How many ugga-duggas is equivalent to gutentight?
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Stock Ubolt Replacement
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Supercharged111
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When the gun stops.
1. What is the impact wrench rated for?
2. How much air pressure is AT THE TOOL, when the trigger is pulled? Guys get hung-up on having 90 psi in the compressor tank, but you typically need 130-ish in the tank to get 90 at the tool, when the tool is working. Which also means that most single-stage air compressors are unsuitable for typical air tools--you pull the trigger, pressure drops in the tank, and you never do get 90 at the tool when the trigger is pulled; or you only have 90 for a second or two.
In that case, the Ugga-Dugga to Gutentite ratio is about three hundred to one, or more. Perhaps infinite.
The two biggest improvements I made to my compressed air system were to go two-stage, and to use "European High-Flow" Milton "V" couplers and plugs.
My little single-stage Craftsman oil-less compressor has a 5 gallon tank. When I hit the trigger, it stays above 90psi just fine for about five to ten seconds. Tank size matters more than single vs two stages. My larger 70 year old single-stage oil-lubed compressor can run a paint gun.
Hose diameter matters, as well as the quality of the air fittings.
Pressure measured at the air tool inlet stays above 90 psi, or pressure in the tank stays above 90 psi when the tools are being used/trigger pulled?
HUGE difference. I'm guessing you have 90 in the tank. Put a gauge in a fitting at the tool, and work the tool. You may be surprised at how starved most air tool systems are for pressure/volume of compressed air. Which means, your air tools may be much more powerful than you think they are.
I need 130 in the tank to get 90 at the air tool inlet. Yes, I have a lot of (1/2") air hose attached.
Absolutely. Which is why I started looking at flow numbers for quick-connect couplers, and changed my 1/4" Milton T couplers and plugs to Milton V/Euro High-Flow couplers and plugs except on my 1/2" air hose that uses bigger couplers.
For the record, I REALLY LIKE the Prevost safety couplers--pushbutton to release, bleeds pressure before disconnecting, and much easier than normal couplers to connect under pressure. Green button means high-flow, blue button is normal Industrial Interchange style.
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003969BJS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Single vs two stage compressors have no effect on this. If you have 90 psi in the tank, you have 90 psi in the tank. The size of the hose and fitting is what matters once it's in the tank. The compressor only has to do with how fast the tank refills. Also, I usually run 110 psi in the tank.
The only time I've run a pressure gauge on the outlet was when I was using my paint gun with the big single stage compressor. It ran 40 psi all afternoon long and refilled faster than I could use it.
Those fittings look pretty nice, but pricey.
stutaeng
I'm Awesome
Long air lines in a large shop environment running tools that have high CFM demand (DA sanders, air grinders, big 1" impact guns and stuff like that) is where the 2-stage really makes a difference.
For most single tool DIYer in a modest shop, I'd say a 1-stage compressor at 125-135psi is going to be okay, PROVIDED you have enough CFM from the source. Just keep air hose as short as possible. Of course 2-stage with high-flow fittings will just make everything better.
Once I was trying to take brake caliper bolts on my truck and I had to use a 5/16x50' air hose on my portable 2HP Emglo 8.0 CFM compressor. My 3/8x25' air hose had be been chewed up by rats. The impact didn't have enough juice, so I had to go buy another 3/8" hose to get the job done.
Gates has a pressure loss calculator that you can play with.
www.gates.com
You can see how much pressure drop you will have with a long, small diameter hose at around 10 CFM @ 90 psi.
For most single tool DIYer in a modest shop, I'd say a 1-stage compressor at 125-135psi is going to be okay, PROVIDED you have enough CFM from the source. Just keep air hose as short as possible. Of course 2-stage with high-flow fittings will just make everything better.
Once I was trying to take brake caliper bolts on my truck and I had to use a 5/16x50' air hose on my portable 2HP Emglo 8.0 CFM compressor. My 3/8x25' air hose had be been chewed up by rats. The impact didn't have enough juice, so I had to go buy another 3/8" hose to get the job done.
Gates has a pressure loss calculator that you can play with.
Air Flow Pressure Calculator
This Air Flow Pressure Calculator can help you answer basic air flow problems using Gates hoses with air compressors.
www.gates.com
You can see how much pressure drop you will have with a long, small diameter hose at around 10 CFM @ 90 psi.
There has to be enough extra pressure in the tank to allow pressure loss in the hoses/plumbing between the tank and the tool.
90 psi in the tank gets you 60--70 psi at the tool when the tool is working, but the tool generally* needs 90 psi to achieve rated power. (*Aircat, for example, goes against Industry Standards, they inflate the power of their impact wrenches by promoting use at 125 psi instead of 90 psi.)
The usual single-stage compressor is limited to 120 psi. Some newer single-stage compressors go to 155, and that's probably sufficient. But 120 in the tank may or may not get you 90 at the tool, with the tool running/working. AND 120 in the tank drains down to whatever the compressor pressure switch engages the compressor again--and by then the tool is starving for pressure and volume. Smaller tanks make this worse, as tank pressure bleeds-off faster.
The practical result is that MOST (not all) single-stage compressors result in low tool power compared to the rated power of the tool, due to lack of usable air. Installing a temporary pressure gauge at the tool end of the air hose can be eye-opening.
I started in '97 with a 110-volt, 20-gallon compressor. Tried to air-chisel the rivets on upper ball joints. The air hammer would run for about three seconds before pressure was so low the air hammer was useless. That compressor didn't hang around long, but that's another story.
Moved up to a "220-volt, 5-horse, 60-gallon single-stage" compressor. When porting cylinder heads or other die-grinder work, the pump never shut off and I had a miserable time with water in the air lines. Intermittent use--impact wrenches, air ratchets, etc. worked pretty good, but I never used a pressure regulator. I never needed less than "all the pressure I could get."
For nearly 20 years, I've had a "220-volt, 5-horse 80-gallon two-stage" intercooled and aftercooled compressor; I never have water in the air lines, and I can run any single tool I own continually and the compressor shuts off now 'n' then for cooling. The compressor pressure switch is set to come on ABOVE the regulated pressure, so the air tool gets a steady supply of air. The metal plumbing near the compressor has a "Y", one branch is regulated, one branch isn't. I can theoretically run my air tools off of 180-150 psi if I had a "tough job"; but so far I haven't needed to connect to the unregulated branch.
Yes, the Prevost couplers are expensive. Try one at the tool end of your air hose--the one that gets connected and disconnected the most. For me, the big deal is the ease of connecting while under pressure. The Milton V "high flow" couplers are nasty for that; Milton T (Tru-Flate "Automotive Interchange" style) or M ("Industrial Interchange") are not as bad, but not as nice as the Prevost.
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Those Milton V high volume couplers really do make a difference. I had trouble getting the desired performance from my die grinder, air hammer, etc. but it wasn't until the impact was defeated that I investigated the problem. The pressure drop at the end of the line was huge. Swapped those couplers in and all of my headaches disappeared.
Stedlin also makes very nice, very easy to connect, high flow, very quiet disconnect couplers. I couldn't justify the price for my use. They're made in USA, I think in Minnesota.
Stedlin also makes very nice, very easy to connect, high flow, very quiet disconnect couplers. I couldn't justify the price for my use. They're made in USA, I think in Minnesota.
