What selection of compressors suitable for home use does the industry have to offer today? Frankly speaking, the range is small, and besides, the offered samples have a lot of disadvantages, ranging from size and weight to noise level.

Ready homemade compressor

It turns out that a homemade compressor will the best solution problems with home workshop equipment.

Engine selection

In my opinion, the best choice for a home compressor engine is a unit from a Soviet-era household refrigerator. Personally, I made myself two homemade compressors with such units, one unit was vertical (I don’t know the brand), and the second was from the Yuryuzan refrigerator (horizontally located).

One compressor was designed to power the airbrush, and the other worked with the staple gun. There were no problems with either unit. Many may argue that they have little productivity; in my opinion, more is not needed for a home. But during operation such a device is practically inaudible.

Compressor equipment

In addition to the engine and the pump unit itself, the compressor also requires other components for normal operation. To make a compressor with your own hands we will need:

• Foundation for the entire structure;
• Air receiver;
• Filters and moisture separator;
• Connecting hoses or tubes;
• Reducer and pressure gauge;
• Engine starting equipment;

Homemade compressor design

The base, also known as the frame, can have any design and be made from any available material.

For example, you can use a sheet of thick plywood or chipboard of the required dimensions as a base, and mark all compressor components so that free access to all its parts is provided.

In principle, the design of the base and its materials are limited only by the imagination of the developer; for example, I had one of the compressors without a frame at all (I will describe below how to do it).

As a receiver, inventive people most often use old receivers from the KamAZ brake system, very convenient thing, there are all the necessary threads for fittings and a valve for draining condensate. Alternatively, you can use old foam or carbon dioxide fire extinguisher(preferably several connected in series).

With such a receiver you will have to do a little work - weld in tubes and bushings to connect the rest of the system.
Air filters and dehumidifier are best used industrial production, the price is of course a little expensive (a good set now costs from 3000), but the quality is worth the money.

It is impossible to make an air compressor with your own hands without connecting hoses or tubes. By personal experience I can say that the oxygen hoses (from welding) show very good results, there is only one drawback - it is a decent weight, and, therefore, it is inconvenient to work with an airbrush; for it it is better to use a standard spiral hose.

Everything is clear with the starting equipment; a standard engine starting relay is used, only a switch is added. It is more convenient to use a foot switch, then your hands remain free when working.

Working on the compressor

I'll tell you how to make a compressor using my own example. It started with trying to use a small commercially available compressor for inflating wheels for the airbrush. I was dissatisfied with his performance and got to work.

Took it from my mother-in-law old refrigerator, took the unit with the wiring out of it, and threw the rest away. The engine was sanded down and re-painted with spray paint, then went to the construction market. There I picked up a piece of oxygen hose, purchased suitable clamps and a switch.

After that, I went to my friends’ unit and became the owner of a new KAMAZ receiver. I brought all this stuff home and started creating a simple design.

In order not to make a frame, I decided to use the receiver as the basis of the entire compressor. To do this, I first cut it out of whatman paper and adjusted it to the mounting location for the engine and the supports for the receiver. After everything was ready, I cut out parts from steel 1.5 millimeters thick, bent them and welded them to the receiver. Thus, it turned out to be an analogue of the factory compressor.

Then everything is simple - I installed it on the pillows pump unit and connected all the electrical. Then I took up pneumatics and attached a fuel filter from a Zhiguli to the inlet pipe of the compressor through a piece of hose (later I replaced it with a soldered wire frame covered with thin foam rubber).

An adapter for the supply hose was screwed into the threaded bushing of the receiver and connected to the outlet tube of the pump; a moisture separator block with a reducer and a pressure gauge was screwed into the opposite bushing. gas tap with a connector for connecting an airbrush hose. I tried it - everything works great, no complaints.

A little advice for those who are planning to make a compressor from a refrigerator with their own hands - connect it between the compressor and the receiver check valve, the load on the motor will be significantly reduced.

There is no need to talk once again about why a compressor is needed, because this is already clear. But not everyone can make it from a refrigerator with their own hands. However, with patience, necessary tool and theoretical knowledge, this task can be completed, and quite quickly. Such equipment can be used together with an airbrush, spray gun, etc. tool. Its key features are that the operation is almost silent and the dimensions are small. But such a compressor creates very good pressure.

Why homemade and not professional?

You probably already know the answer to this question. Often it's a matter of price. Professional compressors have a high price. And if you have an old refrigerator that is sitting idle, then why not occupy yourself for a few hours and make a compressor yourself. As for the design, it is different, but not very much. Purchased models have an electric motor that transmits work through a belt drive. In our case, the electric motor and the working chamber will be located in the same housing, but there is no belt drive.

Less in homemade product and automation. Although overheat protection needs to be installed. This relay will save your engine from high temperatures and prevent breakage. As for lubrication, professional compressors can be dry, that is, without lubrication. Such models operate using graphite rings. In our case, there will be a lot of lubricant, which directly affects the durability of the equipment.

It is worth noting that making a homemade compressor from a refrigerator with your own hands is not so difficult. But you need to understand that this requires attention to detail. In any case, if you succeed, then at the end you will have a functional station that can be adjusted as you want and arranged in the way that is convenient for you. Unfortunately, all this cannot be done with purchased equipment.

Dismantling works

Before using the compressor, it must be removed from the refrigerator and equipped accordingly. But more on that later. Now let’s talk about how to carry out the dismantling work. There is nothing complicated here. You will need a small set of tools: pliers, two screwdrivers (flathead and Phillips), a pair spanners. Probably everyone knows where the compressor is located. This is usually the lower back of the refrigerator.

Now you can start withdrawing. You will see copper pipes that lead to the cooling system. Use pliers to bite them off. Preferably with maximum vacation. In the future, you can use them for your own purposes. It is worth drawing your attention to the fact that you need to bite off the tubes and not try to saw them with a file. "Why?" - you ask. It’s simple, when sawing, small chips are necessarily formed, which in one size or another enter the compressor, which can lead to deterioration of its technical condition up to breakdown.

The work is not finished yet; we need to remove an equally important element - the starting relay. This is usually a white or black small box with wires coming in and out of it. Carefully unscrew the fasteners and bite off the wires leading to the plug. Mark in advance where the relay is top and bottom. This may be indicated on the case, check. needed to remove the compressor body. So we removed the compressor from the refrigerator with our own hands. One more thing, take all fasteners with you, they will be useful to you.

Checking the functionality of the equipment

The first thing after removal is to make sure that the compressor has not “died” and can be used for its own purposes. To do this, you need to flatten the copper tubes using pliers. This is done so that air can flow in and out freely through them. At the next stage, we need to put the start relay in the position in which it was before removal. This is extremely important. The fact is that the relay works on the principle of heating the plates and gravity. Incorrect orientation will cause it to break. The compressor winding may even burn out, which is not good.

The relay has incoming wires. You need to screw a wire with a plug to them. The connection point must be tightened with electrical tape to avoid electric shock. After this, you can plug the plug into the socket. If the compressor rattles quietly and air comes out of the tube, then you have done everything correctly and the equipment can be used. At this stage, it is recommended to mark the tubes so that you know which one the air is coming out of and which one is going in. If problems arise during operation, say, the compressor does not turn on or turns off after a while, then you will have to test the relay and find the weak link. This procedure requires minimal knowledge of electrical circuits and electrical engineering in general.

Materials required for work

Before you make a compressor from a refrigerator, you need to acquire everything you need for work. Firstly, this is the compressor. We have already figured out how to remove the motor (compressor) from the refrigerator, so you should have it at hand. By the way, on different models Refrigeration equipment has various compressors installed. Usually they are a cylindrical product or a so-called pot.

In order to produce a high-quality compressor that would fulfill its purpose 100%, you need to acquire a receiver. Essentially, this is a container into which the engine from the refrigerator will pump air. In principle, there are no specific requirements for the receiver. An old empty fire extinguisher or a receiver from a truck will do. The volume can be different - from 3 liters and more. Also, before making a compressor from a refrigerator, you need to find suitable hoses. The length of two of them should be 10 cm or more, the last one should be at least 50-60 cm. It is very convenient to take car hoses here. The fact is that they will be attached to filters, and their size is perfect for these purposes.

As for consumables, these are two filters - gasoline and diesel, clamps, wire, epoxy resin, pressure gauge. As for the tool, every owner has one in his workshop. You need a drill, knife, screwdriver and pliers. Once you've got it all together, you can start doing the work.

from the refrigerator: step-by-step instructions

Most compressors have three copper tubes at the outlet. Two of them are open, the ones you bit off with pliers, and one is sealed. Usually it is the shortest. Accordingly, the tube from which air blows is the output, and the one that sucks in is the input. We won’t touch on the third one yet, but a little later we’ll figure out what it’s for and what to do with it. So, after checking the output and input, make the appropriate marks and disconnect the compressor from the network. Next we take a pre-prepared board. She will be our basis. Using self-tapping screws, we attach the compressor to the board. The tubes must be further processed before connecting. It is advisable not to use a metal file; it is better to use pliers.

One important point: the compressor must be attached to the base in exactly the same way as it was installed on the refrigerator. Installation sideways or upside down is not permitted. This is due to the already familiar start relay, which operates due to gravitational forces. Our DIY compressor from a refrigerator has not yet been made. Now we need to make a receiver. Will do plastic container. In its upper part we drill two holes for tubes of the appropriate diameter. Then we insert them there and fill it all in epoxy resin for sealing. One of the tubes (input) should not reach the bottom of the receiver a couple of centimeters. The short tube (outlet) extends approximately 10 cm. Such manipulations are needed for more convenient mixing of air.

Iron receiver

"How to make it out of a refrigerator?" - you ask. Yes, it’s very simple, for this you need to use the instructions described above. But there is one thing, for such purposes it is best to take an iron receiver. There is not much difference between plastic and metal, but we can only install a pressure gauge on an iron receiver. In addition, the hoses are sealed or welded rather than filled with resin. This ensures better sealing of the container.

To install a pressure gauge, you need to drill a hole of the appropriate diameter, install the device and solder this place. Although it would be more humane to take the following route. Drill a hole in suitable place and weld a nut in this place. Then all that remains is to screw on the pressure gauge, and the job is done. In principle, there is not much difference, only replacing a failed pressure gauge is much easier. After everything is done, you can attach the receiver to the base. To do this, use steel tape or wire. In fact, we almost made a refrigerator compressor with our own hands. There are a few small parts left.

How to make a mini compressor: the last part of installation

We have already walked most of the way. Now there are a few finishing touches left. To begin, take a piece of hose (10 cm) and put a gasoline filter on it. If you are using a car hose, there should be no problems with putting it on. If the hoses are thin and do not fit onto the fitting, then as an option they can be heated. The free end of the hose must be put on the inlet of the compressor. If the connections are strong, then clamps do not need to be used, especially since there is practically no pressure here. It is easy to guess that a filter is necessary to prevent dust from entering the compressor. The second section of the hose is connected to the outlet of the compressor and the inlet of the receiver. There will already be a lot of pressure here, so we install clamps. We put a diesel filter on the third hose, and insert the second end into the outlet of the receiver. The outlet fitting of the filter (diesel) is connected to the working hose of a spray gun, airbrush or other equipment. You will probably decide for yourself how you can use the refrigerator compressor and for what purposes.

Technical characteristics and maintenance of equipment

As for the pressure created by the compressor, it is difficult to talk about specific numbers. Much depends on the model and age of the equipment. By the way, “ancient” compressors are more powerful. They are capable of producing about 2-3 bar. Both imported and Soviet models operate almost silently, although there are exceptions.

As for maintenance, this is quite an important point if you do not want your refrigerator compressor to need repair soon. It is not difficult to care for such equipment with your own hands. The main rule is that it is necessary to periodically change gasoline and diesel filters. In addition, it is advisable to drain the oil accumulated in the receiver. The decisive role in the longevity of the equipment is played by the high frequency of oil changes in the compressor. This should be done not so often, but at the appointed time. To drain the waste, you need to cut off a piece of the sealed tube. Remember, we mentioned it at the very beginning of the article. The old oil is drained through it and new oil is poured in.

Is it worth repairing the compressor?

Often the refrigerator motor fails. Oddly enough, but often there is no point in repairs. But when it comes to refrigerant, the issue is resolved by replacing it. As for other cases, for example, dust getting inside or the winding burning out, it is better to ignore this. It's actually easier and cheaper to buy a new engine. But doing it yourself makes sense. There is nothing complicated about this. Moreover, you already know how to remove the compressor from the refrigerator. It is installed in the reverse order. What matters is that the installation is done correctly. That is, the connections of the tubes must be sealed, and the wires must be reliable, that is, insulated. In general, the replacement process itself takes no more than 20 minutes. If you decide to repair the refrigerator compressor yourself, then get ready for difficulties. First, ring the relay, perhaps this is the problem and that is why the equipment does not start. Then in the compressor. If this does not help, then the equipment can be thrown away; there is no particular point in messing with it.

Conclusion

So we figured out how to make a refrigerator compressor with our own hands. In general, during the execution of work, a variety of difficulties may arise. Starting from the fact that the hoses do not fit on the filter, and ending with poor connections or lack of response from the compressor. But most problems can be fixed. In general, such a compressor is a very useful thing. With its help, you can do painting and other useful things. The type of airbrush or spray gun you use matters more than the compressor. The main purpose of such equipment is to provide constant pressure. If there is a need for high pressure, say 3.5 bar or higher, then finding a suitable compressor will not be difficult. Most likely, this is a Soviet model. This is due to the fact that modern refrigerator engines, although not powerful, are very productive. That's all on this topic, now you can get down to business.

A garage compressor is a necessary piece of equipment for your garage. With its help, you can paint a car, inflate tires, and supply air for operating pneumatic tools.

For this purpose they are presented with certain requirements to create the desired air flow with the required pressure. This article explains how to make a compressor for a garage.

Features of using the compressor

An air compressor is always needed in the garage. It can be used both to blow away dust from the surfaces of parts processed with abrasives, and to obtain excess pressure in pneumatic tools.

Often the working life of a compressor is necessary to paint a car, which imposes certain requirements on the air flow created:

• The flow must be strictly uniform without any impurities in the form of drops of liquid, oil or suspended solids. On freshly applied paint coating graininess, cavities and shagreen are due to the penetration of foreign particles into the air stream.
• Uneven flow of the mixture leads to paint drips and dull spots on the enamel.
• Branded air compressors, produced by industry, have all the functions for such a process, but are quite expensive.
• Not inferior to professional ones, you can create a model of the product yourself or use a garage compressor from a refrigerator.
• In this case, in the device for containing compressed air, which is called a “receiver,” a overpressure. The air flow can be pumped manually and mechanized ways.
• Manual feeding saves money, but at the same time a lot of energy and effort is spent on controlling the process.
• These shortcomings are eliminated with automatic injection, but in this case the oil in the air pump is replaced manually.
• Then the compressed air is uniformly supplied through the outlet fitting to the actuators.

How to make a simple compressor from a refrigerator

The simplest compressor for the garage can be made from an old refrigerator.

To make it you will need to purchase:

• Air filter from a car, designed for different pressures. Its price is quite low.
• A plumbing bypass valve, which can be restrictive and disruptive, combined with a six-bar check valve.
• Any plumbing hose that can withstand more than six atmospheres.
• Chinese pistol without pressure gauge.
• Any capacity storage cylinder. The larger it is, the less often it will need to be turned on.
• From copper tubes connecting communications or hoses of any formation.

Tip: The cylinder is an accumulator for storing air. As work progresses, the pressure will decrease, which is not very important when inflating tires, where no more than three atmospheres is sufficient. But for pneumatic tools this will be insufficient and critical.

Instructions for manufacturing the device are as follows:

• The tank is being assembled. Its device includes at least three pipes:

1. input;
2. day off;
3. to drain condensate. The element is installed after mounting the container strictly at the bottom so that the liquid can be drained without problems.

• The problem with the compressor may be that it will spit out oil, so you need to close the outlet pipe so that it is directed straight up.
• The hose to the tank should go in the same direction.
• The intake pipe is bent upward and equipped with a short rubber tube; it is attached to its end air filter from the car.
• A reverse water bypass valve is placed between the cylinder and the compressor, which prevents air from escaping back, and is the simplest indicator that the pressure has reached a given value. When it reaches six atmospheres it will begin to hiss, which means it is time to turn off the compressor motor.

This air piston compressor is very easy to manufacture and anyone can repeat it if desired. The compressor can be used to inflate balloons for some chemical experiments where it is necessary to create air bubbles in a liquid, such as a compressor for aquarium fish, etc.

What is required to make a compressor?

• The motor with a 12 V gearbox is the most scarce part, you can buy it here -
• Several bicycle spokes.
• Two valve nipples from a bicycle.
• The power supply is 12 V, you can buy it here if you don’t have it -

Geared motor 12 volt DC, with a rotation speed of 300 rpm.

Bicycle spoke.

Manufacturing

So, if you have collected all the components, we can start making our compressor.
Bend the knitting needle at the end at a right angle.

Using wire cutters, we’ll bite off the knitting needle on the other side so that we get an L-shape like this.

We insert the threaded part of the spoke into the hole in the gear motor shaft. The hole was there originally. We fix it with a second locking nut from another spoke, tightening it with pliers.

Then we take two knitting needles and wind one on the other. We take out the inner knitting needle and bite off part of the wound knitting needle. This is what should happen.

We bite off at a distance of about 10 cm and make a bend.

Next, we put this curl on the part that we made earlier for the gear motor. The limiters were made from locking nuts from the spokes. Fixing the nuts super glue. We have a moving unit. This is the piston arm that will push the compressor piston.

Let's take a piece wooden board and attach the motor with the gearbox and our crank system using a bracket, screws, and wooden block for elevation.

Let's take out the syringe, separate the needle - you won't need it.

We take out the syringe piston and cut the lower edges into a cone to ensure greater ease of movement of the piston, removing excess pressure.

Using a hot soldering iron, on the side closer to the beginning of the syringe, we will make a hole for the nipple valve.

Insert the nipple and secure it with super glue. This will be the intake valve.

Fill the hole for the needle with hot glue - we won't need it.

We make another hole with a soldering iron and insert the exhaust valve, and also fix it with super glue.

For greater reliability and to prevent leaks, we fill the valve connections with epoxy resin.

Let's take the gel paste ballpoint pen. Cut a small piece about 1 cm. Glue this piece to the end of the piston with super glue.

Let's insert the end from the spoke of our mechanism into it. And install the modified syringe on wooden stand. Everything is fixed with hot glue.

Every garage owner dreams of his own source of compressed air - having a compressor in the bins of the garage, you can do a lot of work on repairing your car yourself. But the cost of a new compressor is quite high, and purchasing an old one at your own risk is not the most good idea. Although, in rare cases you can stumble upon a very profitable deal. If you still need professional equipment, then you can familiarize yourself with the catalog sold by TekhMash Group of Companies LLC.

But anyway, the compressor high pressure with your own hands is great option, requiring minimal expenditure.

What is needed for this? First, you need to know how the basic compressor unit in the kit functions. And this is the engine, compressor (unit), receiver, connection parts. The engine transmits rotating movements to the compressor pulley via a belt drive. The driven compressor absorbs atmospheric air, which then enters the compression chamber. The movement of the piston reduces the working volume of the cylinder, inevitably compressing the air. The compressed air then enters a container called a receiver, and then through hoses the air activates pneumatics, sprays paint, and supplies energy various instrument. The receiver is necessary to eliminate pulsation caused by uneven compression of air by a piston compressor.

Secondly, when creating a high-pressure compressor with your own hands, you need to decide for what purpose you plan to use the compressor, since this is the determining factor in your search necessary elements. By choosing a high-pressure unit of 10 atmospheres, you can provide yourself with compressed air for a long time for any type of work pneumatic tools. For such a machine, a container is needed as a receiver that can withstand such internal pressure. A well-preserved fire extinguisher can serve as a receiver. former use, a container from a gas cylinder or a homemade container made by welding a plugged piece of pipe. But at the same time the quality welds and the condition of the metal must withstand internal pressure not lower than one and a half times the operating pressure of the compressor. This will fully ensure safe use homemade receiver.

The inside of the container must be protected from corrosion. There are many special liquids available for sale for such operations. Then you can give the cylinder an aesthetic appearance by painting it. The receiver can be installed horizontally or vertically, depending on its shape and the wishes of the author of the idea. Having decided on the position of the container, you should start drilling holes - in the lower part the hole is necessary for periodically draining the condensate that accumulates at the bottom of the container.

The liquid drain valve must withstand the pressure created by the compressor. The tap pipe is cut to the diameter and pitch of the thread internal thread in a newly drilled hole.

Next, the tap is screwed in - for reliability, you can use seals or silicone sealant. Then the same is done in the middle part of the receiver to supply air into it and in the upper part to exit. It is necessary to install a check valve at the inlet of the container so that air does not have the opportunity to escape in the opposite direction towards the compressor.

At the outlet, a through valve of the appropriate pressure and diameter is screwed in. It is best to make the outlet hole at the top of the receiver, since in this case the maximum amount of liquid will remain at the bottom of the cylinder. The pressure gauge can be mounted by making a separate hole for it and cutting a suitable thread in it, or by attaching it to the outlet pipe, up to the tap. Thanks to the pressure gauge, it will be possible to monitor the operation of a homemade high-pressure compressor and, if necessary, subject the installation to more precise adjustments. Another important point is that in order for the compressor to be able to periodically turn off and cool down during this time, you should pay attention to the size of the receiver. You shouldn’t make it small - the larger the receiver, the less often you will need to turn on the compressor.

As the main unit, you can use compressors from an old household refrigerator or a serviceable used unit. Car enthusiasts often use a 12-volt compressor to inflate wheels. There are many options. The main thing is to decide for what purpose the compressor is needed and how much air is needed. The advantages of refrigeration motor compressors are that they already have an engine in their design. In addition, they create an extremely low amount of noise. The disadvantages include the fact that when working with air, and not with freon gas, the compressor needs to frequently change the lubricating oil. As for electric pumps for inflating tires, this is also good choice to create a high-pressure compressor with your own hands. But at the same time you will have to provide it DC 12 volts, that is, an additional power supply is required. And the volume of the receiver must be designed specifically for a specific model, since the periodic operation time of such pumps is limited, and it will have to have time to gain the required pressure in the receiver before it turns off.

For greater ease of use of the compressor, you can adapt a very useful part - a pressure switch. It is best to install it on the receiver. Thanks to this device, you can correctly regulate the start and shutdown of the unit, which is necessary to control the pressure in the receiver and ensure uniform operation of the compressor and electric motor.

The pressure switch will eliminate the need to manually turn the compressor on and off, which means eliminating the risk of electric motor overheating and destruction of compressor unit elements caused by excessive excess pressure.