Compressor

[Nick Crivello]

Does anybody make a cordless roofing nailer? Or do they weigh too much?

[Rich Engelhardt]

I am surprised no one mentioned the Makita Mac2400.

I have thought it a good compressor for most needs and like the fact it uses oil.

That small compressor is very quiet and competes well head to head with the IR I linked to earlier - - except - -it only has a 50% duty cycle.
The IR has a 100% duty cycle.

You can plumb in a 7 or 10 gallon aux tank to the IR so you have more air and it handles it fine. I've done that in the past when I had more than 1 gun or tool hooked to it. I'd run 50' of the stiff poly hose to the aux tank and split off two 50' sections from a manifold I had on the aux tank - - or - just come off the 2nd outlet on the compressor with one gun/tool and the other outlet with the aux tank and the other gun/tool.

I do wish a lot of times I'd gone with the Makita though. My IR makes enough noise to raise the dead.

[Michael Schuch]

I have a large 2 stage compressor for the shop so I bought the smallest lightest compressor I could find with a good reputation for my house/garage. Yep, a California Air compressor:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

It was more than capable of knocking out shingles on a dog house... I have never done the entire roof on a house though. For that I might hedge my bets and go a bit bigger. It is really nice to have a lite weight aluminum tank compressor for moving it around. I love how quiet it is!

P.S. A quality air chuck makes a huge difference when filling tires: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Tom M King]

That's the exact same little compressor I use inside houses, but wouldn't want to ask it to do a roofing job.

I like those digital inflators too. I changed the type of clip on chuck on it though. Didn't have the best luck with those Chinese straight ones. Changed it to a Milton.

My most recent use was air pressure testing water line additions in a rental house. It's a lot easier to solder copper that's been tested with air pressure than to put water in them as the test. This for a shower remodel in a 1974 house, so I stuck to using copper like was already everywhere else in that house. Wet spots on back of sheetrock from bubble test solution. Hopefully sideways picture doesn't matter for this.

[Mike Cutler]

Does anybody make a cordless roofing nailer? Or do they weigh too much?

Many years ago, 20+, they had nailers that worked off a butane cylinder. Haven't seen one in a long time. Haven't looked for one either.

[Tom M King]

Cordless would be way too slow for me for a roofing nailer. They're too slow for me in any configuration. I owned a cordless framing nailer for a short while.

[Mike Cutler]

Tom

Yep, speed is the key with a roofing job. You need to get off that roof as time expediently as you can. Roofing is not complicated work, but it is exacting work to do correctly. You want to do it once.
I've done roof repairs with my little JC10, but when I needed to redo the shingles over the porch, or help friends with their roofing, that was just too big a job for a small compressor. I've put my 5HP, 60 gallon, 17cfm, Rolair in the back of the truck and hauled it to friends houses, and hot rodded it into the dryer outlet. The extreme of "portable", but it works.
One of the things being lost in the discussion here is that yes, a small compressor might have the specs to minimally run the nailer, but it's not going to keep up, and the more times that compressor starts and stops, the more moisture is being brought into the gun, as the system will very quickly become saturated.
If that small compressor is running and a person pulls the trigger on the gun, you're not getting the required CFM, and nails will short shoot, and require a hammer to set them to the correct depth.
For the OP. Quincy, IR, Rolair, California Air, all make wheel barrow type compressor that will do the job. But they're all right at the price point, or slightly above, where you want to be. As long as you have a repuatable, known quality, compressor, you won't have any problems reselling it and recovering most of your money. Leave the junky ones in Harbor Freight. They're worth nothing on the resale market. Neither are those Husky's from Home Depot.

[jack duren]

I know my Bostitch is running fine, but I doubt it will handle this roof and its needs. I’m probably going to get the compress from Tractor supply. The roof will be slow , but a good little test..

[Cameron Wood]

Tom

Yep, speed is the key with a roofing job. You need to get off that roof as time expediently as you can. Roofing is not complicated work, but it is exacting work to do correctly. You want to do it once.
I've done roof repairs with my little JC10, but when I needed to redo the shingles over the porch, or help friends with their roofing, that was just too big a job for a small compressor. I've put my 5HP, 60 gallon, 17cfm, Rolair in the back of the truck and hauled it to friends houses, and hot rodded it into the dryer outlet. The extreme of "portable", but it works.
One of the things being lost in the discussion here is that yes, a small compressor might have the specs to minimally run the nailer, but it's not going to keep up, and the more times that compressor starts and stops, the more moisture is being brought into the gun, as the system will very quickly become saturated.
If that small compressor is running and a person pulls the trigger on the gun, you're not getting the required CFM, and nails will short shoot, and require a hammer to set them to the correct depth.
For the OP. Quincy, IR, Rolair, California Air, all make wheel barrow type compressor that will do the job. But they're all right at the price point, or slightly above, where you want to be. As long as you have a repuatable, known quality, compressor, you won't have any problems reselling it and recovering most of your money. Leave the junky ones in Harbor Freight. They're worth nothing on the resale market. Neither are those Husky's from Home Depot.

Could you explain this more? I would think that X amount of air has Y amount of moisture in any case.

[Tom M King]

Someone was right about the Husky's not being any good for resale. I can't give this one away. The first ad was up long enough that they took it down, and I just thought about putting it back up today because of this thread.

https://raleigh.craigslist.org/tls/d...716408008.html

[Mike Cutler]

Could you explain this more? I would think that X amount of air has Y amount of moisture in any case.

Cameron

I did this for a living for many years. Setup, maintain and repair pneumatic air systems in an industrial environment.
When a system is at "stasis", the amount of moisture in the system, in the form of vapor, is as low as it can be. No air is moving. Once air begins to move, what ever latent moisture is in the system will move with it. But this requires a change in temperature, or pressure, to cause the moisture to move through the system as a vapor. Moisture simply trapped in system lines does not necessarily make its way to the end device. if it has been installed properly.
The first step in moisture separation is the air receiver tank. Most folks consider this to be some type of a "reserve volume", and it is is, but it's truer purpose is to take in air, compressed airit, during which heat is generated, discharged into a larger volume, where the pressure drop will cause the moisture to come out of the vapor state and condense on the inside of the air receiver tank.
Once the air begins to "move", the moisture that condensed, does not carry through the system as a vapor until the compressor starts again, but at this point the air pressure in the receiver tank has decreased, and to a point that it can condense more air, and remove more moisture from the system, but this is a finite cycle, and if the system is continuously running, moisture, in the form of vapor, will eventually saturate the system ,and the air coming out of the hose will be saturated with moisture. Many tools can run just fine in this condition for periods of time, but eventually they will begin to have issues. It may take years for a nailer, for example, but a paint gun, or sandblasting cabinet, is going to let you know immediately that you have a problem with moisture, in the form of vapors, in the system. Tee's and elbows will all have a differential pressure across them. This change in pressure can also cause vapor to condense to moisture.
The Air receiver tank, discharge piping, condensation drip legs, automatic drain valves regulator filters and regulators with moisture traps are all forms of mechanical separation. As air moves through the system, changes in temperature and pressure will cause condensation which can be removed, But if the system becomes saturated, moisture, in the form of vapor, will make it's way through everything, to the final device. Running a small compressor continuously is going to saturate the system and moisture will carry through.
In my home air system, the first regulator is only 15' away from the receiver tank, 60 gallons, but there is 200' of tubing between the air receiver tank and the regulator. There are also 3 filters prior to the regulator. A moisture trap, a coalescing filter, and a final moisture trap in the regulator.

[Jerry Bruette]

Could you explain this more? I would think that X amount of air has Y amount of moisture in any case.

I also believe X amount of air carries Y amount of moisture. And that X amount will change with the seasons and weather.

But as Mike stated the amount of moisture making it to the end use will vary on how the system is set up. Where I used to work we had two air systems, a high pressure, 850 psi, and shop air, about 85 psi. The first stages of moisture removal were the inter cooler and the after cooler on the compressors then the refrigerated or desiccant driers that were before the receivers.

The HP air was used for pressure testing and charging fire extinguishers. The air for charging went through a refrigerated drier by the compressor and then a desiccant drier at point of use. That air had a dew point of -60F.

At point of use for the shop air we had a coalescing filter, regulator and oiler in that order. The air coming out of the compressors had water vapor and some oil mixed with the water. Whatever didn't get separated in the driers would get caught by the point of use filters. Compressor oil and water mix together and make a snotty goo that will foul all sorts of end use equipment. The oil added at point of use was for oiling the pneumatic tools, valves, cylinders etc. to keep them in a clean, lubed operating condition.

For the home hobbyist you should drain your tank regularly and use end point filters and lube you tools occasionally.

[Cameron Wood]

Cameron

I did this for a living for many years. Setup, maintain and repair pneumatic air systems in an industrial environment.
When a system is at "stasis", the amount of moisture in the system, in the form of vapor, is as low as it can be. No air is moving. Once air begins to move, what ever latent moisture is in the system will move with it. But this requires a change in temperature, or pressure, to cause the moisture to move through the system as a vapor. Moisture simply trapped in system lines does not necessarily make its way to the end device. if it has been installed properly.
The first step in moisture separation is the air receiver tank. Most folks consider this to be some type of a "reserve volume", and it is is, but it's truer purpose is to take in air, compressed airit, during which heat is generated, discharged into a larger volume, where the pressure drop will cause the moisture to come out of the vapor state and condense on the inside of the air receiver tank.
Once the air begins to "move", the moisture that condensed, does not carry through the system as a vapor until the compressor starts again, but at this point the air pressure in the receiver tank has decreased, and to a point that it can condense more air, and remove more moisture from the system, but this is a finite cycle, and if the system is continuously running, moisture, in the form of vapor, will eventually saturate the system ,and the air coming out of the hose will be saturated with moisture. Many tools can run just fine in this condition for periods of time, but eventually they will begin to have issues. It may take years for a nailer, for example, but a paint gun, or sandblasting cabinet, is going to let you know immediately that you have a problem with moisture, in the form of vapors, in the system. Tee's and elbows will all have a differential pressure across them. This change in pressure can also cause vapor to condense to moisture.
The Air receiver tank, discharge piping, condensation drip legs, automatic drain valves regulator filters and regulators with moisture traps are all forms of mechanical separation. As air moves through the system, changes in temperature and pressure will cause condensation which can be removed, But if the system becomes saturated, moisture, in the form of vapor, will make it's way through everything, to the final device. Running a small compressor continuously is going to saturate the system and moisture will carry through.
In my home air system, the first regulator is only 15' away from the receiver tank, 60 gallons, but there is 200' of tubing between the air receiver tank and the regulator. There are also 3 filters prior to the regulator. A moisture trap, a coalescing filter, and a final moisture trap in the regulator.

Thanks, that's helpful.

[Bruce Wrenn]

That's the exact same little compressor I use inside houses, but wouldn't want to ask it to do a roofing job.

I like those digital inflators too. I changed the type of clip on chuck on it though. Didn't have the best luck with those Chinese straight ones. Changed it to a Milton.

My most recent use was air pressure testing water line additions in a rental house. It's a lot easier to solder copper that's been tested with air pressure than to put water in them as the test. This for a shower remodel in a 1974 house, so I stuck to using copper like was already everywhere else in that house. Wet spots on back of sheetrock from bubble test solution. Hopefully sideways picture doesn't matter for this.

Tom, I use a coupling (same as air hose,) cut off valve, and a tee with pressure gauge and a short length of copper, which connects to existing lines with a Shark Bite connector. Connect to existing piping, connect air hose directly, cut on valve, and after pressure builds to desired level, close cut off valve. With correct adapters, also use to check gas lines

[Tom M King]

I've used that rig to check gas lines too. Normally, without an NPT adapter, it just screws onto an outside faucet on the house to check all the water lines since it has a GH female end. It has a Presta valve on it, so you can pop off the air source and let it sit overnight. For things like this shower addition and gas lines you need an NPT to GH adapter. For this I just screwed a piece of pipe into the showerhead elbow and blocked off the other rain shower head adapter with a capped pipe of pipe so everything can be tested at once. There was water in the lines the new shower plumbing was tied into.

I've had it a long time, but I expect they're still sold. I've had it longer than I've ever seen Sharkbite fittings, but I've never used them anyway. I think it came with a lower pressure gauge on it for gas lines and I changed the gauge to a higher reading one for testing water lines too with it. Those pipes I use for such testing stay in the copper soldering toolbox but get used for any type of water supply lines. I'd always rather test with air than water, but especially with copper.