Need Air Compressor Recommendations

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Minnesota Dan

Member
Joined
May 6, 2018
Posts
13
Hi All,

I am looking for recommendations for an air compressor. Ideally, I am looking for a portable air compressor that would run off of a 9v cigarette lighter plug. I would like to use this to (1) fill air bags on the truck, (2) blow out my travel trailer water lines for winterization, and (3) inflate tires. For this, I need a compressor that has the PSI to do the above, has adjustable PSI so that I can set it low for blowing out the trailer water lines, and isn't too expensive.

Thanks in advance for any and all help here!
 
A 9 volt power source? There are lots of small 12V compressors out there that advertise good pressure numbers but you also need volume which will be lacking. Is it for home use or do you want to take it on the road?
 
You need psi for the tires & air bags but lots of CFM (air volume) for the winterizing. Yu need to look at your psi needs for the tires & bags, but probably anything north of 65 is enough. Since psi is easy to engineer, even small 12v compressors can typically handle that. Most are 100 psi or more. CFM (cubic feet per minute) is more expensive to engineer, but you need at least 0.5-1.0 cfm (@ 30-35 psi) for reliable winterizing (I prefer 1.5-2.0). Cheaper 12v models rarely achieve that. Low cfm also makes filling a tire or air bag painfully slow.

Viair makes some excellent 12v compressors. A model 0088 would probably suit your needs nicely. 120 psi and up to 1.47 cfm (at 0 psi - drops quickly as pressure climbs).

This little unit might work. I have no personal experience but the reviews suggest it has decent cfm at 30-40 psi.
 
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Viar is an excellent choice for a portable air compressor, but you are likely going to be into something less portable and more substantial for blowing out your water plumbing - see previous post.
 
Been thru several 12V compressors. From the 29.99 elcheepos to the 200 high rated ones. They all have one thing in common. Practically zero volume (CFM). Instead of wasting your money go buy a decent 150PSI pancake compressor. Buught one at Lowes several years ago. Loved it so much I got rid of my big home compressor, now I use that excluisevly.
 
ViAir - another vote here. They're not cheap, but they work well if you really need a 12V compressor. Otherwise, a 115Vac pancake style will likely be preferred.
As noted above, pay attention to the specifications.

Ernie
 
My shop compressor is rated like 5CFM at 90PSI and it still can't keep up with the continuous flow of a winterizing blowout at 40PSI. I can't imagine even trying it with a tire inflator.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
I have a Dewalt compressor that uses 20v batteries. I like that I can carry it to a tire, hook it up and it tells me the pressure and I just set what I want and press go.
Works for me as a also have a drill & sabre saw that use same batteries.
This summer I plan on getting an impact gun with same batteries so I can leave my 120v one behind.
 
You need two compressors, one for at home to blow out the system and do other chores, and a 12v one for on the road. Youtube channel ProjectFarm did an excellent test and review of several small compressors.


I have a 7½ hp, 80 gal shop compressor and I use a 5/16 air hose and sometimes I am still challenged to blow the water out of the system on my trailer. I cannot imagine going thru life without having a decent air compressor at home. I'm nearly 67 years old and have owned a compressor since I was 15yo (still own that same Craftsman 1 hp/12 gal tank compressor as a "portable"). The compressor was one of the very first tools I ever bought.

Charles
 
You need two compressors, one for at home to blow out the system and do other chores, and a 12v one for on the road.
That might work for part-time, but not if you are fulltime. Since our fulltime motorhome had an onboard generator, I just carried a small, tank type of air compressor that was powered by 120V. Far better than even the best 12V one.
 
Many 12V tire inflators are OK to top off a ~32PSI car tire but hook them up to a 90+PSI truck/RV tire that is twice or more the volume to boot, and it's pretty much futile. Those little cigarette lighter compressors will burn out long before you can put a useful amount of air, if any, into an RV tire. If it *must* be a 12V unit, then you need a premium one like the Viair - it's made to do this. But they're kind of spendy. A 120V unit with the same volume would be half the price, can run off the same extension cord I already carry and odds are my generator will be in working order to run it. I would enlist neither one to blow out the water lines, as mentioned above even my dual stage shop compressor runs hard to do this, a tire inflator has no chance to keep up.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
As Mark says, a 12V unit to do all the chores would be something like the (somewhat expensive) Viair, but it is rugged and doesn't take up much storage space. And while it's not speedy, a Viair can certainly add air to my 22.5" tires, even the 110 psi front ones.

On most diesel coaches there is a tap off of the on board air system that can be used for tires, also, though you'll need the engine running to use it. But I wouldn't use it to blow out the water system for winterizing, as you may not be able to get its pressure low enough.
 
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