Peter Sitkowski | 3rd May 2023 | 4 minutes to read
An air compressor is an extremely valuable piece of kit to have in your garage, whether you’re a car enthusiast who wants to tune up or service their vehicle using pneumatic tools or a more casual DIYer who just wants to pump up your tyres and a few footies.
Whatever your degree of car knowledge, once you realise the wide variety of applications for an air compressor, you won’t know how you lived without one all these years. They’re a fundamental part of any professional workshop and will allow you to perform complex tasks like removing body panels or making engine repairs more effectively thanks to the tools made available to you.
We’re going to go through some of the main ways that you can use an air compressor as a car owner and some general purpose uses that will make your time in the garage easier and more enjoyable.
Here are the main topics we'll be covering in this article:
One of the most common uses for a home air compressor is to pump up deflated tyres. Most air compressors are capable of producing the PSI necessary to inflate a tyre and because you only need a tyre chuck to attach the air compressor’s hose to the tyre’s valve and a pressure gauge to keep an eye on while you inflate, it’s a simple process that most DIYers can handle.
Blowing up soccer balls, balloons, and pool donuts is something your air compressor will likely be relegated to if you have kids, as well as bringing those old bike tyres back into commission.
Air compressors are also great for pumping up air mattresses when people come to visit and a portable 12v Air Compressor is a great piece of equipment to chuck in your ute tray and bring camping to blow up inflatable rafts or a deflated tyre so you’re not stuck in the bush. One thing to be aware of though is that you’ll need an air compressor with a decently high capacity air tank for blowing up rafts and mattresses as they require a lot of air to fill.
Cleaning With an Air Blowgun
An air compressor can be a great tool for cleaning around a workshop or garage, speeding up the process of sweeping away dust and woodchips or when you need to rapidly clean something in a hard-to-reach place on your vehicle.
Air blowguns are also a fairly versatile tool that can be used for rapidly cooling engine parts, cleaning spark plugs, and drying out panels before painting them.
Cleaning with an air blowgun can be extremely efficient, but there are some things to keep in mind if you want to safely clean with your air compressor, such as keeping the air pressure at 30 PSI or below, never cleaning the clothing or body with compressed air, and always wearing proper PPE like goggles and gloves when cleaning.
Paint Spraying
If you’re trying to get the perfect paintjob on your car, trailer, or bike, then you might want to consider using compressed air to get a more consistent coat than hand rollers or brushes can offer. At Repco, we offer a number of different spray guns you can use with your air compressor, with most requiring 2-5 CFM to operate, making them compatible with a large selection of air compressors in our stores.
One thing to note about paint spraying with an air compressor is that while the PSI and CFM requirements aren’t especially high, you’ll want to get an air compressor with a decent tank capacity, as a consistent paintjob naturally requires continuous use of the sprayer.
Servicing Your Car
Air tools offer more torque and more power on average than conventional tools, meaning that they can really speed up the process of fixing clunks and rattles in your engine or bodywork. They also have the benefit of being more lightweight and avoid some of the hazards that come along with electrical cables.
Having a solid collection of pneumatic tools around the garage will put you in good stead to handle minor tune ups or even major engine repairs. An air powered die grinder can help you remove corrosion or polish up edges, while air drills will allow you to punch holes into metal with ease and they’ll both operate within 4-6 CFM, meaning they’ll function with most air compressors sold at Repco.
Find the Right Air Compressor for You
There are loads of ways to get use out of an air compressor, so if your tyres are looking a little saggy or you want other options for power tools that aren’t weighed down by hefty battery packs, an air compressor might just be the next piece of equipment you need.
With the amount of different air compressors out there and the varying CFM requirements of pneumatic tools, it’s important to figure out which air compressor is the best for you and whether you’ll be fine with something single-cylinder and semi-portable or if you need a larger, belt-driven compressor.
In either case, we’ve got a great range of compressors at Repco that’ll suit the needs of a professional in a workshop or the most casual of car hobbyists, so head to your local Repco store or check out the air compressors for sale on our website to see what we’ve got on offer.
