DIY Home Made (Kinda) Air compressor made with Propane Tank.

[ibdilbert]

My friends and I were in need of an air compressor and were able to round up parts and pieces to make a fairly decent compressor.

We were not sure what kind of tank to use that would be safe and ended up using a propane tank. We did everything we could do to avoid welding on the tank itself and I think we did a pretty good job!

To keep it from vibrating around on the floor, we welded the tank to an old wheel / tire. We also placed the tank upside down and used a harbor freight compressor drain kit to keep the moisture out of the tank.

I have no idea how big the compressor head is, but it fills the propane tank in about 5 mins. We have now used this tank for many projects including numerous painting projects and its proven to be very reliable I am not sure I would change a thing.

One thing I did not mention in the video is the wall switch. I was afraid we might walk away and leave the compressor on. Not that this should be an issue but if a line broke I didn't want the compressor to run all day while nobody was in the shop. To solve this answer, we purchased a wall timer capable of handling the load of the compressor. Its good for 60 mins, then you need to reset it, perfect for the shop.

The harbor freight part number for the auto drain kit is #68244

[DIYer]

Thanks ibdilbert! We've added your Air Compressor to our Air Compressors category,
as well as to your builder page: ibdilbert's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Air Compressor by ibdilbert

tags: air compressor, motor, tank

[penca]

man the timer idea is pure genius (as if all the work you`ve done wasn`t... it is!)
i hate when others come with ideas i should`ve had... haha
thanks for sharing, i`ll find a damn switch and do the mod
omg this will bring peace of mind

take care
pete

[kenbee]

With a single stage compressor, do not exceed 150 psi as at higher pressures, the temperature rise due to the heat of compression may be enough to ignite the oil vapor in the compressed air and cause an explosion. with a 2 stage compressor, 175 psi is the safe upper limit.

[ibdilbert]

Just a few more changes I made to the air compressor I posted a few years ago. The first change as I added a DIY air dryer.

Then after some time the compressor started to knock, so I replaced it with a Harbor Freight compressor head, seems to be doing the trick for now!

[DIYer]

Thanks ibdilbert! We've added your Air Compressor Dryer to our Air Compressors category,
as well as to your builder page: ibdilbert's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Air Compressor Dryer by ibdilbert

tags: air compressor, air dryer