[Gamble]

So I have a 12gallon vertical 1hp craftsman air compressor however it just doens't have enough volume for me and takes a while to fill up. I just got a HF sandblast cabinet and this thing can't keep up. Searched around my local CL and found this

4hp 25 gallon craftsman air compressor. Looked at it and it worked but was missing the electrical cover. Figured that wasn't a big deal and I can make one or buy one. Talk price with the guy and ended up leaving with it for $100 and then bought his 1/2" airstream impact gun for another $15.
Get it home and open the drain at the bottom. nothing comes out but I hear water splashing around so I take the valve off and can see the hole was blocked. use my screwdriver and out comes some water. Dirty Dirty water. And put my screw driver in there a few more times to work around the hole and it kep coming out black goo. This normal?

Oiless wasn't my first choice but the price was right and I needed 110v. So I find this video online

Same make/model etc, then look at my pic and you can see that mine has been changed around. The pressure switch is different, the regulator, the gauge, the lines etc. (I knew I had to add a gauge and that isn't a big deal)

Looked up sears parts website and the pressure switch is not available anymore. So what can I do? I can I buy a cheap $40 compressor and take the gauge,lines,pressure switch off of it and replace this one? I plan to use this a lot but it just looks like a hack job. What do you recommend or what would you do?
Also anyway to clean out the tank or is all that crap in there normal?

Sorry for making it so long. thanks in advance.

 

[rhenning]

That compressor won't be big enough for a sand blaster either. When I used to sand blast I connected my older 60 gallon vertical shop twin cylinder compressor to my 25 gallon 5 HP twin cylinder portable compressor and my gasoline powered one cylinder compressor and almost had emough air volume with the three running. With blasting you need huge volumes of air for it to work well. Roger

 

[Gamble]

Well it's better than my 12 gallon And I don't have room or power for anything else so this will have to do. Besides it's not like I do anything big or major. Just little things that need cleaning up here or there.

 

[cedgo]

That doesn't look like a 25 gallon tank, but it is a picture.
Goo is not normal, water is. Keep the tank drained regularly.
As Mr. Roger says, it probably won't make enough air for a blast cabinet.
Almost any pressure switch will work. You can fabricate your own lines.
Make SURE you have a pressure relief valve installed. These thing can kill.

 

[Gamble]

Yep it has a relief installed. I'll throw the drain plug back on and try it out.

 

[cedgo]

I think you are probably in Fantsyland on that one.

 

[pawon]

look at cubic feet PER MINUTE

Hi, when comparing compressors, look at cubic feet per minute compressor capacity , not how many gallons the tank is.

Some manufacturers put a small compressor on a very big tank.. This is only usefull if you use compressed air in small. big bursts. But if you use a lot of air continuously (like blasting or for air grinders or even paint spraying), you need a big compressor,. not just a big tank.

See also this for lots of information: Air compressor buying guide, part 3: compressor specifications

 

[ferry]

Hi, when comparing compressors, look at cubic feet per minute compressor capacity , not how many gallons the tank is.

Some manufacturers put a small compressor on a very big tank.. This is only usefull if you use compressed air in small. big bursts. But if you use a lot of air continuously (like blasting or for air grinders or even paint spraying), you need a big compressor,. not just a big tank.

See also this for lots of information: Air compressor buying guide, part 3: compressor specifications

Yes you are right for compressor, capacity is more important, not how many gallons the tank is.