[Heathcliff]

I am thinking about buying a small electric air compressor for
occasional household use, filling tires, maybe someday doing some
spray painting, etc. Some newer models are advertised as
"oilless" (and thus lower maintenance) -- is that a significant
advantage? I have never had an air compressor, is checking the oil a
big deal? I have never considered it a horrible burden with the
lawnmower or the chainsaw. Thanks, -- H

[zxcvbob]

Heathcliff wrote:
I am thinking about buying a small electric air compressor for
occasional household use, filling tires, maybe someday doing some
spray painting, etc. Some newer models are advertised as
"oilless" (and thus lower maintenance) -- is that a significant
advantage? I have never had an air compressor, is checking the oil a
big deal? I have never considered it a horrible burden with the
lawnmower or the chainsaw. Thanks, -- H



Get an oil-lubricated one. They are much quieter.

Bob

[[email protected]]

On Aug 20, 12:12 pm, zxcvbob wrote:
Heathcliff wrote:
I am thinking about buying a small electric air compressor for
occasional household use, filling tires, maybe someday doing some
spray painting, etc. Some newer models are advertised as
"oilless" (and thus lower maintenance) -- is that a significant
advantage? I have never had an air compressor, is checking the oil a
big deal? I have never considered it a horrible burden with the
lawnmower or the chainsaw. Thanks, -- H

Get an oil-lubricated one. They are much quieter.

Bob

In this case, u get what u pay for. The oilless are very noisy and
don't last nearly as long.

[kpg*]

Heathcliff wrote in
oups.com:

I am thinking about buying a small electric air compressor for
occasional household use, filling tires, maybe someday doing some
spray painting, etc. Some newer models are advertised as
"oilless" (and thus lower maintenance) -- is that a significant
advantage? I have never had an air compressor, is checking the oil a
big deal? I have never considered it a horrible burden with the
lawnmower or the chainsaw. Thanks, -- H


I may be wrong (I often am, it seems) but I always thought the
reference to oilless meant the air - as in no oil in the compressed
air.

Air tools require oil, whereas spray paint most defiantly does not.

[Pete C.]

kpg* wrote:

Heathcliff wrote in
oups.com:

I am thinking about buying a small electric air compressor for
occasional household use, filling tires, maybe someday doing some
spray painting, etc. Some newer models are advertised as
"oilless" (and thus lower maintenance) -- is that a significant
advantage? I have never had an air compressor, is checking the oil a
big deal? I have never considered it a horrible burden with the
lawnmower or the chainsaw. Thanks, -- H


I may be wrong (I often am, it seems) but I always thought the
reference to oilless meant the air - as in no oil in the compressed
air.

Indirectly it does. With an oil type compressor you need extra
filtration to feed your spray guns, plasma cutters and anything else
sensitive to oil in the air. With an oilless compressor there isn't any
oil to carry over into the air supply. An advantage to the oilless
compressors for some applications is their ability to work fine in any
orientation vs. an oil type which will leak oil and/or not get proper
lubrication and seize.


Air tools require oil, whereas spray paint most defiantly does not.

[Mike Dobony]

"Heathcliff" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am thinking about buying a small electric air compressor for
occasional household use, filling tires, maybe someday doing some
spray painting, etc. Some newer models are advertised as
"oilless" (and thus lower maintenance) -- is that a significant
advantage? I have never had an air compressor, is checking the oil a
big deal? I have never considered it a horrible burden with the
lawnmower or the chainsaw. Thanks, -- H


It is more than just checking the oil. At low temps you could easily trip
the breakers as the oil is thick and gives added resistance. Oilless is
actually higher maintenance as you will need to rebuild it more often. For
someone like me who does lots of construction projects outdoors in the
winter this is important. For most household uses I would recommend the oil
lubed models.

[Mike Dobony]

"Pete C." wrote in message
...
kpg* wrote:

Heathcliff wrote in
oups.com:

I am thinking about buying a small electric air compressor for
occasional household use, filling tires, maybe someday doing some
spray painting, etc. Some newer models are advertised as
"oilless" (and thus lower maintenance) -- is that a significant
advantage? I have never had an air compressor, is checking the oil a
big deal? I have never considered it a horrible burden with the
lawnmower or the chainsaw. Thanks, -- H


I may be wrong (I often am, it seems) but I always thought the
reference to oilless meant the air - as in no oil in the compressed
air.

Indirectly it does. With an oil type compressor you need extra
filtration to feed your spray guns, plasma cutters and anything else
sensitive to oil in the air. With an oilless compressor there isn't any
oil to carry over into the air supply. An advantage to the oilless
compressors for some applications is their ability to work fine in any
orientation vs. an oil type which will leak oil and/or not get proper
lubrication and seize.


Oilless also has higher CFM ratings for the equivelant compressor and no
breaker tripping in freezing weather.


Air tools require oil, whereas spray paint most defiantly does not.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

"kpg*" wrote in message

I may be wrong (I often am, it seems) but I always thought the
reference to oilless meant the air - as in no oil in the compressed
air.

Air tools require oil, whereas spray paint most defiantly does not.


No, it is no oil in hte crankcase. They use a Teflon ring or something
similar so oil is not needed.

In certain applications, hospital, clean rooms, etc. the oilless type of
compressor is used to eliminate possible contamination.

For the home shop, it all depends. Oil type are quieter, last longer, but
cost more. If you use the compressor a few minutes here and there to fill a
beach ball or check tire pressure, and maybe a brad gun, any of the small
units will do. If you use air wrenches and spray guns, different scenario.

[Pete C.]

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

"kpg*" wrote in message

I may be wrong (I often am, it seems) but I always thought the
reference to oilless meant the air - as in no oil in the compressed
air.

Air tools require oil, whereas spray paint most defiantly does not.


No, it is no oil in hte crankcase. They use a Teflon ring or something
similar so oil is not needed.

In certain applications, hospital, clean rooms, etc. the oilless type of
compressor is used to eliminate possible contamination.

For the home shop, it all depends. Oil type are quieter, last longer, but
cost more. If you use the compressor a few minutes here and there to fill a
beach ball or check tire pressure, and maybe a brad gun, any of the small
units will do. If you use air wrenches and spray guns, different scenario.

Oil type cost more??? Total bunk, the cost of a compressor has nothing
to do with being oil type or oilless, it has to do with quality and
capacity. I've seen big diesel powered oilless towable compressors
~350CFM I think, and I can assure you that they are far more expensive
than an oil type of the same capacity.

[[email protected]]

On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 10:04:55 -0700, Heathcliff
wrote:

I am thinking about buying a small electric air compressor for
occasional household use, filling tires, maybe someday doing some
spray painting, etc. Some newer models are advertised as
"oilless" (and thus lower maintenance) -- is that a significant
advantage? I have never had an air compressor, is checking the oil a
big deal? I have never considered it a horrible burden with the
lawnmower or the chainsaw. Thanks, -- H

They WANT you to think that checking oil is a major big deal.....
The advertisers want to brainwash you. This is similar to the time
when they advertised faucets as "Washerless". They wanted you to
believe that washers are BAD. What they really did was replace
washers with cartridges and rubber cups, which wear out just as fast
(or faster) and cost twenty or more times what washers cost. Faucet
washers cost 50 cents each, cartridges cost about ten bucks each, or
more. There never was any advantage, in fact I still prefer washers,
not only for cost, but also because they are often easier to change
and there is much less inventory needed.

Oilless compressors are similar. They cost more and will die long
before an oil filled compressor. Most of them are just cheap junk.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

"Pete C." wrote in message
Oil type cost more??? Total bunk, the cost of a compressor has nothing
to do with being oil type or oilless, it has to do with quality and
capacity. I've seen big diesel powered oilless towable compressors
~350CFM I think, and I can assure you that they are far more expensive
than an oil type of the same capacity.

Big deal, I paid $100,000 for my big (900 cfm) compressor, $65,000 for my
small one, but neither is suitable for my home shop. A valve body cost more
than my home compressor.

We're talking home shop, infrequent use by a weekend handyman, low end
starter stuff, not industrial duty. Porter Cable pancake versus larger 220V
cast iron head. Be realistic to the topic at hand please. .

[Robert Allison]

Heathcliff wrote:

I am thinking about buying a small electric air compressor for
occasional household use, filling tires, maybe someday doing some
spray painting, etc. Some newer models are advertised as
"oilless" (and thus lower maintenance) -- is that a significant
advantage? I have never had an air compressor, is checking the oil a
big deal? I have never considered it a horrible burden with the
lawnmower or the chainsaw. Thanks, -- H


Here are the basic differences:

The oiless is cheaper, makes more noise, they seem to refill
faster, they don't require you to check and fill the oil every
day or so. They can be operated even when not sitting on a
level surface.

Oiled models are more expensive, quieter, take a bit longer to
refill, but you have to check the oil every so often. They
must be operated on a fairly level surface so that their
oiling process will work. You have to change the oil about
every 3,000 miles (just kidding-- about every 200 hours or so
of use).

When they get older, the oiless will have to be rebuilt about
every 2 years or so, depending upon the amount of use. They
generally cost about 100 bucks or more for a rebuild kit.

The oiled models will have to be rebuilt every 5-10 years, and
the rebuild kits run about 40 bucks or more.

The oiless will last about 5-8 years. I have an old sears
compressor (oiled) that has been running for over 30 years
now. Most oiled will last at least 10 years.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

[RickH]

On Aug 20, 12:04 pm, Heathcliff
wrote:
I am thinking about buying a small electric air compressor for
occasional household use, filling tires, maybe someday doing some
spray painting, etc. Some newer models are advertised as
"oilless" (and thus lower maintenance) -- is that a significant
advantage? I have never had an air compressor, is checking the oil a
big deal? I have never considered it a horrible burden with the
lawnmower or the chainsaw. Thanks, -- H

My little Porter Cable pancake has served me well for trim and cabinet
making work up to 2.5 inch. I got the deal where you get 3 guns and a
compressor in the same box. There is a break-in procedure for these
where you run them with the condensation valve open for 15 minutes.
Probably to seat all the oil-less parts properly so dont forget to run
the break in.

[Smitty Two]

In article .com,
wrote:

On Aug 20, 12:12 pm, zxcvbob wrote:
Heathcliff wrote:
I am thinking about buying a small electric air compressor for
occasional household use, filling tires, maybe someday doing some
spray painting, etc. Some newer models are advertised as
"oilless" (and thus lower maintenance) -- is that a significant
advantage? I have never had an air compressor, is checking the oil a
big deal? I have never considered it a horrible burden with the
lawnmower or the chainsaw. Thanks, -- H

Get an oil-lubricated one. They are much quieter.

Bob

In this case, u get what u pay for. The oilless are very noisy and
don't last nearly as long.

I did a fair amount of research into this prior to purchasing a
compressor for my home shop. This is what I found. In general, the less
expensive compressors are oilless and noisier. But, as another
respondent mentioned, that *does not* imply an inherent connection
between oilless and noisy, or oilless and cheap.

It may be that if you want to make a cheap compressor, you're limited to
a noisy oilless design. But if you remove the cost constraint, there's
no reason for an oilless compressor to be sub-par in any criterion.

I ended up buying a two stage Sears compressor that is oilless, because
I didn't want oil in my air. While I would hesitate to ascribe the
adjective "quiet" to any compressor, mine is considerably less deafening
than many. IIRC, the tag was around $600, which is more than many would
justify spending for an occasional use.

[SteveB]

"Heathcliff" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am thinking about buying a small electric air compressor for
occasional household use, filling tires, maybe someday doing some
spray painting, etc. Some newer models are advertised as
"oilless" (and thus lower maintenance) -- is that a significant
advantage? I have never had an air compressor, is checking the oil a
big deal? I have never considered it a horrible burden with the
lawnmower or the chainsaw. Thanks, -- H


If you are deaf, buy either. If you have any hearing at all, DON'T buy an
oilless. If you do, you will very soon be deaf. They are obnoxiously loud,
and wear out fast. Buy a good oil crank case model, and buy over sized so
it doesn't have to work hard, or it will also burn up quickly.

My experience from going through half a dozen compressors before I bought a
decent sized oil crank case one.

Steve

[SteveB]

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote

Big deal, I paid $100,000 for my big (900 cfm) compressor, $65,000 for my
small one, but neither is suitable for my home shop. A valve body cost
more than my home compressor.

We're talking home shop, infrequent use by a weekend handyman, low end
starter stuff, not industrial duty. Porter Cable pancake versus larger
220V cast iron head. Be realistic to the topic at hand please. .

You sure know how to make a fella feel good. For a while there, I was
thinking some slick snake oil salesman had taken me for $75k for my garage
unit I use to air up my riding mower tires.

Thanks, Ed.

Steve ;-)

[Stormin Mormon]

Both have oil. One is splash lubricated, and needs to be checked
once a year or so. The other has the oil soaked into the bronze.
Which has a lot less oil to work with, and the "oil-less" really
isn't without oil. They just don't tell you about the oil, is
all.

I'd go with the splash lubricated one, and check the oil once or
twice a year. Annual oil change is good, if you use the
compressor very often.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

wrote in message
oups.com...
:
: Get an oil-lubricated one. They are much quieter.
:
: Bob
:
: In this case, u get what u pay for. The oilless are very noisy
and
: don't last nearly as long.
:

[Heathcliff]

On Aug 20, 11:39 pm, "SteveB" wrote:
"Heathcliff" wrote in message

oups.com...

I am thinking about buying a small electric air compressor for
occasional household use, filling tires, maybe someday doing some
spray painting, etc. Some newer models are advertised as
"oilless" (and thus lower maintenance) -- is that a significant
advantage? I have never had an air compressor, is checking the oil a
big deal? I have never considered it a horrible burden with the
lawnmower or the chainsaw. Thanks, -- H

If you are deaf, buy either. If you have any hearing at all, DON'T buy an
oilless. If you do, you will very soon be deaf. They are obnoxiously loud,
and wear out fast. Buy a good oil crank case model, and buy over sized so
it doesn't have to work hard, or it will also burn up quickly.

My experience from going through half a dozen compressors before I bought a
decent sized oil crank case one.

Steve


Thanks to all for the information and advice. The noise factor is a
consideration. I remember once I used one of those cheap airless
paint sprayers to paint a bookcase. I thought it would be just the
thing because of all the surfaces on a bookcase. I was shocked by the
amount of noise the thing made. I put the second coat on with a trim
roller.

Cold-weather performance is also a concern, I would like to be able to
fill up the tires in January.

The other concern I have is, how much oil comes out in the air? One
of the things I had in mind was to use it to blow dust off of
screens. I have many eave vents, on account of the whole house fan,
and they are covered with window screening to keep wasps out of the
attic. Dust builds up on the screens. I was thinking I could rig up
a piece of pipe and use the compressor to blow the dust off the
screens. (Vacuuming them from the inside would be extremely
awkward.) But if that would make the screens oily it would defeat the
purpose.

[Curmudgeon]

For what it's worth, I two oil-less fail, each within 4 months of being new.
Finally went with oil type and that was 12 years ago. Never another
problem. Maybe they are better today, but I won't ever buy another one.


"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
news:c_lyi.3142$dz3.1229@trndny01...

"kpg*" wrote in message

I may be wrong (I often am, it seems) but I always thought the
reference to oilless meant the air - as in no oil in the compressed
air.

Air tools require oil, whereas spray paint most defiantly does not.


No, it is no oil in hte crankcase. They use a Teflon ring or something
similar so oil is not needed.

In certain applications, hospital, clean rooms, etc. the oilless type of
compressor is used to eliminate possible contamination.

For the home shop, it all depends. Oil type are quieter, last longer, but
cost more. If you use the compressor a few minutes here and there to fill
a beach ball or check tire pressure, and maybe a brad gun, any of the
small units will do. If you use air wrenches and spray guns, different
scenario.

[Dave Martindale]

"Stormin Mormon" writes:
Both have oil. One is splash lubricated, and needs to be checked
once a year or so. The other has the oil soaked into the bronze.
Which has a lot less oil to work with, and the "oil-less" really
isn't without oil. They just don't tell you about the oil, is
all.

Have you actually looked at an oilless compressor, or are you just
guessing? Where is the bronze bearing you are talking about?

I have an oilless Sears compressor. The motor and crank bearings seem
to be sealed ball bearings, so no oil is needed there (unless you want
to count the oil that is part of the grease that is packed into the
bearings). The piston rings are apparently some sort of graphite that
slides dry on the cylinder liner. Thus, the air is not exposed to oil
at all - which is the real point of an "oilless" compressor. No bronze
bearings in sight.

Oil-lubricated compressors have a crankcase, and use oil lubricated
bearings and the piston is oil lubricated. This apparently gives lower
piston wear and longer time between rebuilds, but you end up with a bit
of oil in the compressed air.

Dave

[Dave Martindale]

Heathcliff writes:

Thanks to all for the information and advice. The noise factor is a
consideration. I remember once I used one of those cheap airless
paint sprayers to paint a bookcase. I thought it would be just the
thing because of all the surfaces on a bookcase. I was shocked by the
amount of noise the thing made. I put the second coat on with a trim
roller.

Don't compare that to an oilless compressor. The airless paint sprayer
that I tried once was incredibly loud, but it didn't have a rotating
motor - it basically had an AC-powered electromagnet buzzer that pumped
the paint. Oilless compressors have rotating motors with bearings; they
are not as loud as that.

On the other hand, oilless compressors tend to be direct-drive and run
a small piston fast. Many oil-filled compressors are belt drive and run
a large piston much more slowly. They're quieter.

The other concern I have is, how much oil comes out in the air? One
of the things I had in mind was to use it to blow dust off of
screens. I have many eave vents, on account of the whole house fan,
and they are covered with window screening to keep wasps out of the
attic. Dust builds up on the screens. I was thinking I could rig up
a piece of pipe and use the compressor to blow the dust off the
screens. (Vacuuming them from the inside would be extremely
awkward.) But if that would make the screens oily it would defeat the
purpose.

An oilless compressor shouldn't have any oil in the air to start with.
If you get an oil-filled compressor instead, you should be able to
remove the oil with an inline air filter.

Dave

[Stormin Mormon]

Why would anyone on usenet want facts?

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Dave Martindale" wrote in message
...
: "Stormin Mormon" writes:
: Both have oil. One is splash lubricated, and needs to be
checked
: once a year or so. The other has the oil soaked into the
bronze.
: Which has a lot less oil to work with, and the "oil-less"
really
: isn't without oil. They just don't tell you about the oil, is
: all.
:
: Have you actually looked at an oilless compressor, or are you
just
: guessing? Where is the bronze bearing you are talking about?
:
: I have an oilless Sears compressor. The motor and crank
bearings seem
: to be sealed ball bearings, so no oil is needed there (unless
you want
: to count the oil that is part of the grease that is packed into
the
: bearings). The piston rings are apparently some sort of
graphite that
: slides dry on the cylinder liner. Thus, the air is not exposed
to oil
: at all - which is the real point of an "oilless" compressor.
No bronze
: bearings in sight.
:
: Oil-lubricated compressors have a crankcase, and use oil
lubricated
: bearings and the piston is oil lubricated. This apparently
gives lower
: piston wear and longer time between rebuilds, but you end up
with a bit
: of oil in the compressed air.
:
: Dave

[[email protected]]

On Aug 21, 1:36 pm, (Dave Martindale) wrote:
Heathcliff writes:
Thanks to all for the information and advice. The noise factor is a
consideration. I remember once I used one of those cheap airless
paint sprayers to paint a bookcase. I thought it would be just the
thing because of all the surfaces on a bookcase. I was shocked by the
amount of noise the thing made. I put the second coat on with a trim
roller.

Don't compare that to an oilless compressor. The airless paint sprayer
that I tried once was incredibly loud, but it didn't have a rotating
motor - it basically had an AC-powered electromagnet buzzer that pumped
the paint. Oilless compressors have rotating motors with bearings; they
are not as loud as that.

On the other hand, oilless compressors tend to be direct-drive and run
a small piston fast. Many oil-filled compressors are belt drive and run
a large piston much more slowly. They're quieter.

The other concern I have is, how much oil comes out in the air? One
of the things I had in mind was to use it to blow dust off of
screens. I have many eave vents, on account of the whole house fan,
and they are covered with window screening to keep wasps out of the
attic. Dust builds up on the screens. I was thinking I could rig up
a piece of pipe and use the compressor to blow the dust off the
screens. (Vacuuming them from the inside would be extremely
awkward.) But if that would make the screens oily it would defeat the
purpose.

An oilless compressor shouldn't have any oil in the air to start with.
If you get an oil-filled compressor instead, you should be able to
remove the oil with an inline air filter.

Dave

Even without an inline filter, you can certainly blow off screens with
an oile type compressor without ever even noticing oil. Reading this
thread, you could get the impression that they spew oil out like a
paint sprayer or something. That's not the case. For some
applications, you need to be concerned about the tiny amount of oil,
but blowing off screens or parts, etc is fine.

[Mike Dobony]

"Dave Martindale" wrote in message
...
Heathcliff writes:

Thanks to all for the information and advice. The noise factor is a
consideration. I remember once I used one of those cheap airless
paint sprayers to paint a bookcase. I thought it would be just the
thing because of all the surfaces on a bookcase. I was shocked by the
amount of noise the thing made. I put the second coat on with a trim
roller.

Don't compare that to an oilless compressor. The airless paint sprayer
that I tried once was incredibly loud, but it didn't have a rotating
motor - it basically had an AC-powered electromagnet buzzer that pumped
the paint. Oilless compressors have rotating motors with bearings; they
are not as loud as that.

On the other hand, oilless compressors tend to be direct-drive and run
a small piston fast. Many oil-filled compressors are belt drive and run
a large piston much more slowly. They're quieter.


You are comparing pancake compressors to stationary compressors. Oil filled
does NOT necesarily mean belt drive. Portable compressors tend to be direct
drive, regardless of whether they are oiled or oil-less. Stationary and
larger horizontal compressors are almost always beld driven. Look at the
Dewalt, Porter Cable, Hatachi lines. The small, portable compressors, oiled
or oil-less, are all direct drive. If portability is an issue, then the way
to go is direct drive with a small tank, but high CFM ratings.


The other concern I have is, how much oil comes out in the air? One
of the things I had in mind was to use it to blow dust off of
screens. I have many eave vents, on account of the whole house fan,
and they are covered with window screening to keep wasps out of the
attic. Dust builds up on the screens. I was thinking I could rig up
a piece of pipe and use the compressor to blow the dust off the
screens. (Vacuuming them from the inside would be extremely
awkward.) But if that would make the screens oily it would defeat the
purpose.

An oilless compressor shouldn't have any oil in the air to start with.
If you get an oil-filled compressor instead, you should be able to
remove the oil with an inline air filter.


There is not much oil coming through an oil lubed compressor. The only
place this has any concern would be when paining.
Dave

[Mike Dobony]

"Heathcliff" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Aug 20, 11:39 pm, "SteveB" wrote:
"Heathcliff" wrote in message

oups.com...

I am thinking about buying a small electric air compressor for
occasional household use, filling tires, maybe someday doing some
spray painting, etc. Some newer models are advertised as
"oilless" (and thus lower maintenance) -- is that a significant
advantage? I have never had an air compressor, is checking the oil a
big deal? I have never considered it a horrible burden with the
lawnmower or the chainsaw. Thanks, -- H

If you are deaf, buy either. If you have any hearing at all, DON'T buy
an
oilless. If you do, you will very soon be deaf. They are obnoxiously
loud,
and wear out fast. Buy a good oil crank case model, and buy over sized
so
it doesn't have to work hard, or it will also burn up quickly.

My experience from going through half a dozen compressors before I bought
a
decent sized oil crank case one.

Steve


Thanks to all for the information and advice. The noise factor is a
consideration. I remember once I used one of those cheap airless
paint sprayers to paint a bookcase. I thought it would be just the
thing because of all the surfaces on a bookcase. I was shocked by the
amount of noise the thing made. I put the second coat on with a trim
roller.

Cold-weather performance is also a concern, I would like to be able to
fill up the tires in January.

Will the compressor be in a garage? If so, attached or detatched garage?
If you have a dedicated line just for the compressor and it is a 20 amp
circuit you should be okay. If you are going to do some serious outside
work in January, then you would be better off with an airless, especially if
you need to run extention cords.


The other concern I have is, how much oil comes out in the air? One
of the things I had in mind was to use it to blow dust off of
screens. I have many eave vents, on account of the whole house fan,
and they are covered with window screening to keep wasps out of the
attic. Dust builds up on the screens. I was thinking I could rig up
a piece of pipe and use the compressor to blow the dust off the
screens. (Vacuuming them from the inside would be extremely
awkward.) But if that would make the screens oily it would defeat the
purpose.


You would get less than a drop of oil on a house full of screens. A simple
filter would elimiminate this problem. An auto body shop, which uses the
compressor all day will only get an ounce or 2 of oil all month. Oil in the
air is not an issue until you are using it to paint something. Please note
that the amount of oil in the air is so minute that power air tools need to
be oiled daily. In fact, the best way to oil them is to put an oiler in the
line!

[SteveB]

"Heathcliff" wrote

Cold-weather performance is also a concern, I would like to be able to
fill up the tires in January.

I don't live in cold country, but I think if it's kept in the garage it
would be okay.


The other concern I have is, how much oil comes out in the air?

A compressor is similar to a car in operation, it just doesn't have
combustion. The crankcase is sealed pretty good from the compression
chamber by rings. I have never considered oil in my air. If I was to be
using it for plasma cutting, I would have a very good filter on there,
mainly for the water, and secondly for the oil. I suggest you read up about
how much oil actually comes out. And by read up, I mean contact
manufacturers such as Ingersol Rand and the majors and not here. Lots of
information and knowledge here, but you want it from the manufacturer.

If you were to be getting much oil in the compressor, I think it would
indicate advanced stages of wear.

Steve

[Edwin Pawlowski]

"SteveB" wrote in message
...

"Heathcliff" wrote

Cold-weather performance is also a concern, I would like to be able to
fill up the tires in January.

I don't live in cold country, but I think if it's kept in the garage it
would be okay.


Depends on the garage. Maybe an attached garage that does not get too cold
but mine is unattached with no heat. I had a compressor that would just hum
at 25 degrees or less. My oilless works though.