Common Mistakes to Avoid When Buying an Air Compressor
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Air compressors are essential tools for many industrial and DIY projects with compressed air becoming a convenient way to power pneumatic tools such as nail guns, impact wrenches, and spray guns, or just for inflating tires or cleaning.
With so many options available in the market, buying an air compressor can be a daunting task, there are many factors to consider, such as size, power, and features.
So it is little wonder that if you just dive straight in and purchase the first air compressor that you see you could find that you have made the wrong choice, leading to wasted time and money.
In this guide, we'll highlight some of the most common mistakes people tend to make when buying an air compressor and provide you with some practical tips on how to avoid them.
Table of contents
Whether you're a seasoned professional or a DIY enthusiast, our guide will help you choose the right air compressor for your needs. So, let's dive in and explore the key considerations when buying an air compressor!
Not Reading the Reviews
The most common mistake is to not read the reviews about the product. There are a lot of air compressors available in the market, but do you even realize that not all air compressors were constructed the same way? As rule of thumb, you want to make sure that you read the reviews, and compare products based on their specs and reputation.
Buying the Largest or the Smallest Tank Size
Tank size is often times used as a reason to purchase an air compressor. Why shouldn’t it be the case? Well you have to take into consideration many factors such as the size of the motor, to the work that is required from the air compressor.
Buying an air compressor with a small tank, will make the air compressor cycle often, this will leave you waiting for air pressure to build before being able to run your tools.
The temptation to solve this problem is to buy the largest tank available, but this also can have a problem as you could quickly exceed your budget resulting in an expensive air compressor that is not necessarily fit for purpose.
Confusing Capacity with Pressure
Not checking the cubic feet per minute or CFM capacity of the air compressor is another common mistake committed by homeowners, and also by industry leaders.
What most people think about air compressor capacity is how much psi the tank can hold when in fact they should be looking at the CFM. CFM gives you an idea just how much air can be produced by the air compressor.
What people need to understand is that PSI is a measurement of the amount of pressure the air compressor can produce. You can have high PSI with very little air flow which will make the air compressor useless for running certain ait tools.
If you would like more information then we have written What is Air Compressor CFM.
Output and Maximum PSI
If you are looking at the air compressor specs, you’ll see maximum PSI and the output PSI. So what makes them different from each other?
The maximum PSI is the maximum air pressure in the air compressor tank. As for the output PSI, it is the air pressure when the air has been released by the hose.
So does that mean that when you have a powerful air compressor, you already made the right decision? In reality, this is not the case.
It is also a big mistake to purchase overpowered air compressors because this would eat up a lot of energy which in turn costs a lot, especially in the long run regardless of whether you have a electricity or gas powered compressor.
Focusing Solely on Price
Everyone has a budget that they have to work with but cutting corners by choosing the cheapest option can result in a air compressor that doesn't meet your needs or breaks down prematurely.
You need to work out exactly what your requirements are and size your air compressor appropriately, not doing so and just going for the cheapest option could lead to purchasing an air compressor that is unable to meet your needs.
Parts and Warranty
When you start looking into buying an air compressor you quickly find that a loot of the options available are made and imported from overseas suppliers, while this is not always a bad thing there are some things that you need to carefully look at.
If you have to repair your air compressor can you easily obtain the spare parts that you require? It is most likely that during the life of your air compressor parts will need to be changed, you will need to have a maintenance schedule to replace parts like air filters and oil, but you may also need to replace gaskets or pistons and valves.
You want to make sure that the failure of these major parts will not result in you having to purchase a whole new air compressor.
To this end it is a good idea to purchase an air compressor from a well known company who will provide a multi year warranty on your air compressor. Having such a warranty removes the cost of expensive breakdowns if they occur.
Final Thought
Comparing air compressors side to side is a great way to prevent mistakes. Also, looking at the main uses and even mastering the jargons of the air compressor industry is a good thing.
Keep in mind that compressors cost a lot of money. If you intend on purchasing an air compressors, you will have to realize that it could be made for different functions.
If you purchase the wrong one, this will cost you a lot of money. In fact, you may have to buy a new one if you have the wrong air compressor.
If you would like more information then we have written A Quick Air Compressor Guide that may also be helpful in your decision making.
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