Air Compressor Types, How They Work, and How to Choose the Right One

Looking for an air compressor can be difficult. This video is about the 3 basic types you will find, how they work and what to consider when choosing.

[sklikizos]

I bought a little pancake compressor years ago and quickly outgrew it. I didn't have much money for the scfm and volume I wanted, so I scoured Facebook marketplace daily. After months I found what I thought was a deal. 5+hp 33 gal 13scfm @ 90psi for $150. Only issue was the guy didn't have 240v wired for me to test. Neither did I at home. But he assured me the thing ran and he always drained the tank. I gave it a quick once over and bought it. Months later I finally wired 240v with a dedicated breaker. I spin the thing up and within 15 seconds a crack blows open and starts spraying rusty water. It took almost 40 minutes to completely stop spraying.

Since then I've learned a ton about compressors, and I wish I had seen your video sooner because you covered 95% of it for most people. Fantastic video.

If you buy used (or even new) here are some tips: check the drain valve - if it doesn't open easily and shows obvious signs of corrosion, tread carefully, or quickly away. Drain valves can be replaced but if it's difficult to open it usually means there's a significant amount of corrosion around that port. Also, realize that even if you have an auto drain, some tank configurations don't fully drain without being tipped/rocked. Make sure you read your manual and any labels printed on the tank as most of them indicate what is necessary to fully drain them. Somewhat related and definitely important for safety is that there should be a safety valve on your tank. If not, or yours doesn't function, you need to install one, they're pretty cheap about $8. Next, ideally, have a way to power the thing on, whether that's plugging it in at the buyers' or bringing a generator that means the power demands, you might even be able to get away with an inverter. If that's not possible, at least check the tank with a boroscope. You can get a decent one for under $35 and they're useful for tons of other things. You're looking for rust and any signs of corrosion especially on the side of the tank drain. On horizontal models, the inside tank top also accumulates a fair amount of corrosion so make sure to look all over. Alternatively, if you have access to another tank of similar size, you might be able to transfer that air to the tank you want to buy with the right set of fittings and a proper port access. If all of that seems fine, go for it. But now realize it's your job to keep as much water out of the tank as possible to begin with. That usually means building or buying an air dryer - lots of good DIY build on YouTube. Ideally, the dryer should come between the compressor and the tank to keep water out.

All of this is quite a lot to deal with before even purchasing. I think most people would be better off buying new and realizing that there's a limited life to these things so make sure to read the manual and understand what that means. In production environments, compressor tanks are regularly inspected, serviced, and decommissioned to mitigate becoming a ticking time bomb. I feel like I dodged a bullet with how that crack formed. Luckily, I found an unused 50 gallon tank for 40 bucks and will hopefully be replumbing the old pump. Worse comes to worst and I resell the old pump / motor assembly as the 5hp motor alone should recoup most of my initial purchase which is why I thought it was a good deal in the first place. Plus I get to practice brazing with a torch.

I hope this helps someone, anyone.

[walterlangkowski]

Thank you Pete for not having loud annoying distracting music in the background

[davidsawyer]

Pro tip....I have found that if I bring an empty tank and open the valve at the local elected officials office that it fills with hot air fairly fast.

[ra]

There's so much usable information here.im going to watch it in sections again and again and learn something else everytime. Thanks 👍

[isaaccorradi]

What an informative and comprehensive explanation. Nice work mate!

[philipchandler]

Very informative. I'm thinking about doing some table top sand blasting cabinet any recommendations on compressor?

[eliasprestalon]

Thank you so much for such a great and informative video. I had a bunch of questions about air compressors cause I want to buy one to make my life easier when it comes to doing a small job in my garage, now I got a lot of info to pay attention to when going to the store. Keep up the good work sir

[crackerjack]

Great video, many thanks Pete. I have a Matika 5200compressor which i believe is one of the best in class in its category. I'm a wood turner and I bought a a very small air sander to finish sanding turned pieces. Well, even though the compressor is highly rated at 6.9 SCFM it can hardly keep up with the demand and runs continuously while I'm using it. It has a 5 gallon tank. Do you think a compressor with a bigger tank even with a lower SCFM would be a better option?

[joeidaho]

I work as a I buy nothing other than Makita. The small one is the quietest I've come across...and is very reliable. The larger one is pretty noisy....but has a good high rate of compression, without being very large. The downside of the larger one is that it draws very close to 15 amps, and so it can easily trip a breaker if you put it on an extension cord. Has to be plugged directly to not trip a 15 amp breaker. I've had mine for about 15 years now...and they run like brand new.

[BigDaddysGarage]

Some of the best info I’ve seen yet! Thank you!

[xXRobinNLXx]

I’m looking for a compressor to blow out my irigation system. Pressure regulator can be set to 80psi (not more, pvc pipes cant handle more).
My current small (old) compressor can only provide this for like 20 seconds before it has no pressure left. The cycling doesnt keep up with whats needed.
Important is that it outputs 80psi continuously, for as long as possible, without having to stop it every minute, wait for the tank to fill up etc.

What kind of stats/size compressor would you recommend me?

[Validoe]

Amazing content and video. Which compressor for plastic welding machine?

[randalljbarrierjr]

Great video lots of great info included in video and for the part where he said he didn't know where the air tanks are made for the compressors pretty much they're made in Marion North Carolina at Morganton pressure vessels I used to make them myself

[mirzakaleem]

Greetings, you are honest, sincere and really really good hearted as you have shared your good knowledge to the best. I needed your kind of advice in helping me buy an Air Compressor. After watching your this YouTube video I can now go confidently and buy exactly what I need. Indebted to your goodness.
Godspeed ❤

[dh-inqr]

Is there an advantage to higher horsepower? I have a working 5hp compressor motor from an old rusted tank so will it improve performance if I swap out the 1.5hp motor on a newer compressor with the higher hp motor? Great video.

[HiFiInsider]

would you recommend California Air Tools brand? I’m trying to get US made products but not sure if this is a good brand aside for being quiet.

[edwinthomas]

Great video. question if a single stage air compressor is 4.5 Scfm @90 psi do I need to set my regulator at 90 psi or set it to the tool SCFM that I'm using? I hope that made sense.

[KingdomUploader]

Hey man, thanks for the priceless info! Guess I need help on How #1. Please tell me this - assuming that a 7 gal. 100 psi portable air tank will inflate a flat 16" tire to 40psi (will it?), what size 110v compressor is needed to fill that air tank to 100psi? 7 gallon one? IDK
I like taking a portable tank on the road just in case i need to plug and fill - and to top off my tires at the house without lugging the compressor to my truck.. Thank you!

[pezhmanes]

Good information. I would like to hear about which diameter hose should we choose! For example for 50 feet hose for 150 psi compact air compressor 3/8 is better or 1/4. Best luck

[cmd_f]

Pretty amazing how complicated it can be to pressurize air and bring it somewhere eh? Great video :)