air compressor

arthuy

arthuy

Well-Known Member
A bit fed up with my compressor and want to know what to do.

I have a clarke air master 15/55 turbo which I have bought years ago off of a fellow p6 owner, I think he used it for spraying.

Anyway over the years I have used various tools with it but it really struggles, like today when I bought a DA sander and it was a waste of time.

I have been reading up on them and I am now confused. I think that mine is a 14cfm with 50l receiver The gauge when full shows 100-150psi. The tools say they need 90psi.

I like the tools I have but trying to use the DA, Airsaw or impact gun is frustrating.

Realistically what do I need to run airtools properly?

Cheers
Colin
 
a few factors to consider. what air line do u have. do u have one of the ones that look like a spring... they might save space and look pretty but they are a waste of time. also what quality tools have u got. some take a large amount of air to run and even if u have a compressor that will allow u to deliver it it might not be able to replenish it in time.

I have a sealey 3 hp 50 litre compressor and it runs my Clarke rattle gun fine however my cut off saw that has a high consumption can make the compressor sweat a bit.

However I would of thought that any compressor that can run a spray paint tool properly would be up to the job of a rattle gun.

I also assume that u have a regulator on the compressor so that u are running the tools at the required psi

one other thing to consider is a reserve tank. just so that u have that little bit more. I wish I had sprung for the 100 litre one for jut another 40 quid I think but as it was a xmas pressie i couldn't really ask.
hope this helps
coop
 
Hi, as said you need a 100ltr tank as a minimum, Impact guns work in short bursts so don't need
a large capacity tank per se. Spray guns are OK if you adapt your technique to suit. DA,s are air
hungry and need 150ltr tanks really. Even 3/8" hoses won't overcome small tanks. Try looking on
Ebay for spare tanks, sometimes people offer them for sale with broken compressors, and plumb
them together, or even LPG cylinders.

Colin
 
If you aren't using it for production work, you could always buy just a tank as additional storage and save the
cost of a new complete machine. That will allow you to get a decent quality pump at a later stage without the
need to shell out a wedge of cash. Stored capacity is the best buy you can make to improve your situation.

I'd also upgrade to a 1/4 inch line for lengths up to 10 meters, longer and I'd go 3/8" to give you the flow. The
idea is to get the air to the tool as freely as possible and to allow it to use what it needs to run at peak efficiency.
 
My go to site for these sort of questions is the Mig Welding Forum. There's a good guide to using air tools and what size compressor you need there.

When you're sizing your compressor, 1 HP of compressor output generates about 4 CFM of compressed air at about 90 PSI. This is the accepted wisdom for air compressors over 10 HP in size. For smaller compressors, those under 10 HP, you must rely on the figures provided by the manufacturer or "guestimate" that you're getting around 2-3CFM of compressed air per HP @ 90 PSI.

Continuously running air tools like da sanders and cutting tools are air hungry. Your compressor is a 3hp one from what I've read elsewhere so provided everything is working okay it should be sufficient to operate your da sander near continuously. The other thing to consider is the pressures at which the motor cuts in and out. There's no point having the compressor set to 150psi if your tool only needs 90. The motor should run it up to about 110-115 then shut off. Set it to kick in just before the pressure drops to 90-95 to be on the safe side and that will prevent the motor from being overworked. Just watch the duty cycle.

As others have said there's no substitute for stored capacity so the bigger the tank you have the better. If you can't be @rsed with all the hassle get an electric da sander. They're relatively cheap and will do the job just as well :D

Dave
 
Cheers guys.

I will have a look at the suggestions. I have been using a retractable hose which I have just checked and it says 8mmx5mm so guess that is a 5mm id. I do have another reel I have used for years and having measures 10mm id. Now you guys mention it I noticed that the air saw isnt as good on the retractable which is great for air dusting and pumping tyres, I got it because I hate rolling the hose up.

I put the DA straight on the tank and it is much better though the small capacity was always a pain.

I will dig out the old hose and see how it goes.

Thanks for the advice. I find that their is so much choice and difference of opinion with regards to what is the best. I like to hear what people are using and what is working for them.

Cheers again
Colin
 
there are a few air receivers on ebay at the moment for differing amounts. I was tempted by one but the price went over what I was prepared to pay. If u decide to go down the route of an extra tank then just make sure that the pressure rating is more than what your compressor produces.

when I got my compressor I bought one of those spring like air lines thinking I would save space and they were slightly cheaper. when I got it home I couldn't even undo the wheel nuts on my car with it. soon as I went to a straight through hose they flew right off.

coop
 
When looking at the compressors ability in CFM, you need to ensure it is at 90 - 100psi. cheaper compressors state they are 10 cfm, but that is at no pressure, 10cfm at 100psi is a lot more air to pump. When I worked at a hire company we used to test new compressors with a die grinder on full blatt. The only 10 CFM 3 hp compressor that would keep up was the two cylinder Clisby though there are now a few three cylinder ones available which work ok. The other thing is you need a slow running compressor, the modern high speed types wear the rings very quickly and they can't pump much air at pressure. I got around the hose issue by installing 1" class 18 and 23 PVC piping through out the garage I used brass plumbing fittings on the ends and included drain lines below each coupling to ensure absolutely no water in the system. Generally I only need a short length of hose to get to the tool.
 
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