I am thinking of upgrading my air compressor... any thoughts?

One main restriction, it must be 120v!!! Our house isn't wired for 220v.

I would love to have enough SCFM to run a media blaster. So it would need to be about 9.5 SCFM.

Are these mutually exclusive requirements?

Discuss.

You can do this. It'll take a real 2.5-3 hp motor. It will
draw about 25amps at cut-out pressure. Be sure the wire is
big enough. A single stage, 2 cyl pump should keep up fine.
I painted my car with an HVLP gun and this set up.

I think you'll have trouble achieving that without 220. How much you want to spend???

The compressor I'll be getting soon is the Husky professional 30 gallon. Closer to 5.5 cfm at 90 psi.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v ... eId=10051&catalogId=10053

Matthew

Andy: I have Campbell Hausfeld Extreme Duty 5hp/135psi max pressure. 30 gal tank vertical. 10.5 cfm @ 90psi. Well built unit. Compressor head is oil lubed/ G.E motor. 120/220v. I use my 220v for plasma and mig welding units. 120v @ 20 amps dedicated line for the air compressor. This unit replaces my old Ingersol Rand. I think the compressor head units are indentical to the Campbell unit. I run shop air, media blast cabinet and any air tools. Excellent for my HVLP gun. I use a inline filter and dryer when painting. Cost in 2002 was 389.00. Hope this helps.

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I have this one. I had trouble finding anything better on 110V.

BTW, most circuits in your house are designed for 15amps at best. The refrigerator circuit is 20amps, and maybe a few others.

Of course you can get more power out of a 120V circuit, but it requires more amps. If you have to install a new circuit, it might as well be 220.

I take it you have a gas dryer, not electric?

Yea, the house is old and has gas. No 220 service; and since we rent, I don't want to pay for the 220 service.

I guess I could find out how much it would cost, tho...

Any ideas there???

Hi Andy,

So far as I know, every house has 220V service to it's panel. Perhaps not if it's the old Knob & Tube (that was stopped in the 1940's?) I dunno about that. Your panel, though, may simply have only 110V breakers, but there's TWO 110V circuits servicing it from the street. If you were to open up your panel (won't bite you....just don't TOUCH anything inside!) you'd see three wires running into it from your meter: Black(hot), Red(hot) and White(common). You'd also see a thick bare copper wire that runs from panel ground to your foundation/stake. If you look inside the panel, you'd see the black and red wires connected to the right and left side of two bars. These bars each carry 110V current (probably 60 to 100 AMPS each, depending on panel size/service wire size). A 220V breaker is a double breaker, meaning it needs to 'breach' each of these 110V bars. The bars are made to 'alternate' allowing you to fit a 220V breaker. For instance, if you were to look at one row of breakers, every second individual breaker would draw from one of the 110V, alternatively the others would draw from the other 110V service. By finding (or making) room for 2 breakers side by side, you would place the double breaker there, making 220V.

The greatest cost in running a 220 circuit would be the wire and the routing. For instance, if your panel is near (better yet, IN the garage) the wire and routing could be well under $30. If the panel was 50 feet away and you had to remove wallboard, the cost would be much, much greater, including repairing the walls and paying for costly wire.

The 30 or 40 AMP breaker may be cheap ($20) depending on the panel.

All this, however, is dependant on your panel having space for a double breaker.

This is easly accomplished. I'd totally walk you through it if you wanted to do it.

Regarding compressors, all I know is I have 3 direct drive units (different sizes) and ALL of them are real noisy! Too noisy. My old compressor was 110V and belt driven (twin cast iron) and it was great (quiet) with lots of available air (can't recall the CFM though)....but the dual stator motor died (after 17 years) and would have cost more $ than a new (direct drive) compressor.

Years ago (30?) I had a 30HP 100 gal unit in my shop. 220V
You could hardly hear it run, such a low RPM. I had all air tools and a sand blaster I used lots. It was perfect.

Andy, I installed a 220V circuit on my house, and a few other circuits also.

Basic electrical work is pretty easy. My house happens to have the expensive style breakers. A breaker would cost you $20-$60 bucks, 12ga romex at 0.25/ft, you can run that in the walls, or if it's exposed, you can run wire in pvc conduit.

I'd say if your panel is near the garage, then you could do the entire thing yourself for under $100 and the work would be reversable if your landlord even noticed.

Central Coaster is entirely correct.

12 guage wire is rated to 20 AMPS. You'd be able to do that in either 110V OR 220V. (although it's difficult to find a 20AMP 220V breaker) Important thing is to check the AMP draw of whatever equiptment you are using.

build one
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf ... item.taf?Itemnumber=93785

a 2 cylinder 2 stage would have more cfm's

Yep, what CC and Calm said.
Open your breaker box, if there's space left under the bottom 110 breaker (usually there is), you can wire 220.
The last breaker I bought for my lathe was $65 but my box takes the more expensive breakers.
When you move, take the stuff with you.

I've been looking at compressors for quite a while and especially reading the reviews. I had it in my mind to get the Ingersol-Rand inexpensive ($599) single stage, 60 gal. After reading a bunch of reviews, no way.
I also found that the Husky the CC has is made by Campbell H.

What Calm said about direct drive has to be repeated, the Sears DDs (the red ones) sound like someones using an air chisel to remove a metal door panel, you won't be able to talk and your neighbors will be pissed.

If you can get 220 in and you want to media blast, I'd bump up from the 30 gal Husky to the 60 gal. Right now, that's only a $20 difference but it won't un on 110. The reason for the 60 is air consumption, blasting takes a bunch of air. With the 60, the compressor won't run as much as with the 30.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v ... eId=10051&catalogId=10053

When I buy my new one it will probably be the Husky above.
Or a Sears Professional (the black belt drive).
I think the Husky is probably a better bang for the buck. I read maybe 30 reviews and nobody's bitchin' about Husky.

Side note: I've been looking into Soda Blasting. Everyone wants $125 for the conversion kit. I think one can be built for way less.
If anyone's interested, maybe we should start another thread.

Andy, what are you going to blast with? A cabinet, pressure blaster?

I don't want to deal with HF on this... if a part breaks 2 years from now, and they don't support it, I am screwed.

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My bad. I was using 12 gauge because I was doing a 220v/40amp circuit for my a/c.

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I don't think they make the "Extreme Duty" anymore or don't brand it that way.They do have Professional and Commercial. Most of those are now $700+.

Looks like their Maxus brand is the one that HD sells under the Husky name (if the web is correct). But the Husky sells for 3/4 the cost.

I also liked this husky because it has a small footpront and is still pretty easy to move around if needed for a house project.

Its belt drive and not too loud, but still to loud to use at night if you respect your neighbors.

I added a small air dryer and some fittings to point the hose connection downwards. If it comes off the side its easier to damage the hose or pressure regulator if you tug on it.

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What Brand?

It's something Andy needs to consider for blasting also. Both the air and the media need to be kept fairly dry to prevent clogging.