Air Compressors

[wnymolines]

Is ther any advantage to a eighty gallon tank vs a sixty gallon when considering backyard painting? Assuming the same size motor and pump.
Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Anonymous-0]

You probably understand the principle involved, but within reason a bigger tank is always better.


Glenn

 

[Dick L]

Bigger tank along with larger feeder lines are an advantage. Air has more friction than water flowing thru a line/pipe.

 

[Joe(TX)]

A larger tank means less moiture in the line. That is important in painting and sandblasting.
It also means more short term reserve.

 

[buickddeere]

Go with one size larger compressor than you are currently considering. Nobody ever bought too large of a compressor.

 

[bob huntress1]

Larger tanks reduce the number of times a compressor starts. Since the compressor uses 6x as much power to start as it does to run, this means that the larger tank is more energy effecient. It will matter less for painting than it does for running impact tools, but the volume of air driving the impact is greater with the larger tank. Tools not only require pressure, but also air flow(volume) to operate. This is what is meant by cfm's(cubic feet per minute). Larger tanks allow more constant supply of cfm's.

 

[Anonymous-0]

80 gal is a bit better but both will work fine. The air lines are more important when painting. Make em out of metal and long enough to condense out the water and catch it before reaching the spray gun.

 

[david - or]

A big tank allows for less compressor starts. This will save some wear-and-tear on the motor and starter and provide a very modest engergy savings (maybe 3%).

Reducing compressor starts give more time for the air to cool. The bigger tank has more surface area to help cool the air. Cooler air carries less water, making it easier to supply dry air to your paint gun.

Bigger supply lines allow the air to move at a lower velocity. Lower velocity provides more time for the air to cool. The bigger surface area of a big supply line provides more radiant area to help the air cool. Cooler air carries less water, making it easier to supply dry air to the paint gun. (Broken record here)

Slower velocities in supply and branch lines make drip-leg style water separators work better. You want to shoot for a velocity of less than 20 fps in your main supply line.

At a given flow rated stated in volume per second, water has more resistance to flow than does air. Flow resistance is proportional to density, and water is denser than air. See the Darcy-Weisbach equations.

An excellent article on sizing compressed air lines can be found at the URL below
sizing compressed air lines