# Air Compressor Question



## Graverobber (Dec 7, 2010)

Hi Everyone,

This year I want to add some pneumatics to my haunt. I don't know what kind of air compressor to get, so I'd like to get some advice from those that have used them.

- Should I get an oil lubricated or an oil free air compressor?
- How many gallons of capacity should I get?
- What should the CFM of the compressor I get be?

I have a feeling the answer to these questions will be "it depends on what kind of prop you are using and how often it will be going off", so for arguments sake lets say I have at least one (ideally three) trash-can-trama going off every 5-10 minutes.

I would also like to use the air compressor for powering a paint sprayer to help make painting props easier so I figure I want a compressor that can deliver 4.5 to 5 CFM at 40 PSI.

Would a compressor like that be adequate for operating a few trash-can-tramas?


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## Azirithdorr (Jan 8, 2011)

Hi Graverobber,

I'm not exactly an expert on this, but I do know a few general pros and cons to each one:

Noise: oiled compressors are, generally, much quieter then oil-less ones - if you have lots of distance or a place to hide your compressor away from your haunt, this may not be a big deal, but if you have to have it close, it might be a big consideration.

Weight: generally, oil-less compressors are much lighter then their oiled companions.

Maintenance: usually, oiled compressors require more maintenance then oil-less one, including refilling the oil, however, oiled compressors, if they are cared for properly, usually seem to last longer.

Cost: Unless you find a good sale, oiled compressors are more ( sometimes much more ) costly to buy then their non-oiled cousins.

Generally, it seems that oil-less compressors are good enough for haunts, especially amateur ones - they last long enough, are portable, and cost considerably less. Oiled compressors are main, as far as I know, seen in business, shops, and industry.

As for tank size, the one I currently use is a 15 gallon tank, which is ALWAYS enough to run several tools off of - such as a blower, nailer, etc without emptying the tank, or running the pump excessively. I'm sure you can also get away with smaller ones too, but that's sort of the typical 'motor top mount' traditional setup that I've seen. I ran a TCT off this compressor easily one year - it was even debatable if it was big enough or not.

For the CFM rating, I'm not expert - I just know what worked for me. However, Toolbarn.com has this advice concering CFM:

"This question can be answered by knowing the air requirements or cubic feet per minute, or "cfm", of the tools you are using or plan to use. Some tools consume more air than others. Tools such as pneumatic nail-guns and staplers consume smaller amounts of air, while air grinders and sprayers consume larger amounts. Most tools have a usage rating for cfm consumption at a recommended PSI. This can be found on the tool itself or in the owner's manual supplied by the tool manufacturer.

****One tool at a time: * If you are the only person using the compressor, you should find the tool you will use that requires the largest cfm. Use this cfm to determine the size of compressor you need. 



****More than one tool at a time:* If more than one tool will be used at any one time, add up the cfm for all the tools that will be used at the same time (from largest cfm to smallest) and use this total cfm to determine the size of the compressor you need."

Not sure if that helps or not.

Anyways, good luck with your compressor purchase!


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## Graverobber (Dec 7, 2010)

Thanks for the advice. I saw that comment about CFM before, so I'm going to look for a compressor that can handle a sprayer.

Where you saying that your 15 gallon tank wasn't enough operate your TCT? Was was it just that the motor was running all the time to keep it filled?


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## Azirithdorr (Jan 8, 2011)

Sorry, I worded that a bit oddly - the compressor was more then enough to handle the TCT without any issues or having to run often.


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