New compressor installed - newbie questions

[lloydh]

I have a Clarke SE18C200ND up and running in my home workshop and have a few general questions (that searching the forum didn't answer).

Feet

I've fitted Clarke's anti-vibration feet but the threaded spindles/legs seem very long. Should I get the compressor sitting as low to the ground as possible (for stability) before the thread comes into contact with the receiver stands?

I was also wondering whether I should adjust the feet to tilt the compressor slightly in the direction of the receiver's water drain tap. Is this advisable?

Would blue Loctite on the nuts be a good idea given all the vibration, or is this unnecessary?

Filter/Regulator connection

I plan to put a 1/2" BSP filter/regulator (probably a Sealey model) on the wall right next the compressor.

Should I just use normal 13mm ID rubber hose to connect the regulator and compressor or would something else be more suitable?

If I made a 'perfect' length hose for this (say 2 feet) is there a risk that condensation would run back down the hose into the ball valve/receiver?

Might it be better to make the hose a little 'too long' so that it droops and any condensation would instead collect in the hose? Or is that worse?

Thanks in advance.

 

[rtbcomp]

Welcome to the forum.

I don't think it will topple over if you set it high off the ground, in fact more clearance beneath will make it easier to reach the drain tap and help air circulation for cooling the tank.

Are the mounts supplied with Nyloc nuts? If so they should be OK, if not then Loctite won't do any harm.

Mount the unit level - the drain isn't at the very end so you could end up with a pool of water between the valve and the end of the tank.

I'd use decent quality rubber air hose, the plastic stuff tends to harden on the hose tails and eventually leak slightly.

I wouldn't worry how the hose lies, once it warms up I don't think there will be any condensation in the hose.

I have an angle pointing slightly upwards on the end of the tank and a ball valve attached to that so if any water does dribble back it won't settle in the valve.

 

[lloydh]

rtbcomp, thanks for your response and the welcome.

I wasn't really worried about the compressor toppling (!) — more about minimising vibration as I thought the longer legs might allow the compressor to move a little more. I agree that drain tap access is a good reason not to go too low.

Regarding the drain tap, should I leave it open when not using the compressor or shut it off once the tank has finished draining?

The feet came with regular nuts but I think I have some leftover nyloc ones so I'll pop those on if they fit.

That's not a bad idea mounting the ball valve at an angle. My only concern is whether it would (stupidly) void the compressor's warranty ('messing' with the factory components).

I've noticed that the motor cuts out around 9.8 bar (according to compressor's gauge) — a little before the 10.3 bar max working pressure. Presumably this is within the range it should be?

 

[jonjoe]

dont fit a cheap sealey air filter im over the edge with mine safer buying a good one at the start.

 

[armalites]

Not really sure what the correct answer is re leaving the drain open.

I tend to leave my closed but when I drain it I let the compressor run with it open a for a while to clear anything out.

I've read and been told loads about condensation in the lines.

My compressor has a couple of hoses for use in my workshop then a longish run out to the barn with a couple of tails hanging from rafters so at least 10 foot. That run is done using reinforced PVC which clear and I've never had and build up of moisture in there.

 

[rtbcomp]

One thing I should have mentioned - make sure the ends of the bolts on the mounts don't touch the tank, otherwise they may wear a hole in it.

9.8 - 10.3 doesn't matter for practical purposes, the gauge won't be 100% accurate and the switch may take time to settle in.

Altering the plumbing on the tank outlet shouldn't affect the warranty - I moved mine to the other end.

I aggree with JonJoe about getting a good reg. I haven't had much luck with Clarke ones, I got a decent one from Thorite for about £30 a few years ago.

I leave mine under pressure overnight and drain it in the morning when it's cold and all the water has condensed (if I remember).

 

[lloydh]

I was planning to drop £40 on one of these Sealey filter/regulators.

A comparable 1/2" Nogren (the only 'decent' filter/regulator brand I know) looks to be about £60 but that doesn't include a pressure gauge (or wall mount?). From the picture it looks like it might be made of plastic? But it's money better spent?

On a different thought, I plan to pick up a 10m 13mm ID air hose to run an impact wrench and a sand blasting pot. Would the same 13mm ID hose (assuming it's oil free) also be suitable for some paint spraying or would it make the spray gun too unwieldy?

 

[jonjoe]

i just bought a nogren five minutes ago i had the cheaper sealey filter those ones there might not be to bad

 

[shenion]

I was planning to drop £40 on one of these Sealey filter/regulators.

A comparable 1/2" Nogren (the only 'decent' filter/regulator brand I know) looks to be about £60 but that doesn't include a pressure gauge (or wall mount?). From the picture it looks like it might be made of plastic? But it's money better spent?

Norgren is not consumer junk, they make industrial controls.

Mine looks the same. The body i anodized aluminum not plastic. They sell brackets but mine is supported by the piping. I have a lubricator and quick disconnect hanging off the reg and have no problems.

I'd take a used Norgren off of ebay over anything new most people sell.

 

[madkayaker]

If you can fit a mechanical auto drain then it looks after its self!

 

[armalites]

I was planning to drop £40 on one of these Sealey filter/regulators.

A comparable 1/2" Nogren (the only 'decent' filter/regulator brand I know) looks to be about £60 but that doesn't include a pressure gauge (or wall mount?). From the picture it looks like it might be made of plastic? But it's money better spent?

On a different thought, I plan to pick up a 10m 13mm ID air hose to run an impact wrench and a sand blasting pot. Would the same 13mm ID hose (assuming it's oil free) also be suitable for some paint spraying or would it make the spray gun too unwieldy?

It all depends on the hose, 13mm does tend to be a bit thicker/stiffer.

I have some hose that are terrible in the cold and other that really soft.

I bought an auto hose reel when they had them in Aldi but the rubber hose soon perished. I managed to a deal on some Pirtek air hose to replace it. It is really nice and flexible.

One option is knock up a 2-3M extension out of some nice flexible hose for connecting a spray gun or something where a heavy hose would be a problem.

If you buy an air saw or air hammer then put a whip hose on them as they will eventually wear out the coupling and the worst thing is they will jam themselves in there just when you don't want them to!

 

[lloydh]

i just bought a nogren five minutes ago i had the cheaper sealey filter those ones there might not be to bad

I saw the eBay link in the other thread and considered snapping it up but it seemed like a bit of dick move given that you'd expressed interest. I reckon that was a pretty good buy.

If you can fit a mechanical auto drain then it looks after its self!

I've seen that Nogren (and Sealey) offer auto drain filter/regs for about £20 extra. I've been looking at manual ones since I'm not going to be using my compressor on a daily basis and therefore I didn't think it would make much difference.

It all depends on the hose, 13mm does tend to be a bit thicker/stiffer.

Would 3/8 or 1/4 be better suited for spraying?

 

[jonjoe]

big bigger the port hole the better more air flow

thanks for not buying it

 

[Kafer_meister]

I'd strongly advise against the cheaper regulators. I've got 2 of those Sealey ones and to be honest they leak, from almost everywhere. Utter rubbish.

I've had 2 Norgren regs off Ebay. One that's just a filter/regulator which I snapped for about £20 and one proper Filter/Reg/Lubricator which I think was nearer £50. They're in a different league to the 'hobby' stuff.

We also put in a compressed air 'ring main' using the John Guest push fit kit that you can get from Toolstation. It's very simple to use and means that you can have a few outlets in convenient places and even locate your compressor in a different room/workshop/shed to keep the noise down.

 

[lloydh]

Kafer_meister's experience certainly lends some further credence to the 'avoid Sealey air treatment' argument.

Unfortunately eBay's fresh out of good used 1/2" Norgren setups leaving me with the unpalatable option of buying the various Norgren components new. I think I'll give it a few days in the hope that something suitable pops up.

 

[rtbcomp]

I have a Parker regulator which seems very good. Shop around though, I've seen them new from £30 to £100 for the same model as mine.

http://www.airlines-pneumatics.co.uk/

http://www.airlines-pneumatics.co.uk/webcat/Detprod.asp?ProductCode=S050315&prod=

 

[Wallace]

I bought a Clarke 1/2" BSP autodrain filter with my SE16C compressor as a first line filter and cursed the thing for years. The autodrain never really worked properly from day one and needed the manual overide pin pushing to drain the water followed by dismantling to stop the air leak! Because of this it ran for years with a 1/8" BSP plug in as a manual drain and worked fine until I replaced it with a manual drain Clarke version keeping the old one for spares. Further down the line I use better quality filters and regulator such as Norgren, SMC, Compair etc as they can be relied on for years.

*Add Parker to the list as rtbcomp says.