Best Hangar Air compressor for maintenance tasks?

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Narwhal

Pre-takeoff checklist
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I'm looking for a good air compressor for my t-hangar. I've had recommendations thus far from as small as 1.5 gal to as big as 50 gal. I just want to be able to clean things like wheel bearings, do a compression check on the cylinders of my IO-360, and air up tires. I don't envision a need to run any pneumatic tools.

Can anyone recommend brands/models and give suggestions on what specifications I need for this type of work? Thanks in advance.
 
A pancake or small 2-3 gallon compressor will be fine for that. Harbor Freight will suffice. It won't run cutoff wheels or impact guns for more than a few seconds, and will be noisy as they are direct drive and oil-less, but it will get the job done.

If you want something larger/quieter, you have to upgrade to a belt driven upright like a 15-20gallon model. They get a bit tedious to roll around the shop though if that's a frequent need.
 
For occasional use, I wouldn't spend a lot for a premium brand. Harbor Freight will suffice, don't need much to air up tires or do compression checks. Maybe if you're going to use the blow gun a lot a little more capacity would be nice. I'd either get a small easy to move compressor or the smallest one they have with wheels on it.
 
I would spend a little extra for something that is quieter. A loud compressor will be made worse by the echo of an all metal hangar.

Just to clarify: I agree that an expensive unit is not required, but I would either upgrade to something like HF's quiet line, or just a small oil lubricated compressor instead or an oil-free unit.
 
The biggest, most powerful one you’re willing to buy that’s 120volt. I’ve never complained that a compressor was too big but I sure have about being too small.

I have a Rolair VT25BIG. 2-1/2 HP, 5+ gallon tank. I wouldn’t want anything smaller in the hangar.
 
Quincy. I like 80 gallon tanks. Might have to hoodwink a 220v line…

Quincys are rated at 100% duty cycle, and work great at 900rpm or less, so very quiet. Last generations. A 310 head and 3 hp is perfect.
 
Most of us could use anything that can fill a tire to 30-40 psi. Those doing compression checks and powering air tools need something that will produce more than 3 cfm. I have an old Emglo wheel barrow compressor and it does fine for compression checks and will run a die grinder.
 
California Air tools.
The cheap ass compressors will drive you right out of the hangar they are so ****ing loud. I put up with my old Craftsman louder than **** compressor at the hangar because I have it and it will deliver a lot of air. But I bought a California Air Tools compressor for home. SO much nicer. I can even record video with it running in the background. You can hear it here.

Size: I actually have a small one at home so I can just drag it out to the driveway to put air in the car tires - but I have my "larger" compressor for when I need it.

Here at school, I have a California Air Tools compressor in my lab and in at least four other labs here.

Life is too short for loud air compressors.
 
Tools said:
Quincy. I like 80 gallon tanks. Might have to hoodwink a 220v line…

Quincys are rated at 100% duty cycle, and work great at 900rpm or less, so very quiet. Last generations. A 310 head and 3 hp is perfect.
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Lol, a bit overkill for what @Narwhal listed for his intended use. For filling aircraft tires and occasional light duty stuff, that 80gal might kick on only once a year!
 
MarkH said:
I would spend a little extra for something that is quieter. A loud compressor will be made worse by the echo of an all metal hangar.

Just to clarify: I agree that an expensive unit is not required, but I would either upgrade to something like HF's quiet line, or just a small oil lubricated compressor instead or an oil-free unit.
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I haven't heard one of the HF "UltraQuiet" compressors run, but they claim something like 69db. That's even less than my 2HP/20gal belt-driven model (75db) I use at home for sorts of weekend shade-tree work.
 
SoonerAviator said:
I haven't heard one of the HF "UltraQuiet" compressors run, but they claim something like 69db. That's even less than my 2HP/20gal belt-driven model (75db) I use at home for sorts of weekend shade-tree work.
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The small 1 gallon one claims 60. Probably nonsense.

I wanted a 2 gallon for my portable, and I somewhat wish the California one above (claimed 56db) had an aluminum tank, as I would be lugging it around at times, I'd give that one a try instead, since that's pretty darn quiet. The "1000 hour service life" note is somewhat off-putting though, but at least they claim one. I imagine the little motor on a 1 gallon 0.6hp setup would run a fair bit.
 
Having looked at both the HF and California compressors, I'd guess the HF is a private label version of the California. Or I guess a Chinesium copy. They look nearly identical. HF one has aluminum tanks. I have a 5 gal portable tank that I bring home for my garage. If I'm doing something that requires a fair amount of air, I use the 5 gal tank as kind of a capacitor to allow a bit longer run time. It's really quiet.
 
Stewartb said:
The biggest, most powerful one you’re willing to buy that’s 120volt. I’ve never complained that a compressor was too big but I sure have about being too small.
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^^This.^^

I have a Harbor Freight 5 gallon on plastic wheels. Or wheel, one has broken over the years. It does everything I need it to. Except when removing the wheels from my truck. It takes one lug off then runs, one lug then runs.....8 lugs per wheel.... noisy too.
 
Narwhal said:
Can anyone recommend brands/models and give suggestions on what specifications I need for this type of work?
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FYI: just make sure the hangar electrical system can handle what you buy. Have been in hangars where running a small compressor has tripped the one breaker for the entire hangar.
 
Is the ability to drain water from the tank a consideration? Is that an option? Do they all have it?

I worked in a filling station in the '60's and '70s and we drained the water from the bottom of our air tank regularly.
We also changed a lot of tires and found a good deal of water in many of them.
 
JOhnH said:
Is the ability to drain water from the tank a consideration? Is that an option? Do they all have it?

I worked in a filling station in the '60's and '70s and we drained the water from the bottom of our air tank regularly.
We also changed a lot of tires and found a good deal of water in many of them.
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Every air compressor tank I've seen at least has a plug to drain water out, if not an actual valve. You absolutely need to drain moisture out periodically depending on run time/use. The more expensive the air compressor, the more likely that it get's an auto-drain valve that periodically purges on it's own.
 
Depending on how crappy the power is in your hangar, watch out for the amperage rating on the compressor.

I have a hangar all the way at the other end of the row from the breaker panel and before I got my own compressor, I tried using my buddy's ~10gal one. It tripped the breaker instantly.

I now have a 3gal HF one that works fine for compression checks and tires and doesn't trip the breaker.
 
schmookeeg said:
I've had my eye on that one, waiting for some HFT super sale to try it out. Thanks for the pirep. :)
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I have the smaller version of the Harbor Freight quiet compressor. They look almost like the California Air Tools (knock off?/ Built by?). Has been great for me for running a finish nail gun inside, Also run a Attitude indicator with the case removed so my students can see how it works.

No issues with it, works very well and is very quiet. to the point I forget to turn it off.

after using it I am going to find it very hard to purchase a larger noisy air compressor when my old 20 Gallon one final quits.
Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
I think you've gotta be a little careful picking a small one. I ordered a small 1 gallon or so hotdog once to store in my motorhome. Horrible. It made a racket and took forever to fill. The compressor part was basically just one of those little cigarete lighter inflator things
51llmIdUspL._AC_.jpg
Horrible...do not get one like this!

I bought a little Bostich 1.2 gallon unit form Amazon to replace it...and I like it a lot
91mc6AbSz4L._AC_SX569_.jpg


at home I have a 1HP 3 gallon hotdog that I've had for probably 25 years or more. It's not a fancy brand but works well. I think it's a perfect size for what you're talking about. I've run nail guns, brad guns, and a die grinder with it just fine....even though it's not technically big enough for that stuff...Mostly I use it for airing up tires or blowing with it. (but never bearings)

For blowing, I recommend a new toy I bought a few months ago
https://xpower.com/shop/a-2-airrow-pro-multipurpose-powered-air-duster/
I bought it to replace canned air for dusting off electronics and such....but it's great. Not guite a full on compresser gun, but it moves a ton of air at high velocity. Great for dusting auto interiors and pretty much anything else



Stewartb said:
The biggest, most powerful one you’re willing to buy that’s 120volt. I’ve never complained that a compressor was too big but I sure have about being too small.

I have a Rolair VT25BIG. 2-1/2 HP, 5+ gallon tank. I wouldn’t want anything smaller in the hangar.
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I disagree about big. I've gotten into the habit of draining my compressor after I use it...and a big one woudl just atke longer and make more racket to drain it....not to mention take longer to fill just to air up something small...

Kevin Holbrook said:
Don’t clean bearings with an air compressor!
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Yes...that!
 
I stripped my whole car getting ready for a paint job with this compressor and DA in a afternoon!!
IMG_8670.JPG

Just joking...a DA like this one uses a ton of air. I did a real small sand job at the hangar a couple years ago and thought this picture would be conversation starter, or a bad influence on the first timer. lol
The compressor was 99 bucks from HD a few years ago and does what I need in a T hangar and a 172. I have done plenty of leak downs on 0-320 motors with it. Might not be enough compressor to do a larger aircraft engine? If the engine is healthy then you wont need much air. If it is not then you are gonna need more air.
It runs my rivet driver and have used it to run a die grinder for just a few short bursts. I don't use it for airplane tires as I have nitrogen for that. Loud but I don't it use much.
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Drain it until water is purged, then close the valve. My shop guys do it at the end of every day. One of my compressors is an old, slow rotating belt drive with a 150 gallon tank. It sounds like the African Queen. I’ve had it as our primary compressor for 33 years and it was old when I bought it.
 
When I was young and poor a older friend gave me this compressor pump. It was broke and I took it downtown to a compressor shop and they showed me the reid valve was broke. Sold me a new one and that fixed it. They told me the cast iron pump had hand carved babbit bearings in it and would last forever. This was in 1985. I think the pump was 50 years old then?
Then I discovered it needed a 5hp electric motor, single phase for my home garage. Not cheap back in the day. Couple years later I saved up enough to buy a new 5 hp motor all while accumulating the parts and tanks to put it together. I got a disconnect that goes on the wall of the garage and the electric service to go with it. About a 2 year project just to get compressed air in my 2 car garage.
Still use it today 35 years later. It has never broke down.
MVC-018S-11.jpg
 
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Brad W said:
I bought a little Bostich 1.2 gallon unit form Amazon to replace it...and I like it a lot
91mc6AbSz4L._AC_SX569_.jpg
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I have one of these also. Compact, not too loud, very good CFM for the size, highly recommended for the type use described by OP.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
California Air tools.
The cheap *** compressors will drive you right out of the hangar they are so ****ing loud. I put up with my old Craftsman louder than **** compressor at the hangar because I have it and it will deliver a lot of air. But I bought a California Air Tools compressor for home. SO much nicer. I can even record video with it running in the background. You can hear it here.

Size: I actually have a small one at home so I can just drag it out to the driveway to put air in the car tires - but I have my "larger" compressor for when I need it.

Here at school, I have a California Air Tools compressor in my lab and in at least four other labs here.

Life is too short for loud air compressors.
Click to expand...

+1

Mine is in the garage and it is a bit heavy but SO much quieter than the cheapo ones... I threw away my Harbor freight pancake compressor because it was making everyone in the neighborhood deaf.
 
Narwhal said:
I'm looking for a good air compressor for my t-hangar.
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A couple of considerations!

First, you can easily expand the storage capacity of your compressor by adding a portable air tank. I plumbed up my system so that it's easy to add or subtract a 5 gallon portable tank which about triples the capacity of the tank that comes with the compressor. You can then trade time for capacity if you have only occasional need for leak down testing, grinder operation, rivet gun operation, etc.

Second, when it comes to starting the compressor on a marginal T hangar power system, the line between the compressor discharge and the check valve on the entrance to the storage tank is the wide spot in the line that allows the compressor to come up to speed before it has to buck the pressure in the tank. If your airport is like mine, you may find that you only have 100 to 105 V at your electrical outlet. That might drop even further when you turn on the compressor. Thus, the compressor requires more time to come up to speed. Remove that short piece of tubing between the compressor discharge valve and the tank inlet check valve and replace it with a curly cue! Start with maybe three times the length of tubing that the compressor manufacture provided… See if that's enough to give your compressor more time to get up to speed. If not, add more tubing. It's cheap and has no adverse impact on system operation.

Paul
 
I have a Milwaukee M18 compressor. I don't have 120v in the hangar, so my options were limited. I have a small generator, but it didn't have the guts to run the small HF compressor I bought. The inrush current kept on blowing out the starting cap.

The Milwaukee compressor is quite good, and, of course, it's completely portable. So if you want to inflate a tire on the ramp, it's easy.

The only problem is that it is so handy that I carry it in my trunk. I'm thinking about getting another so I can have one at home and one in the hangar. If you already have M18 batteries, it's not crazy expensive. The cost of the batteries is a major cost of the tool.
 
Tank size is nice....but it won't help when you are running high flow devices. Eventually the tank empties. CFM....or pump flow rate is the best metric. Although the marketing folks will tout amps, HP, and tank size....those things don't amount to what you'd need to do real work.

Bottom line....any of them will work for what most of us do....pump up tires. But if you're doing real work with die grinders, paint sprayers, and other air powered tools CFM is what you'll need to run those tools.
PaulMillner said:
A couple of considerations!

First, you can easily expand the storage capacity of your compressor by adding a portable air tank. I plumbed up my system so that it's easy to add or subtract a 5 gallon portable tank which about triples the capacity of the tank that comes with the compressor. You can then trade time for capacity if you have only occasional need for leak down testing, grinder operation, rivet gun operation, etc.

Second, when it comes to starting the compressor on a marginal T hangar power system, the line between the compressor discharge and the check valve on the entrance to the storage tank is the wide spot in the line that allows the compressor to come up to speed before it has to buck the pressure in the tank. If your airport is like mine, you may find that you only have 100 to 105 V at your electrical outlet. That might drop even further when you turn on the compressor. Thus, the compressor requires more time to come up to speed. Remove that short piece of tubing between the compressor discharge valve and the tank inlet check valve and replace it with a curly cue! Start with maybe three times the length of tubing that the compressor manufacture provided… See if that's enough to give your compressor more time to get up to speed. If not, add more tubing. It's cheap and has no adverse impact on system operation.

Paul
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Checkout_my_Six said:
Tank size is nice....but it won't help when you are running high flow devices.
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Actually, like I said, if your use is limited, extra tankage can make a small compressor look like a large one, *if* you can trade time for capacity. Yet another tool in the kit.

If you're running a factory on air power... you can't afford to wait. But, that doesn't describe most of us in T hangars.

Oh! And for about $30, you can buy an electric water blowdown valve with settable duration and interval. I have mine plumbed to the drain bung in the bottom of my pressure tank, and it vents one second every 20 minutes. The wet stain on the floor suggests it's doing something!

Paul
 
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PaulMillner said:
Actually, like I said, if your use is limited, extra tankage can make a small compressor look like a large one, *if* you can trade time for capacity. Yet another tool in the kit.
Paul
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I do the same, and as a side benefit, you can take the tank somewhere else to fill tires or another low CFM need.
 
PaulMillner said:
Oh! And for about $30, you can buy an electric water blowdown valve with settable duration and interval. I have mine plumbed to the drain bung in the bottom of my pressure tank, and it vents one second every 20 minutes. The wet stain on the floor suggests it's doing something!
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I wish there was one that did the blow down based on compressor run time. My big compressor in my garage runs seldom. So I would be mainly pumping it up from the blow down.
 
Pinecone said:
I wish there was one that did the blow down based on compressor run time. My big compressor in my garage runs seldom. So I would be mainly pumping it up from the blow down.
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On a large compressor that is relatively non mobile, I plumb a small pipe out of the drain hole to a cutoff valve. The standing water can drain into the pipe rather than sit in the tank.
 
Checkout_my_Six said:
Tank size is nice....but it won't help when you are running high flow devices. Eventually the tank empties. CFM....or pump flow rate is the best metric. Although the marketing folks will tout amps, HP, and tank size....those things don't amount to what you'd need to do real work.

Bottom line....any of them will work for what most of us do....pump up tires. But if you're doing real work with die grinders, paint sprayers, and other air powered tools CFM is what you'll need to run those tools.
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aside from just the loudness, that was exactly the problem with that junk primefit compressor I mentioned earlier. It was SLOOW
I was just using it to air up the tires on my motorhome... just 16 inch tires...not those monsters on the big busses and trucks
and I wasn't filling them from flat either. Just topping it up... I'd get part way there then the noisemaker would kick on. I'd have to stop....for minutes...listening to the racket waiting for the tank to refill so I could squirt in a little more air and move to the next tire.
 
FORANE said:
I have one of these also. Compact, not too loud, very good CFM for the size, highly recommended for the type use described by OP.
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This says it's a trim air compressor. Does this not mean this one is supposed to be used in-line with a bigger tank to supplement it? Does it still work OK as a standalone compressor?

Also, I think I have plenty of power at my hangar; it even has a 220V plug and it's own breaker box, about 6 other regular outlets, etc.
 
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