Should I fix my air compressor?

[JOHN D]

My Sears Craftsman compressor is 30 years old and the tank has some pinholes and is no longer safe. It has a real 220 volt honest 2HP motor with a belt driven 2 cylinder cast iron pump and a 20 gal tank. It's rated 8.3 cfm@ 40 psi and 7 cfm @ 90 psi. I can get a new tank for about $140. Should I fix it or buy one of those new peak HP rated, aluminum, oilless compressors they sell now? I suspect that my old one, with a new tank, will still outlast the new ones. John

[ROBMURR]

Yup and be quieter too.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I'd fix it. For $150 to $200 you get half the CFM and a lot more noise.

[PrecisionMachinisT]

Ive had nothing but problems with the sears oil-less compressors, from stress cracking of the compressor mounting platform on top the tank, to the cooling fans repeatedly exploding to cracked and broken piston rods and damaged cylinder linings and the list just goes on and on........

Suggest avoid these at all costs--now you all been forwarned.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, By all means get a new tank. They don't build them like them old ones any more. You got a good motor and pump, why not? Tony

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Oilless ones are joke no matter who made it. I quickly realized after getting one on sale and sold it to a guy who was happy to get it off my hands. And then bought an old belt driven real deal. Happy now. Tony

[zxcvbob]

I would be tempted to adapt a 40 pound LP gas tank for an air tank. The problem would be fitting a drain valve without weakening the tank.

If you buy a new compressor, get a belt-driven oil-lubricated one with as slow-turning a pump as you can find, and discount all the CFM and HP ratings by 50%.

I really wish someone would make a reasonably priced small 2-stage compressor, with an honest 3 HP motor and a 20 or 30 gallon tank.

Bob

[maradcliff]

I totally agree. Those oilless ones are a joke. I bet you can get a tank cheaper too, if you shop around. You can also use a well pressure tank. I did it, but I was able to get a deal on a used one. (I had to mount the compressor and motor on a piece of 2X10 lumber and put it next to the tank, with a hose in between.

While you are at it, change the oil in your pump.

Mark

[John Keith]

If I'm shopping for a used compressor how do I tell if it is an oil-less one other than noting the noise (which I don't know how it would compare to oil compressor)?

John Keith [e-mail]

[PrecisionMachinisT]

Look for an oil filler and drain plugs or dipstick--this is all basically the same as lubricating the crank case and sealing the piston rings in your car engine.

Usually, but not always, an oil-less units sales literature will tout "oil-less" as though its some kind of a BIG advantage, and so its more than likely gonna be mentioned in the items basic specifications.

Now for a small unit and with hobby use, the oil-less units might have one possible advantage in that the air will have absolutely no oil in it.....maybe an advantage for some painting tasks like airbrush and the likes.

[Stormin Mormon]

Splash lub compressors oughta have a drain plug to drain and change the oil. Also some better ones have a sight glass so you can see the oil.