tire air compressor for garage

Absolutely have one - a 150psi Makita worksite compressor. Small/low profile, sits on the floor. I have a few sets of hoses I can plug in depending on what I'm doing.

Downsides - 1) It's small, but powerful - and loud. Ideally i would have been able to locate it in a sound-proofed closet. Having it on-grade eliminates vibrations, if it was hanging I am sure I'd feel it when it goes on. 2) have to drag airlines all over the place

Upsides - 1) it's powerful and good capacity 2) amazing how many useful things you can do with a good compressor 3) it's on wheels, so I can drag it outside if I need to

In my ideal world, I'd hide and insulate the compressor and have solid airlines plumbed to a few locations, with a hose reel or hoses hidden in a cabinet.

I would not go overboard on a compressor, but think carefully about your needs. Small, lower pressure/lower capacity compressors usually fall short of what you want in real-world applications.

 

I'd like a wall mount one as well. Have never really seen one but I haven't looked overly hard either.

I have a very small 1 gallon unit I tote around for small jobs and checking pressures on our company vehicles. Small enough to throw in a cabinet but you need to be prepared to be patient when using it as the recovery takes a little longer.

If you have the space, go for a larger one and hide it in another room or large cabinet and run the supply lines to where you would most likely use them. If you want to start using air tools or lug nut guns you'll have the power needed but still don't have to look at a larger unit.

 

Not sure of the scope of your needs, but I have one of these...

<<http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/203874531>>

Mounts to the ceiling and is great for topping up car tires, bike tires and pool toys. And the extension cord and light are really useful.

 

Please see replacement item# 45264. Wel-Bilt Oil-Free Air Compressor — 1/4 HP, 120 Volt, 2.5-Gallon | 1 CFM Below Air Compressors| Northern Tool + Equipment

This is what I use to run around and fill/check tires on my small fleet of vehicles. It's an off brand, but something similar in size would work just fine (and much better than those toy tire inflators) if your main purpose was only filling tires. I can run a brad nailer and a few small air tools off it too as long as they are not too large.

 

The Home Depot Chamberlain unit linked above seems difficult to beat for what OP is looking for (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH0MAQw7k3M).

For a small compressor, this Makita (Amazon.com: Makita MAC700 Big Bore 2.0 HP Air Compressor: Home Improvement) is GREAT -- it is a real oil-based compressor and is quiet and very high quality. I've had mine for a few years and love it. If you want to do more like light airbrushing a compressor is great. That said, the Chamberlain unit looks like it is a lot more convenient for filling tires. I'm tempted to get one for convenience even though I have a compressor.

 

It's not the same type filler as at a gas station, the air hose looks a bit more like a bicycle pump connector with lever. Amazon has it for $83 with free shipping. It's worthwhile reading the user reviews on Amazon.

This will work fine. It is is an "oil free" compressor, so it will be fairly loud. If you plan to use a paint gun or other things that require more air delivery, a large one may be a better bet. I bought the Makita because it is quiet and doesn't take up much space, but really the Husky unit you posted doesn't take up much floor space.

You probably still need to get a hose and tire filling attachment. The PVC hose that comes with many compressors is terrible, but Goodyear makes a yellow hose that is very high quality rubber and very cheap (GoodYear 045 3/8-Inch-by-50-Feet Safety Yellow Rubber Hose 3/8 -Inch by 50-Feet 250 PSI With 1/4-Inch Ends - Air Tool Hoses - Amazon.com). This is the "gas station" style tire attachment (Amazon.com: Ampro A1430 Tire Inflator with Gauge: Home Improvement).

If you are literally only going to fill tires, then the Chamerlain might be better because it's more convenient. That said, having a full compressor is great for using an air gun to dust or dry stuff, to use an air brush, etc.

 

I received the Chamberlain Garage Power Station for Christmas but still haven't installed it yet (completing home renovation first).

It appears to be well made.
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Looks like great stuff. Would like to hear how the reel works out. I went with a hand crank reel because I was a little afraid of the cable whipping back on rewind and hitting a car (yes I'm overly paranoid). That said, my hand crank reel is a pain to use. The Griots digital tire gauge looks really nice too.

 

If all you are really doing if filling tires, that is way overkill. I build and remodel houses using roofing, framing and finishing nailer guns, I also make and finish (spray) furniture and cabinets and never used anything larger than 5 gallon but what would a guy like me know.

I have one of these as the main work horse of my shop and construction sites. http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-4-5-gal-Portable-Electric-Air-Compressor-D55146/100497925 The shape of this dewalt is not ideal for a garage as it's kind of awkward and the one you mention would work much better in that application, but again 20 is overkill. The only place I've ever wanted more capacity is sandblasting and that doesn't seem to be on your to do list...yet


I use several of these 1/4" hoses which are light weight, durable and go on a reel pretty well. The longer the length though the less easily they reel up for some reason.

Northern Industrial Air Hose &#8212; 1/4in. x 65ft., Clear, Urethane | Air Hoses Reels| Northern Tool + Equipment

 

The Chamberlain is definitely for light duty only. It will fill a tire, but it takes a minute. And the hose has a rigidly attached Schrader valve connection, there's no disconnect for using it with air tools. I haven't tried to use it as an air sprayer so I can't comment on that.

 

I have a Cambell-Hausfeld very small oilless compressor that I use for airbrush work which is enough to top up tires.

Like the ceiling units, it will not run air tools or even large paint spray guns successfully - so I am in the same boat; looking for something for general purpose air.

 

Having the extra capacity is never going to hurt you and if you start using it for other things, you have the power on tap.

The two wheel design is great for garages as it's easy to move around and overal doesn't take up too much space.

 

I got a Craftsman 20 gallon compressor from Sears that has been working well. Others are right - it comes in handy for other uses around the garage from blowing compressed air in other parts of the car, tools. Might be worth a thought.

You can usually grab a decent deal through Sears.

 

Regarding a compressor, I would say the most important decision is whether it is oil-based or "oil free". There is variability between brands, of course, but in general "oil free" compressors are quite loud and oil-based compressors are a lot quieter.

Regarding size, if you have space for it, probably getting a larger one is better and they don't cost much more than high quality smaller ones. The only down side is that it will take more time to get to full pressure, but it will have capacity to run more tools. Every air tool has specs for what it needs flow-wise, so it's pretty easy to determine what size you need from that.

I love my Makita because it's like a large compressor quality-wise in a small package and is very quiet (for a compressor). It's done everything I need including light airbrush work, but if I am using the air gun to dust, it does require significant pauses for pressure to refill (a larger one would probably still require pauses, but less frequently). I have very little space for a compressor, but if I had to get another one, I might get one with a taller tank because those don't take more footprint, but they do invade a bit more space than the short Makita. It's also easy to put the Makita in a trunk if I need to use it elsewhere.

Without question, I would not consider an oil-free compressor because they tend to be a lot louder and the noise can drive you nuts. Oil free are also less durable, though durability may not be a real issue in a compressor that is used only occasionally.

 

I picked up one of these years ago - Best tool investment ever.

Compact, powerful and fills car tires, bike tires, basketballs, boat tube and I attached a spray gun to to repaint the swing set. The air gun is great for blowing dust out of tiny places on the Ferrari.
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Although I mostly use this for filling my bicycle tires, it does have enough capacity to fill most automotive tires. You should look into this one, James.

Ingersoll Rand UP6-25TAS-150.460-3 25-HP 120-Gallon Rotary Screw Total Air System 460V 3-Phase150PSI

 

You've got to add a nitrous kit if you want to do any real work however: NOS Powershot Nitrous Oxide Systems 05001NOS - Free Shipping on Orders Over $99 at Summit Racing

 

Well I was trying not to go overboard...