Powered tire pump for home use

[Norm Dion]

Any suggestions as to brands? It does not have to be commercial grade, but one that will last a few years of occasional duty inflating auto and bicycle tires. Either AC or DC will do.

[ROBMURR]

There are some small AC ones maybe Black & Decker about the size of a shoe box and have a pressure guage in them that work ok for what you want. I have a bigger Devilbiss with a 3 gallon storage tank that I like, really pumps up tires fast and can run a nail gun also..

[MSH]

I live off the grid far from any service station. I always keep a 12v pump handy, carry it in the vehicles. I have burned through several over the years, this time went to a truck stop and bought the biggest one they had. Pumps more air faster, in theory will last longer. 12v is more versatile for me, what power source is closest to your usage?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

You can get a nice small compressor for $100 to $200. It will be versatile enough for more than just tires, but a small spray gun, nail gun, etc. Check them out at Wal Mart, Home Depot, etc. I have a Porter Cable brand pancake type compressor. Ed [e-mail]

[Caliban]

I bought a 12-volt, 250 psi compressor at Advance Auto Parts about eight months ago for around $15 (it was on sale, so the current price may be a few dollars more). It's made by "Tailgate Tools."

I have used it about once a month for my auto's and/or bike tires. It works great on both.

Wal-Mart also sells these little pumps.

[Ian Stirling]

For completeness, I had the occasion to drastically abuse one of these pumps (continually run at maybe 30PSI output pressure). It failed after around a week or so of use. Taking it apart revealed the valve had eaten a bit of piston ring. Cleaning and reassembly made it last a few more days before it gave up the ghost.

In "once or twice a month" use it should last almost forever. I'd replace in ~10 hours of use, if you need it to be reliable, assuming for no particular reason that they are all made the same.

[Jim Yanik]

"Norm Dion" wrote in news:Ok63b.213131$Oz4.56053@rwcrnsc54:

Harbor Freight sells some inexpensive 120VAC compressors.Some models less than $100,and useful for much more than one of those 'automotive' compressors.Like for paint sprayguns,nail guns,blowing dust out of items.

[mark Ransley]

A real compressor will be a nice new tool if you DIY . Alot of attachments and tools avaliable. Dont get the cheapest or best, unless you have $ . Small tire inflator stuff is usually crap , and real slow. And made for disposal. DC stuff is really emergency road repair equipment and is slower . Its all made overseas , so quality changes. Top quality is Porter Cable, Rheem, and Commercial Brands sold through comercial houses, not box stores . 40 $ may do you and last , or blow, A good compressor will last 20 yrs . longer if maintained. but its actualy hours used , everything has a designed lifespan. Ive bought crap , cheap small stuff that smoked from minute one and blew same day. Good Luck

[Caliban]

Well I think this could be just a tad more complete: My unit's operating instructions specifically warn against prolonged use. If it gets hot to the touch, shut it off and let it cool. They also say don't run it unattended.

Interesting "experimental results," anyway. Thanks for sharing. :-)

Those complaining these are slow: Five minutes tops for auto tires needing around an additional 5 PSI is not slow to me. For my bicycle tires, I would prefer it take longer. Inflating (low volume) bicycle tires is a bit risky with, for example, a gas station air compressor, since they fill the tire so quickly. (I saw a friend blow up one of his tires accidentally years ago when I was a kid when he was filling it at a gas station. It's gunshot loud, and I wouldn't want to be near it.)

[ROBMURR]

All decent compressors allow you to dial in the amount of pressure you want and have dual dials to let you do this... I cant imagine spending 20 minutes with a tiny compressor to add 5 lbs of air to 4 car tires...With a decent compressor you can do all 4 tires in a minute or less...If you run one of those cheap compressors 20 minutes at a time it wont last very long either.

[Caliban]

I don't have the space or money for a serious compressor.

The alternative was hand pump. It's a pain in the neck and work.

I don't normally run it 20 minutes at a time. My tires typically need 2 or 3 psi, tops. Also, the compressor must be shut off while switching the hose from one tire to the next. It's never got very hot.