Okay, so I admit it, I was trying to make the old Central Pneumatic 2HP 8 gallon compressor do duty driving a spray gun. Hey the specs on the spray gun were fairly low, But having to stop so often to let the compressor catch up was getting old, FAST... I mean it worked, more or less. But progress was painfully slow. So even with the upgrades I made just a few days ago on the little compressor, I did what I should have done in the first place, and got a bigger compressor...
The work needs to happen now, and now I don't have 220V, at least not yet. So I was looking for the best 110V compressor I could find, and as I had mentioned it before, I had it narrowed down to 4 compressors, a Craftsman Horizontal 25 gallon, a Husky Vertical 30 gallon, an Ingersoll Rand horizontal 30 gallon, and a Central Pnuematic vertical 29 gallon.
After reading the reviews, I quickly wrote off the Craftsman as too unreliable, and after reading the price tag, I wrote off the Ingersoll Rand as out of my price point by a factor of 2. I really wanted to stay under $600.00 for everything... That left the Husky, and the Central Pneumatic...
The reviews for the CP were actually quite a bit more favorable as Husky seems to have shipped a few that pick up a rod knock during break it (NOT a good thing), but Home Depot did offer the extended warranty. They were both close enough in price, the CP for $349.00 + tax and extended warranty, the Husky for $429.00 + tax and extended warranty (anything that expensive gets the extended warranty. Cheap insurance to me!). So it was down to physical inspection time...
Simply put, the components on the CP won this comparison, hands down. Metal belt guard cage instead of plastic, both were fitted with Marathon 2HP motors, the CP had a MUCH nicer regulator, the one on the Husky looked like the thing I pulled off my 8 gallon CP last week. Not impressed. The CP regulator is well milled, and well executed...
Now the piece d'resistance... Casually hand the cashier the 20% off coupon, scan, and $69.00 and change off! That paid for the extended warranty right there!
So I got it home, and VERY carefully unloaded this beast out of my truck myself, wheeled the box to the shop, and carefully removed the compressor, including a little pallet then mount it to, out of the box and review the manual.
Next step was to assemble this sucker. 2 wheels, 2 rubber feet and 1 handle, that's it. Next is the break in. Verify the break in oil is in the pump, open the drain valve. That's no cheesy Petcock valve down there! That's a nice smooth ball valve! Insert a male QD with nothing on it in the female, and fire it up for 10 minutes... Okay so I let it run 15, I got a phone call...
Stop it, close it up, drain and refill the oil. Yep, just like the 8 gallon, the drain plug is in the worst possible position and next to impossible to cleanly drain this sucker. I made a little funnel gizmo out of aluminum foil to guide the draining oil to the catch pan, drain all the oil out I can, put plug back in. Next to no metal. Actually the drained oil looks really clean for break in oil!
Put new oil in pump case to proper level, put stopper back in, and fire it up...
Considering the 2HP motor, and nearly 30 gallon tank, this thing fills up REALLY fast. And it's quiet. Unlike the 8 gallon which I can hear all the way across the house, you have to stand next to the shop door to hear this one running...
So the compressor is up, broken in, running, now what? Oh yeah, I upsized to support spraying right? Grab the spray gun, reduce some latex paint with some Floetrol per directions, run it through a strainer into the paint cup, connect the hoses to the regulators and filters and adjust the pressures, connect spray gun to the hose, and to the inside of the compressor box, well, get busy adjusting the spray gun... Okay gun adjusted, do the same with the Husky gun. Gun adjusted, and NOW the compressor kicks on!
Drain back and clean the guns per directions. Done... Use blowgun to blow spray guns dry. Done...
I am gonna LOVE not having to hear that little compressor kick on all the time any more, as is my wife, and my neighbors!
I am a little hard pressed to know what to do with the 8 gallon though. It IS a nice little compressor for what it is, especially after the upgrades. But I need the space. I am considering selling this thing, or donating it to my church. The latter I think would be best. I need to check to see how that would work...
This IS going to change my shop arrangements, and will likely mean the Thien pre separator has to go. But I can always put a baffle in the DC and call it good! I REALLY want my compressor next to the dust collector for space reasons. They are not something I interface with too often, just turn on, and off, and to empty...
Can't wait to start spraying that ceiling!
The work needs to happen now, and now I don't have 220V, at least not yet. So I was looking for the best 110V compressor I could find, and as I had mentioned it before, I had it narrowed down to 4 compressors, a Craftsman Horizontal 25 gallon, a Husky Vertical 30 gallon, an Ingersoll Rand horizontal 30 gallon, and a Central Pnuematic vertical 29 gallon.
After reading the reviews, I quickly wrote off the Craftsman as too unreliable, and after reading the price tag, I wrote off the Ingersoll Rand as out of my price point by a factor of 2. I really wanted to stay under $600.00 for everything... That left the Husky, and the Central Pneumatic...
The reviews for the CP were actually quite a bit more favorable as Husky seems to have shipped a few that pick up a rod knock during break it (NOT a good thing), but Home Depot did offer the extended warranty. They were both close enough in price, the CP for $349.00 + tax and extended warranty, the Husky for $429.00 + tax and extended warranty (anything that expensive gets the extended warranty. Cheap insurance to me!). So it was down to physical inspection time...
Simply put, the components on the CP won this comparison, hands down. Metal belt guard cage instead of plastic, both were fitted with Marathon 2HP motors, the CP had a MUCH nicer regulator, the one on the Husky looked like the thing I pulled off my 8 gallon CP last week. Not impressed. The CP regulator is well milled, and well executed...
Now the piece d'resistance... Casually hand the cashier the 20% off coupon, scan, and $69.00 and change off! That paid for the extended warranty right there!
So I got it home, and VERY carefully unloaded this beast out of my truck myself, wheeled the box to the shop, and carefully removed the compressor, including a little pallet then mount it to, out of the box and review the manual.
Next step was to assemble this sucker. 2 wheels, 2 rubber feet and 1 handle, that's it. Next is the break in. Verify the break in oil is in the pump, open the drain valve. That's no cheesy Petcock valve down there! That's a nice smooth ball valve! Insert a male QD with nothing on it in the female, and fire it up for 10 minutes... Okay so I let it run 15, I got a phone call...
Stop it, close it up, drain and refill the oil. Yep, just like the 8 gallon, the drain plug is in the worst possible position and next to impossible to cleanly drain this sucker. I made a little funnel gizmo out of aluminum foil to guide the draining oil to the catch pan, drain all the oil out I can, put plug back in. Next to no metal. Actually the drained oil looks really clean for break in oil!
Put new oil in pump case to proper level, put stopper back in, and fire it up...
Considering the 2HP motor, and nearly 30 gallon tank, this thing fills up REALLY fast. And it's quiet. Unlike the 8 gallon which I can hear all the way across the house, you have to stand next to the shop door to hear this one running...
So the compressor is up, broken in, running, now what? Oh yeah, I upsized to support spraying right? Grab the spray gun, reduce some latex paint with some Floetrol per directions, run it through a strainer into the paint cup, connect the hoses to the regulators and filters and adjust the pressures, connect spray gun to the hose, and to the inside of the compressor box, well, get busy adjusting the spray gun... Okay gun adjusted, do the same with the Husky gun. Gun adjusted, and NOW the compressor kicks on!
Drain back and clean the guns per directions. Done... Use blowgun to blow spray guns dry. Done...
I am gonna LOVE not having to hear that little compressor kick on all the time any more, as is my wife, and my neighbors!
I am a little hard pressed to know what to do with the 8 gallon though. It IS a nice little compressor for what it is, especially after the upgrades. But I need the space. I am considering selling this thing, or donating it to my church. The latter I think would be best. I need to check to see how that would work...
This IS going to change my shop arrangements, and will likely mean the Thien pre separator has to go. But I can always put a baffle in the DC and call it good! I REALLY want my compressor next to the dust collector for space reasons. They are not something I interface with too often, just turn on, and off, and to empty...
Can't wait to start spraying that ceiling!
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