Gotcha. I have it full of air, I just shut the valve and unplugged it. How long can I keep it full of air without damage? Is indefinitely out of the question? I started modifying my furnace to accommodate the 16 a crucible. A lot of welding and grinding. More to do tomorrow, then I can start on the big wax burnout kiln. Driving to remet tomorrow to pick up my goodies. So most of the day will be taken up by traveling. Ugh.
Sometimes those pressure switches will fail, and they can fail while the compressor is running. If you are not around when it fails, then it will run until it breaks, and will pump until it blows off the safety valve, but more likely the belt will start to slip and then the belt will fail if you don't catch it quickly. My pressure switch went out (it was 1 year old), but I caught it when the belt started slipping before any damage was done. There is a small screw on the pressure switch which allows you to change the maximum pressure setpoint, but I would not increase it since most air tools are not rated for much over 100 psi, and they can fail/explode, such as the oiler and water separator. Be sure to keep the condensate drained out of it, else the tank will rust out. .
I'm glad to see you got it going. After awhile you won't know how you got along without it. It sure beats those noisy little buzzers! I put one of those hose reels up too. It's quite handy. I also bought a kit so I could have ports mounted in several places in the shop. It's like PEX tubing and came with several ports, manifold, etc. It was about $100, but it was a heck of a lot cheaper and easier than pipe would have been. I agree with Pat. I wouldn't do anything with the pressure adjustment. It won't hurt it leaving pressure in it but I drain mine frequently. It's surprising how much water accumulates in there. It would probably be a good idea to leave it empty when you leave town for extended periods. A simple switch rated for 240 mounted to the wall would be a simple addition. Pete
In lieu of throwing the breaker each time, because that often wears the breaker out, you might consider wiring something this in for an on/off switch:
I've got a couple of those boxes lying around. Need to sort out the sub breaker issue and get the box added in. The town code inspector was a dick to me on the phone last year. I plan to go in person to his office and figure out how to do this.
Don't watch the whole thing but you can FF to the spot that shows the control panel. I think all my settings are the same as the video except I turned it to DC or AC depending on metal types.
It should be a pretty easy thing to wire in. You shouldn't need to pull a permit for one of these either as its like wiring in a switch.
Zap, Leave the damn inspector ALONE. He will only cause you trouble. If you have the big switch box already, I'd use it. I've been using circuit breakers as switches for years and have yet to wear one out. The trick to not wearing them out, is not having any air leaks. This way, when you flip the breaker, the motor doesn't come on as you do. No arching, no wear. When the job is done, let the tanks auto shutoff, then flip the breaker off.
I saw an off-auto switch on the plastic cover you were putting back on the pressure switch. That locks out the contactor and keeps the compressor from starting. Nothing wrong with leaving it full of air. Are you draining the water off the bottom?
The off switch isn't functional. I think it was wired in previously but there was no internal switch when I wired the compressor up. I'm happy to cut the code guy out but it's my parents house and they asked me to figure it out by the books incase there is a fire, then insurance will pay. My new issue is the sandblasting siphon isn't picking up enough sand for some reason. Perhaps my siphon tube design isn't up to snuff? Ugh something else to figure out... You guys have a favorite siphone tube or pickup tube design?
Hi Zappin If you replace the pressure regulator switch with one with a manual lockout. You would cure the problem. Here is one from Amazon. Heavy Duty Pressure Switch for Air Compressor 135-175 psi Four 4 Port 26 Amp by lefoo Price: $13.26 Free Shipping for Prime Members Your cost could be $3.26. Eligible customers get a $10 bonus when reloading $100. Factory preset: 135-175 psi Range: 70-200 psi . Heavy Duty: 26A Any questions? Please contact us through amazon. We are here to help. High Quality Universal Replacement. Corrosion Resistant and Non Metallic Cover It was another long night of cleaning on the shop today. If i can keep at it and with luck it will be back up and running by the end of the week. Joe
I bought a TIP brand siphon blasting gun, hose and pickup tube back in about 1990. I STILL USE IT TODAY! I tossed the sand blaster setup that came with my HF cabinet in the trash. How's that for they don't make 'em like the used to? HF glass beads are my weapon of choice. I like them pretty worn out for bronze work. ~ 90psi
Quick question for you guys? I can buy an aircel dht75 air dryer for about $250. It is able to remove water from up to 75 scfm which is way over what my 15.8 cfm compressor can put out. Is it worth buying it? Anything I should look out for when checking it out? Is it too big for my setup or will it work as long as I get the fittings connected?
You going to be spraying cars? If not, then you don't need to remove that much moisture from your air. Spend 50bucks on a dryer. That's all you need for bead blasting and running air tools. But, that dryer is over 3grand if you didn't look. Might resell it, call some paint and autobody shops and flip it for a buck. I have this one.. It's been great for the last 15years. I know, it's a cheap piece of junk, but it doesn't leak and drys air. https://www.harborfreight.com/Industrial-Air-Filter-Regulator-68247.html
I know you're spending money to tool up right now... but try getting the compressor set up and running and try it out first. Once you've used it, assess what you need.
I think you might be right about the loan money. Ugh. Problem is always time, money, or sleep. I somehow have all 3 right now but not for much longer. Trying to get as much done and set up as possible for the next 3 years so if I have any free time I'll have a functional workshop to use without having to waste precious days setting anything up. The compressor is up and running properly. The problem is the blasting gun inside the cabinet isn't siphoning properly. Which might be because the lines to the sand blasting box are 1/4" instead of 1/2." Or it might be an improperly set up blasting gun. Or it might be air that isn't dry enough. Or it might be something else I haven't thought of. I found that nice dryer for a good price and figured its only 2x more than I'd spend on a cheapo dryer, might be worth it? I have a dryer and oiler for the 1/4" line, but if I upgrade to the 1/2" line then that's not going to work. Do those dryer things have to have resin beads to absorb water? I don't understand how they work otherwise, and mine doesn't seem to be pulling any visible water out of the piping.
Getting a sand blaster to suck sand can be tricky.. If the compressor is spitting water, your screwed. Most of the time, my blaster gun will suck up a piece of snot like silicone or some other piece of trash in the sand. One trick to blow out the gun is put your finger over it's ceramic tip and snap the handle. This will cause it to blow backwards through the gun and into the hose that's in the sand. This effectively backflushes the gun. For blasting, do not run an air tool oiler. I had one and threw it away. They are good for guys with tire shops not for what we do. Use air tools and before you put them away, drip 2 or 3 drops of oil in it's air nozzle, hook back up to the air, hit the trigger for a second or two and put away. Your 1/4 air hose should be plenty at around 90psi for the typical siphon sand blast gun. You do know they make different ceramic nozzles for these right? I've been on the same tip for 5years. Did you buy your blast gun from HF??? I had one and couldn't get it to work. Threw it away. I have no room in my life for non working tools. I think some driers have desiccant in them and others have some kind of cyclonic device that spins the water out of the air as it gets used. I just know I flip my driers valve once a week and watch it blow moisture out for a minute. Blows clear air when finished. This help?
When I hit the blaster gun the pressure starts off at 120 psi which is what I have the line set at the air dryer/oiler and then immediately drops to 60 PSI. These measurements are both taken at the cabinet pressure gauge. A little sand comes out at 120 psi, but then it quickly drops off. I removed the siphon tube and felt with my finger for suction and there was almost none going into the gun. Even back flushing didn't help. I did notice there is a screw in the back of the gun? Looks like it is used to adjust air pressure in some way? I'll have to tinker with that a bit and see what happens. I also got different sized nozzles today from HF so I can try those out to see if they help increase suction. Yes the gun is HF and came with the cabinet. Maybe that is the issue? What gun do you have? So you just have that dryer and nothing else? Just a line in, and line out? No dryer beads/etc etc? Seems simple enough. I could live with that. I might buy the aircell dryer if I see it works well when I go to see it. I think it will dry the air out perfectly, and as you say if I ever don't need it I can always sell it and not worry about losing money on it. My concern is that it might be too powerful for my compressor and not function right because I am below some mandatory minimum CFM requirement that I don't know about. I don't see why that would be the case but better to ask than be sorry.
