Screwfix have a special offer on a 12l compressor 180lt/min (abt 6cfm max 10bar for a penny under ?60 – reasonable size (fits in an 18″ cube but 1.5kw + like all compressors it seem quite noisy – comparable to the 95dBa of my woodworking dust extractor) Axminster sell a supposedly very quiet model but at 6x the price

All direct drive compressors are noisy!

Belt drive compressors are quieter, but tend to only come in larger sizes, both CFM and reservoir capacity

Diaphragm compressors are quiet, but costly.

If you can stand the noise, I would suggest a 3hp, (probably a V twin) that can be run off a 13 Amp domestic socket.

Even with a 5 or 10 psi regulated offtake, the compressor is likely to cycle on and off fairly frequently, and the sort of units that we buy are not intended for high duty cycles. hence the advice to buy a high delivery machine with a large capacity reservoir.

When I bought my HPC from a local compressor specialist, the advice was to drain down after every use, and to leave the drain open, so that any remaining moisture can escape.

When you drain down, don't be surprised if the air stops escaping with a reading still on the pressure gauge.

The tap will probably have frozen up, with the expanding air bringing the temperature below freezing. Left to its own devices, will thaw and dump the rest of the air and most of the moisture.

Howard

David – interested in your soundproofing – I have one of the cheap Screwfix models but not sure how you can soundproof without running into overheating problems

I read somewhere that the greatest noise from cheap compressors comes from the inlet and that the noise can be reduced somewhat with the right filter. Don't know if that's right or not but I don't know where to get a suitable filter anyway. If anyone finds out …

I made a soundproofing cabinet out of 1/2" ply lined with carpet on the 4 sides and top. There is a cutout on the front for the electric cable and airline exit. The cutout is large enough (about 6" x 4&quot for me to get my hand in and operate the switch. Auto drain valve takes care of water when it is shut down.

It didn't take long for the heat to build up in the box so I installed a 4" bathroom fan (40 watts) in the bottom of the front panel and connected separately to a socket. Rear mounted would have been more efficient, but the back and sides of the box are in a recess so no air flow. I can now run the Lidl 1.5 hp compressor for 30 – 40 minutes before it needs to be shut down, which is usually long enough for what I need it for. Noise has been reduced considerably so I don't have to wear earplugs when it is running.

Dave
The Emerald Isle

One thing to watch out for is motor speed I bought a 3 HP compressor a few years ago that would never keep up with power tools, when I bought it I was told the good thing about it was it ran off a 13 amp plug. The motor has just packed up and I have just fitted a replacement motor. The new motor runs at 2800 rpm and the old one ran at 2680 and was a asynchronous motor that should never be fitted to a compressor as the heaver the load the slower the motor would run. The new motor is almost twice the size and weight of the old one but gets up to pressure in half the time but will not run off a 13 amp plug as one would expect. So keep well away from asynchronous motors.

Edited By Clive India on 12/07/2015 11:59:48

I have the same compressor as Clive India and am pleased with it. It is so much quieter than my directly coupled 1.5 Hp Clarke one. Using 15 psi my Clarke, which only has a 6Ltr tank would be running almost continuously.

The Wolf runs for less than one minute and does not restart for about 5 minutes.

What I am trying to say is if its got 3hp on the label and its runs off a 13amp plug its not got the power of a true 3hp if its an asynchronous motor.

Thanks for your comments Clive looks like a nice unit. I'll have to keep a look out for something similar, although I am limited by space unless I put it in a box outside.