Thread: Air compressor placement

Not sure if this is the correct forum for this question, so feel free to move it.

We are really crunched for floor space as of the moment and were toying with placing the air compresor on a mezzanine. It is a quincy QT-15 so it isn't that heavy and we have a very high roof. Has anyone done this and if so did you design and build the mezzanine or purchase one of the many comerrrcially avalible units. The other concern I have is that the cinder block walls are just curtain walls steel beams are the structural element supporting the roof.
I am also open to other suggestions that folks have employed to free up some space. Being in the North East outside really isn't an option unless we were to build a shed of some sort, not really fond of this idea, worry that the neighbors would not appreciate the sound although we are in an industrial area. The up side is that the noise and heat would be removed from building.

I know there are a lot of very smart practical citizens here so lets hear where your compressor lives and maybe jump start my mind here. Thanks for your suggstions.

Mezzanine placement is the last option for the really desperate! Unless you are lucky or good with anti-vibration mounts you have an excellent chance of coupling vibration and resonance into both the building walls and the mezzanine floor. The racket will drive you nuts. This sort of thing can be done but its best if you have hefty, well damped supporting structures. Unfortunately steel frame buildings are not, by their very nature, well damped and steel cross beams under the mezzanine will often couple vibes nicely across.

A better way to get it up in the air would be to build a free standing timber structure. Something like the in shop offices in older industrial buildings would be good. Decent size lumber, 2 x 4 at least, well nogged with stiff USB / chipboard skinning both sides of walls and floor with solid expanded polystyrene sheet (or whatever the building code equivalent is these days) pushed in tight. If its a horizontal receiver or simple base plate mount put a couple or three old tyres flat on the floor with a hefty ply or chipboard sheet on top to stand the compressor on. Don't connect the structure to the outside walls at all, heck a stair at each end will fill the gap. I'd still feel safer with smooth running rotary like a hydrovane tho', but then I like hydrovanes!

Naturally there are guys who have just hoisted the compressor up and all has worked fine. Equally there are those who have been deafened. Nearest I ever came to this sort of thing was putting a rotary converter on a well supported shelf which set the whole shop going. And that was just a smooth running electric motor.

Clive

If you simply must keep the pump indoors, you might still consider placing the receiver tank outside. If the tank fails under pressure, it will make a tremendous mess in the shop. If it goes outside, nearly no damage. Regards, Clark

If you build a doghouse outside, can you just vent an opening to it to keep the temp somewhat stable in winter? I'd prefer that to a mezzanine, for all the reasons previously listed.

My personal solution: IR 5HP T30 + Kellogg American 7.5HP are in the cellar. ~100 ft underground line (3/4" schedule 80 electric conduit as the pneumatic line) in 4" casing (so it could be pulled or replaced in a pinch) go to outside shop (small converted dairy barn).

This works for me because family is away all day, wife leaves before i get up and returns late so noise does not bother anyone in house.

If wife retires, i would build the doghouse before putting compressors up in the barn loft...

smt

for my compressor I stopped by the side of the road and picked up a few pieces of big rig tire recap treads. about 6" by 48" and maybe one inch thick. make sure to find the ones with no steel in them. Cut with bandsaw if needed. Slip under feet of compressor to reduce shake. My compressor I had to raise it up about 1/4" inch anyway. needed clearance for elbow to move bottom drain out to where I could reach it.
Bill D.

for my compressor I stopped by the side of the road and picked up a few pieces of big rig tire recap treads. about 6" by 48" and maybe one inch thick. make sure to find the ones with no steel in them. Cut with bandsaw if needed. Slip under feet of compressor to reduce shake. My compressor I had to raise it up about 1/4" inch anyway. needed clearance for elbow to move bottom drain out to where I could reach it.
Bill D.

I would put it outside, and build a shelter for it. Put it on the side of your building where you think it would be the least annoying and you shouldn't have a problem. Add some insulation to the shelter, to keep it warm in the winter, and it will also soften the noise. I used to have a compressor in my garage and basically built a large closet for it, was a night and day difference for the noise.

Originally Posted by doug8cat

...worry that the neighbors would not appreciate the sound although we are in an industrial area.

Also, in case you haven't already, make sure to replace the stock intake filter with a silencer type. It makes a big difference and is very low cost. Look on page 371 of McMaster's online catalog for instance.

I put mine in the small shop next to my big shop. When it runs I can't hear it at all. So even if you don't have a second building, I am all for putting it in a doghouse.

Id have to say it all depends on the compressor not all compressors are equal. Iv never heard a QT 15 run is it quite and smoth then I wouldnt hesatate to put up in the air. but if its loud and vibrates it will just get louder.

I put my IR T30 5hp compressor in the attic of my wood-framed shop building (walk up attic, approx 8' clear space) for exact same reasons, free up space in the main shop below. As far as noise, I love it. Not exactly sure about the high ambient temps up there right now as its close to the roof, but it seems to do just fine with the minimal use I have been putting it thru at present. It sits on 4 swivel/leveling feet on a couple layers of 1/2" plywood (original single layer was too spongy for my liking so I decked again with a 2nd layer, used construction adhesive in between to promote shear strength)

I don't think I'd worry much about a mezz, IMHO if its heavily built (stiff) then it is not likely to be excited by the vibration. You could also build the plywood "building" right there on the mezz and encapsulate the sound.

I put my shop compressor on a mezzanine for space and it does fine. It's a Quincy 370 W/120 tank. It's just sitting on 1 1/8" plywood and 2x6's, not even bolted down.

In my old shop I expanded the building and when I did I dug, formed and poured a 6' deep, 4' wide and 8' long vault in the floor with a 20X20 opening. I put the compressor and phase converter down in that vault. The Vault had filtered positive ventilation whenever anything was running in it using a small fan and some relays. The vault kicked ass, you couldn't tell anything was running. It stayed very dry down there. The only downside was getting everything in there and working on it and then removing all of it when I moved.

If I ever build another shop I will pour in a basement vault big enough to stand up in for the same use. It worked fantastic, just wish it was bigger.

Also, I underestimated the effort required to dig and pour it. I figured 2 days to dig, form and pour on the 3rd day. It took me 5 days to dig the hole by hand, a day to build the forms and 2 days to pour it. If I do it again it will be in a building large enough to get a backhoe in.

I get my parts powder coated at a shop that run their giant rotary compressor right in the middle of the shop, talk about total hell on earth. They have no were else to put it. I cant stand to be in there for more than a few minutes not only is the place hot as hell but the noise is so loud it hurts.

I have a QT-10 and there is no way that I would want it inside cycling all of the time. Continuous noise levels over 85dB (easy to get to if you have a couple of machines running and then the compressor kicks in) cause everything from hearing loss, loss of concentration, and even high blood pressure. If you have to wear hearing protection you likely won't hear a drill bit squeaking before it breaks in an expensive part, a facemill lose an insert, and all kinds of things like that. Anything you can do to cut down on noise in the shop will help productivity and make life easier. Build a doghouse outside and kick that sucker out.

Wow the outsides seem to have it by majority, not sure the boss will like the idea but I'll run it up the flag pole. Thanks so much for your suggestions, if anyone else has .02 please free, but good ideas already.