Compressor installation

Hi folks,

I have one of those HF pancake air compressors which is always underfoot so I would like to install it on a garage wall. Two questions, please:

1. would it be better for noise, harshness & vibration (NVH) to install a shelf large enough to support the compressor horizontally (resting on its rubber feet), or screwed solidly (vertically) to the wall?

2. if 'vertically' is possible, will it harm the compressor to be operating at an angle other than its original design (vertical instead of horizontal)?

Thanks in advance. This has always been my go-to site.

MR2

 

To minimize noise and vibration leave the compressor sitting on it's feet. And with any compressor you need to make sure it is OK to mount horizontally. Piston compressors have a oil reservoir and must always be right side up and not on their side. Diaphragm compressors might be mounted on their side but I would read the manual first to make sure.

 

The only way I know to make an air compressor operate quietly is to put it in another room. Some will build a little lean to shed outside of the bldg to place the compressor.

 

Well, I found that I could quiet down a 5hp, 240V, 60-gallon compressor by setting it on the rubber part of a worn out snow tire (wheel attached for stability). Made a huge difference by isolating the vibration/sound from the rest of the workshop.

For a little pancake compressor, I'd just put the compressor outside when I was working inside (or vice versa).

 

It's going to be noisy, no matter what. Setting it on a reslient base as Hal mentioned might help, but you definitely want to keep it level, and setting it on a wall mounted bracket, I think, is only going to make it noisier because a) the sound is going to be closer to the level of your ears, and b) the vibration from it will resinate through whatever bracket or shelf you use and into the walls. Simply put, air compressors are not quiet, and smaller ones like that even less noisy. But don't box it in because air compressors compress air, and it takes about 8 cubic feet of atmospheric air to produce 1 cubic foot of compressed air, so closing them in starves them, and leads to a shorter life.

 

I have seen an air-brush artist cut up an egg-create-foam-mattress-cover (foam with triangle spikes) and glue that into a big cardboard box to cover the compressor (leaving one side open for ventilation) to mute the noise. Crude but effective.

 

Oilless compressors are just plain loud. I traded mine for an oiled compressor and have never looked back.

 

Well, thanks for all your insights. Obviously, there's a lot of experience that's gone into your suggestions, and the one that appeals to me the most is to run the device outdoors while I work inside. I have to be considerate, though, since we live in a subdivision which typically has houses close to each other.

I appreciate your insights.

Best,
MR2

 

Don't forget the tank drain needs to be at the bottom and accessible- Steve

 

I've used one of those cheap pancake jobs for years. The only problem I have is I forget to turn it off and many times in the middle of the night it will go on to replenish air that leaks out. They also have a quick recycle time due to the small volume. If you have need for an air compressor on a regular basis, get a large vertical unit that can store a reasonable amount of air for decent period of time.

 

Follow up -
That's probably 1/3 HP, 3 Gallon, 1CFM@40PSI 0.5CFM@95PSI
They're supposed to be relatively flat - e.g. you can set it on a sloped roof while using a nail gun, but can't mount it vertically.

First suggestion, I have an 11-gallon air tank fitted with quick connect couplers so that it can also be used as "extra air storage" at the end of a long run of air hose.

Second suggestion, if you're using a nailer or stapler, add a ball valve at the male coupler end of your air hose.
This lets you store enough air in a small yellow hose to get one or two shots from a nailer/stapler. Useful for those situations where that-last-nail-is-just out-of-reach. A valve on a one hundred foot length of 3/8 air hose lets you store enough compressed air to take a car tire from dead flat to soft-but-rollable.