Securing small compressor

[Steve Sawyer]

I just bought a nice little 5-gallon oil-lubed air compressor. Fits nicely in an out of the way corner of the shop. The only trouble is that it vibrates just enough to creep across the floor when it's running.

I know they have fancy vibration absorbing cushions for big machines, but Is there any kind of product like that for small machinery? Or, is there another solution? I really don't want to fasten it to the concrete floor...

[Don Eddard]

You might try a rubber doormat or something similar. If it doesn't work, oh well, you have a spare door mat. :)

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
Stick a shim ( like the ones used to shim doors) under each front leg.
The more it "walks" up the shim, the more secure it gets.

My Coleman Powermate did the same thing. So much so that it tore the rubber feet off the front legs.
I had it in the driveway one day and it was scratching the heck out of the concrete. I grabbed a shim and stuck it under it just to help keep the damage down.
It worked better than I could have imagined.

[Steve Sawyer]

You might try a rubber doormat or something similar. If it doesn't work, oh well, you have a spare door mat.

Hmmm...maybe. Even better would be a chunk of that cushioned matting used to ease the impact of a hard surface on the feet and back...

[Steve Sawyer]

Stick a shim ( like the ones used to shim doors) under each front leg.

What keeps the shims from scooting across the floor?

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello Steve,
The weight of the compressor is all I can figure.
The vibration isn't side to side as much as it is up and down.
The more it goes up and down, the higher it climbs on the shim until it can't go any higher.

I've tried matts and rags and old towels and rubber "hockey puck" feet and pretty much you name it and I've stuffed it under the front feet w/out much success.
They either got chewed up or didn't do all that much good.

The shims were a spure of the moment/they were handy and just laying there, type of thing.

[Larry Edgerton]

I have one of those that drives me crazy on a jobsite its so noisy, so I made a harness up out of bungy cords and hang it from a doorway, gets rid of most of the noise.

[Dave Verstraete]

Larry
Mine walked across the floor for years. I always put it back in place without even thinking about it. You're right. It is annoying. The first time my adult son saw it happen, he grabbed one of the high density foam mats from the shop floor and placed it under the compressor. Problem solved.....now if I could just get the smirk off his face...hmmm.

[Jim Finn]

My compressor did the same thing so I strapped it to the wall near the top. I used a metal strap. That is how you can sisemic brace a water heater too. If you decide to secure it to a concrete floor I suggest using a threaded insert set into the floor. When you remove the tie down all that is left is a small threaded hole or two in the concrete floor.

[Steve Clardy]

Rubber floor mat.

Rubber mud flap from a semi truck or trailer.

Or a block of wood with a hole scooped out of it for the legs/wheels to sit in.