[mclare]

The issue with your dim blubs is because the light spreaders that are in the cluster rely on Incandescent bulbs that emit light at all angles. LED bulbs have "Facets" like a diamond. You need to get ones that have more emitters.

I use all Craftsman tools and compressor and air tools.

 

[hsahai]

Thanks, Mclare!

Air compressor- How gallan capacity and how much HP or moter?

sahai

 

[Gene Horr]

Ah, air compressors. One of my many soapbox issues.

I would buy new unless you can find a commercial one for a good price. Commercial being Ingersoll Rand and the like. For whatever reason used shop air compressors sell for not much less than new ones. So why bother with someone elses problems if you aren't saving much money? If buying used don't overlook ones that aren't running. If the motor looks good and the piston isn't seized the problem is usually either just a motor breaker tripped or the pressure switch is bad. The pressure switch does wear out with time and they are usually pretty cheap. Just make sure that you can buy a compatible replacement.

When comparing keep in mind that a HP in China has no relationship whatsoever with reality. A HP from a US motor is twice reality if it is consumer equipment, generally reality if heavy duty commercial. Put it this way - you aren't plugging in much more than 1 real HP into a standard wall outlet in a 110VAC circuit without tripping breakers and possibly starting fires.

You want as big a tank as you can make space for. The large uprights work well for shops as they don't take up much more space than a small pancake model. You want one that requires oil. The oil-less ones don't require oil because the tolerances are so bad that the piston is just rattling around the cylinder rather than sliding along the wall.

If you can get a 220VAC model. Lower current draw = less heat in the wiring and you don't have to worry about load balancing. A good real 1HP would be fine, a real 2HP will do probably anything you could ever think of. Since none of the consumer equipment will list the real HP look at the current requirements. You want something in the 7-10 amps range @ 110VAC. I'm simplifying things including ignoring motor efficiency but for a rough rule of thumb this will give you the figure you are looking for. If you want to really get fancy the proper way is really to calculate all of your air loads and then buy a higher capacity. But getting 1 real HP will work fine for most people.

If running 110VAC you'll want a dedicated circuit. If you don't have one and need to run one anyway I would go with 220VAC. I like to install 20 amp circuits for enough headroom for each piece of heavy equipment. But make sure that you install wiring and outlets that will handle this load.

I like to have at least a short run of hard line mounted to the wall. This allows you to add an additional shutoff, drain, and built in water & oil separator and filter. This also allows additional cooling to get rid of moisture. Be sure and put a down loop with a drain. Use black iron. PVC will eventually explode. Sometimes dramatically. People generally aren't injured but walls usually have holes in them. Galvanized releases nasty flakes into the air stream. I haven't seen copper explode but it seems to have a relatively short lift. Black pipe will last just about forever.

Install a ball valve on the bottom of the tank with a drain line and drain it regularly. Do this and your setup will last probably the rest of your life.

 

[hsahai]

That was nice information on Air compressor- Mr. Gene Horr! I think you are implying that I am going to put that compressor in the mechanic shop. what I need is for my home to do DIY project on cars. I want to use impact wrinch, ratchet, air hammer, air cirucular saw etc, I mean just for intermittent use not comercial use. So keeping in mind these application. What is your final advice? Do you think 110VAC , 1HP 5 gallan or 8 Gallan capacity is enough? One thing is clear that I should get one that use oil. Is that wright.

Sahai