You may or may not already be aware that not all air compressors are used for all jobs! They vary in both size and of course their power level. The best way to estimate what you will need is to take a careful look at the power requirements of any of the air tools you plan on using. Then its a simple matter of choosing one that is slightly more powerful than youll need so that you have the ability to purchase an air tool that needs a bit higher power level.

Ordinarily you will probably run across portable rotary screw compressors. There will be a dizzying assortment of choices to make. The cheap ones are just that, cheap ones, thus you should probably stay away from those, unless all you want to do is put air into your tires occasionally.

One way compressors are rated is by horsepower (HP). Unfortunately the HP listing isn’t always the best way to estimate how much power the air compressor is going to draw. Often values of HP are inflated.

Instead, you should look at the PSI, which stands for Pounds per Square Inch. Generally, youll require 90 PSI for most air tools. However, an air compressor listed at 125 to 135 PSI will not run that air tool properly. You see, the PSI is the shut-off pressure, and even if an air compressor shuts off at 100 PSI, this does not take into account something called pressure loss in the line! Thus, to work at peak efficiency with 90 PSI tools, you should really consider a two stage pressure shut off compressor, that shuts off the first stage at the 90 PSI, but the second stage wont shut off until it reaches 175 PSI.

Also think about cubic feet per minute (CFM). For most air tools you’ll find in the store today, a CFM of 4 to 6 is common. This will make your life easier because at 90 PSI you should be getting exactly 3 to 4 HP. The CFM is a measurement of how much air moves through the system.

Tank size is also very important when considering your goals in using your compressor. It is just fine to use a regular part and motor and the standard tank of 30 gallons if your job requires only short bursts. But you want to go with a smaller tank that has a more powerful pump and motor, paying attention to the air stored in the tank, if you intend to use your compressor heavily.

Thus, a professional contractor may need to run two power air tools at once, and therefore would be better off with a compressor that puts out a PSI rating of say, 150 PSI for a long continued use.

Truck mounted compressors, as opposed to portable ones, use the power from the truck to run the compressor, but of course that requires for the truck to be kept running. If a contractor uses the compressor for long stints, hed be better off with a portable one, or a deck mounted one. Deck mounted compressors are the same as truck mounted, except that they are set on a removable bed on the truck, and therefore can be left at the site instead of having to haul it about on consecutive days of work.

Also there are both electrical and gas powered compressors. If you are likely to be on a site that lacks electricity, then the gas powered compressor is your best choice.

nick halmond is a professional body man. who knows tools. He has searched the web all around to find the best possible deals on air tools and other tools. If you are interested in where to find affordable tools go to http://www.airtoolsnow.org/.

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