Air compressor upgrade

More air for my Vapor Hone Cabinet

[@reddyuda]

Next upgrade for me is to install a cooler on the outlet side of the compressor before it gets to the tank, and an air/water separator. Goal is to cool the air after it is compressed, and try and separate as much water as possible before it hits the tank to try and keep it from rusting

[@russellstephan6844]

Same issue at my place. 90% of the time, the little 26 gallon compressor will produce enough air. However, when running the sand blasting cabinet, 3/4" impact, or lots of die grinding, it won't keep up. I was gifted a 240 volt 60 gallon compressor from someone downsizing their shop. Rather than make a physically permanent plumbing connection, I built manifolds which will accept the two air sources and distribute as necessary for the task at-hand. Given that my shop is constantly in-motion to make room for projects and/or new tool additions, the flexibility of the configurable air plant works well for me.

[@mdw66799]

That would have been the preferred solution for me too, if it wasn't for the fact that the Tank on my smaller compressor was rusted out and unsafe.

[@phuzzz1]

Beautiful work! By no means a criticism, at around the 13 min. mark the parts you refer to as regulators are actually called pressure switches , enjoying seeing the projects. Mike

[@shadowpotatoe9482]

In reality they do regulate the pressure.... so it's not completely wrong.. but an actual pressure regulator works much differently and isn't a switcg

[@mdw66799]

Nice catch. You are absolutely right. Didn't notice that when I was editing.

[@garym1550]

@@shadowpotatoe9482 sorry but you are wrong. A pressure switch is simply a switch to turn the motor on or off, no regulation of any type. That is why you add regulators to adjust pressure and volume. If you quite trying to justify someone's error you would not look as though you didn't know what you are talking about.

[@MrPancake0825]

I love your bench!! Drawers galore!! It would still take me an hour to find those 10x1 bolts I bought last week but it would only be 100 steps, not 3000!

[@craigsudman4556]

Nice job on those fancy bends in the copper tubing. Great video thumbs up.

[@MrHowieZ1973]

Those old Craftsman pumps move a lot of air and are quiet . Wish someone would start making them again

[@rolliekelly6783]

It is refreshing to finally see someone on YT who knows how to properly grip and apply "Channel Locks" and "Vice Grips"!

[@brianermeling2764]

Make a muffler for air intake on compressor

[@shadowpotatoe9482]

Why so much air? Obviously you need alot continuous

[@mdw66799]

I built a Vapor Hone Cabinet and my Air compressor couldn't keep up. It ran constantly and at times I would have to wait for it to catch up. Now with two compressors I have no Problem. Could have bought a new compressor with more cfm, but I had this one handy and saved myself some money.

[@shadowpotatoe9482]

@@mdw66799 Thats pretty smart! I like the idea of one being quiet

[@beardedprepper8606]

That's nice, but you should install an air dryer/cooler system between each compressor and the tank. That will keep all moisture out of your tank and air lines.

[@rogerdam186]

How often I have watched people on u tube and thought the same thing . People use them with the tools teeth backwards from the direction of turning. Lol.

[@joeblow3939]

There is a lot of moisture in the air. In the very center of the bottom of the air tank should be a drain valve usually a butterfly screw. My brother has an 80 gallon tank compressor and I told him, he should put an elbow with an extension on it out to the front so he didn't have to get down on the floor to drain the water out and just put a 1/4 turn valve on the end. Also, watch your oil in your compressor and change it often.👍👍 Think about adding front and both sides foam backed board just the highth of the compressor that you can slide in place and remove easily. Leave the top open for air circulation. 👍

[@mdw66799]

I did add an elbow and extension to my drain when I was plumbing in the other compressor. They don't leave much room. I decided to put an electric auto drain on the extension, and vent it through the wall outside. Getting too old to be crawling around on my knees.

[@69dblcab]

Add an inlet muffler to the Cast Iron compressor and you will be much happier. Nice work on the Upgrade.

[@chriscox5568]

If you were worried about the noise if you hah room on the outside of your shop you could build a shed to put it in to make it easier on the ears. Just a thought but I know you probably have already thought of that. But anyway I enjoyed your video. Good job ! 🙂

[@jimmckim3565]

Those aren't "regulators", they are pressure switches.

[@mdw66799]

You are correct, they are pressure switches.

[@ericcorse]

I have one of those Lowes compressors a little louder, it is also very loud.

[@Mowtivated1]

Great video...doing something very similar

[@dholden93]

What would your CFM rating be now with 2 pumps?

[@Precivilization]

That was nice to watch, great camera angles and editing. Thank you for sharing

[@mdw66799]

Thanks for watching

[@Dailmuchachin]

I sure hope you did not junk the little air pump you did not use as it is very rebuildable and is a great long-lasting design made of high-quality materials. For a painter or a guy that uses air sanders it really does not supply enough air to work steady but with a three-horse motor and a rebuild kit it could be a fine tool for another twenty years for somebody whose needs are not as big. New I have seen that basic pump sold with up to an 8 horsepower Motor though that seems overly ambitious to me as the delivery doesn't improve much beyond a 2 or 3 horsepower motor. Mostly you can increase shut off pressure with the added power, beyond 125 lbs you should get a two-stage pump is more efficient.

[@mahmoodh7767]

👌👌👌👌👌👍👍👍👍😍😍😍🌹🌹

[@michaelward2869]

Yeah this guy has it sussed it's exactly as it is . I've had trouble getting others to understand this . It's like me putting 60 mm high-pressure delivery hose from my air comp down the back .this is how tou do it no move air comp plant's round 5 acher property. I come from heavey idustrie so I know what I am Talking about . so now I'm going to do the same on 7 hp air comp but there are things to think about . Just doing it need to work it first do I set a ant separate ie to plant's in one driven with two motors or one motor more grooves in the sheve and exactly the same size so two motor easier to set up .

[@michaelward2869]

You good bro thank you for information Hey those plant's photo of you thats the shit I'm talking about the real wranger. Love it ❤

[@radamson1]

Great video, I'm off to build me a water cooler for my compressor. Thanks for the tip.

[@TheTruthBeToId]

I get Joe Pera smooth vibes but with actual skill here. I really enjoyed your video. I wanna start to fix an old compressor a friend of my dad's passed down to us and this gives me confidence on tackling the job.

[@tom18181]

Hi there. Great video, thanks😊 I was just wondering. I have a really cool homemade air compressor, and I'm fitting an unloader valve to it. I was just wondering if it is ok to have the unloader valve just blasting the air straight out of it, or is it a must that it goes to the regulater ?

[@mdw66799]

Yes it would have to be connected to the Pressure switch. You would need a check valve that has a unloader port and an air compressor pressure switch with an unloader. The way it works is when the pressure switch turns the compressor off when the tank is full, it activates the unloader on the pressure switch to bleed off the air in the line between the compressor and the tank.

[@tom18181]

​@mdw66799 OK. Thanks heaps for that info. I'll have a good look into that, then

[@mdw66799]

I checked out your air compressor video. Is it possible that is some kind of check valve and unloader coming off of the cylinder head? You may not need to add an unloader. looks like a nice setup.

[@tom18181]

​@@mdw66799 Thanks. She's a beast. Lovely to use the belt drive compressors. No that brass bit on the exhaust side is just apart of its freezer days. I had a look at everything and from what I can see is it has the old pressure shut off switch for the freezer as well as there seems to be no allowance for a drain off pipe. I have now got a unloader valve coming and air compressor pressure controller coming. Lol so while I'm pulling things apart I'll give it all a clean up and paint

[@grntitan1]

Very neatly done.

[@johnschuster9192]

🙂 Fine job you did..Very exact with the copper...Keep up the great work..

[@CodyTres7]

Looks like an old Machinist. Appreciate the video!

[@stickbogart3657]

My question is why didn’t you go with a two stage compressor? It’s obviously to me that you know what you’re doing with a lot of things. My question is why didn’t you use a two-stage compressor? That’s what I’ve got and I’m very happy with it. Thank you. Keep up the good work. ❤❤❤

[@mdw66799]

I already had the one larger compressor. It was fairly new, and given to me by a a friend that was moving. Didn't want to spend money on a new compressor at the time. Saving up for a new lathe. I had the other compressor and motor sitting under my work bench with no tank. Thought it would make a fun video. I may go your route in the future if either of these two crap out on me. Thanks for the comment.

[@Fireship1]

Nice fabrication skills. The welding and tube bending were first rate!

[@markthompson4141]

Since everybody doesn’t have a milling machine, wouldn’t a block of wood, cut to the taper of the handle have worked ?

[@mdw66799]

Good comment. I get carried away sometimes with my milling machine. A block of wood would have worked.

[@FrancisoDoncona]

If you used your portable bandsaw as designed, portable, it’s easy to cut long pieces accurately. In fact no lifting needed and can be brought right up to metal stock pile. They even sell battery powered versions, I recently saw a tiny Milwaukee that could barely cut more than two inch material.

[@mdw66799]

Portable bandsaws are awesome. I have been using them for the last 20 years working in a 1 million square foot facility. I don't have stock piles of metal in my home garage. The stand I made for my portable bandsaw is detachable and comes in handy for cutting small pieces accurately.

[@rudyrivera7426]

Nice job! Thanks for sharing!

[@mikekerezsi9672]

Nice craftsmanship, clean work !

[@patrickuselton4175]

Would it not have been smarter to add a tank instead? More volume less run time?

[@dolphincliffs8864]

CFM is a pump thing not a tank thing. I have added compressors before when I had to run my plasma cutter at my in laws house,no 220 vac at the time.

[@bladder1010]

Great ingenuity and workmanship!

[@truthbetold2914]

Here's a idea.....buy a real compressor instead of a cheap Chinese piece of crap!

[@mdw66799]

Awesome suggestion. Thanks

[@inscoredbz]

Did you build you vapor hone or buy it? I've been wanting one myself but can't afford to buy one.

[@mdw66799]

I couldn't afford one either. I converted a cheap harbor freight sand blast cabinet into the vapor hone cabinet. Watch my video kzbin.info/www/bejne/enTMmZKfqbKIhKc

[@arthurn9237]

HUMMM ☝️ WHY NOT JUST CLAMP THE BENDER ON THE FLAT SIDES OF THE HANDLE 🤔 ❓️

[@mdw66799]

The handles were tapered on all sides. I tried that first. That's why I milled them flat.

[@joeblow3939]

I was in a tool store the other day and saw a man looking at air compressors. By the look on his face I could see he was troubled with the thought of having to pay out all that money for a new one. So, I asked him what he was using it for. He said to blow out water lines. I asked him if he had a compressor and just wanted a larger one. He said yes, he had one but it was to small. I then told him, just buy a reserve air tank and tie it into the compressor and that would give him the volume he was looking for. He told me he already had a reserve tank. I said, then all you have to do is hook it up. I don't think he even said thank you. I know he was deep in thought so I just smiled. 👍

[@wills5482]

You sound a lot like Adam West lol

[@jamesmcknight6440]

Good video, thanks

[@johnr5545]

Nice job god bless

[@Bruceanddenise]

Nice upgrade!

[@TheWyleECoyote]

Before watching, I thought how are you going to time both motors so they don't fight each other, at the end I thought, awesome project because you will always have good pressure for the project at hand with a great savings in energy. Good job. On another note, if your big compressor goes out and you have 3 phase power near by, I'd highly recommend switching it out for cheaper more efficient 3 phase motor. I did that for a customer and no more compressor problems.

[@mdw66799]

Thanks for the comment. I would love it if I could get 3 phase power to my house. Unfortunately its not available for me.

[@TheWyleECoyote]

@@mdw66799 you could build a rotary phase converter and make a video of it 😉 eventually I will be doing it because 3 phase motors for me are dirt cheap, just need the time to do it.

[@mdw66799]

@@TheWyleECoyote That's the truth. I acquired a 220v 3 phase lathe, and thought I would just replace the motor with a single phase motor until I priced one. Ended up putting a frequency drive on it instead for a fraction of the cost.

[@barrychristiansen4579]

nice work !

[@georgespangler1517]

Ok so you increased your pressure but not your volume as in CFMs,, that's what most don't understand, you can do it with 2 or more compressors but you have to get them to run at the same time, basically you just made a 2 stage compressor from 2 single stage compressors but did not increase your CFMS. you still have what one can put out.

[@mdw66799]

I have not increased my pressure and this is not the same as a 2 stage compressor. Both compressors run at the same time when they need to maintain the volume I need for the vapor hone cabinet. I am using Glass beads at not more then 50 psi. with a high CFM. The setup I have now works perfect. Also this was just a fun project that saved me from buying another compressor for the few times I will be using the vapor hone cabinet.

[@georgespangler1517]

@@mdw66799 I've seen this attempt, and what happens is hotter air with more moisture and it's shortened the compressors lives, but it was well done, problem is when they are running at same back pressure will occur and over heat compressors

[@mrmotofy]

@@georgespangler1517 Except they have independent check valves so the compressors know no different. They operate independently of each other just share the tank

[@dolphincliffs8864]

@@mrmotofyAh! Common sense has entered the chat! I have had three compressors running to a tank for increased CFM before. Same as what you said.

[@timf6916]

Nice

[@dougdearinger5837]

Is a regulator the same as a pressure switch?

[@mdw66799]

Not Really. I miss spoke in my video and called the pressure switch a regulator. A regulator lets you control your desired working pressure and a pressure switch controls which pressure the air compressor starts and stops. Same as a pressure switch on a well water pump.

[@mikekerezsi9672]

Can you add rubber grommets for noise reduction!

[@mdw66799]

Thanks for the comment. Most of the noise is coming from the intake. A viewer suggested an intake muffler. I think I might try that.

[@jt9498]

@@mdw66799 I actually mounted my 60 gal. compressor on heavy duty castors. This way I can wheel it around if I need to move it. Two of the castors have locking wheels, and the rubber wheels reduce the vibration perfectly! :)

[@garym1550]

Nicely done. I would not have added all those extra pipe fittings, the check valves in the unloader valves do not need "to breath", as they work purely via pressure in the line and in any event they would be so close to the tank as is. This is a good way to get more volume of air at a good price.

[@robnhannon]

Curious as to why have 2 unloaders before the T vs 1 after the T?

[@mdw66799]

The unloader bleeds off the residual air between compressor and the tank when the pressure switch reaches its shutoff pressure. This helps the check valve close which stops backflow of air from the tank going back to the compressor and makes it easier for the compressor to start on its next cycle. My thought was if the 2 compressors have different start and stop pressures the unloaders before the tee would prevent one compressor from working against the other at startup. If the unloader and check valve were after the tee when one compressor is running and the other is not, the air from the one compressor would be forcing air against the compressor that's not running and tank making it harder on the second compressor at startup. That was my thinking anyway. I hope that explained my logic for the unloaders and check valves before the tee.

[@robnhannon]

@@mdw66799 it does. You could run both compressors off a single pressure switch. Probably require a contactor rated large enough for both motors. Very cool project. Look forward to the next.

[@mdw66799]

In my case, one compressor is 220v and the other is 110v. I could wire them both to run the same voltage and use one pressure switch. Like you mentioned, that would be a big current draw at start up. I kind of like using just one unless I need the extra air. Thanks for the comments. Working on some more videos.

[@dsciarrino3663]

By a 2 stage

[@mdw66799]

Need $$$$. This was free.

[@jamesburba1995]

Invest in a pipe wrench !

[@mdw66799]

Thanks for the comment. I do prefer pipe wrenches when doing this kind of work, and did use them in the video where I could, but sometimes when working with small fittings and tight areas pipe wrenches may not be the best choice.

[@cswilliams29]

I've been a Pipefitter for almost 30 years. I have pipe wrenches in every size from 8"-48". I almost always use adjustable pliers on pipe/fittings smaller than 1". He did just fine...

[@pauljoey7977]

Awesome idea. I have the 60 gal husky . Sounds like a tank.

[@moses4031]

Nice work.