What Size Air Compressor Do I Need To Run Air Tools

Step by step tutorial to determine how big an air compressor is needed to run air tools.

What size air compressor do i need to run air tools.

Know the kind of power source you have. Though quite many air compressors can be plugged into a standard home outlet some bigger compressors need a source with around 240 volts. The tank size simply determines how long air tools can run before the the motor in the compressor has to turn back on to create more compressed air. To find the minimum required cfm of the compressor you need multiply your tool s.

Some tools need constant compressed air compared to others which implies that an air compressor with a larger tank and more airflow will be required. Because certain air tools grinders sanders etc require a continuous flow of compressed air they ll need a larger tank than tools that operate in short bursts such as brad and framing nailers. This information will be in your tools user guide or manufacturers website. 3 4 inch air impact wrenches on the other hand will need 7 cfm or more from a larger air compressor.

Calculating cfm requirements. What size air compressor do i need to paint a car. What cfm do grinders and cut off saws need. Drilling tools an air drill with a 3 8 inch chuck capacity will require 4 to 7 cubic feet of air per minute cfm to operate.

Knowing the cfm requirement of your tools is key and will help you get into the right size of compressor also determine if you will need to run more than one tool simultaneously. All you really need to do is consider your usage plans in addition to the air requirement ratings for the tools that you plan to use. The first thing to do is to know the specific purpose of your air compressor review. As a guideline air compressors meant for powering tools fall in the 30 to 140 cfm range.

Analyze the use of the best air compressor. The smallest 3 8 inch impact wrenches can run off a 3 cfm air compressor while a 1 2 inch air wrench will need 4 cfm both of these sizes can be run off a 1 hp portable kit. The real deciding factor in selecting the proper size air compressor is the cfm that it can produce. The majority of air tools operate in the 90 to 100 psi range and most air compressors from the smallest to the largest can easily produce this much pressure.

Knowing this is a long way to go in determining how big an air compressor you need. Take all of those factors into account plus all of the other points that we discussed and getting the best air compressor should be a fairly simple thing to do. Each tool needs an adequate supply of compressed air to operate it and a compressor should be sized according to the tool s air needs.