What is a portable air compressor?
Air compressors fall into two broad categories, fixed in-place air compressors and portable air compressors. The latter air compressors are the ones you will encounter most often around the home workshop or on a job site. Portable air compressors may be small, light air compressors that can be picked up and carried by one man or they my be larger air compressors with wheels that can still be moved from place to place by one man or woman. Portable air compressors are used for many purposes. They generate the air needed for spray painting or the operation of other air powered tools. They are used to inflate the tires on your cars, trucks, and other vehicles. Portable air compressors come in many sizes.
Tank –Vs- Tankless
Compact air compressors are the smallest air compressors available, weighing in at 20 pounds (9.072 Kg) or less. These air compressors are popular with the hobbyist for air brushing, brad nailing and stapling but can also handle other jobs around the home such inflating tires and sports equipment.
Pancake compressors
Pancake compressors are the smallest portable air compressors with tanks commonly found around the home workshop or on the job site. The typical pancake air compressor weighs approximately 30 pounds (13.61 Kg.), produce 110 to 150 Pounds per Square Inch (psi) or [7.734 to 10.55 kilograms per square centimeter (kgf/cm2), and have a tank capacity of 2 to 6 Gallons (Gal.) or [7.571 to 22.71 liters (l)]. They typically deliver The typical pancake air compressor has a 110-Volt motor that draw 10-Amperes when operating under load.
Pancake compressors are popular with roofers and with workers working on scaffolding. They produce enough pressure to handle nail guns and spray guns yet are light enough to carry up ladders and scaffolding.
Portable Air Compressors with Wheels
These portable air compressors are what you need if you need an air compressor with a higher volume tank. These portable air compressors have tanks that can hold 25 Gal. (94.64 L.) or more of air. These air compressors come with either a 110-Volt or a 220-Volt AC motor and are great for use around the home workshop or garage. These compressors are a good compromise between the pancake air compressor and the larger, fixed in place compressors.
Gas Powered –Vs- Electric
The wheeled portable air compressors give you a choice of electric motor driven compressors or gasoline engine driven air compressors. If you plan to use the compressor away from a source of electricity, the gasoline driven models are the models of choice for you. Gasoline powered air compressors eliminates the need to haul a portable electric generator along to the job site. There’re also Liquid Petroleum (LP) powered portable air compressors available too.
A Few Things to Consider When Shopping for a Portable Air Compressor
- 1. Do you need a single stage or a two-stage compressor? Single stage compressors have a single piston that compresses the air and delivers it to the tool. Most light duty compressors having an output of 150-psi (10.55 kgf/cm2) have a single stage compressor. These compressors are adequate for most jobs around the home and home workshop. Two stage compressors have two pistons. The first one draws air into the compressor and compresses it before passing it through a check valve to the second cylinder where the second piston compresses it further before pumping it into the storage tank. The two stage pump system is usually found on commercial air compressors used in shops where a continuous, steady air supply is required
- 2. How much horsepower is enough? Portable air compressors have motors rated between 1.5 and 6.5 HP. A 1.5 HP motor is fine for an air compressor that will be used occasionally and for light loads. For heavier loads and usage, choose a compressor with a higher HP motor. When selecting a motor size, make sure your shop has wiring that will handle the load. A 3 HP 110-Volt compressor will draw 34-Amperes while a 3 HP 230-Volt compressor will only draw 17-Amperes. Buy the 230-Volt model and install a 30-Ampere 230-Volt branch circuit in your shop. The 110-Volt model would require a 45-Ampere branch circuit and that’s not practical.
- Storage tank capacity. For light use, a small tank is fine but if you plan to use it to power tools such as impact wrenches, air chisels, demolition hammers, and the like buy a compressor with the biggest tank you can handle comfortably.
Portable air compressors are one of the most useful tools that you can have around your home and workshop. No matter what the job, anything from inflating a basketball or bicycle tire, to spray painting the outside of your house, the right air compressor will make the job a snap. If you are unsure of what type is best for you, consider renting them, trying different size and types of air compressors until you find the one that’s right for you and the type of jobs you will be using it for. You can rent them at almost any well-equipped home centers as well as from tool rental centers.
An air compressor is a quick and easy way to fill your tires
Automatically stops at the set pressure. Such a compressor is used for inflating car tires it is a device that provides pumping and supply of air in a set volume. You can read more in this review about the portable air compressor I used when searching for my Jeep
A portable air compressor is an air compressor with the ability to be transported easily. There is no true definition of a portable air compressor simply because the term portability means different things to different people. Some may feel that only a compressor that is easily carried is portable. Others may feel that any air compressor that can be easily lifted into a car is portable. In most cases, a portable air compressor is considered one that can be moved by hand. In those situations, the small air compressor is used often for emergency roadside situations, such as when a tire needs inflated. This is done by connecting the portable air compressor hose to the tire via a valve stem. Once accomplished, inflating the tire is relatively easy. In some cases, the unit may be a cordless air compressor. If that is the case, the portable air compressor simply receives its power from batteries. Those may be permanent batteries capable of being recharged with a cord, or may be more standard
