Thread: Cabinet for Air Compressor

Over the last couple of days I've been putting the Sika on the edges and coating the YT with water based polyurethane. The PU is the finish I used on my YT floor years ago and has proved to be immensely durable. Then again, it is not exposed to any elements at all, whereas this cabinet can get rain blown on it from time to time....like today, had it not been in the shed getting finished...

I thought the black Sikaflex (the currently open colour) might look a bit dodgy but I'm actually quite pleased with the visuals of it. The front door is held in place with three pairs of REMs on each side (you can see one). Remarkably, and very pleasingly so, when I tilt the door up to within 50mm of closure it reaches a balance tipping point and gently clicks shut on the magnets - which have just the right amount of grab. I couldna done better if I tried...which I did It's always a bit hit and miss with the magnet strength to use, but in this case I only was able to have one untested go.

IMG_20190316_194438.jpg

Originally Posted by apple8

Mine pumped up to 7.5 bar and after 18 hours has barely moved, maybe the width of a line with air on.

Yes, mine seems to have tightened up even a little further. In 12 hours the gauge hasn't moved with the immediate tap on and the second tap off (which means the second was holding all the pressure). The problem is the gun itself - I can actually hear it leaking when I put my ear to it.....

Originally Posted by apple8

The only other thing that irks me is the way the outlet is welded to the tank causing the cutout switch and gauges to not be level. It seems to be on all the ones that I saw, not a issue except to my eyes.

Best build a cabinet so you don't see it then.

Can you also confirm that your tank has the water release valve sitting at about 5.30 - i.e not 6 O'clock - which means it has to be tilted to the side to properly drain water? Seems like one dumb idea to me, and an auto-dumping switch like Bob showed in the other thread would be useless!

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Can you also confirm that your tank has the water release valve sitting at about 5.30 - i.e not 6 O'clock - which means it has to be tilted to the side to properly drain water? Seems like one dumb idea to me, and an auto-dumping switch like Bob showed in the other thread would be useless!

Yes, mine is the same as it is on my old compressor and I’ve seen it on others. Maybe it stops sediments from blocking the outlet and with adequate pressure the water is forced out with the air. Doesn’t make a lot of sense just looking at it. The compressors I worked with in a previous life were at the bottom normally opened and drained to a lower point again into an auto drainer, initially a cistern type then later electrical like Bob’s example. They were bigger than ours though and supplied air over several kilometres.

Bob’s solution looks a bit bulky and 240 volts so I thought of using one these 12 volt valves on a tee with a push button mounted remote to manually discharge the air/water without putting my head near it. Then I thought I can add a timer and a smart switch to drain when ever, hourly, daily, weekly etc. Hell, I could even tell google home to do it when ever I want. I think I think too much.

Originally Posted by apple8

Bob’s solution looks a bit bulky and 240 volts so I thought of using one these 12 volt valves on a tee with a push button mounted remote to manually discharge the air/water without putting my head near it. Then I thought I can add a timer and a smart switch to drain when ever, hourly, daily, weekly etc. Hell, I could even tell google home to do it when ever I want. I think I think too much.

The auto drain valve (ADV) I'm using does require a certain amount space around it and even more than you think is needed to install it - ie swing it around when screwing it on so as is they suit a larger compressor. As you can see below the drain point is also close to the short welded legs on the tank so there is not enough room to mount it directly. What I ended up doing is adding a 1/2" BSP elbow to the drain point to change its orientation so that it poked out away from the legs.

If space is really at a premium a short extension/hose can be added in between the tank and ADV. It doesn't matter if the outlet is above the level of the water in the tank as the water is blown out by the air pressure.

Anther issue with the ADV I'm using is the electronics are not water proof - on my first setup, the discharged water reflected off the slab floor back up to hit the electronics and eventually it stopped working. To get around this I added a spigot to the ADV outlet that redirected the water away from the floor but still inside ether enclosure

I recently added an extension tube after the ADV is so that the water is discharged outside the enclosure otherwise the air inside the enclosure becomes quite humid and some of it gets recycled back into the compressor.
Drain.jpg
If you have a sealed enclosure this will be even more of a problem.

On my previous compressor I used a spare 24VAC garden retic solenoid valve as an ADV and powered it with a spare 24VAC adapter so it cost me nothing. The Retic valve was also bulky and I had to sit the compressor up on blocks to get it to fit under the compressor. I had a handy GPO nearby that I used to power the adapter and all I did was turn the GPO on/off.

A small advantage of using a 240V solenoid is that I don't have to add yet another 12V adapter to the shed and find yet another GPO outlet. I know, add more expander boards but I'm already using 14 such boards in my shed!

The ADV is currently hardwired to the 240V input side of the compressor pressure controller so the ADV is available when the compressor is switched on (ie not necessarily running) which is most days and some nights because I forget to turn it off. The enclosure exhaust fan is powered from the outlet side of compressor pressure controller so the fan is on when the compressor is running.

I'm in the middle of adding a copper compressed air cooling coil to my compressed air system and this will also require a drain. An ADV in this situation is unnecessary as the coil really only needs to be drained during/after periods when the compressor runs continuously. Still working on something for this.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

I'll be interested to see how well your silencer works. That's for the PSSSH! at the end of the cycle, yes?

Turned up today, the iPhone dB app at about 1 metre was 56dB running, 79dB on exhaust before silencer and 64dB after fitting. Thread is 5mm.

Originally Posted by apple8

Turned up today, the iPhone dB app at about 1 metre was 56dB running, 79dB on exhaust before silencer and 64dB after fitting. Thread is 5mm.

So, not worth the four bucks then?

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

So, not worth the four bucks then?

Don't know how effective they are by here are some for ~80c each as long as you buy 10 of them.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/A-10-Pcs....c100005.m1851
A few years ago I bought some variable speed air outlets that cost about the same as what apple8 paid.
Haven't tried them out yet.

Originally Posted by BobL

Don't know how effective they are by here are some for ~80c each as long as you buy 10 of them.

Cracker! Now I only have to spend another $7½ grand on compressors and I'll be able to use the whole 8 bucks worth! Think I'll do it today, otherwise I might miss out....

Originally Posted by BobL

Don't know how effective they are by here are some for ~80c each as long as you buy 10 of them.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/A-10-Pcs....c100005.m1851
A few years ago I bought some variable speed air outlets that cost about the same as what apple8 paid.
Haven't tried them out yet.

These could be a tricky fit with a thread diameter of 9.4mm fitting into a 5mm thread.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

So, not worth the four bucks then?

Yep, the courier got me to open the bubble wrap envelope because he didn’t believe there was anything inside. He said their minimum charge was $5. So bargain, more so because it works. It is tiny though. 3938C916-0AB5-479D-8F88-9DBF790624EB.jpg

Originally Posted by apple8

These could be a tricky fit with a thread diameter of 9.4mm fitting into a 5mm thread.

For FF yes ,but not for for me. 9.4mm is 1/8" BSP so an adapter would be needed.
A 5mm screw with a small hole down the middle threaded into an 1/8" BSP cap would work.
Not worth it for just one unit.

The variable speed silencers I have are 1/4" BSP as is the thread.

Originally Posted by apple8

Yep, the courier got me to open the bubble wrap envelope because he didn’t believe there was anything inside. He said their minimum charge was $5. So bargain, more so because it works. It is tiny though. 3938C916-0AB5-479D-8F88-9DBF790624EB.jpg

Would you have a link to those please?

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Would you have a link to those please?

M5 Silencer

Thanks for that. I note there is a dropdown box for different sizes so surely I should order the 1/4" BSP fitting (like all the other fittings on the compressor). Was there a reason you ordered M5 instead?

EDIT: ok, looking at your pic again, I guess it goes into an M5 thread on that black "thing". As I have two motors I will need two silencers. On yours they are easily accessible but on mine they are buried up the guts underneath the pumps a bit.