Air Compressor Help

wildest_jjk · 25 Jun 2015 at 01:07

Hi guys,

I am in the market for a cheap yet effective air compressor. The main issue is I only really need it for one thing but I will either sell it when used or keep and have it for other things.

The main use is to do a job on my car where I need to spray underbody seal to deal with a leak. I will be doing this with something known as a Schutz gun, which you can see in the picture below:

According to the specification it has a working pressure of 6Bar/90Psi.

My budget for the compressor is no more than £100 but preferably a lot less if possible? As an example here is one I have found which seems like it would be suitable it's just a bit expensive.

Stanley 8216035SCR011 24Ltr Compressor with 5 Piece Accessory Kit 240Vr

Hopefully there are some air compressor experts around

Thanks!!

covenantuk · 25 Jun 2015 at 07:45

If you only need it for one job, just hire one?

wildest_jjk · 25 Jun 2015 at 07:53

covenantuk said:
If you only need it for one job, just hire one?

Thanks for the response

I did think of the but hiring isn't exactly cheap and I'm not certain how long I would need it for, especially if things don't go to plan etc.

john_s · 25 Jun 2015 at 08:27

As well as the pressure, you also need to check the air flow rate the tool requires - and that the compressor can supply it.

covenantuk · 25 Jun 2015 at 11:07

Basically, the smallest compressors are just about ok for a hobbyist using airbrushes or wanting to pump up a few tyres. For something like spraying the underside of a car you'll want a decent capacity else you'll be waiting for it to regain pressure all the time.

We had the smallest Sealy compressor at work just to blow paper dust out of some big commercial scanners and barely had enough reserves for that - the compressor would be running contantly and even then not keep pressure up.

wildest_jjk · 25 Jun 2015 at 11:13

Thanks for the responses guys.

So am I looking at the right kind of compressor? Like the one I have linked.

Looking in the manual for that air compressor it seems to state 6.5 CFM. Would this be enough? Would that be its max?

Thanks

SamuraiTortoise · 25 Jun 2015 at 11:17

For an extra £11 this would probably be a better purchase as more HP and higher CFM: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/24-Litre-...646?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a3794fdee

wildest_jjk · 25 Jun 2015 at 18:24

I notice that it is an oil compressor and some aren't? Is there any real reason for this?

Thanks

indyskyz · 25 Jun 2015 at 20:46

wildest_jjk said:
I notice that it is an oil compressor and some aren't? Is there any real reason for this?

Thanks

The motor is oil cooled vs an air cooled oil free motor (maintenance free)

oil cooled is generally quieter but heavy and more expensive than the hobbyists oil free compressors

but for the use you want the £99 stanley one will be fine. Then keep it to pump up your tires inflate balls and such. Have recently used its little brother at work to power some pneumatic bus doors and it coped fine allowing the doors to be opened and closed 3/4 times before recharging and that was only a 4.5 ltr tank.

oh and you stated your gun runs at 6 bar the 99quid compressor runs at 8 bar it does have a regulator to regulate the output pressure to whatever you want it to be.

wildest_jjk · 25 Jun 2015 at 21:01

Thanks for the response and info mate!

Do you think the 6.35CFM airflow of the Stanley would be enough as well?

I think the good thing about the Stanley one is it would probably be easier to sell on given the name. That's if I don't keep it!

The previously linked air compressor seems to be made by a UK company called SGS engineering. They do also have a £99 compressor: 24 Litre Air Compressor - 9.6CFM, 2.5HP, 24L. But I'm not really sure what would be the best choice out of the two? Ideally I wanted to spend less but I don't think they will be powerful enough if they are any cheaper!!

pastymuncher · 26 Jun 2015 at 13:33

No, the Stanley one is not enough. I have one with similar specs and it can't power my air tools. It just can't supply enough air to keep the pressure up. You are going to need something far more beefy than that. What you need to do is find out what cfm the spray gun you have needs and go from there.

crinkleshoes · 26 Jun 2015 at 13:58

A 50L would help... you can get 50L 8-10bar with 150-250L/min flow for around 100 quid though, at least...

I just bought one in a local sale... good enough for air tool and what you're after... empty tank -> fully pressurised in 3 mins.

wildest_jjk · 26 Jun 2015 at 14:04

Thanks guys.

Would the SGS compressor I linked still be too weak? I haven't seen any 50L with good enough power at £100 though?

Cheers

pastymuncher · 26 Jun 2015 at 14:59

What cfm does the spray gun you have need? You say 6 bar working pressure but that's the max pressure not the cfm needed to keep it working.

crinkleshoes · 26 Jun 2015 at 15:07

wildest_jjk said:
Thanks guys.

Would the SGS compressor I linked still be too weak? I haven't seen any 50L with good enough power at £100 though?

Cheers

I got mine through the rainforest... can't link as they're a competitor

wildest_jjk · 26 Jun 2015 at 15:13

I can't really find any listings that state the air flow requirement this is the annoying thing. Not sure how I'm supposed to find this out?

Thanks for all the help!

crinkleshoes · 26 Jun 2015 at 15:26

Can link straight to manufacturer's site... dunno if this is available in the UK or not:

http://www.einhell.fr/Catalogue/Outillage/Gamme-Bleue/Compresseurs/4010370.htm

262l/min (approx 9.25cf/m) with 8bar max

Cost 170Euro = #120GBP.

There are quite a few around that price... a few a bit lower, a few a bit higher... one that does 210l/m with a bunch of accessories that gets good reviews for the same price.

But I was buying a higher rated accessories than would be included in the pack... so went for the higher rated compressor.

I did a bit of googling... and I found you need figures of around 190 litres per minute for your Schutz gun... so anything above that should be OK... I'd go with a 50L tank though as I've read the 24L tanks are just that bit too small that it can be a little annoying... whereas the 50L gives enough pressure swap space to be comfortably usable.

crinkleshoes · 26 Jun 2015 at 15:28

wildest_jjk said:
I can't really find any listings that state the air flow requirement this is the annoying thing. Not sure how I'm supposed to find this out?

Thanks for all the help!

I just went to google and typed in:

"Schutz gun lpm"

and

"Schutz gun cfm"

found specs quite easily

Check my previous post... aim for 200l/m (7cfm) and 6bar or higher.

wildest_jjk · 27 Jun 2015 at 02:14

Thanks for the response!

I must have been looking in the wrong places and didn't realise that all the Schutz guns would be the same spec. That's great though to actually have a bit of a figure to go by.

Would the SGS one I liked work then? But it just won't work for as long or something?

I only ask because I quite like the look of buying it from them and really don't want anything to extreme!

Thanks again

crinkleshoes · 27 Jun 2015 at 08:13

It's borderline... usually you would want to slightly exceed the minimum spec.

It quite probably would work, a bit... but like you say - it could well be on/off quite frequently... this kind of performance would likely result in an uneven coating & I'm sure you wouldn't want that.

What about this one? It's only £20 more an exceeds the specs you require:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/scheppach-hc24-24ltr-2hp-compressor/97897

After the research I did though, a 50L tank minimum is recommended... so from Screwfix, I would get this one:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/scheppach-hc54-50ltr-air-compressor-230v/7029f

But... there is somewhere else you can get a better deal for less money

I've sent you a trust email...

Air Compressor Help

SamuraiTortoise

SamuraiTortoise