Probably been asked a million times before.
I've been considering investing in a compressor but getting completely confused what i need for my requirements. Looking at getting one thats 3hp but unsure if would need a 50L tank or larger. I want to use it for some tools- impact wrench, cut off tool and spraying of parts ( doesn't need to be capable of doing a whole car).
Would a 50L tank be adequate or not?

Thanks in advance

Rob

I've got a 50L compressor, not sure what motor is on it though. My impact gun is fine but the airsaw has the motor running all the time and i have to stop every minute or so to build pressure up again. I haven't used it for spraying but i guess it would depend on the size of the part being sprayed.

As far as I'm aware the main thing to check is how much air it will flow. The literage is important for prolonged use such as for spraying- you don't want to run out of air mid spray whereas if you run out of air when using a impact wrench and have to wait for the compressor to recharge it just slows you down.

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you could do with somthing like this
Jacko

Air tools are yesterdays tools, noisy, inefficient and awkward to use.

For spraying parts get a LPHV spray station kit , for impact driver get a cordless or get the Sealey 240v jobs.

I bought a cheapy 50l from ebay for just over a £120. It's fine for low air flow stuff such as nailgunning, pot riveting etc etc. I use it mostly for my powered coating kit. You cannot use any sanding tools with it or grinding tools.


Essentially anything that needs constant flow such as grinding, sanding, large spray jobs, shotblasting etc you will need more than a 50l compressor.

However if I had more money to spend I would get a quieter one. Mine makes such a horrible ear aching noise that I wear ear defenders just to drown the thing out when using it in the garage. I am thinking of making a box for it and moving it into the shed. I have a Clarke Whisper 50l at work and thats brilliant

volume isnt as critical as litres a minute.....
and no compressor manufacturer's seem to use the larger size liters a minute than what the air tool maufacturers do

I have a 3hp 50L sip. Had it about 17 years now.....

Anyway, yes, impact wrench, fine. Sanders etc, nope. Use electric.
Spraying, I have painted several cars over the years, yes it does run quite a lot, and I guess a 100L would be better. And it is direct drive, belt drive rather quieter.

I actually had a bid on a new sip belt drive jobbie, but as I wasn't desperate I was outbid, it sold for about £170. They do come up pretty regularly, and axminster were selling off returned/repaired ones recently, not fetching big money either.

Thanks for all your replies.
Actually a spray station wouldn't be too bad an idea. Anyone got experience of using them?
The reason I was thinking of going with a compressor was for use of impact wrench as well- the air powered ones seem to have more torque than any of the electrical ones.

I'm aware that the ability to flow the air and pressure is the most important with regard to running tools but I couldn't really find anywhere how long you could use them before the compressor kicks in again. I wouldn't want to spend all my time waiting for it to refill.

It's swings and roundabouts on tank size, if you get a 50 it empties quicker but on the other hand it also fills quicker the pump still does the same amount of work but for a 100 it runs longer but less often. As above, rotary tools like die grinders and anything running for long periods get electric as it's cheaper to run a hand tool than a 3hp motor but for short burst tools like impact guns and inflators and low volume spraying they are invaluable. My ancient direct drive 3hp SIP will fill the tank while I spray at 40psi with my gravity gun.

The sealey 240v impact wrench is pretty powerful if brutal -- I bought one recently but still use my MacAllister 14.4v cordless for most jobs.

I have a couple of HVLP sets one I keep one for spraying waxy stuff for the garden are both ultra cheap B&Q jobs and they are excellent the favoured "most pro" brands are Earlex and Apollo.

I'm still unsure about the HVLP systems. They seem to get very mixed reviews on the net. They would probably be ideal as long as I could ensure a half decent finish. On the other hand having a compressor would open up possibilites for the future such as powering a powder coat gun and under sealing. Think i'll have to give this some more thought.

I have a 50L wolfe compressor and run machine mart tools on it - my only regret is not getting one sooner.

I have some tools which are electric and duplicated with air tools, and I reach for the air ones every time, such as the die-grinder. I use it for cleaning metal (cup brush attached) and it has a lot more torque than my dremmel.

The other reason why I like air-tools is that they're a lot cheaper than the rechargable tools - I don't mind £20 or so on a specific air-tool rather than bodging it with an electric tool, and let's face it, you can't have too many tools.

I would have preferred a larger tank - no doubt about it - the die grinder empties the tank quick enough, but things like an impact wrench or nut-spinner are not a problem. I've never sprayed though - I have friends for that - I know I wouldn't be good at it, so can't advise there.

One other thing to think about with a larger compressor is the current they will draw when firing up - you may need a 32A (or 40?) supply for it, and also have it on a class C breaker circuit that has a slower trigger time to allow the higher initial current draw before it settles down to pumping.

Good Luck, and I think the american adage applies here - "there ain't no substitute for cubic inches"