Any air compressor experts here?

[Ultradog MN]

I got this compressor from my cousin.
He retired over a year ago and hasn't run it since.
I ran temporary power to it today and it really let out a clatter. Sounded like it was coming from the top of the pump. It quit clattering and ran quiet after about 20 seconds. Oil in the sight bubble shows crank case is half full.
I ran it up to 130 psi then noticed the pressure switch is leaking so I shut it off. Pretty sure its the diaphram. I ordered a new one.
Also wondering about freezing temps.
This is cold country.
I heat my shop only when I will be in there.
What about cold starts and the tank drain?
I have a second stall in the garage that I don't
heat at all. Could I put it in there? Drain the tank through the wall into the heated area?
I've never dealt with a large compressor like this.
Thanks for any advice.

 

[a49deere]

I've ran a smaller compressor in the unheated attic of my shop for years. Never had a problem. Guess I never drained it in the winter because the humidity at that time of the year is so low! If you put it in an unheated space I don't think there is any advantage to draining it into a heated space unless you get the entire drain circuit in the heat! JM2C

 

[flying belgian]

Yeah I have my compressor in the unheated part of the shed and plumb it about 2' into my heated shop. I drain the moisture out of the tank before cold weather starts. Sometimes the 2' rubber hose freezes and I have to pour a gallon of hot water on it to get air flowing again. Never been much of a problem and I'm in Mn.

 

[Tgrasher]

Never had any cold weather problems but a little milder down here. Always used a horizontal 5hp Craftsman until I wore it out. It was a pain to drain and even had to replace the petcock. My current one is like yours and the first thing I did, was to replace the petcock with a 1/8" ball valve, only way to go.

 

[560Dennis]

I do not trust sight glass , they age , the glass shows it’s full .its not . The line half way is a stain.
You must visually check the crankcase to verify.

 

[joeysmith]

We used one of those magnetic block heaters on them in the winter a few places I worked
No idea if it helped or not

 

[greenmech]

I drain mine quite often, never had it freeze up yet. Have had the shop cold at times too. I recently put in a mini split and hope to use that instead of wood. Ron MN

 

[Fixingfarmer]

As long as it’s not super humid and you drain it in the fall you should have no trouble.

Have a Caire that is orange but looks very similar mine has a sight glass that does plug up with moisture (we thought it was full for who knows how long) and it was plugged it’s best to drain and change the oil annually

 

[Mule Meat]

I like to drain mine when I am finished for the day. Then leave the drain (ball) valve open. When I start it back up, I like to let it run a couple of minutes to heat the compressor and lines up a little before closing the valve.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

I got this compressor from my cousin.
He retired over a year ago and hasn't run it since.
I ran temporary power to it today and it really let out a clatter. Sounded like it was coming from the top of the pump. It quit clattering and ran quiet after about 20 seconds. Oil in the sight bubble shows crank case is half full.
I ran it up to 130 psi then noticed the pressure switch is leaking so I shut it off. Pretty sure its the diaphram. I ordered a new one.
Also wondering about freezing temps.
This is cold country.
I heat my shop only when I will be in there.
What about cold starts and the tank drain?
I have a second stall in the garage that I don't
heat at all. Could I put it in there? Drain the tank through the wall into the heated area?
I've never dealt with a large compressor like this.
Thanks for any advice.

My 60 gal vertical tank single stage compressor is in an old unheated milk house. When it shuts down it drains the line between the compressor and the tank. The compressor doesn't have to start against tank pressure, so cold starts are no problem. I assume most are this way?
Air line is plumbed with an old 1/2 inch hydraulic hose and 1/2 inch pipe up and over to the shop, several feet away. About two feet of pipe are outside, between the milk house and shop walls. The first winter, one day I had no air. I knew right away what was wrong, but didn't know what to do about it. I pondered heat tape, insulation, etc. But first, as an experiment, where the ball valve is coming out of the side of the tank, I installed a "drip leg", I guess it's called, like on a gas line. At the bottom of the leg is another ball valve. When I am done in the shop I close the ball valve coming out of the tank, and open the other, purging the air line. Believe it or not, it worked! I have not had a problem since.
The occasional draining of the tank is no problem, except for getting up off the floor!

 

[Hobo,NC]

Single stage pump? If so they make more than their fair share of moisture. Its rare I use my single stage air compressors when I do when done I open the drain and completely drain the tank.

On my 2 stage I blip the drain when I start them, I blip the drain when I walk by them and blip the drain when I shut them down for the day. I put a 90 elbow in the bottom of the tank and extend the drain out the side and put a ball valve there. I can blip the ball valve with my foot. My compressors pass a yearly NC state boiler inspection the inspector is very happy I have these drains. He's is going to open the drain he can tell who looks after their compressors.

The faster you turn a compressor the more water it will make the slower Chug a Cuggers are less prom to getting lots of water in the tank. Its rare I need air tools anymore so to save from running the compressors for what little air I need I have a extra inside storage tank I keep charged up. My guess 30/40 gal vertical tank on wheels regulated to 125psi.

Mounting the tank to the floor. On my 7.5 27 CFM vertical its still on the pallet it came on, on my Emglo 5hp 20 cfm Horizonal its mounted to two 2X6's. Look into this make your own decision.

Good stuff $$$ link did not work

Ingersoll Rand T-30 Select Compressor Oil​

 

[moresmoke]

You can use synthetic oil in the compressor to help with cold. The IR T30 Hobo mentioned is one choice that is synthetic. Just be aware of any plastic components in your air system, like the bowls on a water separator. The synthetic oil can make the plastic brittle and prone to failure.

As far as draining, for no more than you are likely to use it, a couple times a year will suffice. Winter is not the issue as it won't collect much moisture if drawing in cold air. As others have said, a ball valve you can reach vastly increases how often the tank gets drained.

My vertical compressor sits on a little pallet I made so I can move it with a pallet jack if needed.

 

[Ozlander]

I've got a 60 gallon Craftsman horizonal that is 50 years old.
It's on 24/7 and the garage is plumbed with 3 outlets. It's nice to have air when I want it and not have to wait.
Garage is unheated unless I'm going to be there a while.
I drain the tank once in a while and check and add oil once a year.
It's on its second motor and I've had to replace the valves once.

 

[Stephen Newell]

I got this compressor from my cousin.
He retired over a year ago and hasn't run it since.
I ran temporary power to it today and it really let out a clatter. Sounded like it was coming from the top of the pump. It quit clattering and ran quiet after about 20 seconds. Oil in the sight bubble shows crank case is half full.
I ran it up to 130 psi then noticed the pressure switch is leaking so I shut it off. Pretty sure its the diaphram. I ordered a new one.
Also wondering about freezing temps.
This is cold country.
I heat my shop only when I will be in there.
What about cold starts and the tank drain?
I have a second stall in the garage that I don't
heat at all. Could I put it in there? Drain the tank through the wall into the heated area?
I've never dealt with a large compressor like this.
Thanks for any advice.

It probably clattered because of a lack of oil in the upper part of the cylinder since it hasn't run in a long time. Once the oil got spread around it quit. The biggest issue with the cold weather is the condensation in the tank. If the water freezes in the tank, it will seal off the drain cock to where it can't be drained. Be sure to drain the tank before it gets below freezing and leave the drain cock open slightly while you are using it. It will have difficulty starting when it gets below freezing. You may have to turn off the compressor when it airs up and let it get down to about 80 psi before you start it again. If you could put the compressor somewhere you could heat above freezing it would help a lot.

 

[Ultradog MN]

Thanks fellas!
I ran it again today for about 10 minutes.
Opened the windows and doors and blew the entire shop out.
Awesome!
It clattered a little on start up but not at all like yesterday.
Going to contact C- Aire and see if they have an owners manual.They are still in business.
Will change the oil in the pump and new air filter.
Am thinking I will put it into The Tombs (cold stall of the garage) It'll be a lot quieter in there
Will also modify the the water drain so you don't have to kneel on the floor to do it.
I wonder why my cousin never did that.
The whole tank gets warm when you run it for a while. Probably enough to melt any ice in the bottom if it's frozen.
I'm wondering about cold starts when its minus 20° in there. Maybe put a heat lamp next to the compressor and warm it up for a while before starting it when it's really cold?
I didn't really want this thing. Too big.
Cousin bugged me for a year to get it out of his garage.
I finally told him I would bring it home and evaluate it. If I don't like it I'll sell it and give him half.
He said whatever. Just get it out of here.
PS. Hobo, it is 2 stage.

 

[m16ty]

We don’t have what most people would consider cold weather here in TN and we’ve never had issues with a compressor out in the cold.
As long as you keep the tank regularly drained I wouldn’t think moisture in the tank would be an issue. What little water would be in there could freeze solid and I don’t think it would hurt anything.
Now what I don’t know about is compressor lubrication in extreme cold, we just don’t have to concern ourselves with that here.

 

[Jim in LA]

Thanks fellas!
I ran it again today for about 10 minutes.
Opened the windows and doors and blew the entire shop out.
Awesome!
It clattered a little on start up but not at all like yesterday.
Going to contact C- Aire and see if they have an owners manual.They are still in business.
Will change the oil in the pump and new air filter.
Am thinking I will put it into The Tombs (cold stall of the garage) It'll be a lot quieter in there
Will also modify the the water drain so you don't have to kneel on the floor to do it.
I wonder why my cousin never did that.
The whole tank gets warm when you run it for a while. Probably enough to melt any ice in the bottom if it's frozen.
I'm wondering about cold starts when its minus 20° in there. Maybe put a heat lamp next to the compressor and warm it up for a while before starting it when it's really cold?
I didn't really want this thing. Too big.
Cousin bugged me for a year to get it out of his garage.
I finally told him I would bring it home and evaluate it. If I don't like it I'll sell it and give him half.
He said whatever. Just get it out of here.
PS. Hobo, it is 2 stage.

Their site is spposed to have downloadable documentation and manuals. cairecompressors.com/technical-documentation/

 

[drsportster]

They have automatic drainers but they take 110 volt outlets

 

[Tony in SD]

They have automatic drainers but they take 110 volt outlets

that is what I have on mine. It has been working well for 20 years, every hour it opens the drain valve for 2 or 3 seconds.

 

[joeysmith]

Single stage pump? If so they make more than their fair share of moisture. Its rare I use my single stage air compressors when I do when done I open the drain and completely drain the tank.

On my 2 stage I blip the drain when I start them, I blip the drain when I walk by them and blip the drain when I shut them down for the day. I put a 90 elbow in the bottom of the tank and extend the drain out the side and put a ball valve there. I can blip the ball valve with my foot. My compressors pass a yearly NC state boiler inspection the inspector is very happy I have these drains. He's is going to open the drain he can tell who looks after their compressors.

The faster you turn a compressor the more water it will make the slower Chug a Cuggers are less prom to getting lots of water in the tank. Its rare I need air tools anymore so to save from running the compressors for what little air I need I have a extra inside storage tank I keep charged up. My guess 30/40 gal vertical tank on wheels regulated to 125psi.

Mounting the tank to the floor. On my 7.5 27 CFM vertical its still on the pallet it came on, on my Emglo 5hp 20 cfm Horizonal its mounted to two 2X6's. Look into this make your own decision.

Good stuff $$$ link did not work

Ingersoll Rand T-30 Select Compressor Oil​

A single stage will result in less water in the tank but more down the lines.

Low speed 2 stage will put more water in the tank but less water down the lines