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HTTP WWW Instructables Com Id Super-Silent-Compressor-Built-Out-Of-An-Old-Fridge ALLSTEPS
HTTP WWW Instructables Com Id Super-Silent-Compressor-Built-Out-Of-An-Old-Fridge ALLSTEPS
HTTP WWW Instructables Com Id Super-Silent-Compressor-Built-Out-Of-An-Old-Fridge ALLSTEPS
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About This Instructable
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antagonizer
Tom
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When you're working indoors, an ordinary compressor can be pretty loud and Bio: I'm the kind of person who's mind
distracting. The only other option is to invest in a silent compressor which can, doesn't stop. Literally, I take medication to
easily, cost 3-4 times as much. More than that, unless you're ready to spend an fix that just so I can sleep at night. I have
an unhealthy obsession with making
obscene amount, they are rarely able to put out the same psi as a standard things and believe, firmly, in sharing
compressor. ...read more »
To the do-it-yourself type, this isn't a problem. Using a standard fridge/water More by antagonizer
cooler compressor, an old pancake air compressor, and a bit of soldering skill, you
can build your own SUPER silent compressor that is barely audible when running,
and is capable of putting out, up to 120 psi safely. It operates a bit more slowly
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than it's mechanical counterpart, but not by much. This model can pressure up in
under 4 minutes.
Tags: air compressor hack fridge
This project should take you, no more, than an hour to build in it's simplest form, silent quiet
however there's plenty of room to improve the design. Simple upgrades such as a
custom mount for the fridge comp, a wire box to clean up the harness, etc. will go
a long way to making your build prettier, but aren't necessary to it's function.
There is almost zero vibration and as much noise as your refrigerator has when Related
it's running.
How to modify a fridge
compressor into a silent
air compressor
by kerimil
Tools:
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Electrical:
On the side of the unit, you'll find the thermal overload/power connection. In the
second picture you can see the connections. You should make note of how it's
connected when you remove it from the fridge/cooler and wire using the same
colors, with the ground wire connected to the body of the unit itself. There is a
thermal overload built into every unit that protects it. One flaw with a fridge
compressor is that if you shut it off, then turn it on right away, the thermal
overload will kick in. Don't worry if this happens. Just wait a few seconds and try
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again. The thermal overload should reset itself. It'll also protect the unit from
power spikes, in case you fudge the wiring like I did on the first unit I built.
More often than not you'll find three 1/4" tubes exiting the unit with one by itself on
one side and the other two side by side on the other. An easy way to figure out
what is what is to connect the comp to power then feel the end of each line for
suction or discharge. On 'most' models, the suction tube is the one that's by itself,
and the discharge tube is the lower of the two on the opposite side. The third tube
is unused. It's called the process tube, and is generally only used at the factory for
testing. This tube should be crimped and/or soldered closed.
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The choice of air compressor you plan to use for this project is extremely
important. I've built a few of these, for other people, and have found that the
pancake models with the separate pressure switch tend to work the best. The
larger models that incorporate the pressure switch into the power have a unique
issue. There is usually a bleed valve, incorporated into these, that release the
pressure going from the compressor to the tank. Unfortunately, this switch needs
a strong pulse of air to activate, that the fridge compressor just can't provide, so it
will leak incessantly, causing your tank to fill more slowly. You can disable the
switch, however it's part of the pressure regulator in the unit, so you will also be
disabling your compressor's ability to shut off when it's full, making it unsafe, or in
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the very least, annoying since you'll end up having to keep a constant eye on it.
Suffice it to say, having an air compressor with a separate pressure switch will
make the job a whole lot easier.
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Attaching the Fridge Comp. to the Tank:
For the sake of cost and simplicity, I simply zip tied the unit onto the tank. There
is virtually no vibration and no worry about it working itself loose over time. You
can choose to create a mounting bracket, for cosmetic reasons, however, if you're
like me, it doesn't have to be pretty. It just has to work.
You may need to solder new line and add fittings to make your connection,
however more often than not, you can just recycle what came with the air comp,
and the fridge. The line you see in the pic was existing from the air comp and was
1/4" I.D. (internal diameter). The line exiting the comp was 1/4" O.D. (outer
diameter, so it was simply a matter of a bit of sanding to make the connection.
The rest is simply soldering pipe together much as you would if you were working
with plumbing. Just lay some flux paste in the joint, apply heat from the torch then
let the solder fill the gap, and presto...you have a connection. You may need to
make some dramatic curves in your line in order to get it to line up with the intake
on the tank. I like to keep a piece of flexi-shaft from an old weed trimmer on hand
for just such issues. You can feed it through the pipe, bend to the desired shape
and then draw it out again. It's a great way to prevent kinks in the line that could
otherwise interrupt the air flow.
Fixing Leaks:
I can't express, enough, how important it is to make sure you don't have any
leaks. This is where the teflon tape comes in. Fridge comps. don't put out a lot of
volume, so any leak, no matter how small can seriously impede it's fill time.
Simply put, check every connection, and tape everything.
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Step 5: Wiring The Power And Pressure Switch
This is just a simple diagram I made up for a friend that wanted to build his own
unit. Should make the set up easier.
Step 6: Finished
You're done. Everything else on the unit should stay the same and you can
connect up to it as you normally would if it had a conventional compressor
attached.
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Hope you enjoyed the instructable.
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We have a be nice comment policy.
Please be positive and constructive.
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antagonizer (author) jonestation 2 months ago Reply
A fridge compressor will work with a 50L tank but the fill is pretty
slow. Fridge compressors are designed to work for long periods
and can attain pressures as high as 250psi.
You should beware of some large tanks as their pressure switch
is part of the on/off assembly which won't work for you. It should
be mounted directly to the tank as you see in the pic "Installing
the fridge/cooler compressor", otherwise you'll be manually
shutting it off when it reaches pressure which can be
dangerous.
You would have to find one that fits inline with the tanks air inlet.
I haven't seen one in stores anywhere but it doesn't mean they
exist. It's basically a switch that's wired inline with the input
voltage. When the tank reaches a designated pressure, it cuts
off power to the pump.
I'm using a NLY7F compressor. Though I'm having trouble figuring out
which wire should I connect to a switch. Could you help me out?
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Thanks :)
Now that's pretty innovative! Could one of these fill a larger tank?? I
realize it would take more time to fill but would it run for the required
time without over heating?
I have a 10 gallon compressor that's noisy as heck for running an air
nailer (brads) This mod would be most welcomed if it's do-able.
Great 'ible..clear & easy to understand
Thanks..FN
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antagonizer (author) FN64 1 year ago Reply
Basically yes, and a lot of oil as well that it uses to muffle the
sound. I got curious once too.
I've been looking to do this for my airbrush setup since the tiny
piston compressor Im using it making enough noise to resonate
to the downstairs neighbours..
But, I've read elsewere that these compressors let the oil travel
through the lines, is this an issue you've noticed? If this is the
case, I guess it would dry eventually..
Thanks again!
I wouldn't worry. I've never had that happen and I've built 6. Btw,
oil is good for air tools, tho for an airbrush, you should use a
moisture trap regardless. That way, if it did happen, you
wouldn't even notice.
Cool, thanks!
How often do you need to refill the oil in the compressors?
Im using a tiny moisture trap close to the gun at the moment, but
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I need to get a new manometer, so Im probably gonna get a
combined separator / manometer.
Just remember, if you build one get a tank that has the pressure
switch in the tank, like most pancake tanks have. If you see a
switch like this one, it won't regulate properly for you.
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kevohill 1 year ago Reply
I've been looking into upgrading my pancake for a while, but I'm not
sure WHOM I should talk to in order to get a fridge drained. My
recycling center has plenty of ACs and fridges, but I haven't taken any
since I've had no luck finding "professionals" on Google. I imagine I'm
just not searching for the right things. Can anyone help guide my
search? (I'm located in Massachusetts, USA)
You can try appliance repair companies. They should have the
equipment to drain, and recycle the gas. If you find one of the
small water coolers, they have a great little condenser in them
for this project. That way you don't have to cart away a heavy
fridge or ac unit.
Would the use of the compressor from a 3 ton roof top unit cause any
specific problems as compared to a refrigerator compressor?
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antagonizer (author) zappenfusen 1 year ago Reply
If it runs off of 110 and you can pipe it in, I don't see why not.
Pressure is regulated through the switch, so there's no risk of
over overloading the tank. With that criteria any refrigerant
compressor would work.
Great point. I'm not big on caveats since I figure people will
figure those things out by themselves, but in this case it would
make sense. I would hope, tho that people would take their old
units to the nearest recycling depot to be drained first, and not
just start cutting lines haphazardly.
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boatingman 1 year ago Reply
This is a great idea and I'm going to start on one today. Thank you.
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