Noob: Compressor questions

Hi everyone, Im a real noob so I apologize in advance if these are dumb questions.

I am looking for a compressor to be abe to some basic tasks around the house and garage, change the wheels on 2 cars, use with a nailer/stapler, and whatever other small things I can do

I have a 2 gallon CH right now but it has to refill after 10 nails or so and it's really loud. Im looking at the 11 gallon oilless mastercraft ( 4.0 scfm @ 90 PSI ) which is on sale or the 8 gallon CH (3.7 scfm @ 90 PSI) also on sale this week.

-whats the difference between oilless and oil on a compressor?
-Do I have to empty my compressor after each use and then re-fill it?
-what if I only want to use it for 5 minutes to staple a few things, do I need to completely fill it?

I'll throw it out there, what would it take to sandblast my deck? I dont want to spend more than about 300$ on a compressor,

Thanks kindly,
-EG

 

Oilless units are generally more noisy than those using an oil lubrication system.

 

For everything except the tires and sandblasting, theres not much advantage in the new ones over what you have now. Why would you want to sandblast your deck? Not only will it make a huge mess, it will chew the wood right off, as well as exposing any fasteners to the weather when you blast off whatever coating they have. Oh...and sandblasting requires massive amounts of air volume...more than most residential comps can provide...at least for anything over very small pieces in a blasting cabinet.

I've never had good luck using a typical consumer impact gun on lugs. The guns use so much air, the comp has to run and run to try keep up. If I'm doing a job that requires all the wheels off, I'll break 'em loose by hand, then sometimes use the gun to spin them off and on. Sometimes I'll just use my cordless drill with a socket adapter. I use a torque wrench for final tightening though. If its only one or two wheels, it's not worth getting the hoses and gun out.

As to the filling questions....I drain mine about once a month or so. Daily if I'm using it on a project and its running a lot.

I leave pressure in mine for those little fill a tire, shoot 2 nails jobs.

An oiled compressor is quieter and will normally last much longer with proper care.

Finally...as to the noise....I have enough hose to reach anywhere in or on my house...and the comp stays out in the garage.