Portable compressed air tank......recommendations

[Odie]

I'm considering getting one of these portable compressed air tanks, and am seeking some comments from those of you who are "in the know". There are times where I can used compressed air that is beyond the reach of my hoses in the shop......mostly tires. There are also times in the home I can use a little air to clean computers, keypads, small household electric heaters, appliances, etc. Base price is $28 for a 5 gallon tank. I see I can get double the capacity for about 10 bucks more, or an aluminum tank for double the money. Is 5 gallon capacity enough for my purposes?......Is the aluminum tank worth it? (I can see where aluminum wouldn't have any rust issues.)

What say you?

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=portable+tank

ko

 

[Bill Boehme]

I would say 20 gallons minimum for airing up tires ... and that's if they aren't too low. Getting more air hose might be a better idea. That is what I do. As far as dusting things in the house is concerned, I carry things outdoors to do that ... otherwise, all that I am doing is redistributing the dust in the house. Silk plants are the worst about accumulating dust. I carry them out to the driveway and them give them a good cleaning with an air nozzle. The problem with a really small tank is that the pressure drops off really fast and for airing up tires, you need plenty of pressure.

p.s.: maybe the 11 gallon tank would work for just topping off a couple tires.

 

[Justin Stephen]

I would say 20 gallons minimum for airing up tires...

Most offroaders I know carry C02 tanks for this purpose. Because the C02 is compressed as a liquid, a relatively small tank can hold a lot of gas. I carried a 20LB C02 tank that could re-inflate my 33" (285 75/R16) mudders from 10-12 psi all the way back to 35-40 several times before it was tapped. I suppose you could use one for compressed air purposes as well, so long as it wasn't a siphon tank.

 

[Zach LaPerriere]

One heck of a cool idea, portable compressed air. I bet the aluminum is worth the 10 bucks for weight. Kinda like the amazing lightweight of fiberglass propane tanks, but not quite as good.

As an alternative, you could put the money into the nice new polyurethane hoses like Flexeel. I run air 200 feet across the ground from my shop to my bowldrying shack. With brass connections, absolutely no leaks after 5 years.

Compared to the old rubber hoses, polyurethane weighs nothing. As a finish carpenter I've ran them through people's homes even over carpet. I don't recommend 1/4"—it kinks and can drive a person mad.

All that said, the portable air tank might just be cheaper. Happy moving air!

 

[Bill Boehme]

Back when I was an airplane owner and we were too cheap to buy a compressor for our hanger, we had a portable tank that held about 15 to 20 gallons. We would go to another hanger to borrow some air and then carry it over to our hanger. It didn't hold enough to do very much ... maybe air up the nose strut and one tire then back to borrow another cup of air.

 

[Dennis J Gooding]

Back when I was an airplane owner and we were too cheap to buy a compressor for our hanger, we had a portable tank that held about 15 to 20 gallons. We would go to another hanger to borrow some air and then carry it over to our hanger. It didn't hold enough to do very much ... maybe air up the nose strut and one tire then back to borrow another cup of air.

Just curious Bill. What did you own? I sold my Mooney M20J about 8 years ago when my wife became unable to board and deboard it.

 

[Dean Center]

Odie,
I didn't think it was worth the extra $ for aluminum tanks on a compressor I bought a year or so ago, as we're pretty dry down here in Bozeville. I tried to drain any moisture out after use, but occasionally forgot. Now I've got rust in the tank. Shouldn't have been so cheap.

 

[Odie]

Odie,
I didn't think it was worth the extra $ for aluminum tanks on a compressor I bought a year or so ago, as we're pretty dry down here in Bozeville. I tried to drain any moisture out after use, but occasionally forgot. Now I've got rust in the tank. Shouldn't have been so cheap.

Hiya Dean.......

Ya, I've never had any problems with rust in the Zootown, or any of the places I've lived in Mineral County, either. In that respect, we're very lucky to live in Montana. Heck, I've never had a spot of rust on any of the firearms in my gun safe, either! I probably would never have gone for the aluminum tank, but was open to persuasion on that. My compressor is drained monthly or bi-monthly (if I can remember to do it), and I've never noticed any rust colored condensation H2O being eliminated, but there might be some in there, because of the temperature swings here, along with heated air being introduced into a cold tank......I think! There is usually some water in there, but never more than a few ounces......

ko

 

[Bill Boehme]

Just curious Bill. What did you own? I sold my Mooney M20J about 8 years ago when my wife became unable to board and deboard it.

We had a Cessna fixed gear Skylane. It's been a long time, but I believe that it was a P model. Before that we had a Cessna Skyhawk.

 

[Steve Worcester]

Most offroaders I know carry C02 tanks for this purpose. Because the C02 is compressed as a liquid, a relatively small tank can hold a lot of gas. I carried a 20LB C02 tank that could re-inflate my 33" (285 75/R16) mudders from 10-12 psi all the way back to 35-40 several times before it was tapped. I suppose you could use one for compressed air purposes as well, so long as it wasn't a siphon tank.

The difference here is the CO2 tank and what is an inexpensive air reservoir is the pressure of the tank. The co2 is going to hold greater than 1800 psi and the air tank about 150.

if you scuba dive, use that tank with a low pressure tap off the regulator

 

[AlanZ]

For tires, I use either 12 volt portable compressors, or an air pump that fits onto my Black & Decker Matrix drill.

 

[John Altberg]

I fitted an expired propane tank with air fittings. Works perfectly for blowing out a water line that runs under my deck. Also used it once for inflating a flat tire on my son's car.

 

[Joe Greiner]

Odie,
I didn't think it was worth the extra $ for aluminum tanks on a compressor I bought a year or so ago, as we're pretty dry down here in Bozeville. I tried to drain any moisture out after use, but occasionally forgot. Now I've got rust in the tank. Shouldn't have been so cheap.

It's been years since I read it, and don't remember where, but it was recommended to install an elbow and auxiliary horizontal drain pipe with the drain valve at the end. Remnant moisture is in the pipe, which, if it rusts, is easier to replace than the tank.

 

[John King]

PVC Pipe

I fitted an expired propane tank with air fittings. Works perfectly for blowing out a water line that runs under my deck. Also used it once for inflating a flat tire on my son's car.

Is that PVC pipe fitted with a compressed air fitting in photo 2? It is my understanding the PVC pipe is NOT RECOMMENDED for compressed air service. Here's a quote from www.hoseandfittingsetc.com. More information on compressed air piping at http://www.hoseandfittingsetc.com/o...pe-of-Pipe-Should-I-Use-for-My-Air-Compressor.

"The use of PVC pipe is common but NOT RECOMMENDED for use with compressed air. It is often used because it is readily available, inexpensive, and easy to install. However, as with many plastics, PVC gets brittle over time and can crack, break, or even shatter. The presence of air compressor oils in the line and heat from the compressed air accelerates the degradation of PVC. These failures, combined with air under pressure, are potentially fatal due to the airborne, razor-sharp shrapnel. It is also an OSHA violation to use PVC for compressed air distribution, which means you could incur a hefty fine."

All for now. - John

 

[Nate Hawkes]

So I have three compressors; an 80 gallon one for air sanding ultra fine grits, and impact wrenches for auto repairs, a pancake Bostitch one that I bought because I didn't want to fool with hundreds of feet of air hose from the shop to the house, and a 12v model mounted underneath my truck for off road tire inflation/ deflation and an air horn.

My tires are 10 ply ones, 75-80 psi, The tank on my truck is six or seven gallons and 150 psi, but won't appreciably change one tire without running for several minutes (it's an extremely heavy duty 12v one with output similar to the pancake compressor) if it's really low. Tires take a LOT of air; you'll be disappointed with a small tank. Even inflating lawnmower tires or inner tubes for river trips takes a huge amount of air. If the truck is off it won't fill up a big inner tube.

Edit: I meant to add to my post that I now own about 400' of air hose and a wall mounted hose reel after feeling frustrated with the other options.

 

[John Altberg]

Is that PVC pipe fitted with a compressed air fitting in photo 2? It is my understanding the PVC pipe is NOT RECOMMENDED for compressed air service. Here's a quote from www.hoseandfittingsetc.com. More information on compressed air piping at http://www.hoseandfittingsetc.com/o...pe-of-Pipe-Should-I-Use-for-My-Air-Compressor.

"The use of PVC pipe is common but NOT RECOMMENDED for use with compressed air. It is often used because it is readily available, inexpensive, and easy to install. However, as with many plastics, PVC gets brittle over time and can crack, break, or even shatter. The presence of air compressor oils in the line and heat from the compressed air accelerates the degradation of PVC. These failures, combined with air under pressure, are potentially fatal due to the airborne, razor-sharp shrapnel. It is also an OSHA violation to use PVC for compressed air distribution, which means you could incur a hefty fine."

All for now. - John

Yes, John, that is a PVC pipe in the photo. It is merely an extension of my water line to an accessible area on my deck for blowing out the line in the fall before the first freeze. It is never under load with air so probably not a huge safety issue. Since installing this blowout I have not had to repair any of the water line for two Springs, now! Nonetheless the information you shared is of value.

John