Hi, good video. A couple suggestions, #1 - get rid of all the 90 degree fittings, high speed air hates to turn corners. Why do you even have that last 90 between the hose and regulator? #2 - get rid of all the extraneous fittings, your test air pressure gauge has a female quick disconnect, a male QD, the gauge, a pipe nipple, a female QD, and a male QD. For demonstration just run the hose into the gauge and the gauge into the tool. You will find without all the corners and fittings there will be much less drop in the lines (and fittings). The advantage to less drop between your compressor and your tool is less condensation in your lines and less water in your tools. Your on the right track, just need a few tweaks.
Yes good job on recognizing all the flow restrictions you corrected in the vid.! But sharp 90° "drilled" fittings are terribly restrictive! Even a standard threaded plumbing "elbow" is LESS restrictive than those "drilled" brass 90° fittings. I saw a 20 psi Increase in fuel pressure on a test engine fuel system after removing 4 sharp 90's & replacing them with a hose to make the bend. My ex-Navy mechanic co-worker friend showed me that (thanks Craig). Again on another test engines external oil system I suggested to my engineer to remove 3 sharp 90's & he got 14 psi Increase ! Air behaves like a fluid (examine/study Fluid Dynamics), so the more smoothing or elimination of bends the better! A helpful, educational,compressed air RUclips channel is THE Compressor Guru, Bud Stiner, enjoy! Paul from S. Central Tx.
Saw the same problems with the 90s. Air is a fluid and 90s restric the flow. If you want the regulator and separator in the same location take out the 90s and bend some copper pipe to a U bend over a larger radius with compression fitting on the outside of the pipe. You will have more flow.
New to compressors but having done quite a bit of plumbing, I always find it improves the water flow if sweeping- bends are used, those are less acute than the 90° bends which act as buffers. I think 1/2 copper pipe will take about 150psi.
@@jonnyshoestring9368 I agree! The larger & smoother the turn radius, the less restriction. On the video, he had eliminated many restrictions & improved air flow significantly. However several of us saw the worst restrictor 90° fittings possible in his new plumbing & suggested eliminating them for more improvement. I have cut several fittings in half (axially, in alignment with the flow direction), & was shocked to see those brass fittings were actually drilled internally! Any fluid, liquid or air slams into a wall & then tumbles around the sharp corner, losing velocity, pressure & thus volume downstream! Even a std. 90° NPT galvanized plumbing "pipe" elbow has a Radius inside it & is Less restrictive than those brass "drilled" 90°el's. I only used those in a non-flowthru application (like a gauge or pressure sensor), once I understood this. I understand you know this but I wish younger mechanics/plumbers could learn this too. About Compressors, a great RUclips teacher is Bud Stiner on THE Compressor Guru! He has 41 years of compressed air systems design, upgrades, repair, rebuilds & water removal technology. Nice, funny guy & smart too! Cheers, Paul
This is one of the most explanatory videos about how the compressor pipes and lines impact pressure at the tool. I just bought the same 30 gallon compressor and an impact gun, and was stumped by why the torque was so low. We looked at the manufactures website and they showed that a higher pressure might be needed, but they did not go into detail about how the 1/4 piping on the compressor could cause this issue. This video makes perfect sense, and is an amazing video that should be one of the first videos someone watches if their new to impact guns. Great Video!
You can't run an impact on a compressor like that. It's never going to be anywhere near what it's capable of. You're way better off purchasing a cordless battery powered impact it will work way better and give you way more power. In order to run these tools the way they're supposed to you need at minimum 5HP air pump those compressors run in the thousands of dollars... Good luck to you though!
30 years ago when I was setting up my garage (just purchased house) I used all 1/2 pipe to run air to 1 inside and 1 out side hose reels I found the same issue with the smaller Craftsman air compressor I had at the time. With the style compressor I had I was able to use a 1/2 in ball valve right off the tank. I continued to run my compressor operating pressure at maximum 155 psi per the tank ratings. I regulated air down to 110 psi where the steel pipe ended at the hose reels. The hose reels were 3/8 Once the initial fill of the tank was done the compressor never struggled to maintain pressure for air tool use. I eventually ran out of CFM capabilities of the Craftsman and upgraded to IR industrial 80 gallon as my air needs expanded. But I never needed to change the pipe or regulators. What you describe here is a Valuable investment proven over time
As a lot of air tools are intermittent use, nailers and the like, I've had good success with leaving a compressor stock, running any old hose to the site (like foot of ladder) then plugging in an air pig fitted with 1/2 in hose. The reservoir has no restrictions and lets the small compressor cycle better while providing lots of flow to the tool only as needed.
Echoing the comments about reducing the number of fittings and especially all those 90s. I wanted to point out that your “improved” setup on the new compressor has the regulator and filter plumbed backwards. The regulator ALWAYS goes after the filter. This is so that 1) filter pressure loss is excluded and 2) regulator is protected. Finally, on your new compressor setup, move your regulator as far downstream as possible. It’s much more efficient to transmit air at 175psi than at 100psi. Running max pressure as close to the end as possible will slash the line losses. I run a large Nitrocat 1250K on a 120v compressor across a 3 car garage and see only 15psi drop at the gun, regulator set at 120 (max setting) I still get 105 at the gun. This is because my regulator has been moved to the end of 25ft of 1/2” air hose and I only have 15ft or so of 1/2” hose between regulator and tool. I’m very happy with it.
As soon as Imsaw this vid I knew the end result! About 30 years ago I bought a spanking new, high spec, 1/2" drive air impact from our Snap-On dealer, here in the UK. By chance the first job I found for it was removing a wheel on a large panel van. Expecting it to rip off the nuts without effort, imagine my disappointment when it wouldn't budge them! By coincidence, the Snap-On man called that day so I hit him with my gripe about the cr4p impact gun, he just smiled and asked to see my air set up. Immediately he pronounced the hose was too small and too long. So there and then, whilst he watched, we changed the 3/8 hose to 1/2 inch, with heavy duty QR couplings, and shortened it to about 6 mtrs, it was previously about 15 mtrs long. The difference was staggering, it just ripped those wheel nuts off without effort! Snap-On man just smiled and asked where his cup of tea was! Basically, for a 1/2" drive impact gun, 1/2" hose is the minimum size to get near to full torque, because the couplings will reduce the effective bore to 3/8". Still have that gun and it still works like a champ.
When a said pipe size is doubled the volume is Quadrupled - henceforth when a said pipe size goes up to the next size then the volume is doubled . Hose size is #8 = 1/2" #4 = 1/4" #6 = 3/8" #12 = 3/4" #16 = 1" ... and so on Tubing is measured by the outside diameter A good reference is the Industrial Suppliers MSC and or McMaster Carr - they do a fine job of explaining almost all the questions one may have for given situations on upgrading tweaking and planning
Solved my problem by removing original regulator and installing a tee and reinstalling the regulator after the tee. Quick connect coupling on tee and regulator with male QC on end of hose. When I need high demand/flow I move the hose to the tee, and run unregulated pressure to tool. Most of the time the hose is connected to the regulator, which I found to be too restrictive of cfm for some tools.
A booster tank 5 feet from your work area tied into your air system always works well with a 3/8 hose as your terminal run. The air is much happier coming out of that close tank with better pressure and volume. Then it has a better chance of a speedy recovery from the main tank when you stop. Also has the benefit of increasing your air reserve.
Correct a small compressor say 20 gallon 5 hp could do wonders with anather 40 gallon tank added to it I see alot of guys do that for a complete paint job on a car
@@darrellsomers5427 extra tanks next to your compressor do wonders. But what's nice about having a booster tank right next to you with a short whip on it, is that you can put a larger diameter hose on it for running heavier tooling and you get extra impulse from the air in the close reservoir not having to push all the way down your long hoses. You might just need to take a moment every now and then when running tooling too big for your air system for the booster to recover
@@ifonlysolutions4011 mine is normally one of the little 3 gallon tanks. Just be advised that the tanks really aren't meant for that, so you might be voiding your warranty to take a portable tank and convert it to a booster tank.
Got air tools in the farm shop that are 25 years old, we've always ran direct off the compressors 175 psi 1/2-3/4 and 1'' guns...never had any problems, most farm shops I've been do the same thing.
I agree. When I build my shop, I’ll run a straight 1/2 inch straight copper pipe down the wall and right off into the work bay on a short 1/2 inch hose.
The reason smaller compressors use a 1/4 fitting is that you don’t quickly run out of air and the compressor runs for ever. Changing to 3/8 or 1/2 drains you tank much quicker. Certainly, 3/8 and 1/2 provide more air pressure but a price. Thanks for your efforts and explanation. Well done.
The reason I done the video (I don't recall I said this in the video ) I had service done on the truck . Later I wanted to rotate my tires but I couldn't get the lugs loose with my impact gun. So I modified the large compressor so I can unscrew the lugs. Then for fun I wanted to see exactly where the bottle neck was and went thru the motions on video to get the CFM up on the older smaller machine as well. Just a few moments of good air flow is all you need sometimes to get really tight lugs loose. Also for occasional use impact guns this works fine. No need to spend several thousand dollars when a cheap modified compressor will do the job.
Right, right…. I get it… But dude, if my wife ever sees this, I’ll never be able to justify getting a newer, bigger compressor once I get my garage built. You’re killing me here!
@@joseaguinaga7670 sadly, that’s not how the game is played. What I’ll have to do is wait for a project that she wants completed, and then convince her that my older, smaller compressor isn’t up to the job, and that I can’t do it without a newer, bigger compressor. It will also help if I over-inflate (pun intended) the estimate for the project, so that it looks like the compressor costs much less than it really does. Then I just have to hope that she doesn’t see through my schemes. It’s all a very delicate and complex dance, and one wrong step can leave me turning a wrench by hand, like some kind of caveman.
Absolutely concur with the comments below from an other video. Extremely valuable, educational, informative, detailed, your process of trouble shooting is well latex out, which aid me to increase my knowledge on air compressor, hoses and air guns, I very much appreciate your time, efforts you took to assist many many viewers. I am sending your video to many of my family, friends, co-workers, and hardware and tool supply personnel that I know. Blessings to you, your channel. With very much appreciation, thank you. 👍🏻😉🙏🏻🇺🇸🙏🏻🇺🇸🙏🏻🇺🇸🙏🏻🇺🇸🙏🏻🇺🇸🙏🏻. .
On my old compressor, I pulled the inspection plug and adapted straight to a high flow regulator. This worked well. It couldn’t flow continuously, but gave me extra bursts when needed, especially on impact tools.
Some of your previous comments are absolutely correct your choaking off way to much volume with your plumbing, larger is much better and be mindful of all those 90 degree fittings. Pressure is a restriction to flow , an impact or high volume air tool needs volume. Try a 1 in impact on that little craftsman , lol 😆
Good on your mate good video I’ve got one of those Ingersoll rand exact same rattle guns they are an absolute powerhouse even with the bigger bore lines I’m surprised you had trouble to be honest because you’re only taking off wheel nuts but then again it is on a truck I run nine mil hose the red one you’ve got there and the fittings are called NITTO they are high flow and I set the compressor to cut out at 160 PSI so when it’s fully pumped the rattle gun will get a blast full power for awhile as it needs 90psi so 150 ish for a few seconds that should be heaps to take wheel nuts off and compensate for air line leaks my wheel nuts are at 90 foot pounds and those guns can do 1100 foot pounds in reverse All the best from Melbourne Australia
Had a similar issue in trying to remove the nut to a washing machine tub. Since I still use 1/4” fittings I just bypassed the regulator which was the first bottleneck and the main bottleneck, running through 25 feet to the impact gun, I had negligible pressure drop at the end of the hose. 150 psi at compressor and when the gun was activated saw pressure at the gun drop from 150 to 85 psi. Impact gun works just fine. I use this system ONLY for this impact gun.
Did you have regular fittings on the 3/8 hose or high flow? I got a 3/8 x 25 hose from harbor freight making sure there aren't any restrictions inside the crimped on threaded ends and put high flow 1/4" fittings on the compressor, hose and the gun. The air volume and speed of the gun improved noticeably over the plain 1/4" brass fittings.
@@kris8263 Probably regular fittings. The 3/8 hose was either from Home Depot or came with the compressor and has original factory fittings. I also run the tools at about 100psi instead of 90psi to help account for the hose and fitting pressure losses.
Your video came across my recommended feed, as I am having issues with my compressor keeping up with my tools I was curious and watched. Really informative and helpful however I only see one issue which leads me to ask, ...........instead of using all that piping, would it not be better to just screw in the small straight piece of pipe in the connection of the compressor, then and add the water trap then your fitting/hose? No need for all the weight of that pipe and all those bends, also even though you have an inline water trap you still need to drain the water from your air tank regularly. So now I will do away with my 3/8 hose and 1/4 fittings and up size to 1/2". Thanks for the video.
adding an aftercooler helps a lot lots of videos on them, cousin used one from a 90's diesel pickup and installed a computer server muffin fan on a shroud he built. Night and day temperature drop, also running amzoil works
Hey thanks for sharing and all the work you shared it saves us hard heads alot of work and frustration I wouldn't thought of half inch house good job two thumbs up bud I like it😁 I've got my Ridgid 6 gallon with half inch piping as best as I could now I'll get some hose and repost my findings
G'day, Lots of things go into a good air supply. So often people just try using a bigger capacity compressor rater than addressing the actual problems. I know a farmer who had trouble with a loader that kept overheating. He wanted to do lots of expensive repairs to the cooling system to try and fix the problem. I told him to get the leak in the bucket control valve fixed and that would eliminate a lot of the heat being generated. He had trouble comprehending the relationship between the 2 problems.
Awesome awesome video, you answered so many question. For years I wondered what kinds of pressure drops the 1/4 and 3/8 would cause. Even with a clean setup looks like 1/4 isn't good for much.
True that most tools say 90psi , but that is worthless for impact guns and such , my gun will take off anything at 175psi , and almost nothing at 90psi. 2 stage compressor is best
@@JT-dx1qk The last pneumatic impact wrench I used was a Craftsman at a job I worked at from ‘93 to ‘99, and the stuff I used it on wasn’t torqued extremely tight.
Yes but as you saw the pressure drop was significant so really no need for a regulator, the tool is never gonna see the at tank pressure...I only use one when I spray cars
Very good! I use 1/2 copper in my setup and home shop, but it won't be too hard to put larger fittings on some of the outlets. Didn't know the flow made that big a difference.
ya need to be very careful about using copper for air lines. The copper you use MUST be rated for the pressure and the purpose AND correctly terminated.
@@soundman6645 I researched it pretty good, and copper pipe was the best. I used all "L" (blue) which is the hardest you can buy at the home centers. It was that vs PVC. I learned the PVC could burst and send shrapnel all over the place. Copper splits when it fails. What is the danger you find with copper?
@@raymondjackson6069 There are some very real dangers with incorrect copper. My friend Barry, used to contract air plumbing and compressor installations, for a large compressor company. Large company, large compressors. he quoted an installation and did not win the job. He was later called back to redo the work after, the low price job failed disasterously. A section of copper pipe fractured at full pressure. It flailed around, chopping everything in its way including timber roof trusses. It was very fortunate nobody died or was injured. The copper used was the incorrect product. He did a complete reinstall with the correct grade of copper and appropriately rated fittings. I would never use rigid PVC pipe. Galvanised steel pipe is easier for "do it yourselfers" to deal with. Buy the pipe sections pre threaded.
I have a small 900 sq ft shop and use a 7.5 HP 80 gallon compressor. I use type M coper with standard leadfree plumbing solder. 3/4 for the mainline coming from the compressor and 1/2" for the drops coming from the top of the mainline. It's relatively inexpensive and the fittings are available anywhere. It's also much easier to install than black iron pipe. The pipe acts like a radiator and sucks the heat out of the air too, so I do not have problems with moisture in my lines (I do a lot of blasting, cutting and grinding). I'm more than comfortable using it for my application (I did my research). Check out the copper institute's Copper Tube Handbook.
@@phillipvansickle4220 Wow, that's incredible. Mise is already 1/2" through and through, and so far it hasn't given me any problems. One guy was saying it (copper) could actually shatter. I never heard of that, but will beware. I DID NOT use PVC because of possible catastrophic rupture, via the internet grapevine. Having worked with PVC I could see that happening. Copper is a much better choice. GI is ok I guess, but it rusts eventually and will have to be replaced. Copper last and last, and though I have heard and seen it split, dur to freezing, been ok with air so far.
You need to relocate that filter ahead of the regulator. It’s adding a lot of pressure drop. If that same pressure drop was relocated ahead of the regulator, the effect goes away.
And it's not really needed unless he's painting cars and then it's too damn close to the tank how he has it mounted...water forms as the air travels down the damn hose as it cools 😂 this guy is brain dead
You identified the obvious problems but, as has been said. every fitting, bend or filter will cause pressure loss. Try and get rid of as many of the bends as possible, you may be able to run larger bore flexible hose to make your connections. Easy bends offer less restriction than 90 degree ones. Also every join is a potential air leak so the fewer the better.
The pressure regulator is always the biggest problem, should be of good quality as well as the filter and other parts. 1/2" on all components means that the feed is enough for all machines. The quick couplings make a big difference choose Cejn 320 series for best flow and wear resistance (hardened steel nipples). In some applications it is economical to let the compressor handle the pressure and remove the pressure regulator .
One day, for reasons, I needed air 300 ft away from my air compressor. Using a Y fitting and a cheap 5 gallon air tank, I set up a buffer tank near my end of the line.
Thanks for that video. Many months ago I decided to, and purchased fittings to do the same to my 25 gallon portable compressor. I was going to drill out and re-tap the compressor bung, but I know what you mean about the mentality surrounding that. We’ll see, I haven’t had time to work on it since then.
Interesting video. I would have started at the simplest, connect gun directly to the compressor, maybe with a short hose. Then progress through the pressure setting, and then through the filter (that was my first guess as to most restriction, but it was totally replaced in updated setup so no way to tell from this video). However, I don't really think this is important, at least to an impact gun used for short bursts, like lug nuts. It's the pressure at the gun that drives the hammer part of the gun to turn the nut, etc., not the volume of air. So running the gun with no load isn't real world testing.
It's a good solid indicator of what the gun will do. Torque on flywheel bolts on a Volvo is 60 ft lbs and 120 degrees turn. My nitrocat 1250k on a 3/8s hose with 175psi struggles to make 60. 1/2 inch hose and it's still going at 120 degrees.
@@aidenjanz2690 yep 👍 why he added that big ass filter makes no sense unless he's going to paint cars and then i use a little pussy one that doesn't require all that piping
Consider mounting the filter and regulator on the wall...get rid of the multiple elbows, spaghetti piping, etc so the air is a straight shot through the filter/reg. Just run a short length of hose from the compressor to the filter inlet. All those twists and turns with the elbow are contributing to your pressure losses.
Thanks for going through that. Im just resetting up lines and compressor at my place and this helped me get some understanding of where the restrictions are. Ive a few old air tools that I considered pretty crap back in the day, looking forward to see how they go with decent pressure at the business end. Cheers D
Thank you! Your video sure enlightened me about what's require to properly operate an impact wrenches getting the correct volume of air supply to function correctly. A very good video.
Good video and information. But I took the easiest way out, ditched the compressor and all the B.S. involved ( like fittings and hose’s most importantly noise) and I have done what everyone else has done. Just go and by some battery operated tools.
Another suggestion: You could run both compressors together, if you need more air volume. Y connectors are available at hardwarestores all over the world. T connectors I would avoid for this.
I w have 2 small compressors and sometimes it would be helpful to have more air on tap. Would both compressors have to be identical in spec I.e. hp tank capacity?
@@jonnyshoestring9368 Not really. The smaller one will work more though, if the pressure switches are dialed in the same on both. If the air tanks have a secondary air coupling, I would connect them that way. For temporary use i don't see a problem in that. But don't forget a valve in between, which should be closed while you plug the hose into the coupler. After everything is connected, you can open that valve. And to disconnect you have to close the valve first and then disconnect. If there is no valve or you forget to close it, you'll know that really fast. Nothing will be damaged, just the air of the first/last connected tank will spew out with full force. You need to couple that together with a hose, that has two male couplers, after all.
@@jonnyshoestring9368 One more heads up: Do absolutely check if both tanks are rated for the same pressure or dial in both compressors to the smaller value out the tanks. Air tank blow ups are everything but fun.
My friend was talked into buying a 11 cfm,gas compressor but it only has 2 tube tanks totaling 9 gallons of storage, it won't work well on his big spray gun. Myl little 30 gallon, 5 hp will get better results because of the tank capacity, for spraying cars, the pulse of the compressor piston has to be buffered. You can actually see lines in,especially flat paint from having a smaller tank
This is why most auto shop air compressors are turned to 150+ psi. Mine comes on at 125 and off at 155 psi with no inline regulator. Just because a tool is power rated at 90psi doesn't mean that's it's max working pressure. if 90 psi is good 150 is better but 300 might hurt it. as long as you keep your air tools properly lubed and maintained 150 psi working pressure won't hunt 98% of them.
All that needs to be done is get some Milton S-217 fittings for the hose ends and your compressor, cut your hose to the longest length you can use in your garage without moving the compressor (my hose is 20ft) use a 3/8" hose and that will take care of this issue
In my opinion. The pipe update on your old compressor, at 135 psi. Works stronger than in your new one. The sound of the gun doesnt lie. I Moved the video back and forth to compare. And definitely the old unit at 135, with 90 on the guns,, show a louder Rpms sound
Great observation. I have also noticed his 1/2" setup was running at 80 psi under load as compared to 90 psi with a previous 3/8" high flow setup. That may have played the part in what you have rightfully pointed out.
Thank you this has been very helpful..cause i have a upright porter cable air compressor from tractor supply and it wont run my air tools like they should be run.. Any tips or ideas for me..what should i do or replace or buy..need asap cause need to get crank bolt out of my 2016 Hyundai Santa fe sport, and dont know what gun i should get.. Either astro or thor 1894 gun
Get rid of all of the elbows and connect the filter and regulator directly together. Better yet put your filter between the compresser head and the tank to prevent rusting of your tank. I have 3/4" piping going to my drops and use the shortest line possible from them to minimize pressure drop. This vodeo is a start, but there's a lot more you can do.
Yes, it's only going to use air what the air tool wants or needs, no more. I can run impact guns now. Before no matter how much pressure I turned it to, it never would operate the air guns at full power. For example I put air into my truck tires using the same air chuck with a 1/2" hose. It still inflates the tires at the same rate (because the air chuck doesn't have high flow properties) Thanks for watching!
Yeah John, that’s kind of the points here. Getting more volume to flow from the smaller compressor in order to run higher volume air tools. The impact gun has no guts until it’s feed proper.
You just got to make sure the air flows out of the tank faster than the air tool is using it up. So by changing out the hoses, piping regulator and filter the air tool has the volume of air it wants. If your compressor CFM ("Horse Power") is lacking well you will a have to let the pressure build up for your next lug to remove. At least your running the gun at full power.
@@007connecticut CFM is actually the volume of air or how much air is flowing, PSI is the pressure at which the air is compressed in the hose or the tank and the HP is an engine power metric used to fill in the tank and is unrelated to CFM.
I have the same compressor ..the one standing up only in black is a hushy from home depot, I have a question, why not drill then weld a new fitting for 1/2 inch coming straight out of the tank and that way there is more airflow, not having to go through the switch. You still to leave the switch there for it to kick on and off the motor.
If your not a excellent welder (I'm not) I was afraid of creating a bomb if something goes wrong. That's why I went the safer route with step up fittings. To change the subject I've seen a video here on youtube of an air tank exploding do to rust (some guy kept welding the holes in the tank. One day the whole tank let go. It was a bomb going off in his shop. Air pressure is dangerous if it just tears loose.
I have a full compressor set with a bunch of air tools but I find cordless tools way easier and since technology caught up Dewalt makes the strongest 1/2" anvil impact wrench on the planet! All ya need is a battery and you're off. Got no hate towards air cause I've been using them for 30 years and have saved me a ton of time and headache. Will always have love for air tools!
Agree. 90% cordless but still a couple of air tools where the hassle isn't worth the price of the cordless tool for infrequent use. Love that Dewalt impact.
Great Job showing the air pressure loss, some time you need the extra CFM to the gun to break the nuts lose. I did the same thing last year on my craftsman air compressor also, but did you change the fitting size coming out of the tank most are only 1/4 inch? I did my the locale Ace hardware, had the drill and tap to do the job. But the hose fitting I never checked since I had 3/8 hose already, going to check that this weekend for the fitting inside size. Thank You for a Great Video, hope to see more.
I didn't want to tap larger the outlet 1/4NPT thread, so the only 1/4 NPT thread on the compressor is the very first one. I then put an adapter fittings to go male 1/4 NPT to female 3/8 NPT on the small compressor. Then 3/8 NPT piping from there. On the big compressor in the other garage I went 100% 1/2NPT on everything except that very first 1/4 NPT thread. The reason I didn't drill it larger was I was afraid I could compromise the weld and blow the fitting out. Sometimes I have bad luck so I left the original thread on the tank alone.
That what i'm saying, let's say we upgrade the traditional 1/4 lines/regulator to 1/2 but then we will still have the pressure switch which always is 1/4. Would that be still the bottleneck even if after that everything will be 1/2?@@007connecticut
I’m not sure what you got going on there looks kinda crazy but I have the husky version of this and it ran all of my air tools great right out of the box. Maybe take all the craziness off and just put a quick connect straight out of the tank…. Like they come from the factory… If you want to keep the dryer I have mine on a quick connect fitting & quick connect coupler so it just goes in between the quick connect coupler on the tank and my hose, when I run air tools. Besides that I can just pop it right off. Maybe think about doing something like that. Or put it between the quick connect coupler and the tank if you want it on full time.
I do occasional spray painting so that's why I have a regulator and a drier in line. This compressor doesn't have a port straight off the tank, that would have been much easier. Possibly a much easier way is just get an auxiliary tank then you have a 3/4" NPT port ready to go. Thanks for watching!
Good video. Thank you for taking the time. I noticed the female port on the impact air gun handle being pushed out and spinning while the gun is operated. Is that normal?
Great video, i have the same problem (might be bigger) since i have the newest IR 2236 which is more powerful because has 1500ft-lbs and it requires 36CFM. I understand your goal was to remove all the bottlenecks, you put new 1/2 regulator and filter and 1/2 pipe. But every compressor has pressure switch which is the first hop, the port on the switch is 1/4 wouldn't that be still the bottleneck even if you upgraded everything downstream to 1/2? Looking at your 1/2 valve it goes to the left to your pressure switch, did you use 1/2 to 1/4 reducer?
I noticed the nut at the bottom of the gun turning when you hit the trigger. I don't think it was suppose to do that. Great video. You gave me a lot of great information.
On the Ingersol Rand air gun I thought it was broken new out of the box. When I attached the first air fitting into it I had to hold the nut on the gun or I couldn't screw the fitting in. I turned on the air pressure and no leaks? So don't ask me how it works without not leaking air but for this gun it's normal. It must have an o-ring or other type seal in that spot. I don't know how it's put together in that spot. No other tool works that way, weird design.
Must be all the bends and fittings you have. I keep my resting line pressure at 100, with over 50ft of 3/8 hose and it has enough power to do anything I need. Lug nuts and even axle nuts, with it only set at 100 resting psi. Not sure why you'd need the full 90 active/working psi
I would assume the larger the hoses the more air comes out and the more air your compressor must supply. Hence, your gauge will drop quickly. There is a reason you need large compressors to run air tools. My impact says 1/2” hose to gun.
With larger hoses it falls more on the fittings to pass flow and maintain terminal pressure with it. There is less effort to move air through a larger hose. The same amount is moved then but more slowly. Capacity is exponential compared to diameter too, and both of these reduce line friction, as does .. ahem keeping hoses short. cheers.
Yes. If you don't you will see little droplets of water in your expensive paint job. Filter is good to keep the air tools drier also. They could rust up inside I guess if you don't oil them. I forget to add a few drops of oil to my tools (in the air line) so I'm guilty of that as well.
The V series fittings are the only way to go. They are backwards compatible with the M series plus they stay unlatched when no connected, just plug in the fitting. No need pull the collar back.
I think this might work for a painting a whole car ,but how long can you run that gun in minutes before the air compressor kicks back on thank in advance
Hello Sir, i recently purchased the Harbor Freight Fortress 200 max psi standing unit with wheels at 5.2 cFM at 90psi.. I also purchased a 50 foot rubber 3/8 hose. Everything on it is the standard size. Do you think if I up just only the hose there would be a difference?
Pick up a small pressure gauge like I shown in the video and connect your impact gun to it to see how well it does. If with the regulator turned up all the way if you can't power your impact gun to 90 psi running line pressure then you will have to modify your compressor with at the very least a 1/2 " hose at 25' long. Keeping your rubber air line short helps a lot with air flow when your trying to power impact guns. Impact guns need a lot of CFM.
I bet you can answer this for me how do I get the most pressure and range from the air blower. I swear I have one that kicks the compressor on instantly and moves no air
CFM cubic feet per minute, is a volume measurement not a pressure measurement. You can talk all day long about increasing a fitting or raising the press but as soon as that little puff of air goes through the line your back trying to have tool performance that is not in its ability zone. Can your car pull as much as a semi truck, you can speed that motor up until it sounds like a sewing machine, but that doesn’t replace horsepower. Next time buy a big old double lung compressor that is 12 - 25 CFM output at 60 - 90 PSI. It could have been better for you to purchase an electric impact, much cheaper.
At my job we got 125 psi and I mostly have Milwaukee tools but I do have blow guns, and an air drill. I have 3/8” flexzilla hose with regular 1/4” npt A-style fittings. Would it be a waste putting Milton high flow v-style on my blow gun and drill?
Easier flowing fittings will help but don't buy the Milton high flow fittings. Purchase 3/8" fittings. This is what I use on my air gun and end of hose www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0868F771Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Great video. Shared with a few people. Because oif this I was able to gain 16 psi at the gun with a few little changes. I'm curious, where did you get a 3/8" compressor on/off valve before the regulator ? Also, I believe the filter goes before the regulator based on what I've seen on Parker regulators and filters.
Thank you. I ordered the parts thru Amazon. I don't have any local hardware stores. I believe that is the original on off switch and I added a fitting (1/4 MNPT to 3/8 FNPT) to step up the sizes from that point. The filter helps keep water from going into your tools, so I feel it doesn't matter where it's in the line.
Thank you for this very helpful clip. So, what I need is 3/8 high flow fittings, filter and what not + 1/2 hose in order to get 90 psi out of my impact tools? Thank you.
3/8 fittings with 1/4NPT threads. 1/2" air hose no more than 25' would be best, but if you need more hose the pressure will drop a little. In doing air lines try to reduce any air flow choke points, keep your fittings / piping as free flowing as possible. If my baby air compressor can run an impact gun at full power (if only for a few moments before the tank pressure drops) you can get your impact gun running at full power too. Thanks for watching!
@@007connecticut Thanks again. What about the shut off fitting at the tank? isn't it a 1/4 inch fitting thread size? will the tank take 3/8 or 1/2 fittings? Obviously, I don't know what I'm doing. Are 1/4,3/8 and 1/2 thread size the same? I got one of those home depot consumer 20gal 1.5 hp 3cfm. Will this little scrap metal good enough to use impact gun? Thanks a mil.
Make sure the steel piping coming out of the tank is at least 3/8 as well. Throw all the 1/4" parts away. The very first fitting is 1/4" coming out of the tank. Leave that one alone Everything else open the sizes up.
@@codychoe normal pipe tap sizes are 1/4 NPT. So all the steel fittings are 1/4" NPT. Everything out of the tank is 1/4 NPT. Your shut off valve is 1/4NPT, regulator, pressure gauge etc. So change the steel piping to the next larger size (3/8 NPT or 1/2 NPT). Look at how the air flows out of the tank. The parts need to be opened up. Think like how water flows, water will flow with more volume if the pipes are larger. Air tools need lots of volume to turn the big motors.
@@007connecticut Tell me if I'm doing it right. 1) Take apart the the fittings attached to compressor 2) Attach 1/4 male to 1/2 male npt adapter to compressor. 3) Attach filter/regulator combo(also 1/2). 4) Attach 3/8 quick connect female to the regulater. 5) Attach 3/8 quick connect male to 1/2 hose. 6) Attach 3/8 quick connect female to the end of 1/2 hose. 7) Attach 3/8 quick connect to the impact. This way I can use 3/8 pipe as I need other low flow tesks as well. If not, #4 and #5 should be using 1/2 fitting to minimize the air flow obstruction. I'd be happier if you could either copy this or modify it to make it better and put it on the description so others could benefit from your post. Thanks alot.
Hi, good video. A couple suggestions, #1 - get rid of all the 90 degree fittings, high speed air hates to turn corners. Why do you even have that last 90 between the hose and regulator? #2 - get rid of all the extraneous fittings, your test air pressure gauge has a female quick disconnect, a male QD, the gauge, a pipe nipple, a female QD, and a male QD. For demonstration just run the hose into the gauge and the gauge into the tool. You will find without all the corners and fittings there will be much less drop in the lines (and fittings). The advantage to less drop between your compressor and your tool is less condensation in your lines and less water in your tools. Your on the right track, just need a few tweaks.
Yes good job on recognizing all the flow restrictions you corrected in the vid.! But sharp 90° "drilled" fittings are terribly restrictive! Even a standard threaded plumbing "elbow" is LESS restrictive than those "drilled" brass 90° fittings. I saw a 20 psi Increase in fuel pressure on a test engine fuel system after removing 4 sharp 90's & replacing them with a hose to make the bend. My ex-Navy mechanic co-worker friend showed me that (thanks Craig). Again on another test engines external oil system I suggested to my engineer to remove 3 sharp 90's & he got 14 psi Increase ! Air behaves like a fluid (examine/study Fluid Dynamics), so the more smoothing or elimination of bends the better! A helpful, educational,compressed air RUclips channel is THE Compressor Guru, Bud Stiner, enjoy! Paul from S. Central Tx.
You sound like my mom.
Saw the same problems with the 90s. Air is a fluid and 90s restric the flow. If you want the regulator and separator in the same location take out the 90s and bend some copper pipe to a U bend over a larger radius with compression fitting on the outside of the pipe. You will have more flow.
New to compressors but having done quite a bit of plumbing, I always find it improves the water flow if sweeping- bends are used, those are less acute than the 90° bends which act as buffers.
I think 1/2 copper pipe will take about 150psi.
@@jonnyshoestring9368 I agree! The larger & smoother the turn radius, the less restriction. On the video, he had eliminated many restrictions & improved air flow significantly. However several of us saw the worst restrictor 90° fittings possible in his new plumbing & suggested eliminating them for more improvement. I have cut several fittings in half (axially, in alignment with the flow direction), & was shocked to see those brass fittings were actually drilled internally! Any fluid, liquid or air slams into a wall & then tumbles around the sharp corner, losing velocity, pressure & thus volume downstream! Even a std. 90° NPT galvanized plumbing "pipe" elbow has a Radius inside it & is Less restrictive than those brass "drilled" 90°el's. I only used those in a non-flowthru application (like a gauge or pressure sensor), once I understood this. I understand you know this but I wish younger mechanics/plumbers could learn this too.
About Compressors, a great RUclips teacher is Bud Stiner on THE Compressor Guru! He has 41 years of compressed air systems design, upgrades, repair, rebuilds & water removal technology. Nice, funny guy & smart too! Cheers, Paul
This is one of the most explanatory videos about how the compressor pipes and lines impact pressure at the tool. I just bought the same 30 gallon compressor and an impact gun, and was stumped by why the torque was so low. We looked at the manufactures website and they showed that a higher pressure might be needed, but they did not go into detail about how the 1/4 piping on the compressor could cause this issue. This video makes perfect sense, and is an amazing video that should be one of the first videos someone watches if their new to impact guns. Great Video!
You can't run an impact on a compressor like that. It's never going to be anywhere near what it's capable of. You're way better off purchasing a cordless battery powered impact it will work way better and give you way more power. In order to run these tools the way they're supposed to you need at minimum 5HP air pump those compressors run in the thousands of dollars... Good luck to you though!
Great video, as a former Snap On dealer I used to use a similar guage rig to show customers the air supply was the problem, not the tool.
30 years ago when I was setting up my garage (just purchased house) I used all 1/2 pipe to run air to 1 inside and 1 out side hose reels I found the same issue with the smaller Craftsman air compressor I had at the time. With the style compressor I had I was able to use a 1/2 in ball valve right off the tank. I continued to run my compressor operating pressure at maximum 155 psi per the tank ratings. I regulated air down to 110 psi where the steel pipe ended at the hose reels. The hose reels were 3/8 Once the initial fill of the tank was done the compressor never struggled to maintain pressure for air tool use. I eventually ran out of CFM capabilities of the Craftsman and upgraded to IR industrial 80 gallon as my air needs expanded. But I never needed to change the pipe or regulators. What you describe here is a Valuable investment proven over time
As a lot of air tools are intermittent use, nailers and the like, I've had good success with leaving a compressor stock, running any old hose to the site (like foot of ladder) then plugging in an air pig fitted with 1/2 in hose. The reservoir has no restrictions and lets the small compressor cycle better while providing lots of flow to the tool only as needed.
I really like this idea. I'm going to modify my air pig and give this a try. Thanks !
Echoing the comments about reducing the number of fittings and especially all those 90s. I wanted to point out that your “improved” setup on the new compressor has the regulator and filter plumbed backwards. The regulator ALWAYS goes after the filter. This is so that 1) filter pressure loss is excluded and 2) regulator is protected. Finally, on your new compressor setup, move your regulator as far downstream as possible. It’s much more efficient to transmit air at 175psi than at 100psi. Running max pressure as close to the end as possible will slash the line losses. I run a large Nitrocat 1250K on a 120v compressor across a 3 car garage and see only 15psi drop at the gun, regulator set at 120 (max setting) I still get 105 at the gun. This is because my regulator has been moved to the end of 25ft of 1/2” air hose and I only have 15ft or so of 1/2” hose between regulator and tool. I’m very happy with it.
As soon as Imsaw this vid I knew the end result! About 30 years ago I bought a spanking new, high spec, 1/2" drive air impact from our Snap-On dealer, here in the UK. By chance the first job I found for it was removing a wheel on a large panel van. Expecting it to rip off the nuts without effort, imagine my disappointment when it wouldn't budge them! By coincidence, the Snap-On man called that day so I hit him with my gripe about the cr4p impact gun, he just smiled and asked to see my air set up. Immediately he pronounced the hose was too small and too long. So there and then, whilst he watched, we changed the 3/8 hose to 1/2 inch, with heavy duty QR couplings, and shortened it to about 6 mtrs, it was previously about 15 mtrs long. The difference was staggering, it just ripped those wheel nuts off without effort! Snap-On man just smiled and asked where his cup of tea was! Basically, for a 1/2" drive impact gun, 1/2" hose is the minimum size to get near to full torque, because the couplings will reduce the effective bore to 3/8". Still have that gun and it still works like a champ.
Always wondered why my impact wouldn’t remove the lugs on my cars….thanks great video
When a said pipe size is doubled the volume is Quadrupled - henceforth when a said pipe size goes up to the next size then the volume is doubled . Hose size is #8 = 1/2" #4 = 1/4" #6 = 3/8" #12 = 3/4" #16 = 1" ... and so on Tubing is measured by the outside diameter A good reference is the Industrial Suppliers MSC and or McMaster Carr - they do a fine job of explaining almost all the questions one may have for given situations on upgrading tweaking and planning
Solved my problem by removing original regulator and installing a tee and reinstalling the regulator after the tee. Quick connect coupling on tee and regulator with male
QC on end of hose. When I need high demand/flow I move the hose to the tee, and run unregulated pressure to tool. Most of the time the hose is connected to the regulator, which I found to be too restrictive of cfm for some tools.
A booster tank 5 feet from your work area tied into your air system always works well with a 3/8 hose as your terminal run. The air is much happier coming out of that close tank with better pressure and volume. Then it has a better chance of a speedy recovery from the main tank when you stop. Also has the benefit of increasing your air reserve.
Correct a small compressor say 20 gallon 5 hp could do wonders with anather 40 gallon tank added to it I see alot of guys do that for a complete paint job on a car
@@darrellsomers5427 extra tanks next to your compressor do wonders. But what's nice about having a booster tank right next to you with a short whip on it, is that you can put a larger diameter hose on it for running heavier tooling and you get extra impulse from the air in the close reservoir not having to push all the way down your long hoses. You might just need to take a moment every now and then when running tooling too big for your air system for the booster to recover
What size booster tank generally?
@@ifonlysolutions4011 mine is normally one of the little 3 gallon tanks. Just be advised that the tanks really aren't meant for that, so you might be voiding your warranty to take a portable tank and convert it to a booster tank.
That's a great suggestion!
Got air tools in the farm shop that are 25 years old, we've always ran direct off the compressors 175 psi 1/2-3/4 and 1'' guns...never had any problems, most farm shops I've been do the same thing.
I agree. When I build my shop, I’ll run a straight 1/2 inch straight copper pipe down the wall and right off into the work bay on a short 1/2 inch hose.
The reason smaller compressors use a 1/4 fitting is that you don’t quickly run out of air and the compressor runs for ever. Changing to 3/8 or 1/2 drains you tank much quicker. Certainly, 3/8 and 1/2 provide more air pressure but a price. Thanks for your efforts and explanation. Well done.
The reason I done the video (I don't recall I said this in the video ) I had service done on the truck . Later I wanted to rotate my tires but I couldn't get the lugs loose with my impact gun. So I modified the large compressor so I can unscrew the lugs. Then for fun I wanted to see exactly where the bottle neck was and went thru the motions on video to get the CFM up on the older smaller machine as well. Just a few moments of good air flow is all you need sometimes to get really tight lugs loose. Also for occasional use impact guns this works fine. No need to spend several thousand dollars when a cheap modified compressor will do the job.
Right, right…. I get it… But dude, if my wife ever sees this, I’ll never be able to justify getting a newer, bigger compressor once I get my garage built. You’re killing me here!
@@mrimmortal1579 Tell your wife you NEED a bigger compressor , she will let you buy it.
@@joseaguinaga7670 sadly, that’s not how the game is played. What I’ll have to do is wait for a project that she wants completed, and then convince her that my older, smaller compressor isn’t up to the job, and that I can’t do it without a newer, bigger compressor.
It will also help if I over-inflate (pun intended) the estimate for the project, so that it looks like the compressor costs much less than it really does. Then I just have to hope that she doesn’t see through my schemes.
It’s all a very delicate and complex dance, and one wrong step can leave me turning a wrench by hand, like some kind of caveman.
Evil
This is a great video and truly explains this problem. In a visual way for people to see and hear what is going on.
Absolutely concur with the comments below from an other video. Extremely valuable, educational, informative, detailed, your process of trouble shooting is well latex out, which aid me to increase my knowledge on air compressor, hoses and air guns, I very much appreciate your time, efforts you took to assist many many viewers. I am sending your video to many of my family, friends, co-workers, and hardware and tool supply personnel that I know. Blessings to you, your channel. With very much appreciation, thank you. 👍🏻😉🙏🏻🇺🇸🙏🏻🇺🇸🙏🏻🇺🇸🙏🏻🇺🇸🙏🏻🇺🇸🙏🏻. .
VOLUME vs PRESSURE. Big difference.
And I thought it was my old CP impact pooping out... When I worked in a shop years ago it was great! Home air supply simply not adequate. Thank you!
On my old compressor, I pulled the inspection plug and adapted straight to a high flow regulator.
This worked well. It couldn’t flow continuously, but gave me extra bursts when needed, especially on impact tools.
Some of your previous comments are absolutely correct your choaking off way to much volume with your plumbing, larger is much better and be mindful of all those 90 degree fittings. Pressure is a restriction to flow , an impact or high volume air tool needs volume. Try a 1 in impact on that little craftsman , lol 😆
Good on your mate good video I’ve got one of those Ingersoll rand exact same rattle guns they are an absolute powerhouse even with the bigger bore lines
I’m surprised you had trouble to be honest because you’re only taking off wheel nuts but then again it is on a truck
I run nine mil hose the red one you’ve got there and the fittings are called NITTO they are high flow and I set the compressor to cut out at 160 PSI so when it’s fully pumped the rattle gun will get a blast full power for awhile as it needs 90psi so 150 ish for a few seconds that should be heaps to take wheel nuts off and compensate for air line leaks
my wheel nuts are at 90 foot pounds and those guns can do 1100 foot pounds in reverse
All the best from Melbourne Australia
Had a similar issue in trying to remove the nut to a washing machine tub. Since I still use 1/4” fittings I just bypassed the regulator which was the first bottleneck and the main bottleneck, running through 25 feet to the impact gun, I had negligible pressure drop at the end of the hose. 150 psi at compressor and when the gun was activated saw pressure at the gun drop from 150 to 85 psi. Impact gun works just fine. I use this system ONLY for this impact gun.
I just switched out the 3/8 x 50ft hose for a 1/2" x 25ft hose and I can fairly happily run a 3/4" impact gun. The 1/2" impact is full blast.
Did you have regular fittings on the 3/8 hose or high flow? I got a 3/8 x 25 hose from harbor freight making sure there aren't any restrictions inside the crimped on threaded ends and put high flow 1/4" fittings on the compressor, hose and the gun. The air volume and speed of the gun improved noticeably over the plain 1/4" brass fittings.
@@kris8263 Probably regular fittings. The 3/8 hose was either from Home Depot or came with the compressor and has original factory fittings.
I also run the tools at about 100psi instead of 90psi to help account for the hose and fitting pressure losses.
Thanx for the sharing, really great video and I appreciate your time spent to put it all together and show the results.
That was pretty good mister.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video.
Your video came across my recommended feed, as I am having issues with my compressor keeping up with my tools I was curious and watched.
Really informative and helpful however I only see one issue which leads me to ask, ...........instead of using all that piping, would it not be better to just screw in the small straight piece of pipe in the connection of the compressor, then and add the water trap then your fitting/hose?
No need for all the weight of that pipe and all those bends, also even though you have an inline water trap you still need to drain the water from your air tank regularly.
So now I will do away with my 3/8 hose and 1/4 fittings and up size to 1/2".
Thanks for the video.
adding an aftercooler helps a lot lots of videos on them, cousin used one from a 90's diesel pickup and installed a computer server muffin fan on a shroud he built. Night and day temperature drop, also running amzoil works
What does Amsoil do for the compressor? I’ve only used it because it lasts longer
@@ZhmiKnopa cold weather start up is the claim to fame for northern people regular oil and its easy to pop breakers as they draw too much amps
Hey thanks for sharing and all the work you shared it saves us hard heads alot of work and frustration I wouldn't thought of half inch house good job two thumbs up bud I like it😁 I've got my Ridgid 6 gallon with half inch piping as best as I could now I'll get some hose and repost my findings
G'day, Lots of things go into a good air supply. So often people just try using a bigger capacity compressor rater than addressing the actual problems.
I know a farmer who had trouble with a loader that kept overheating. He wanted to do lots of expensive repairs to the cooling system to try and fix the problem. I told him to get the leak in the bucket control valve fixed and that would eliminate a lot of the heat being generated. He had trouble comprehending the relationship between the 2 problems.
Very informative, thanks! I was having the same issue with my compressor/impact set-up.
I dont know why im watching this when i have electric impacts. Still good to see
Awesome awesome video, you answered so many question. For years I wondered what kinds of pressure drops the 1/4 and 3/8 would cause. Even with a clean setup looks like 1/4 isn't good for much.
In-line air regulator is a must have since most good compressors run at about 120 psi, and most tools run best at about 90 psi.
True that most tools say 90psi , but that is worthless for impact guns and such , my gun will take off anything at 175psi , and almost nothing at 90psi. 2 stage compressor is best
@@JT-dx1qk The last pneumatic impact wrench I used was a Craftsman at a job I worked at from ‘93 to ‘99, and the stuff I used it on wasn’t torqued extremely tight.
Yes but as you saw the pressure drop was significant so really no need for a regulator, the tool is never gonna see the at tank pressure...I only use one when I spray cars
I bought this fittings the purple Milton high flow fittings I love those fittings amazing fittings will always buy more Milton fittings
Very good! I use 1/2 copper in my setup and home shop, but it won't be too hard to put larger fittings on some of the outlets. Didn't know the flow made that big a difference.
ya need to be very careful about using copper for air lines.
The copper you use MUST be rated for the pressure and the purpose AND correctly terminated.
@@soundman6645 I researched it pretty good, and copper pipe was the best. I used all "L" (blue) which is the hardest you can buy at the home centers. It was that vs PVC. I learned the PVC could burst and send shrapnel all over the place. Copper splits when it fails. What is the danger you find with copper?
@@raymondjackson6069 There are some very real dangers with incorrect copper.
My friend Barry, used to contract air plumbing and compressor installations, for a large compressor company. Large company, large compressors.
he quoted an installation and did not win the job.
He was later called back to redo the work after, the low price job failed disasterously.
A section of copper pipe fractured at full pressure.
It flailed around, chopping everything in its way including timber roof trusses. It was very fortunate nobody died or was injured.
The copper used was the incorrect product.
He did a complete reinstall with the correct grade of copper and appropriately rated fittings.
I would never use rigid PVC pipe.
Galvanised steel pipe is easier for "do it yourselfers" to deal with.
Buy the pipe sections pre threaded.
I have a small 900 sq ft shop and use a 7.5 HP 80 gallon compressor. I use type M coper with standard leadfree plumbing solder. 3/4 for the mainline coming from the compressor and 1/2" for the drops coming from the top of the mainline. It's relatively inexpensive and the fittings are available anywhere. It's also much easier to install than black iron pipe. The pipe acts like a radiator and sucks the heat out of the air too, so I do not have problems with moisture in my lines (I do a lot of blasting, cutting and grinding). I'm more than comfortable using it for my application (I did my research). Check out the copper institute's Copper Tube Handbook.
@@phillipvansickle4220 Wow, that's incredible. Mise is already 1/2" through and through, and so far it hasn't given me any problems. One guy was saying it (copper) could actually shatter. I never heard of that, but will beware. I DID NOT use PVC because of possible catastrophic rupture, via the internet grapevine. Having worked with PVC I could see that happening. Copper is a much better choice. GI is ok I guess, but it rusts eventually and will have to be replaced. Copper last and last, and though I have heard and seen it split, dur to freezing, been ok with air so far.
You need to relocate that filter ahead of the regulator. It’s adding a lot of pressure drop. If that same pressure drop was relocated ahead of the regulator, the effect goes away.
And it's not really needed unless he's painting cars and then it's too damn close to the tank how he has it mounted...water forms as the air travels down the damn hose as it cools 😂 this guy is brain dead
You identified the obvious problems but, as has been said. every fitting, bend or filter will cause pressure loss. Try and get rid of as many of the bends as possible, you may be able to run larger bore flexible hose to make your connections. Easy bends offer less restriction than 90 degree ones. Also every join is a potential air leak so the fewer the better.
The pressure regulator is always the biggest problem, should be of good quality as well as the filter and other parts. 1/2" on all components means that the feed is enough for all machines. The quick couplings make a big difference choose Cejn 320 series for best flow and wear resistance (hardened steel nipples). In some applications it is economical to let the compressor handle the pressure and remove the pressure regulator .
One day, for reasons, I needed air 300 ft away from my air compressor. Using a Y fitting and a cheap 5 gallon air tank, I set up a buffer tank near my end of the line.
Great idea.
Thanks for that video. Many months ago I decided to, and purchased fittings to do the same to my 25 gallon portable compressor.
I was going to drill out and re-tap the compressor bung, but I know what you mean about the mentality surrounding that. We’ll see, I haven’t had time to work on it since then.
Great upgrades!
Well done!
Interesting video. I would have started at the simplest, connect gun directly to the compressor, maybe with a short hose. Then progress through the pressure setting, and then through the filter (that was my first guess as to most restriction, but it was totally replaced in updated setup so no way to tell from this video).
However, I don't really think this is important, at least to an impact gun used for short bursts, like lug nuts. It's the pressure at the gun that drives the hammer part of the gun to turn the nut, etc., not the volume of air. So running the gun with no load isn't real world testing.
It's a good solid indicator of what the gun will do. Torque on flywheel bolts on a Volvo is 60 ft lbs and 120 degrees turn. My nitrocat 1250k on a 3/8s hose with 175psi struggles to make 60. 1/2 inch hose and it's still going at 120 degrees.
Get rid of the filter and all that junk
@@aidenjanz2690 yep 👍 why he added that big ass filter makes no sense unless he's going to paint cars and then i use a little pussy one that doesn't require all that piping
Consider mounting the filter and regulator on the wall...get rid of the multiple elbows, spaghetti piping, etc so the air is a straight shot through the filter/reg. Just run a short length of hose from the compressor to the filter inlet. All those twists and turns with the elbow are contributing to your pressure losses.
Best tire pump ever
Dang wish I would have seen this before I sold my air tools. 😕 great video
Thanks for going through that. Im just resetting up lines and compressor at my place and this helped me get some understanding of where the restrictions are. Ive a few old air tools that I considered pretty crap back in the day, looking forward to see how they go with decent pressure at the business end.
Cheers
D
Great information. I will come in handy with my small compressor
thank you. this is just what the doctor ordered
Explained very well! Thank you.
Thank you brother. I really appreciate this tip and informative Video. Will be upgrading asap 🙏🏼
Excellent examples, and great explanation. Thank you!
Thank you! Your video sure enlightened me about what's require to properly operate an impact wrenches getting the correct volume of air supply to function correctly. A very good video.
Great video, loved it, you can learn a lot from it!
Good video and information. But I took the easiest way out, ditched the compressor and all the B.S. involved ( like fittings and hose’s most importantly noise) and I have done what everyone else has done. Just go and by some battery operated tools.
Another suggestion: You could run both compressors together, if you need more air volume. Y connectors are available at hardwarestores all over the world. T connectors I would avoid for this.
I concur
I w have 2 small compressors and sometimes it would be helpful to have more air on tap.
Would both compressors have to be identical in spec I.e. hp tank capacity?
@@jonnyshoestring9368 Not really. The smaller one will work more though, if the pressure switches are dialed in the same on both.
If the air tanks have a secondary air coupling, I would connect them that way. For temporary use i don't see a problem in that.
But don't forget a valve in between, which should be closed while you plug the hose into the coupler. After everything is connected, you can open that valve. And to disconnect you have to close the valve first and then disconnect. If there is no valve or you forget to close it, you'll know that really fast. Nothing will be damaged, just the air of the first/last connected tank will spew out with full force. You need to couple that together with a hose, that has two male couplers, after all.
@@wiedapp Cheers, your input is very helpful, particularly the mention of the insertion of a shut-off valve.
I give myself enough surprises 🤕😁
@@jonnyshoestring9368 One more heads up: Do absolutely check if both tanks are rated for the same pressure or dial in both compressors to the smaller value out the tanks. Air tank blow ups are everything but fun.
My friend was talked into buying a 11 cfm,gas compressor but it only has 2 tube tanks totaling 9 gallons of storage, it won't work well on his big spray gun. Myl little 30 gallon, 5 hp will get better results because of the tank capacity, for spraying cars, the pulse of the compressor piston has to be buffered. You can actually see lines in,especially flat paint from having a smaller tank
I use 3/8 fittings from harbor freight. MUCH more airflow. Turned my regulator allllll the way up.
This is why most auto shop air compressors are turned to 150+ psi. Mine comes on at 125 and off at 155 psi with no inline regulator. Just because a tool is power rated at 90psi doesn't mean that's it's max working pressure. if 90 psi is good 150 is better but 300 might hurt it. as long as you keep your air tools properly lubed and maintained 150 psi working pressure won't hunt 98% of them.
All that needs to be done is get some Milton S-217 fittings for the hose ends and your compressor, cut your hose to the longest length you can use in your garage without moving the compressor (my hose is 20ft) use a 3/8" hose and that will take care of this issue
I have the Harbor Freight Fortress pancake compressor, 175 psi.. How would I set this up for more power?
In my opinion. The pipe update on your old compressor, at 135 psi. Works stronger than in your new one. The sound of the gun doesnt lie. I Moved the video back and forth to compare. And definitely the old unit at 135, with 90 on the guns,, show a louder Rpms sound
Great observation. I have also noticed his 1/2" setup was running at 80 psi under load as compared to 90 psi with a previous 3/8" high flow setup. That may have played the part in what you have rightfully pointed out.
It would be a bonus if you kept the Camera on your actions to show your detailings so viewers can comprehend to understand kapich
Thank you this has been very helpful..cause i have a upright porter cable air compressor from tractor supply and it wont run my air tools like they should be run..
Any tips or ideas for me..what should i do or replace or buy..need asap cause need to get crank bolt out of my 2016 Hyundai Santa fe sport, and dont know what gun i should get..
Either astro or thor 1894 gun
Well done…good advice, sir!
My craftsmen originally came with a cheap and thin air hose (yellow, coils up) My impact wouldnt work. changed it to 1/2 inch and works great now.
Get rid of all of the elbows and connect the filter and regulator directly together. Better yet put your filter between the compresser head and the tank to prevent rusting of your tank. I have 3/4" piping going to my drops and use the shortest line possible from them to minimize pressure drop. This vodeo is a start, but there's a lot more you can do.
You’ll also be using up more air with the high flow connectors.
Yes, it's only going to use air what the air tool wants or needs, no more. I can run impact guns now. Before no matter how much pressure I turned it to, it never would operate the air guns at full power. For example I put air into my truck tires using the same air chuck with a 1/2" hose. It still inflates the tires at the same rate (because the air chuck doesn't have high flow properties) Thanks for watching!
Yeah John, that’s kind of the points here. Getting more volume to flow from the smaller compressor in order to run higher volume air tools. The impact gun has no guts until it’s feed proper.
Great informative video thank you for doing this
Just don't use those Milton fittings. IIn a later video I use 3/8 fittings which are much much better. The Milton are too soft.
That is why it is important to make sure air compressor CFM is higher than air tools' CFM requirement.
You just got to make sure the air flows out of the tank faster than the air tool is using it up. So by changing out the hoses, piping regulator and filter the air tool has the volume of air it wants. If your compressor CFM ("Horse Power") is lacking well you will a have to let the pressure build up for your next lug to remove. At least your running the gun at full power.
@@007connecticut Yes, it should be 3/8" I.D.; however, that is less concerned than PSI and CFM.
Wish my small 3
50 lt tank was bigger so i could use air tools don't have space for 100lt tank
@@007connecticut CFM is actually the volume of air or how much air is flowing, PSI is the pressure at which the air is compressed in the hose or the tank and the HP is an engine power metric used to fill in the tank and is unrelated to CFM.
@@kris8263 correct
I have the same compressor ..the one standing up only in black is a hushy from home depot, I have a question, why not drill then weld a new fitting for 1/2 inch coming straight out of the tank and that way there is more airflow, not having to go through the switch. You still to leave the switch there for it to kick on and off the motor.
If your not a excellent welder (I'm not) I was afraid of creating a bomb if something goes wrong. That's why I went the safer route with step up fittings.
To change the subject I've seen a video here on youtube of an air tank exploding do to rust (some guy kept welding the holes in the tank. One day the whole tank let go. It was a bomb going off in his shop. Air pressure is dangerous if it just tears loose.
I have a full compressor set with a bunch of air tools but I find cordless tools way easier and since technology caught up Dewalt makes the strongest 1/2" anvil impact wrench on the planet! All ya need is a battery and you're off. Got no hate towards air cause I've been using them for 30 years and have saved me a ton of time and headache. Will always have love for air tools!
Agree. 90% cordless but still a couple of air tools where the hassle isn't worth the price of the cordless tool for infrequent use. Love that Dewalt impact.
Great Job showing the air pressure loss, some time you need the extra CFM to the gun to break the nuts lose. I did the same thing last year on my craftsman air compressor also, but did you change the fitting size coming out of the tank most are only 1/4 inch? I did my the locale Ace hardware, had the drill and tap to do the job. But the hose fitting I never checked since I had 3/8 hose already, going to check that this weekend for the fitting inside size. Thank You for a Great Video, hope to see more.
I didn't want to tap larger the outlet 1/4NPT thread, so the only 1/4 NPT thread on the compressor is the very first one. I then put an adapter fittings to go male 1/4 NPT to female 3/8 NPT on the small compressor. Then 3/8 NPT piping from there. On the big compressor in the other garage I went 100% 1/2NPT on everything except that very first 1/4 NPT thread.
The reason I didn't drill it larger was I was afraid I could compromise the weld and blow the fitting out. Sometimes I have bad luck so I left the original thread on the tank alone.
That what i'm saying, let's say we upgrade the traditional 1/4 lines/regulator to 1/2 but then we will still have the pressure switch which always is 1/4. Would that be still the bottleneck even if after that everything will be 1/2?@@007connecticut
I’m not sure what you got going on there looks kinda crazy but I have the husky version of this and it ran all of my air tools great right out of the box. Maybe take all the craziness off and just put a quick connect straight out of the tank…. Like they come from the factory… If you want to keep the dryer I have mine on a quick connect fitting & quick connect coupler so it just goes in between the quick connect coupler on the tank and my hose, when I run air tools. Besides that I can just pop it right off. Maybe think about doing something like that. Or put it between the quick connect coupler and the tank if you want it on full time.
I do occasional spray painting so that's why I have a regulator and a drier in line. This compressor doesn't have a port straight off the tank, that would have been much easier. Possibly a much easier way is just get an auxiliary tank then you have a 3/4" NPT port ready to go. Thanks for watching!
Good video. Thank you for taking the time. I noticed the female port on the impact air gun handle being pushed out and spinning while the gun is operated. Is that normal?
Yes. The nut that the fitting connects to is free floating.
If the compressor can keep up good luck !
As always nice tools and fabrication work 👍🏽
Great video, i have the same problem (might be bigger) since i have the newest IR 2236 which is more powerful because has 1500ft-lbs and it requires 36CFM. I understand your goal was to remove all the bottlenecks, you put new 1/2 regulator and filter and 1/2 pipe. But every compressor has pressure switch which is the first hop, the port on the switch is 1/4 wouldn't that be still the bottleneck even if you upgraded everything downstream to 1/2? Looking at your 1/2 valve it goes to the left to your pressure switch, did you use 1/2 to 1/4 reducer?
Thanks for the video. I'm new to this. If my wrench is only rated for 90 psi, is there an issue if the static pressure starts higher than that?
No It won't hurt the gun. Gas stations run air sometimes incredibly high. No worries.
I noticed the nut at the bottom of the gun turning when you hit the trigger. I don't think it was suppose to do that. Great video. You gave me a lot of great information.
On the Ingersol Rand air gun I thought it was broken new out of the box. When I attached the first air fitting into it I had to hold the nut on the gun or I couldn't screw the fitting in. I turned on the air pressure and no leaks? So don't ask me how it works without not leaking air but for this gun it's normal. It must have an o-ring or other type seal in that spot. I don't know how it's put together in that spot. No other tool works that way, weird design.
If you're talking about he quick disconnect rattling, they just rattle if unsprung
This helped a lot, thanks
Very informative. Thank you.
Why didnt you just turn up the pressure to begin with?
Must be all the bends and fittings you have. I keep my resting line pressure at 100, with over 50ft of 3/8 hose and it has enough power to do anything I need. Lug nuts and even axle nuts, with it only set at 100 resting psi. Not sure why you'd need the full 90 active/working psi
Really nice and helpfull video, thanks for sharing
I would assume the larger the hoses the more air comes out and the more air your compressor must supply. Hence, your gauge will drop quickly. There is a reason you need large compressors to run air tools. My impact says 1/2” hose to gun.
With larger hoses it falls more on the fittings to pass flow and maintain terminal pressure with it. There is less effort to move air through a larger hose. The same amount is moved then but more slowly. Capacity is exponential compared to diameter too, and both of these reduce line friction, as does .. ahem keeping hoses short. cheers.
Thank you ever so much for this detailed information. Fixing to set up the shop this way so it all flows well. Thanks again. Trucker Ray ✝️
Very good demo
Thanks
Hey man thanks for sharing this! Do you always run a filter because you paint?
Yes. If you don't you will see little droplets of water in your expensive paint job. Filter is good to keep the air tools drier also. They could rust up inside I guess if you don't oil them. I forget to add a few drops of oil to my tools (in the air line) so I'm guilty of that as well.
The V series fittings are the only way to go. They are backwards compatible with the M series plus they stay unlatched when no connected, just plug in the fitting. No need pull the collar back.
I think this might work for a painting a whole car ,but how long can you run that gun in minutes before the air compressor kicks back on thank in advance
The high flow fittings and connecting a auxiliary tank will fix the your problem
Exactly
Hello Sir, i recently purchased the Harbor Freight Fortress 200 max psi standing unit with wheels at 5.2 cFM at 90psi.. I also purchased a 50 foot rubber 3/8 hose. Everything on it is the standard size. Do you think if I up just only the hose there would be a difference?
Pick up a small pressure gauge like I shown in the video and connect your impact gun to it to see how well it does. If with the regulator turned up all the way if you can't power your impact gun to 90 psi running line pressure then you will have to modify your compressor with at the very least a 1/2 " hose at 25' long. Keeping your rubber air line short helps a lot with air flow when your trying to power impact guns. Impact guns need a lot of CFM.
Sure bigger id gives you more volume to the tool. It’s recovery time it takes to fill up the tank.
that is very helpful, thanks for your effort Sir
I give you a thumbs up just the information I needed thanks.
Larger piping and hoses make impacts run like a tire shop
I bet you can answer this for me how do I get the most pressure and range from the air blower. I swear I have one that kicks the compressor on instantly and moves no air
CFM cubic feet per minute, is a volume measurement not a pressure measurement. You can talk all day long about increasing a fitting or raising the press but as soon as that little puff of air goes through the line your back trying to have tool performance that is not in its ability zone. Can your car pull as much as a semi truck, you can speed that motor up until it sounds like a sewing machine, but that doesn’t replace horsepower. Next time buy a big old double lung compressor that is 12 - 25 CFM output at 60 - 90 PSI.
It could have been better for you to purchase an electric impact, much cheaper.
We all know rattle guns use heaps of air,but how many seconds is the trigger held in?
I dont who could have put all that mess on top of the first compressor. Volume is a must.
At my job we got 125 psi and I mostly have Milwaukee tools but I do have blow guns, and an air drill. I have 3/8” flexzilla hose with regular 1/4” npt A-style fittings. Would it be a waste putting Milton high flow v-style on my blow gun and drill?
Easier flowing fittings will help but don't buy the Milton high flow fittings. Purchase 3/8" fittings. This is what I use on my air gun and end of hose
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0868F771Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Great video. Shared with a few people. Because oif this I was able to gain 16 psi at the gun with a few little changes. I'm curious, where did you get a 3/8" compressor on/off valve before the regulator ?
Also, I believe the filter goes before the regulator based on what I've seen on Parker regulators and filters.
Thank you. I ordered the parts thru Amazon. I don't have any local hardware stores. I believe that is the original on off switch and I added a fitting (1/4 MNPT to 3/8 FNPT) to step up the sizes from that point. The filter helps keep water from going into your tools, so I feel it doesn't matter where it's in the line.
@@007connecticut The filter can also keep moisture from going to the regulator also.
@@007connecticut It matters to flow/pressure as the filter will reduce them (net) but better going into the regulator than coming out of it.
Thank you for this very helpful clip. So, what I need is 3/8 high flow fittings, filter and what not + 1/2 hose in order to get 90 psi out of my impact tools?
Thank you.
3/8 fittings with 1/4NPT threads. 1/2" air hose no more than 25' would be best, but if you need more hose the pressure will drop a little. In doing air lines try to reduce any air flow choke points, keep your fittings / piping as free flowing as possible. If my baby air compressor can run an impact gun at full power (if only for a few moments before the tank pressure drops) you can get your impact gun running at full power too. Thanks for watching!
@@007connecticut Thanks again. What about the shut off fitting at the tank? isn't it a 1/4 inch fitting thread size? will the tank take 3/8 or 1/2 fittings? Obviously, I don't know what I'm doing. Are 1/4,3/8 and 1/2 thread size the same? I got one of those home depot consumer 20gal 1.5 hp 3cfm. Will this little scrap metal good enough to use impact gun? Thanks a mil.
Make sure the steel piping coming out of the tank is at least 3/8 as well. Throw all the 1/4" parts away. The very first fitting is 1/4" coming out of the tank. Leave that one alone
Everything else open the sizes up.
@@codychoe normal pipe tap sizes are 1/4 NPT. So all the steel fittings are 1/4" NPT. Everything out of the tank is 1/4 NPT. Your shut off valve is 1/4NPT, regulator, pressure gauge etc. So change the steel piping to the next larger size (3/8 NPT or 1/2 NPT). Look at how the air flows out of the tank. The parts need to be opened up. Think like how water flows, water will flow with more volume if the pipes are larger. Air tools need lots of volume to turn the big motors.
@@007connecticut Tell me if I'm doing it right.
1) Take apart the the fittings attached to compressor
2) Attach 1/4 male to 1/2 male npt adapter to compressor.
3) Attach filter/regulator combo(also 1/2).
4) Attach 3/8 quick connect female to the regulater.
5) Attach 3/8 quick connect male to 1/2 hose.
6) Attach 3/8 quick connect female to the end of 1/2 hose.
7) Attach 3/8 quick connect to the impact.
This way I can use 3/8 pipe as I need other low flow tesks as well.
If not, #4 and #5 should be using 1/2 fitting to minimize the air flow obstruction.
I'd be happier if you could either copy this or modify it to make it better and put it on the description so others could benefit from your post.
Thanks alot.