Oil-free compressor outside?

[upand_at_them]

I have a little shed built into the side of my house in the driveway. It's 6.5'L x 3'D x 7'H and in addition to shelves and garden tools I was thinking about storing a compressor in it and running a metal line through the wall to the garage so I could reduce noise and clutter and use it in the winter.

I don't currently have a compressor, but a coworker is selling his Craftsman 5HP 20gal oil-free compressor for $70.

Would there be any trouble running an oil-free compressor outside in PA winters?

Mike

[IBM5081]

[C&S]

I don't know the answer to the OP's question but best practise for the >500 lb >5HP industrial oil-lubed units generally used at a garage probably have little to do with what is good practice for a 110V portable compressor.

-Steve

[RayV]

Depends on your wiring for one. I have a craftsman oilless that used to pop breakers in the winter until I switched to 12 gauge. Never had any other problems but I didn't leave it turned on all the time. You may want to wire the outlet to a switch so you shut it off remotely, the pressure shutoff switches have been known to fail.

One other thing to consider is they are noisy, think jackhammer.

[Tim Taylor]

Don't have an oil-free, but my BlackMax is in the shed next to the garage. I've never had problems.

[Toller]

Now that's interesting. At cold temperatures the oil thickens up and and the compressor won't run. I take it you are not in the North.

[Mike Marlow]

Location? Climate? That wouldn't work too well in the northeast.

[Tim Taylor]

Not way up north, Kentucky. It does get cold here though. I keep a reflector lamp aimed at the compressor when it's supposed to be cold. Although it's never unbearable in the shed either. May be radiant heat from the garage???

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Check the manual and see what they recommend. I have a small PC that is OK in the cold, to at leas 20 degrees but I had a little compressor for airbrushing that did not work at all below about 25 degrees.

[Puckdropper]

"Tim Taylor" wrote in news:npudnTYMAqufibnYnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

It gets cool in Kentucky... I lived in Southern Illinois (about an hour from Paducah) for a while and it never got cold. It may drop below freezing (32F) once or twice, but never got down in the single digits.

Puckdropper

[Greg O]

When I had a 2HP oil lube compressor it spent most of it's life in the unheated attic of my garage. I ran 10 weight oil in it all year around. No problems, North Dakota winters! I did have to remount the pressure switch. It was mounted sideways so condensation would collect in it and freeze so the unit would not run. Mounted the switch upright and had no more problems. I replaced it with a 60 gallon that won;'t fit up in the attic, so I built a closet in the corner for it. Greg

[Mike Marlow]

Likewise, in upstate NY the temps drop to sub zero in the winter and I would never consider a compressor outside.

[Tim Taylor]

Rare occasions it gets into the single digits and stays there. a couple days last winter it got blistering cold, so I just moved the lamp a little closer. But, like Greg, I usually change the oil to a lighter weight in early December till around March.

[Pop`ö]

Shouldn't be a problem: My advice would be to try it and see how it works. Then if all is well, next spring/summer make the installation permanent. Worst case maybe a yard bulb to warm the motor a tad if it gets too stiff. Long's it's shielded from the weather I'd think it would be fine. One way to find out!

One thing: It should be on a switch so it can be turned off when no one's around for long periods of time.