Is there such a thing as a quiet air compressor?

[dirk martin]

I use my air compressor mostly on my wide belt sander.
It says it needs 2 CFM.
I'm so tired of my Dewalt compressor being so loud in my shop.

1. Is there an air compressor out there, that can handle my sander, that's quiet?
2. Can I put my Dewalt outside and let it run in sub-zero weather? (chicago)

[Bruce Page]

Dirk, check out this thread from the Engravers forum. It might be just what the doctor ordered.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?225213-Silent-air-compresor

[Charles Lent]

These people make about the quietest compressor I've ever seen, and I have one. It makes about as much noise as a refrigerator. When I first plugged one in I thought something was wrong with it, but then I felt air coming out of the bleed-off. When I closed the bleed-off valve the pressure began rising. I use mine mostly for power carving, but have used it with my finish and pin nailers too.

www.jun-air.com/


Charley

[Carroll Courtney]

Since its a dewalt I'm guessing its one of those oilless compressors which is very noisy.They can be mounted outside buy under cover.In your area with the type of winters you have I would say that you will need a oil heater or a heat lamp for the crankcase

[David Kumm]

I've bought a couple of used Jun Air and they are quiet, bulletproof, and because they are dental compressors, run forever. Silent Aire run the same head. Dave

[Rick Fisher]

Hey Dirk .. My Wide Belt needs 2 CFM as well. I ran it off a Makita for a long time. I am willing to bet it would run fine off the new Rol-Air which is really quiet. JC-10 ??

It might run the Rol-Air hard, but if you get 3-4 silent years out of it .. Meh.. get another ..

[Brian Cosgrove]

+1 for the Rolair JC10. I use it for the pneumatic clamps on my sliding table saw and the thing is awesome. super quiet compared to any other job site type compressor. I have also used it for my brad nailer And it keeps up without a problem.

Brian

[Michael Sloop]

I bought a California 6310 a few months back. Very quiet, can easily have a conversation standing beside it. I think there are some YouTube videos comparing it to other compressors.

[Mike Cutler]

I have the Rolair JC10. It's very quiet for what it is. You will not need ear muffs with a Rolair JC10
If it was to cycle on in the dining room, during dinner, you wouldn't have to raise your voice to talk over it.
They're about $225-$250.

[Duane Meadows]

Since its a dewalt I'm guessing its one of those oilless compressors which is very noisy.They can be mounted outside buy under cover.In your area with the type of winters you have I would say that you will need a oil heater or a heat lamp for the crankcase

There is no crankcase or oil in an oilless compressor! Not sure how they would take to starting at -20F, though. The piston ring would be rather stiff, I would think.

[Kevin Womer]

You could build a box to help muffle the sound, I think it needs to be able to breathe, others who have done this might explain how much this helps with the noise. It would be cheaper than buying a compressor before yours dies.

[Rick Fisher]

I have the Rolair JC10. It's very quiet for what it is. You will not need ear muffs with a Rolair JC10
If it was to cycle on in the dining room, during dinner, you wouldn't have to raise your voice to talk over it.
They're about $225-$250.

If he is using it to run a wide belt, a certain amount of noise is expected.. The wide belt probably leaks and the compressor probably kicks on while the wide belt isn't even running. I cant imagine protesting the sound of the compressor with the sander running. That is hearing protection territory .

[Robert Parent]

I bought this Rolair compressor a couple months ago and just love it. The Rolair customer service is also great, As most know, customer service is almost impossible to find anywhere these days.

http://www.rolair.com/products/spec_pages/hand_carry/VT20TB.html#specs

Robert

[Mike Cutler]

If he is using it to run a wide belt, a certain amount of noise is expected.. The wide belt probably leaks and the compressor probably kicks on while the wide belt isn't even running. I cant imagine protesting the sound of the compressor with the sander running. That is hearing protection territory .

Rick

Apologies if I made it sound as if hearing protection could be disregarded. I was speaking only to the dB level of the Rolair. I've spent 30 years working in nuclear power plants, and 6 years on submarines prior to that, and still have almost all my hearing ( I get tested once a year). The value of hearing protection cannot be understated.
I have a Porter Cable Oiless compressor that would give most machines a good run for it's money in the noise department. It's loud, really loud. I used to run the hose through the window when I was using pneumatic nailers in the house. Using it just to fill up car tires was awful.

[CPeter James]

2 cfm at what PSI is the real question? There are plenty of compressor/pumps on E**Y that are take offs from oxygen concentrators that are pretty quiet. I use them for vacuum chucks on wood lathes.They produce 3-4 cfm, but the pressure is not that high.

CPeter

[Jim Andrew]

I have the same sander Dirk has, and if I recall correctly think it is 50 psi. The sander has a little valve you turn off when you are not using it, so it is not a constant drain on your air compressor. My compressor is in the storage room, so there is a wall between the shop and the compressor. Helps with the noise.

[glenn bradley]

Another happy California Air owner here. The compressor now sets right under my bench. My old one was way over in the corner and under a foam lined (and vented) box and it was still too loud.

[dirk martin]

The specs on this sander, simply read "Air requirement: 57 – 75 PSI, 2 CFM"

Hearing protection is not needed for the sander, while running. It's not that loud. My Dewalt air compressor, is much, much louder....and thus, very annoying.

A couple of you gave a thumbs up to the Rolair JC10. It is rated at 2.35 CFM @ 90psi. I worry that it might not keep up with this sander. This sander does have a shutoff valve, which I turn off when not in use, and that kills all air requirements at that time. However, some days I do need to run the sander for 2 or 3 hours continuously.

Since I am a production shop, I'd like to get a quite compressor, and then use my Dewalt as a backup, if something was to go wrong. Some days I resaw and sand, for long periods of time.

I didn't see anyone say "don't you dare" run your compressor outside. I didn't know if it was ok for the Dewalt to be sucking in -20 degree air, and then to be blowing such cold air inside my sander.

[dirk martin]

Anyone running their wide belt sander with an air compressor that's outside in the cold, thus blowing freezing air inside the sander?
Any issues with that?....or is it a good thing, thus keeping it running cool?

[Brian Henderson]

While I certainly don't have a production shop, my compressor is "outside" (if by "outside", you mean an insulated shed, in a climate that rarely gets below 40 degrees, even in the dead of winter). I don't hear my compressor at all.

[Mike Cutler]

Dirk

Is your shop unheated? The bearings on the sander have to be complaining a little bit if they're working at -20.F.
The biggest problems with running your compressors in subzero temps is going to be fatigue and condensation. You'll definitely need some type of desiccant dryer after the regulator. Subzero temps are hard on machines not designed and lubricated for those temps. At -20 you're starting to get outside the boundary of normally available lubricants and oils. The JC10 is about the size of a milk crate, so it could easily sit right next to the sander.

Put your Dewalt in parallel with the JC10, if you decide to go that way. Set the JC10 to 90 psi and the Dewalt to 80 psi. If the JC10 can't handle it, the Dewalt will kick on.
Outside of doing this, maybe one of the other compressors mentioned has better CFM spec's, and would suit better.

[dirk martin]

Yes, my shop is heated.
But, I can't handle the noise of the Dewalt any longer, and I want to move it outside.
If instead, I buy a JC10, I'll certainly locate that right behind my sander, since it's so quite.

I'm finding the JC10 at $239, delivered to my door....but I'm a bit worried it's CFM is too low.
For $279, I can get their 2hp model that delivers 4.1cfm @ 90, so I'm sure that would handle the sander, but I'm not finding the decibel rating anywhere on that model.

Anyone know if the JC10 is rated for 100% duty cycle?

[dirk martin]

My research is showing that only the JC10 is nice and quiet. All their other models are about 80 decibels.

I'm worried that even tho they call the JC10 Heavy Duty, I'm not finding any text saying it's rated at 100% duty cycle, which I may need with 3 or 4 hours of continuous sanding.

I am seeing the California Air 2hp model, registering at about 70 decibels, for $250 (to my door), and is rated at 5.3CFM @ 90.

Maybe that would be a smarter purchase for me. Just for reference, the Dewalt I'm using, is rated at 78 decibels.

Is 70 db, that much lower than 78?

[Bruce Page]

Dirk, here's some info on sound levels. How loud is too loud? (http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/Sounds/Decibles.htm)

[dirk martin]

Ok, gang....Looks like I'm leaning towards the California Air MP100.
It's hard to believe it delivers 3cfm @ 90, and is only 60 decibels.
Plus, it only weighs 23 pounds?

This is almost hard to believe.
$219 on eBay.

Anyone have experience with this machine?

[Mike Cutler]

Dirk

dB is a log function. The difference between 78 and 70 would be substantial. It would be a gain of just less than 4 times the original level. In this case a reduction in perceived loudness. It's a big difference.

100% duty cycle would be the inability to keep up. If the compressor is running at a 100% duty cycle, you won't be happy. Your compressor has become an air pump.

[Bruce Page]

Ok, gang....Looks like I'm leaning towards the California Air MP100.
It's hard to believe it delivers 3cfm @ 90, and is only 60 decibels.
Plus, it only weighs 23 pounds?

This is almost hard to believe.
$219 on eBay.

Anyone have experience with this machine?

That's just for the pump/motor assembly, right? Is that what you are looking for?

[Mike Cutler]

Dirk

California Air spec's that compressor at 2.35cfm at 90 psi. Not sure where you got the 3 cfm value from. It looks like a nice compressor though, but according to their website you'll need to buy a regulator for it.
It's $184.00 at ATG Tools online.

[Rick Fisher]

Hey Mike.. Sorry if I came off wrong, it was not my intention at all :)

Dick, at $250. There is little chance that its rated at 100% duty cycle .. but its a well made compressor by a reputable company... If you got a couple years out of it... its pretty cheap silence.

[Mike Cutler]

Rick

No worries at all, it was a good point to clarify.
Typing on a forum can lead to all kinds of miscommunications.
I can't type for beans personally.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I have one of those noisy Dewalts, it starts hard in the cold. If it's below 0, it blows the overload.

[Mike Henderson]

Dirk

dB is a log function. The difference between 78 and 70 would be substantial. It would be a gain of just less than 4 times the original level. In this case a reduction in perceived loudness. It's a big difference.

100% duty cycle would be the inability to keep up. If the compressor is running at a 100% duty cycle, you won't be happy. Your compressor has become an air pump.
In electrical power, 3 dB is very close to a factor of two in power. So going up by 3 dB doubles the power. If loudness is the same, then 73 dB would be twice as loud as 70 dB, and 76 dB would be 4 times as loud. 78 dB would be almost 8 times as loud as 70 dB (actually 79 dB would be 8 times).

Mike

[Bill Neely]

Quincy's are quiet but they aren't cheap.

[dirk martin]

That's just for the pump/motor assembly, right? Is that what you are looking for?

Sorry about that...no, that's not what I want.
I'm leaning towards their 1610ALFC model (california air), rated at 3CFM @ 90psi.
I'm hoping that's enuf CFM for my sander.
Wish I could find a local dealer. Seems like ordering it online, is my only option.

http://www.amazon.com/California-1610ALFC-Oil-Free-Industrial-Compressor/dp/B00KO5LC9E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420257650&sr=8-1&keywords=1610alfc

[John Goodin]

One of the big boxes was selling a few California models for less than I paid for my Rol-Air. Several of them were larger too. I think both companies compressors run around 60 sb.

[dirk martin]

Not sure which big box you mean...I can't seem to find one.
Closest was Home Depot....but they don't stock them. Online order only.

[Tai Fu]

Get one of those cast iron belt driven compressors. Still loud but less loud than oilless or direct drive compressors. Anything with low RPM will not produce that much noise, or at least it will not be unpleasant noise

[Gary Holcombe]

I'm thinking about buying either the Rolair JC-10 or one of the smaller California Air Tools compressors. At 60db, these are way quiter than the average.....

[John Goodin]

Yes online. It can be shipped to the store for free. A week or two ago many models were between $160 and $230.