air supply. These BA are to big for our workers working in enclosed places, do you have a suggestion that we can place some airtanks outside the area were we need to work and have some connection between the air supply outside the tank and connected to a breething device to our workers. In this way our workers can walk more freely inside.
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Bill says….

Thanks for visiting about-air-compressors.com and for writing in.

I don’t doubt that you can get air tanks to feed a breathing mask for workers inside confined spaces. I do doubt that you would want to use a general purpose air compressor to fill those tanks.

If it were me, I’d be talking to the SCUBA people about high pressure air tanks for breathing. The compressors they use are able to pack an awful lot of air into a fairly small and portable single or double air tanks, can advise what type of air to use, and the regulators and masks you’ll need to use this air.

The air that’s compressed through the use of a general purpose air compressor will be full of moisture, perhaps compressor oil, and whatever particulates that the compressor intakes and sends along with the compressed air to the tank.

I understand the concern about the size of the BA you are using, but careful you don’t risk health for convenience.

Reducing the compressed air CFM

My compressor delivers about 90psi at 9 CFM.

I can set the gauge to 30psi, but how can I lower the 9cfm to 3cfm ?

Your answer is appreciated.

Wolf

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Hello Wolf:

That’s a tough one to answer simply, and often the solution is trial and error.

By setting your regulator to 30 PSI, you are reducing the flow through the regulator so that the downstream pressure never gets enough flow to allow that downstream line pressure to exceed that 30 PSI setting, give or take a few PSI depending on the quality of the regulator.

You are correct. That limits the flow somewhat, but really, the compressed air regulator is all about pressure, not flow.

In order to reduce the CFM to an acceptable level, you will need to restrict the air flow, and that’s commonly accomplished through the use of a needle valve. Not a flow control, but a Needle Valve. It can be a bit confusing, since a needle valve is a flow control device. If you follow the preceding link, you will get more information about these devices as they pertain to compressed air.

Inserting a needle valve into the air line to your application will both reduce the PSI temporarily until the line fills, and give you control over the ongoing  flow as your device draws air.

How will you know what the lower flow is? For that, you will need to install some sort of compressed air flow meter, unless there is something on your device that allows you to monitor the flow of air into it.

 

The compressor runs, but it won’t develop pressure.

Of late, many of the questions I’m getting about troubleshooting a compressor have to do with compressors that run, but generate very little pressure in the tank (far below the norm) and just keep on running.

I had some ideas about what was causing the problem, but also went and talked to a compressor repair depot, one that specializes in all kinds of compressors (even small ones) and got some more advice for you.

If you have a problem like this with your compressor, you probably want to read: Why won’t my ^%#$^$ compressor generate pressure?