Two stage air compressor

[macleanflood]

Well my trusty 30 gallon Craftsman air compressor that I bought 20 years ago isn't working anymore. I tested then swapped the start and run capacitors...the plastic case is cracked enough the spring mechanism is barely functional.

Which leads me to this monster...

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-...pressor-11-5-SCFM-at-90-PSI-DXCM602/316164251

Building a big shop. Want something I can use to paint and sandblast. Don't really need it for air tools much any more.

Or am being silly and should I just get something smaller?

Neighbor owes me some money for labor and I'd rather trade for tools...

-Mac

 

[bucky]

Not 2 stage. Was your Craftsman 220? Might not be enough CFM for sandblasting. Short term use with a pressure pressure pot and small nozzle will work ok but will take time to do large areas. When my 40+ yr old 3hp 20 gal Craftsman gives up the ghost I’ll most likely go with something like that.

 

[macleanflood]

Was your Craftsman 220?

120v.

-Mac

 

[bucky]

You’ll have to upgrade the power to 220v. Have you done much sandblasting. Unless you have a cabinet it is very messy and the dust is dangerous and the blasting media gets literally everywhere. The other plus to a cabinet is you can recycle the blast media which allows you to use more expensive media such as iron oxide which works better than sand. Also if you live in a humid environment you will need good water separation equipment to prevent clogging. If you are buying a pressure pot and not a cabinet make sure the hose is at least 8’ and that replacement hoses and tips are readily available. Tips wear out fast and anything over 1/4” takes a lot of air volume. Also I would recommend at least a 1/2” hose and regulator. Sandblasting is about pressure and airflow. With all that said I use a small siphon feed blaster with my 3hp and it is adequate for small jobs. I used to do a lot of sandblasting back in the day with a 20 hp 3phase 2 stage compressor with a 150# pressure pot. Good Personal Protection is a must.

 

[macleanflood]

A cabinet for now. Just want to clean up reasonably sized parts.

-Mac

 

[Rickyd]

This lil compressor/sandblaster setup is all you need

 

[macleanflood]

Your next post will be where did all this sand come from in my axle...

-Mac

 

[Rickyd]

Your next post will be where did all this sand come from in my axle...

-Mac

Nah,a few rags in the ends did the trick. Of course i cleaned them thoroughly but it was easy.The axles were from new york. There was no way i was scuffing them up and calling it good

 

[astjp2]

I have 3 Ingersoll rands, all are 30 cfm. A real compressor 5-10 up at 1800 or so rpms and a replacement motor is over $1k if you want air and not a toy.

 

[JP_in_STL]

Seems that Home Depot changes brands every couple years or the brand changes paint colors. I bought an 80gal 3 cyl "Cambell Hausfeld" with maroon paint on clearance at HD for $300 that tops out at 145psi. They had 3 sitting there, swapping out brands, marketing, or motors. I only bought 1 but should have got all 3 and flipped 2 of them. It's been on Plasma Cutter and the occasional tire duty for 5yrs. No issues. I try and remember to drain the tank That big dog is nice, but loud.

I have a little pancake for running a nailer. But I find I use the Dewalt $100 battery "inflator" the most often.

If you want portable I would get a 25gal conventional on wheels, not an oil less and just have 1 compressor. But if a big shop is getting built you gotta have the big dog in the corner or build a doghouse for it outside.

 

[astjp2]

Both of these are from the 1960’s and are way better built than anything new. Comparable industrial compressors are 4K and old timers are selling them for 2-800. A little 220 power and you can do many things that smaller compressors just can’t do. And they are quiet.

 

[bucky]

Goes to show you that spending the money up front gets you longevity and the cost over time is very low.

 

[Vtx531]

Tractor Supply has a 60 gallon Dewalt for $699. 155 psi.

I'm not really sure what you are getting for the the extra money on the home depot one. I think all the motors and compressors are similar China ones. As said above, its not a two stage.

Output should be all the same. Maybe just the regulator/On-Off switch is cranked up higher? These type of compressors all used to be 135psi. Then marketing had them up the switch to 155psi. Then 175psi. All it does is work the compressor and motor harder for no reason. I lowered mine down personally, no need for anything higher than 110ish psi.

It will work really nice for sandblasting and painting. Also a game changer for air sanding and air cutoff tools. The infinite variability of power with air vs electric is huge.

 

[astjp2]

Tractor Supply has a 60 gallon Dewalt for $699. 155 psi.

I'm not really sure what you are getting for the the extra money on the home depot one. I think all the motors and compressors are similar China ones. As said above, its not a two stage.

Output should be all the same. Maybe just the regulator/On-Off switch is cranked up higher? These type of compressors all used to be 135psi. Then marketing had them up the switch to 155psi. Then 175psi. All it does is work the compressor and motor harder for no reason. I lowered mine down personally, no need for anything higher than 110ish psi.

It will work really nice for sandblasting and painting. Also a game changer for air sanding and air cutoff tools. The infinite variability of power with air vs electric is huge.

I am running 175 psi, and mine is an 1800 rpm motor. If I am running a blasting cabinet, the extra air is nice where I can not run out. The blaster is the highest consumption of air I have.

 

[Davidtj]

Tractor Supply has a 60 gallon Dewalt for $699. 155 psi.

I'm not really sure what you are getting for the the extra money on the home depot one. I think all the motors and compressors are similar China ones. As said above, its not a two stage.

Output should be all the same. Maybe just the regulator/On-Off switch is cranked up higher? These type of compressors all used to be 135psi. Then marketing had them up the switch to 155psi. Then 175psi. All it does is work the compressor and motor harder for no reason. I lowered mine down personally, no need for anything higher than 110ish psi.

It will work really nice for sandblasting and painting. Also a game changer for air sanding and air cutoff tools. The infinite variability of power with air vs electric is huge.

I bought one of those seems ok for the money However don’t think it will last as long as my previous compressor 21years

 

[bucky]

I think the best you can do to maintain longevity is make sure you have the proper gauge wiring to reduce voltage drop. Heat is the biggest enemy of an electric motor and lack of proper voltage and amps increases heat. When I bought my Craftsman back in the early 80s the first thing I did was change the cord to 16’ of #10 because I needed it to be moved around the shop. The issue with buying any product from a Big Box Store is the manufacturer can make model specific changes in order to meet the store’s price point. Always compare model numbers and not just stated specs. Going from 135# to 175# is a big increase in pressure but I don’t know how much the volume of air in the tank increases to make it worth the extra danger.

 

[macleanflood]

I went ahead and bought that bigger DeWalt. Actually got it from Tractor Supply because by the time I made up my mind Home Depot no longer had it on sale.

Ordered a drier/filter/regulator from Amazon and a 40" 3/4" hose.

Going to wire it up with some SO cord in the garage for now... soon as I get a roof on the shop it'll go up on the storage deck. I have enough room up there for a 3x4' plasma table and I can run a track on the ceiling for a hoist and an electromagnetic...bring sheets into the shop below, hoist them up on the deck.

That section of the loft is also directly above where I'm putting my 200a panel making high amp big gauge wire runs shorter.

-Mac

 

[macleanflood]

Temporary location...need it to run nail guns to finish the shop.

-Mac

 

[AirborneTexasRanger]

Mac, I have that exact same compressor. I did have an issue with the electric motor burning up. The replacement was inexpensive relative to the cost of the whole thing, but I went with an upgrade so it was a bit more $ for me. Just something to keep an eye out for.

 

[Davidtj]

Mac, I have that exact same compressor. I did have an issue with the electric motor burning up. The replacement was inexpensive relative to the cost of the whole thing, but I went with an upgrade so it was a bit more $ for me. Just something to keep an eye out for.

View attachment 535376

Looks like capacitor went out most likely motor was still good if replace cap