✅ Building a Better Air Compressor for My Garage for DIRT CHEAP ! 

Good reasoning.

I have the same compressor head and it's been good to me for sure! It's sitting on a 100lb propane tank and I believe we figured out it was only about 25ish gallons of air. I always thought someday I'd add a second tank for storage. I mainly use the compressor for painting and media blasting. After using it for two or three years now, I just don't see the need. The compressor keeps up with painting and blasting with no issues and cycles adequately. I think if you were using multiple air tools at once or even using a larger DA that it may be worth looking into, but for what I do, it's fine. Nice build and clear video style BTW.

I must agree with the second tank,,, volume of air is the key for painting and sandblasting…

I don't do much of sand blasting, but I've done quite a bit of painting over the period of time that I've had my new compressor and I haven't felt the need for expansion just yet, but if at any point the need will arise then I can always easily add another tank

I was going to suggest adding the 2nd tank to double your air capacity. While you might not need it, it wouldn't hurt, and would make use of something you already have.

Lol, I'm glad you liked it 😁

That's right, safety first 😁 I figured it was far enough away from my house to where it's not going to cause any damage in the case of catastrophic failure and even though from that point to the neighbors house wasn't all that far I figured that the chain-link fence would slow the tank down enough to where it won't make it all the way to their house either 🤣

Since water does not compress, very little energy if it had ruptured, that amount of air pressure would have been a catostrophic failure, with water it would have just been a loud pop and little explosive power.. I saw someone do the same except without filling the tank with water, found pieces 600 feet away and steel imbeded several inches into a tree. Luckily they were Intending on exploding the tank so it was done remotely in a large empty area, from behind a large tree, with water however we used to pressure test high pressure gas tanks to several thousand psi in a simple thin metal tank in a factory, occassional pops were loud but created no damage.

@@kevinfloyd808 hydrostatic testing

And that's why I went with water, I figured the worst thing that would happen is the tank would pop and at most would just fall over.

That pressure test means nothing. Air tanks are usually tested to 2-3 their max rating.

Thanks man! I usually try to address all of the steps of the build process so that if others would try to replicate it they could easily follow along

mech eng here. it was legit engineering. the only thing missing really is fab drawings. actually more engineering than i ever do lol. kudo to the creator

@@kikoiekiko7440 yes, the drawings and specifications too. Generally, drawings/specs are for contractors to build from. The planning, analysis, and execution were all there.

Whenever you want to build one and sell it let me know.

a oiled compressor is much better and will last

To be honest I didn't even think about that at first, and in hindsight it would definitely have been a good idea if I wasn't running an after cooler. With a standard set up of a compressor I would see this being almost a must to keep that rust down. But now with air inside of the tank being as dry as it is, think I should be OK for a while :-)

@@fix206 Yes, you should be! Air is gonna be fairly dry now. I wonder if you used one of your extra tanks inline with your current one, would that help even more with air volume for spraying or sandblasting?

I haven't done too much of sandblasting but I have painted quite a bit in the last year while using the new compressor with the new pump easily out pumps the rate at which I am using up the air even if I am continuously painting. Expansion tank would probably make more sense if the compressor was set up in a shop environment with multiple people running air tools at the same time?

@@fix206 very true! I guess with just you, it should be OK. Just thought the expansion tank might keep the pump from working so hard to recoup the air consumption when spraying. Keep up the vids! Always enjoy watching them!

Thanks bro, got more in the works...

Thx. Good to know!

Thanks, it’s been so many years, since I originally heard that I had completely forgotten the reasoning.

I hear you, but I'm sold on synthetic oil due to the heat compressors make. A particular shop I worked at went through 2 Ingersoll 80 gallon 5 horse compressors in about 10 years, the third one we drained and filled with 5W30 Mobil1 before we ever fired it up, it was still going 9 years later when I moved on.

Another thing to keep in mind is, foaming. Non-detergents do not foam.

@@rwcraver I switched to synthetic 5W-30 or 0W-40 in my cheap air compressor as well. Even with synthetic 30 it wouldn't start in the winter worth crap, now it runs great. My cheap Harbor Freight compressor has made it like 10 years hahaha.

Thanks man ! Yeah I didn't want to make a video on something that didn't get thoroughly tested first... And I'm happy to report that 2 years later compressor is still running like a champ 👍

😎

Haha... Thanks Zac !!

zac its complicated air compressor stuff bro. No one needs to learn our trade secrets!!!!! But good vid. You just didn't tell all the people about all the other stuff involved. Thanks for skipping all that!!!!

​@@benshort4157 I know well about compressors, but working on them is really difficult and exhausting.

Since you are an expert, what is your opinion of Speedair compressors? Also, how often should I change the oil? I don't want to tell you how often I've been doing it. Thank you!

Zac, I have an older 60 gallon compressor tank with an Emglo motor on it. What if anything can you do to tell if there is rust in the tank? How long do the tanks last?

Great idea

lemon or any kind of orange or citrus juice works also

I've done a compressor tank using 'red kote' gas tank sealer. It works excellent. The longer it gets used, the more it becomes like 'ceracoat'.

​@@spanishtreasure9551does lemon juice really convert rust?

@@OtherDalfite no it doesn't convert it, it "eats" it as does hydrochloric acid still need to rinse out well and coat with something like epoxy. Phosporic acid converts the rust but i still think it should be coated

drain the water out often too

You are absolutely correct, main thing about the low rpm is these compressors don't annoy you. While the old one annoyed the $hìt out of me... and probably my neighbors 🤣🤣🤣

@@fix206 yeah, my grandpa owned a oil les craftsman, back when craftsman wasnt a shill company, the thing ran fast as hell and was annoyingly loud, like, permenant hearing loss levels of loud, and it wasnt no low thud, it was an annoying buzz from what i remember once that thing eventually broke he got a kobolt 2 stage unit, oiled unit, goes to higher working pressure AND is way, WAY quieter, and by way quieter it was mind blowing, i'd never heard a compressor that wasnt loud enough to need ear protection then my dad bought the same compressor a year or so later, im happy with it so far, though it does run out of air some what quickly imo, considering i was runin a sander to sand down my first project truck (yes, i have one, no it aint done, not even close, kinda thinkin bout sellin it too) and the compressor aint keepin up extremely well. so i might be looking at the harbor freight 2 stage, might be a good option dependin on how fast things are goin as it thats if its a nessesary upgrade. but what was 100% a nessesary upgrade was the lack of air linage the way the place is set up is that theres the actual garage which is not really large enough to fit anything and have any space and the other side which was originally a house extension, well the space wasnt being used so i claimed it and started buying tools and whatnot and now its my shop, and its got enough space to fit a rather large mower AND a ford bronco (and yes the bronco is my project truck) its a bit toight but it fits, anyways, theres a bit of space between the 2 main areas where the compressor resides and it also happens to be a convient walk way between the washer and dryer, because the washer isnt in the designated washer room, its out in my shop where if it decides to take a piss its not gonna cause extremely major damage to the already janky floorboards of the house ofc, having air line on the ground was dangerous, mom tripped on it more than once and so my dad decided to have metal line in the celing, and so far its only plummed to my side of the place because iron pipe is heccin expensive and then theres a soft line running from the pipe to the obligatory reel of soft line, and a bit of a water seperator just to try to remove the water might see if its possible to rig a similar water cooler into it too thats a fantastic idea

It's been great running for over 2 years... I wouldn't change a thing :-)

Thanks Nick, actually means a lot coming from someone with your background !

Hi ,what basics were skipped over? I wanting to up grade my system.It is a cast air bought in 1994.Have replaced twin pump and motor but needs up grrade for sand blasting.Thanks.

Why don’t manufacturers insulate tanks to help prevent condensation of moisture in the tank?

@@juxinmarrrunning any compressor long enough will result in the hot air heating the tank, especially on 2 stage compressors that reach higher pressures. Insulating the tank will hold that heat in, but it will only delay condensation. Eventually everything will cool after the compressor stops running and the moisture will drop out of the air. Most manufacturers offer some sort of aftercooler option to cool the air more before it enters the tank, resulting in water buildup in the tank. This is because it is easy to drain that liquid out of the tank with an automatic drain like the one he used in the bucket or just a timer valve on the bottom of the tank. Otherwise the air will eventually cool and condensate downstream in your airlines to tools, where it is less convenient to deal with capturing and draining it. Most air tools specifically want the dryest air possible, so it is preferred to eliminate as much moisture as possible at the compressor and then only require minor filtration closer to the tool if necessary. If the moisture didn't drop out of the air at the tank, much more filtration and drying efforts would be necessary near the tool..

@@stevenjordan6389 if you're operating a commercial business you are best off selling your current model and purchasing a new one with the CFM requirements of your sandblaster in mind. I see people hang on to their old undersize units and then blow them up when they are overworked with new tools they didn't have before. The same applies if you are working on your personal stuff, but then I recommend looking at the used market. Some areas have lots of good used compressors available due to people upgrading as their needs have changed over time. Make sure you see it run. Check the oil level and color (just like an engine you don't want it to be black or have metal in it). If you can get the model ahead of time call the manufacturer and ask how long it should take to reach pressure. They'll usually be able to tell you from x psi to xx psi should take this long. You'll need the exact model though since they will need to know the exact configuration of the compressor to give an accurate time. The only thing you can easily do with your current setup is plumb another tank as more storage. You can then sandblast longer without the compressor running, but you'll have to stop for a longer time to let the compressor reach pressure again. Reducing the number of times the compressor stops and starts in an hour helps with longevity of the motor, pressure switch, and starter (if equipped). Depending on the model, you may be able to upgrade to a larger motor and then use a larger pulley to spin the pump faster. This would likely require a different overload or fuses in the starter to handle the higher amps the larger motor would draw. If the pump is already operating at it's max speed then there's no way to upgrade it. Another thing to look for is installing a regulator at your sand blaster. If you can regulate the pressure lower and still achieve satisfactory blasting results, the sandblaster will be using less air at the lower pressure.

That may sound good. im not saying it is a bad idea to use some media to help remove the scale inside the tank. but as for as putting a coating on the inside of the tank. That's where your idea Fails and is more trouble then its worth you will actually weaken the tank by doing this . unless you have a way to coat the inside of the tank with a uniform coating. I don't mean rolling the tank around and hoping you get a good coating. you would need to be able to use a Mil Gauge and measure the thickness of the coating that you apply. The inside of the tank will actually deteriorate faster with no real way to know what coating you have applied there will be spots where you may have 3 mils or 7 or 10 and wherever you have a thin mil thickness that is where the pressurized air and any moisture will attack first and worse then a bare steel tank MUCH WORSE. have you ever seen the inside of a high pleasured say oxygen bottle argon bottle? that have far more pressure from 2000 or above 6000psi. inside the tank no coating. i have Ceramic coated the inside of water towers before using what's called a Plural pump and the coating is an Epoxy that is applied hot at about 145 Degree F. and it is applied at 30 Mils!!! the cost for that coating for 5.5 gallons is $2200 for 6 Gallons of ceramic coating. your better with a bare unpainted tank unless you plan on running tests for mil thickness. the tank will degrade faster if painted. do what you like but what i am saying is correct. not a know it all just a Certified Coatings Expert.

@@timmyl2005 High pressure vessels generally house pure gasses and next to no impurities like moisture (poorly maintained aside). Compressor tank has just normal dirty air and moisture so there is the difference. Thing most people dont realize is yes getting even coating on the inside well as coating that can flex a little since even oxygen bottle will expand up a little with pressures involved, not much but a little. Even compressor tank will expand so biggest mistake is to use rigid coating. Second is to go weld pressure vessel with out training to do it properly as you create weak point if not perfect weld and heat management, I'm not coating expert so cant say much about that, but evapo rust combined with say ball bearings to break off any millscape and remove the rust it self should bring good results on old tank. Is it worth to do for old tank is different topic entirely. Personally i would do it and plan on doing it for my large compressor maybe next summer since those tanks are really expensive. Only coating i will do is to clean it properly and put coat of heavy oil on the surfaces and then just run the air trough filters. Gives good protection against water contaminants and seals most of the oxygen out from the metal.

Good idea, but I don't think it would be necessary or even productive with how he's condensing the water out of the air. I'd also imagine just pouring linseed oil into the tank, sloshing it around and running the compressor with the tank unpressurized to dry out the oil would be an easier and longer-lasting option.

Use muriatic acid to dissolve the rust inside the tank. It acts very quickly so it doesn't take very long (try it on a piece of rusty metal first to get an idea of time) and it cleans right down to base metal. Then either use phosphoric acid to convert the flash rust left over (iron oxide) to iron phosphate - a black non-rustable coating. Or coat the inside of the tank with a tank coating of which there are several different types.

Thanks man! I appreciate it !

A problem with this cooling system is that after running the compressor for awhile, the water in the bucket will warm up, and less moisture will be removed from the compressed air. A counter-flow system connected to the water supply could be designed to eliminate this problem.

@@bobskier4274 Or instal a larger cooling bucket in an old, but functioning repurposed fridge. Particularly if using the power supply is preferable to using a continuous flow of water. {Reply to "A counter-flow system connected to the water supply could be designed to eliminate this problem ..." (of) ... "the water in the bucket will warm up, and less moisture will be removed from the compressed air."}

Thanks for watching, I got a lot more material in the works, stay tuned

You know, you could add some antifreeze to the bucket to prevent corrosion and it would eliminate any mosquitos from breeding and would protect the lines and bucket should it freeze.

I personally never really felt a need for air expansion.. I think something like that would be better suited for a shop environment where few people may use the air at the same time, not continuously of course... But at the same time since I never used expansion tanks, maybe I don't know what I'm missing... 🙂

You have to be careful with tank sizing and expansion volume. Most reciprocating compressors run best at 60% duty cycle or less and if you have too much expansion volume, you could end up making the compressor run for far too much longer than it needs to.

I agree great design. Btw, I wondered about evaporation and whether the auto-moisture bleed kept the bucket topped off?

That's right, I did my research and that's precisely why I went with a water for pressure testing purposes 👍

@@fix206 air compressor tanks are tested under water at the tank manufacturers usually to double the stamped working pressure

Glad my video was helpful !! I love reusing just about anything instead of buying new, I'm not a tree hugger or anything like that, just like giving things a second chance at life and save a bunch of money at the same time :)

You are probably right about that :))) So far going on 2 yeas and still going strong !! 👍👍

Those are good points! I may add another tank to run in line sometime down the road. But that is yet to be determined 😉

Thanks man !

Thanks man! The drier system really does work!

@@fix206Can you please do a full video on dryer build? I’d like to build one!

Once you build yours, let me know how it turns out !!

I mainly wanted to ensure that from now on that the inside of the tank would stay nice and dry to prolong its life. It actually worked out better than I expected :)

@@fix206 Have you considered linking the tanks to add capacity? That is something I have always wanted to do.

@@fix206 I wonder what a bag of ice would do to the temperature when it is running for a long time.

To be honest I never had the need for a larger volume of air, especially now, new compressor out pumps the rate at which I'm using the air even if I'm continuously painting. I was going to mention that in the video, but the video was getting a bit too long :) I actually sold the second tank for the same amount that I paid for both tanks, so in the end the thank that I ended up keeping was free to me 😃 I'm sure you can feed the bucket some ice especially if you're doing a lot of work in the dead of summer when it's scorching hot. Wonder if you would end up with condensation on the outside of the tank since the air going in would probably be cooler than a tank itself ?

​@Fix206 or use with a heat-pump enabled water heater. Free hot water!

Wow, thank you Mark! Appreciate a great comment!

@@fix206 very welcome. So much junk on here masquerading as instructional videos. Your's actually is, ; )

I got more good stuff in the works! Thanks for watching!

Thank you Bruce! Aways happy to hear from you! I'm committed to keep going... Got the next one in the works !

I agree with Bruce ! Well explained, well planned, well constructed and finally, well done !!!! Cheers from Perth, Western Australia !

@@fix206 👍 💚 🇦🇺 💛

Appreciate it !!

Sounds interesting

it will take more hp there is no free lunch

@@ronblack7870 "Shop vac discharge" "dedicated electric centrifugal blower" - the blower is running on a separate motor.

Glad I was able to cover most of the questions that you may have had! That's what I'm here for 😎👍

Oh Lordy. With the “very nice” and his accent, my mind went straight to Borat. lol.

Most definitely!

So he filled it with water so if it did explode it wouldn't be as violent?

@@kanehoward7050 Yes, water does not compress like air does. The tank would simply rupture and spray out water, versus exploding and sending shrapnel everywhere lol.

Thanks Frederick ! I think UL approvals and certifications mainly apply to commercial equipment. 99.99% of the home grade air compressors never get tested. They just slowly die in someone's garage over the years. And once they're dead they get replaced with a new one

Thanks man !

Hence the term "Sweating" joints.

Hello itsthemetho - any chance you have a photo you can share? (I am a bit of a novice and a pic would be helpful)

My garage isn't that big plus I got a bunch of other crap in there, that's the main reason I keep the compressor outside on the backside of the garage.

Thanks Trent, I am far from a genius, but creativity is something I have plenty of LOL... I do some of the work in the garage but most of it in the driveway because there is just not enough room in my garage. Looking for a new place, hopefully with a shop building so I can take my game up a notch or two

Thank you kindly!

So far it's been a great pump ! I'm glad that I went that route!! And yeah that foam surround is basically a pre filter that also helps a little with sound deadening

You can also add some plumbing to the air filter intakes on the pump and run the filter pipes through the wall to the outside, that will keep the air cooler and make it quieter too...a friend of mine owns a body repair shop and that's what he did...and it also keeps your filters clean also !!

You better copy it quick before I get it patented LOL 🤣

Thanks man, I really did! Some of my projects I plan out for months and only once I iron out most of the details that I start to put the build together and film it

Glad I was able to help, thanks for watching!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!!

i think it's outside just for filming it

Pump oiling system might not work correctly with lowered rpm

Thanks man, appreciate the comment!

But I do, I have a purge valve at the very bottom of the coil and there is a drop elbow that comes down off of the coil right before the valve so the water has somewhere to pool before it gets purged into the bucket. At the very end of the video where you see the bubbles coming out of the bucket that's the water being purged out of the automatic relief valve

I don't think you realize what I'm talking about. you only have about three or four inch of space at the bottom with that elbow and as a result the water builds up and your air flow travels through the water carrying with it water vapor like a cold vaporizer even though it might be very little it still pulling it through with the airinto you're main tank if you have an expansion tank at the end of or bottom of the coil that water can drop out into it will drain away from your air and thus won't be bubbling through that water continuously pulling water vapor with it as it continues to you're main tank. it doesn't even have to be a large tank you can even add a one or two inch diameter 12 inch long copper piece of tubing to allow the water to expand into with your release valve at the end

An ultrasonic tester can tell the remaing Wall Thickness. If multiple readings give consistent T, you likeley dont have excessive loss due to corrosion. Calculating the Hoop stress will give the MAWP (Max allowable working pressure ) Divide that by a safety factor of 4, and set your Pressure safety valve accordingly. Of course there are statutory regulations to consider.

Add to that concern a non certified weld on a pressure vessel. On draining tanks the ones in our shops has the drain valve set to slightly weep. So moisture never builds up.

Evapo-Rust is a chelating agent, not a converter. It doesn't leave any kind of protective coating.

​@@bhartley1024 I wonder why I have a lot of people asking me that question. It doesn't claim to be a converter.

Great to hear! Good luck with the build 👍

Much appreciated!