9 replies to this topic

[Brant]

It sure is nice to have an unlimited air supply at home. The Shoebox compressor is great for topping off a few tanks each week. Mine arrived and I had it hooked up with air dryer and 1st stage compressor in about an hour. It took just over 2 1/2 hours to top off one of my SCBA 44 CF 4500 psi tanks off from 2600 up to 4500 psi. The compressor worked very well. It uses an inexpensive 1st stage compressor to get the air to 85 psi.http://shoeboxcompressor.com/Typical setup. I have a Porter Cable 150 psi 1st stage (On sale at Home Depot for $99).

[Air Rifle Hunter]

Nice set up! I bet that's great to have!

[Bennie]

How often does the first stage air compressor kick on and off? And do you have any idea how long the shoe box will last? It sure would be nice to fill up your own tanks.

[Brant]

For my 6 gallon Porter Cable 150 psi about 20 seconds every 7-8 minutes.

[butthead]

Having a shoebox is the only way to go if you can afford it. The product is great and there customer service is the best. I had to do a major rebuild on mine, I called Tom and he walked me through the whole thing, stayed on the phone with me till it was back in service. The whole thing should have taken about 20-30 minutes but my fat fingers had trouble getting the chain back on. It took me a half an hour just to get the chian on, the rest was very easy, and Tom never once complained, kept trying to offer me suggestions to make it easier and stayed on the phone with me for 58 minutes. I was reluctant to purchase something that I would have to rebuild after 100 or so hours of use, but its mostly just swapping out an O-ring or two. It really is not a big deal at all. Really.The toughest problem is moisture if you live in an area that has any humidity. Compessing air creates moisture, and you dont want that in your tanks or gun. I used the small little inline moisture traps but still had an issue until I found a good dryer. The one I have is sold by Harbor Freight but my local Harbor Freight didn't carry it and it is not listed on their website so I got mine off Ebay. It is very simple and has 2.2lbs of dessicant inside (reusable). It also has a water trap. I run a 50ft hose off the 1st stage to a water/dirt trap, then into the big dryer, another water/dirt trap comming out of the dryer, to another 50ft hose and 2 small inline traps on top of the shoebox. No more moisture issues. If you can find the dryer at your local Harbor Freight I hear it runs about 40 bucks, which includes reusable dessicant. I paid a bit more on Ebay for mine. Here are a couple of pictures of my setup.

[screwwork]

Nice set up guys..Next time please mark the maps with big arrows on the good locations to hunt. JK

[Air Rifle Hunter]

That's a sweet set up Butthead! I bet it was a little investment to set that all up.

[Brant]

Butthead - what issues have you had with moisture? I also have the twin HF inline filters like you and havent seen any sign of moisture in the crystals, tanks, or anywhere else. I have not gotten any moisture from the bottom of the tank of the my Porter Cable but I dont really use the compressor more than a few hours every second or third week to top off one of my two 44 CF 4500 tanks. My compressor runs inside (a utility room) in controlled air (dehumidifier).

[butthead]

My original setup was the same as yours with two inline filters. After runnimg it for about 8 hours (was filling an 88cf tank) it was spitting water out real bad and completly spent the two inline filters. If you are filling a tank it should not be that bad for a gun in that the tank uses a siphon type rod in it and liquid will not transfer but it cannot be good for the tank. If you fill a gun right from the Shoebox it could be a real problem. I am guessing that your setup with the dehumidifier is fine. I run mine in the garage. The inline filters will let you know in that they will turn pink when exposed to moisture. With my current setup I have not had any issues. With the cost of some of the PCP's it is better to be safe then sorry.

[Brant]

They tell me just to reheat the filter crystals in the oven to turn them back when/if they start to go pink and dry them.