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Tool Talk Discussion Forum

Air Compressor Outside

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Jeff May

12-09-2004 17:54:19




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Running out of room in my shop. I want to set my air compressor outside. Wondering what kind of precautions I should take, if I should set it outside at all.
Its a Coleman single stage, and would have a roof over it and walls around it. I was going to leave the area well ventilated so it wouldn't get hot in the summer. I am more concerned about the winters.
Could use some advice as to where others have their air compressors sitting.
Thanks

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Hal/WA

12-10-2004 14:01:13




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 Re: Air Compressor Outside in reply to Jeff May, 12-09-2004 17:54:19  
My compressor is in my most-of-the-time unheated attached garage. I had some trouble when trying to get the compressor to start when it was extremely cold. It would pop the circuit breaker unless I shined a heat lamp on the compressor for awhile. Once the compressor had successfully started and cycled once, it was good until it got completely cold again.

I cured the problem by using synthetic compressor oil rather than the 30w regular nondetergent that I had been using. The synthetic seems to work great and I think the compressor is less noisy when it is hot in the summer.

I would like to have my compressor in an outside location to cut down on the noise in the shop, but haven't done it yet. I have a protected space under a raised deck that I think would work just fine with a little more weather protection. I like the idea of an automatic tank drainer, but would check out the possibility that the drain wouldn't work under freezing conditions.

Always something to do with a shop, and it seems like there never is enough room for everything. Good luck!

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Brian in NY

12-10-2004 06:13:04




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 Re: Air Compressor Outside in reply to Jeff May, 12-09-2004 17:54:19  
My brother in law has about the same set up, compressor is in a kind of an "outhouse". He has the automatic drain in it which works good for him. He also runs a heat tape around the base of the cylinder and around the top of the tank, it is enough to keep the whole unit just warm enough to not cause problems. He also bought some special low temp oil at Lowe's, and found that to help as well.

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Big Jim

12-10-2004 00:31:31




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 Re: Air Compressor Outside in reply to Jeff May, 12-09-2004 17:54:19  
I worked for a big truck and trailer shop near Denver. We has an old van body with no doors sitting along side the building. That housed 5 compressors hooked in parallel. Never had a lick of problems. We did have one guy who was pretty good about going out and draining the tanks.
If noise is more of an issue than space, I found that plumbing the air intake outside my garage made a huge difference. I hardly even know the compressors is running if anything else is going on inside.

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Roger P.

12-09-2004 18:57:49




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 Re: Air Compressor Outside in reply to Jeff May, 12-09-2004 17:54:19  
If your compressor is installed in an unheated space, your oil will thicken in the winter, leading to hard starts and poor lubrication. Condensate will freeze in the tank, and possibly the unloader lines and check valve as well. Moisture will also be a problem in spring and fall when damp weather is most prevalent. If you could put a space heater in with it, and turn it on a few hours beforehand, you should be able to avoid most of these problems, although I would be tempted to run a synthetic oil in it for superior cold weather lubrication.

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Gerald J.

12-09-2004 18:52:07




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 Re: Air Compressor Outside in reply to Jeff May, 12-09-2004 17:54:19  
I burned up two motors on a compressor in the unheated garage one winter. Each time I'd left the compressor plugged in and the motors stalled. I think they died because when the compressor backed off the last compression stroke, the lowered pressure in the cylinder let water condense on the cylinder walls. Then the cold night air froze the piston to the cylinder and when the motor tried to crank that over, it fried the start winding in the motor.

So I'd say outside in the winter could be terminal to the electric motor. It was for me.

Gerald J.

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msb

12-09-2004 18:47:37




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 Re: Air Compressor Outside in reply to Jeff May, 12-09-2004 17:54:19  
Condensation can be a real problem in an outside location unless it is also heated and the area affords enough room for it to pull adequate air from the heated area.This problen can be overcome by pulling air from the existing shop but you will still need to heat the compressor area.Have you thought about locating it above the work area in your shop?



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kraigWY

12-09-2004 18:44:34




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 Re: Air Compressor Outside in reply to Jeff May, 12-09-2004 17:54:19  
Mines been out side for 10 years. It gets nippy in Wyoming every now and then. Never had a problem. Drain is often and you should be ok.



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FarmerDave

12-09-2004 18:43:58




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 Re: Air Compressor Outside in reply to Jeff May, 12-09-2004 17:54:19  
I bought me a compressor last Saturday. I, like you have been thinking of placing it somewhere else. My hope was to reduce noise.

Anyway, the following is in the instruction manual...

In frequently humid areas, moisture may form in the bare pump and produce sludge in the lubricant, causing running parts to where out prematurely. Excessive moisture is especially likely to occur if the unit is located in an unheated area that is subject to large temp changes. Two signs of excess humidity are external condensation on the bare pump when it cools down and a milky appearance in the oil. You may be able to prevent this by increasing ventilation or running longer intervals.

If you have an oilless unit then this is not going to be a problem.

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John *.?-!.* cub owner

12-09-2004 18:34:41




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 Re: Air Compressor Outside in reply to Jeff May, 12-09-2004 17:54:19  
The more out of the way it is, the less likely you are to drain it regularly.



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Harryg

12-10-2004 05:30:41




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 Re: Air Compressor Outside in reply to John *.?-!.* cub owner, 12-09-2004 18:34:41  
They do sell automatic tank drains. NAPA and others sell them. Use them ayt work. Never had one go bad.



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Weirsdale George

12-12-2004 04:42:36




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 Re: Air Compressor Outside in reply to Harryg, 12-10-2004 05:30:41  
Got my automatic drain from Harbor Freight for around $10. It has been working without a problem for two years now. Their part number 46960. It operates when there is a transition from both no pressure to pressure and pressure to no pressure, so you need that transition. On my single stage compressor, I just tee'd off the unloader valve and the drain releases both when the compresser starts up and shuts off. (The only problem you might have is the drain freezing in the winter, but you would have that with any drain.)

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Stickler

12-10-2004 18:17:02




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 Re: Air Compressor Outside in reply to Harryg, 12-10-2004 05:30:41  
My two have been in unheated shops or outside all of their lives, and this is in Canada where it gets mighty cold. One is over 25 years old, the other is older than I am, at 45. My big old one now lives in its own little building, unheated. The little 2hp one is in the shop, and I anticipate more trouble with it, since i only heat the shop when I am out there.



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