With a wide variety of applications employing the use of air compressors, you have to consider a great many things. From ideal air hose size to designated horsepower, there is much more to air compressors. This all accounts for the thoughtful usage of the air compressor. Likewise, what psi should you set your air compressor at is one of the primary questions which should not be ignored.
From applications ranging from home-based tasks to hardcore industrial activities, from daily simple works to a tedious and challenging workshop task, you need to correctly use your air compressor. The right use of an air compressor is primarily dependent on if the pressure level set is suitable for the desired task or not. No need to worry anymore as we are here to guide you about it all. By the end of this read, you’ll be able to set your air compressor to desired psi with premium ease.
What is PSI?
In order to get the right understanding about what psi should your air compressor be set at, you need to have a full understanding of what Psi really is. PSI understands the pressure that the compressor is able to produce per square of an inch. This is basically the force your compressor will be exhibiting on the unit area. The greater the force, the greater will be the efficiency, and the better will the compressor work. Therefore, psi determines how well your compressor will perform.
Each device comes with the psi range which states what is the least psi that is needed to perform the task. While the home-based, easy tasks can be performed at lower psi with ultimate ease, the hardcore jobs demand a higher psi rating. They will fail at the lower psi levels. Similarly, setting the psi rating too high will result in complete damage to the equipment due to overloading.
Therefore, for a device to work smoothly and perfectly and to get the desired result, you need to set the correct pressure. Otherwise, the device will simply fail to perform the desired action. This is the significance of setting the right pressure.
All About Right Psi Setting
Now that you have a clear idea of what psi is, we can proceed to what the adequate psi levels will be. The pressure which is generated by the air compressor inside its sturdy tank is what we refer to psi as. You can either go for a light-duty compressor or comparatively heavier ones.
The light-duty compressors are suitable for easier, daily-life tasks while the powerful ones are suited well to industrial jobs or workshops tasks. The psi rating at which the light-duty compressors are set is around 90 psi. This is well within their limit and doesn’t compromise efficiency or performance. Further, this is the perfect level to operate all kinds of pneumatic tools. Therefore, you can set the compressor at 90 psi for the easy, home-based task. This will provide you with exceptional results.
The powerful compressor which is bought for the hardline tasks is able to produce pressure as high as 150 and is generally set to that rating. This rating suits perfectly tedious jobs. One should always respect psi ratings. Below we have certain common activities for which an air compressor and used together with adequate psi levels.
| Tasks | Psi Required |
|---|---|
| Angle Grinding | 90 Psi |
| Bradnailing | 90 Psi |
| Chiseling | 90 Psi |
| Cutting | 90 Psi |
| Drilling | 90 Psi |
| Greasing | 90 Psi |
| Metal Nibbing | 90 Psi |
| Frame Nailing | 90 Psi |
| Dual Sanding | 90 Psi |
| Needle scaling | 90 Psi |
| Mini Grinding | 90 Psi |
| Orbital Sanding | 90 Psi |
| Painting | 90 Psi |
| Riveting | 90 Psi |
| Ratcheting | 90 Psi |
| Sawing | 90 Psi |
| Shearing | 90 Psi |
| Unscrewing | 90 Psi |
How To Set Air Compressor Psi Level
Air compressors are highly sophisticated devices which are now used in all domains, may it be industrial tasks or home-based, daily activities. Therefore, understanding them fully is important for the successful performance of activities and obtaining desired results. Setting the correct psi level for the specific tasks is very crucial for the right efficiency and perfect performance of the machine. Since now you are aware of the psi levels needed for various tasks, you need to know how to successfully set the air compressor psi level.
In order to set the air compressor pressure, you have multiple methods. We have described the simplest one. This step involves getting to Know All The Pressure Gauges. This is the first and foremost step when it comes to setting the air compressor psi level. There is one pressure gauge which is located on the outside of the compressor. This is the pressure gauge of the air tank. The other gauge available indicates the outlet air pressure. This is smaller when compared to the other one. This will help you better identify the pressure gauges. Then you have to look for the pressure of the air tank. This is to ensure that air pressure is set and stabilized. For that, you need to check the needle fluctuations. Lastly, you have to check the outlet pressure which will indicate what the outlet pressure is. This is how you set an air compressor.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is 100 psi enough for an air compressor?
The majority of the air compressors are specifically designed to operate in the range of 90 psi to 100 psi. This is adequate for almost all applications therefore 100 psi is enough for an air compressor.
2. What is a typical maximum working pressure for an air compressor?
The maximum working pressure for an air compressor is around 130 psi if we talk of the single-stage compressor. It enhances to 175 psi in the case of double-stage compressors.
3. What is normal shop air pressure?
The normal shop air pressure is set at 115psi.