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Tool Talk Discussion Forum

?use a/c compressor for air compressor

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jackel,in

02-03-2004 09:40:48




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were i work at we tore out some old machinery and there is an old two cylinder a/c compressor and its finnned cooler ,belt drive somebody told me that it gets librication from the refrigerant but i think it has oil in the sump also.i think this would make a heck of a compressor if it will work!i willl need to get a single phase motor for it as i will not get the 3 phase one thats on it.what do you guys think will it work?

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Jerry B

02-06-2004 06:08:57




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 Re: ?use a/c compressor for air compressor in reply to jackel,in, 02-03-2004 09:40:48  
AC units make fine compressors. However, you will need multi-stage filters to remove the oil and water from the system.

I use a long drive shaft mounted verticaly with the input air near the middle of the tube. At the bottom I installed a drain valve. Air out to the second filter is from the top of the drive shaft.

The second filter is a toilet paper filter I obtained from the local body supply store. I mounted it on quick connects so that it can be removed every 6 months or so, washed out and the filter replaced.

Drain the pressure tank ocasionally or do as I do, leave the drain open slightly while working the compressor. What little air escapes will take the oil/water mix with it.

Drain the drive shaft seperator about once every months or so and you will have no problems with oil in the system. Forget the maintenance for a while and you will fight oil and water for DAYS.

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Bus Driver

02-03-2004 17:06:23




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 Re: ?use a/c compressor for air compressor in reply to jackel,in, 02-03-2004 09:40:48  
I used one of these about 50 years ago to make an air compressor and it still works fine. Change to air compressor oil and adapt an intake air cleaner from a one cylinder engine. My compressor is a Brunner and was used on a beer cooler. The compressor unit sat outside with refrigerant lines run to the cooler box inside. I am not sure that the refrigerant was freon- might have been something else.

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Joe (Wa)

02-03-2004 18:28:30




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 Re: Re: ?use a/c compressor for air compressor in reply to Bus Driver, 02-03-2004 17:06:23  
Probably an ammonia pump. Make good air compressors, no oil slugging problems. Joe



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old

02-03-2004 11:00:23




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 Re: ?use a/c compressor for air compressor in reply to jackel,in, 02-03-2004 09:40:48  
If it has a place to add oil in the bottom of that unit it will work very well. And I'll even go you one better if you want mobile air, take an old Ford air conditioning compressor and hook it up under your hood and an old gas hot water heater tank and put a switch in your dash to turn it on and off and you have a good mobile unit. I had one set up on my old truck for years and it sure did make life easyer on the farm.

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Bob

02-03-2004 10:01:26




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 Re: ?use a/c compressor for air compressor in reply to jackel,in, 02-03-2004 09:40:48  
It should work, and a lot of old-timers did just that. As a matter of fact, I have such an old compressor which I keep in an off-site building for occasional use to pump up a tire now and then.

However, due to the design of a refrigeration compressor, they tend to circulate oil with the gas they compress. Therefore, you have to watch the oil level in the compressor crankcase, and add oil as needed, and a certain amount of oil will need to be drained from the bottom of the air tank from time to time. Such a compressor would not be a good choice for any application needing oil-free air.

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Vern-MI

02-03-2004 15:02:15




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 Re: Re: ?use a/c compressor for air compressor in reply to Bob, 02-03-2004 10:01:26  
You are right Bob. I made a compressor / tank system from an A/C compressor and did a real nice job putting it together. I started it up and within an hour all of the compressor crankcase oil was in the air storage tank. When I tried to use a hose and blow gun the shop immediately filled with an oily fog. Tore it apart and used a real air compressor pump.



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Bob

02-03-2004 16:04:31




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 Re: Re: Re: ?use a/c compressor for air compressor in reply to Vern-MI, 02-03-2004 15:02:15  
Generally, the suction side of a refrigeration compressor passes through, or is open to, the crankcase. This allows any oil that is circulating with the refrigerant to drain back to the crankcase, and also allows a way for any liquid refrigerant to boil off before getting hit by the pistons. If one studies out the passages in the compressor, there may be a way to separate the intake passage from the crankcase by blocking off a passage. This would probably eliminate some of the crankcase oil from passing oil of the compressor. Depending on how the piston rings are made, more oil may get past them than would get past the rings in an air compressor.

The only way you'll know how much oil the compressor "pumps" is by trying it for an air compressor. It may do just fine.

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