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Air compressor that can run a paint gun.

6K views 18 replies 7 participants last post by  meborder 
#1 ·
I’m looking at upright 60-80 gallon 220 volt compressors and wondering if they would be good enough to run a paint gun.
What kind of CFM requirements are at the minimum?

I’m not in the $1,000+ price range. I’m looking in the $500 range. I could stretch that a bit, but not double it.

this would be a once In a great while requirement to run a paint gun.

any specific models to look at would be greatly appreciated as well. I just started looking for real, so I have no brand preference.

thanks in advance.
 
#4 ·
Pick a gun you like for the use you intend , then check its air requirements , match your compressor accordingly . Be sure to check the duty cycle of the compressor , if it can't keep up , it won't live long ! When using air tools. You can wait for the compressor to catch up , you can't do that while painting ....
 
#5 ·
Don't "cheap out" with the air compressor! Spending a little extra in the beginning will save bunches in the long run. Cast iron compressors will give service for as long as you will live. As stated look at the duty cycle, most cheap units have 50% or less. That is "rest time" vs continual run. Obviously the higher the number the better the unit.
 
#8 ·
Single stage or dual stage, single is the most common "lower" priced unit. Most all 5 HP 220V units will more then keep up with all paint guns. They tend to max out at 125 PSI. Using a DA or air file will push them hard. The 2 stage will run in the 150 PSI range and give better service with the DA and file and if you have a blst cabinet run it just fine as well.
 
#10 ·
So just looking at the big box stores there are a few that pique my interest

Looks like a single stage compressor that delivers 11.5 SCFM with a recommended 50% duty cycle. Price is good.

this is the 2 stage version of the same thing. Rated 10.7 CFM with no duty cycle note that I can find

this one is a single stage but has a 100% duty cycle if you use synthetic oil, but no CFM ratings that I can easily find. And it’s beyond what I reallyhave to spend.

this one is a dual stage but only 7.6 SCFM and no note about duty cycle I can find. Price is good but the delivery rating is terrible

enough to make a guys head spin.
 
#11 ·
A lot depends on your shop and it's power availability. I am currently using a 30 gal. 5Hp single stage 2cyl compressor, it says 12.7 cfm. It's 5hp motor is a capacitor start, capacitor run dual capacitor motor and runs the pump at a rapid speed, to achieve the 12.7 cfm rate.
First off, it draws a butt load of amps, spikes over 20 on start, and running it's around 15 amps on 220volt. I have enough current and wiring to supply this continuous, but don't use that much air either with a DA or HVLP.
I chose this mainly for price, but space was also considered. If you are the only guy using air in your shop you can get by with a small compressor. Air impacts, die grinders, sandblasters, air jacks, are all air eaters, where tank volume and cfm are your friend. Most air tools run well in the 90-120 psi range. But impacts are a bit weak at the 90 psi end.
Most 2 stage pumps have less cfm available than a single stage of the same cylinder count. Tank volume is a good thing until it comes to filling it back up.
Using a DA, I usually have it dialed down on speed, and it cuts just as fast as wide open. It will keep up good enough to last to the next disc change or until I need a drink of beer.
Using a HVLP gun, your air is set down to 20-30 psi at the gun, and I don't have a problem there.
I have a friend that plumbed his air system in his shop with 2" PVC for extra volume, and has not had a problem with it. Scares me.
I don't see the need for a 2 stage system to get to the 150-175psi range, unless you are going to use and air hoist, or are going to have 2 or 3 guys running impacts at the same time.
Numbers are all over the place. CFM depends on pump size and speed. For longevity, many large cylinders running at a slower speed is what you want. This will also keep the power usage down.
 
#16 ·
i've been in the air compressor business for 25 years, first and foremost never use PVC or CPVC for air line it is literally a bomb waiting to go off. i warned a customer that ran 2" PVC for his plant hooked to a 5000 gallon tank. one day the elbow blew at the tank (120psi) the piece of the elbow shot 100ft went thru a piece of 3/4" plywood then thru the corragated sheet metal another 100' and bounced off that wall. at the same time the tank ripped out of the floor and went thru the steel wall and landed out side. he was lucky no one was killed.
as far as CFM the higher the pressure the less CFM so at 175psi you actually have a lower CFM rating than you would at 100psi. all air tool are designed to work best at 100PSI. higher pressure will give you longer "run" time as long as you are regulating the pressure down that coming out of the tank.
i paint quite often with a 4hp with a 25 gal tank with no issues
 
#12 ·
My 2 stage stays well ahead of both the DA and air file. Have used it once with the HF sand blast cabinet to clean exhaust manifolds and it ran steady but never lost effectiveness with respect to cleaning the manifolds. Almost never runs during spot painting with my old Debelvis (SP?) and runs on and off while using the new HVLP guns on a full car paint job. My shop is on a separate meter making monitoring electric use easy. The 2 stage uses less power then the single ever thought about.

If able to, mount that bad boy outside of the shop! I had my old single stage inside for years, moved to a new place and there is a leanto on the back side of the shop. What a good move that was. All my "plumbing" for the air is with 1/2" black pipe. That PVC thing scares me as well. I have two outlets, one is "shop" air and the second is "paint" air. The hoses are segregated as well. The paint hoses never run anything but paint guns. Spend the money for a good separator as well for the paint side, clean air for paint is next to Godliness!
 
#13 ·
Lots of good advice here, so I appreciate the help

another one at Tractor supply caught my eye

price is good and looks like 13.4 SCFM at painting pressures. No info on duty cycle that I can easily find

for a couple hundred more, this one delivers more air and has a continuous duty cycle

Honestly, I’m thinking that just about any of these would be fine and would last me a lifetime. It’s just me and I’m not a “shop”. Just would like a compressor that would allow me to do things like paint, powder coat, and sandblast occasionally. Some of those with the low CFM ratings don’t look so good compared to some of the others, but even those are 50 times better than what I have now.

as for the service and placement, I’m currently wiring my shop and I ran a dedicated 30 amp 230 service for an air compressor. I put it in the back corner and plan to build an enclosure around it to keep noise down. Will probably put in some kind of fresh air provision so that sucking fumes etc isn’t an issue.

still open to ideas and input. Thanks for the ideas and help so far. Keep it coming

this all started last week when my wife gave me $250 for my birthday to help fund an air compressor, which was quite a surprise because I never really mentioned anything would just look at them once and a while. So with the $250 and $210 I got for longevity with my employer, I’m within a stones throw of getting something decent.
 
#14 ·
Couple years ago, I picked up a used Craftsman 30 gal, 5 HP compressor that's rated at 10 SCFM @ 90 psi for $60 because it needed a motor. I replaced the motor with a 3 HP compressor duty from Harbor Frt for about $150. Although I haven't tried painting or a DA with it yet; I've used it wide open (at 50 psi) to blow out mine and the neighbors sprinkler systems, and it will catch up and shut off while being used. Runs an air grinder just fine.
Yeah, I'm retired and on a strict "shop" budget, not to mention being frugal (OK, OK, cheap.....). I'm very happy with my setup, and the cost. BTW, I primarily looked at the SCFM rating at 90 psi when I was previously looking at compressors. Most of the new type "oil less" don't come close to 10.
 
#18 ·
I believe you'll be happy with this choice. My first one was almost identical, traded it with my cousin who over bought for his use (a two stage). My old unit is living happily ever after in his shop now. It is 36 years old, survived stripping four cars with a DA, used up three HF air files and painted those four cars with the old Debelvis (sp?) gun I have!
 
#19 ·
If I can get that kind of service out of mine, I’ll be pushing 80. And at that point if it wears out, I can feel pretty good about it.

I picture my use being very similar to yours, so I’m hopeful it will last the rest of my working time here on earth.

Thanks for the review and input. And thanks to everyone else that helped as well!
 
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