Bought a new air compressor

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  • Mr__Bill
    Veteran Member
    • May 2007
    • 2096
    • Tacoma, WA
    • BT3000

    Bought a new air compressor

    My old Craftsman compressor is close to worn out. Leaks oil through the shaft seal and has a hard time getting up to pressure, I may take it apart just to see what wore out. It's also noisy, now even more so.
    So I decided to get a new one. We are back living in our duplex, with a neighbor, so noise is a critical factor. I found a quiet compressor. Marketed by California Air Tools and made/assembled in China/Mexico it's advertised at only 60dB. Using a dB meter on my phone it clocks in at 68 dB, I don't know how accurate the App is but standing next to it you hear a hum like a refrigerator. Quieter than the sewing machine and some days my stomach rumbles louder.

    Weight, about 60lb
    Max PSI 120 psi
    Cycles at 90 psi
    3 cfm at 40 psi
    2.2 cfm at 90 psi
    Oilless
    Claimed 1 hp motor, actual about 8 amps.
    Cost $178 free shipping
    Available from Amazon and Home Depot.

    I know for the price I could have purchased a larger more powerful one from HF but they are noisy. It also may not work well with my HVLP spray gun and I'm sure sandblasting it out. These limitations I can live with. So far all the nail guns work well but may require more frequent rest breaks if I get into something heavy.

    I have thought of parting out the old compressor, the 5hp motor must be worth something and the tank may be good to use with the new compressor for extra air volume.

    Now I have to unpack the rest of my tools and stuff and get organized. We moved again in December. Can't wait for the warm weather and the rain to stop, I'm freezing my hands in a cold garage.

    Bill
    on the left coast

    did i mention it's really quiet
  • cwsmith
    Veteran Member
    • Dec 2005
    • 2737
    • NY Southern Tier, USA.
    • BT3100-1

    #2
    Bill,

    Three CFM at 40 psi is a bit on the light side for spraying. My small HVLP takes about 5.5 cfm IIRC. I have a small "spotting" gun that I used to use with my old I-R wheel-barrel (7 cfm @ 40 psi) and though the gun used 4.2 cfm, the twin-tank compressor just couldn't keep up for anything continuous... but I could use the it intermittently.

    An oilless that is that quiet is surprising though. My 150 psi, 33-gal oilless is so loud that even in the basement, I can hear it outside. I do have a little 2-gal Craftsman lubricated unit that I use for nailing and inflation, it is quiet enough to use and not wear hearing protection, but like yours the CFM output is not really suited for anything requiring continuous air (well maybe my airbrush or quick spots with a small gun.

    Sorry this isn't more helpful,

    CWS
    Think it Through Before You Do!

    Comment

    • Mr__Bill
      Veteran Member
      • May 2007
      • 2096
      • Tacoma, WA
      • BT3000

      #3
      Bill,

      Well, I'm really lazy so I might be slow enough for it to keep up. I also thought the old 20 gal tank may hold enough air to allow me to spray and it can catch up as I refill. Or I just may have an excuse to get another larger compressor just to spray with. Painting the house this summer when I'm done I'll sell it, sell the gun, give away the ladders and brushes. Never want to paint a house again. Well come summer I'll know.

      It really is quiet and fills in about 3 or 4 minutes

      The other Bill
      on the left coast

      Comment

      • capncarl
        Veteran Member
        • Jan 2007
        • 3564
        • Leesburg Georgia USA
        • SawStop CTS

        #4
        Painting a house with an air paint gun is a good way to really start hating painting! It would kill a heavy duty compressor, a small compressor wouldn't stand a chance. If you must spray a house, rent an airless sprayer. The cost of renting would be way less than the cost of destroying your compressor and would be so much faster than fighting with a cup gun, and when you are finished with it you just take it back!
        capncarl

        Comment

        • Mr__Bill
          Veteran Member
          • May 2007
          • 2096
          • Tacoma, WA
          • BT3000

          #5
          Originally posted by capncarl
          Painting a house with an air paint gun is a good way to really start hating painting! It would kill a heavy duty compressor, a small compressor wouldn't stand a chance. If you must spray a house, rent an airless sprayer. The cost of renting would be way less than the cost of destroying your compressor and would be so much faster than fighting with a cup gun, and when you are finished with it you just take it back!
          capncarl
          I had a neighbor that painted for a second job. Had a big Graco airless that sat on a 5 gal pail and pumped to a gun on the end of a 100 foot hose. It took him hours to clean the thing after a job. I plan on painting only a few hours a day, Renting would become very expensive and I really hate the cleanup part too. I may have to paint with a brush, did it that way last time. I painted the house in Oregon using a roller to lay the paint on the siding and then a brush to spread and even it out. It worked well that way. I will try that on the V groove ceder siding and see how it works out.

          Thanks for the advice.

          Bill
          Last edited by Mr__Bill; 03-20-2017, 03:12 PM. Reason: spelling is not my forte

          Comment

          • capncarl
            Veteran Member
            • Jan 2007
            • 3564
            • Leesburg Georgia USA
            • SawStop CTS

            #6
            I have an airless, can't remember the brand, sr. moment or paint fumes I guess. I use to fret about the cleanup, yes it is a real waste of time and materials, but the last time I used it to paint my cabinets I needed new nozzles and happened in on a sherwin Williams pro rep fair, kinda a meet and greet with all the brand reps that they carry, and a bar-b-q dinner. I was able to get some real good info an airless. They said not to bother cleaning the set up every day. Paint won't set up in if its not t exposed to air. Cleaning the rig is only if your are leaving the site with your equipment, changing colors or types of paint like a pro painter would be doing, or finished painting. So now if it is a several day job I just stop on a bucket that has a fair amount in it, leave the pump and hoses full and under pressure and clean off the outside of the gun. The next day, or two, I'll pop off the tip and clean it and it's ready to use. 5 minutes time and no wasted paint. I sure wish I had been told this years ago, not telling how much paint and time I've wasted.
            capncarl

            Comment

            • gerti
              Veteran Member
              • Dec 2003
              • 2233
              • Minnetonka, MN, USA.
              • BT3100 "Frankensaw"

              #7
              Have you used it some yet? I wonder how it is holding up.

              Comment

              • leehljp
                Just me
                • Dec 2002
                • 8429
                • Tunica, MS
                • BT3000/3100

                #8
                Originally posted by capncarl
                I have an airless, can't remember the brand, sr. moment or paint fumes I guess. I use to fret about the cleanup, yes it is a real waste of time and materials, but the last time I used it to paint my cabinets I needed new nozzles and happened in on a sherwin Williams pro rep fair, kinda a meet and greet with all the brand reps that they carry, and a bar-b-q dinner. I was able to get some real good info an airless. They said not to bother cleaning the set up every day. Paint won't set up in if its not t exposed to air. Cleaning the rig is only if your are leaving the site with your equipment, changing colors or types of paint like a pro painter would be doing, or finished painting. So now if it is a several day job I just stop on a bucket that has a fair amount in it, leave the pump and hoses full and under pressure and clean off the outside of the gun. The next day, or two, I'll pop off the tip and clean it and it's ready to use. 5 minutes time and no wasted paint. I sure wish I had been told this years ago, not telling how much paint and time I've wasted.
                capncarl
                I didn't read this the when you first posted it, but that is HELPFUL & WORTHWHILE information!
                Hank Lee

                Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

                Comment

                • Mr__Bill
                  Veteran Member
                  • May 2007
                  • 2096
                  • Tacoma, WA
                  • BT3000

                  #9
                  Originally posted by gerti
                  Have you used it some yet? I wonder how it is holding up.
                  I have only used it enough to see that it works. Installed some shoe molding around the laminate flooring I put down in the kitchen, blew up some bike tires. Blew all the sawdust out of my table saw, ok that was not a smart thing to do in a closed up garage. Next nice day I'll have to blow the dust out of the garage.
                  So far: Like all small compressors cycles a lot and slow recovery. Doesn't leak air and is so quiet that you forget it's running. When it warms up I'll try painting some small projects, wicker chair and some outdoor/deck things. I'll know better then how well I like it as a replacement for the old compressor.
                  One thing I need to do is figure out how to put some storage on it to hold the small things used with it and some way to hang the hose on it when not in use.
                  Nothing was broken out of box, nothing has fallen off and it came with a coupler that accepts both automotive and industrial type connectors

                  Bill
                  on the left coast

                  Comment

                  • radhak
                    Veteran Member
                    • Apr 2006
                    • 3058
                    • Miramar, FL
                    • Right Tilt 3HP Unisaw

                    #10
                    Originally posted by Mr__Bill

                    So I decided to get a new one. We are back living in our duplex, with a neighbor, so noise is a critical factor. I found a quiet compressor. Marketed by California Air Tools and made/assembled in China/Mexico it's advertised at only 60dB. Using a dB meter on my phone it clocks in at 68 dB, I don't know how accurate the App is but standing next to it you hear a hum like a refrigerator. Quieter than the sewing machine and some days my stomach rumbles louder.
                    This sounds incredible to me. The loud sound of my porter-cable pancake seemed inevitable to me. I wish I could replace mine; but it's going strong, and I don't have wish to indulge myself more...



                    It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
                    - Aristotle

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