I promise I went looking and I didn't really find a thread that fit my use case and situation. Here's what's going on.
In the garage with the crappy floor there's a really old air compressor with a horizontally mounted tank that lacks a drain and probably has never been drained. Looks like it's from the 1960's, hard-wired to a switch on the wall and then on to the breaker box, 220V. I want to replace it entirely with something for the following uses;
- Tires and stuff like that.
- DA sander and cut-off wheel and die grinder type tools.
- Spray paint; there's a car project and a utility trailer that needs paint and maybe something else in the future. Not something done more than a few times but who knows.
Right now the compressor that catches my eye is the Ingersoll-Rand SS3L3. Here's info on that;
The thing looks a little loud and I wish it was about a foot shorter due to where I could put it in the garage if it was. Then I go to the hammer store website and they don't have many compressors for sale and none over 29 gallons. That doesn't seem like it would pass muster, right? I might be convinced to drill a hole in the wall just under the eve and have the intake filter there so some of the noise stays outside of the garage, but maybe that's really not worth it or causes more issues than it solves.
What else should I look at? I'd like to spend under a grand all said and done but by the time I add a drain to the IR SS3L3 that I posted above I'll be over that. I would like to pick up a compressor in the next couple of months and can use that time to watch for deals but I'd like to have a couple options to look for during that time.
klork
New Reader
3/26/25 9:09 a.m.
I have an ancient (I think from the 1940s) air compressor in my garage. It is a 3 hp and has plenty of air for everything except sand blasting. The air compressor you have listed should be sufficient for your needs.
A die grinder will be your biggest hog of air that you have listed. A good 3 hp compressor will run a lot with a die grinder but should be able to keep up with it.
I have the Ingersoll Rand SS5L5 (or older equivalent) from Tractor Supply. Pretty sure I've had it 15+ years now and it was around $899 on sale way back then. Never gave a bit of trouble, it may get the oil changed every couple years, I've only replaced the belt once. It's a bit over your price cap, even on sale.
I would scour Facebook and see if you can find an old industrial compressor. They frequently sell very cheaply. I ended up with a 1971 Quincy 350 for under $700. It used to run the tire shop at a Western Auto. I paid $400 for the compressor, changed the motor, and went through the head. It will keep up with every air tool I have including the pressure pot sandblaster.
The compressor is rated at 300 psi and continuous duty. I'm running it at 600 RPM and 125 psi. It's so under-stressed running my shop that it will outlast me.
I bought something similar, a Husky 60 Gal. 3.7 HP 1-Phase 175 PSI, it keeps up with all normal stuff, but it does run continuously when I use my vapor blaster cabinet. It keeps up, though. The one thing I can vouch for is it is HELLA-LOUD. So bad I couldn't stay in the garage when it ran, or scared the crap out of me when it kicked on. I built a box around it and now it's quiet. So, factor in some noise control if you get one.
