Upgrading a California Air Tools 10020C Compressor
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
- The California Air Tools 10020 compressor is marketed as a quiet compressor, but as stuff wears out, the compressor gets loud. To improve it, safety couplers replace the originals and the unloader valve is muffled. Empty to full cycle times reduces to 123s from 330s. Sound levels reduce so that it's practical to work in a small shop without hearing protection.
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Product links (Amazon Affiliate links):
CAT-10020C air compressor: amzn.to/29UbZdc
Milton M-style safety coupler: amzn.to/3bxcAkU
Solenoid: amzn.to/3i6xARG
McMaster parts
D.O.T. Brass Compression Tube Fitting: www.mcmaster.com/51835K232/
1/4" NPT 21 scfm @ 100 PSI Muffler: www.mcmaster.com/4450K2/
www.notion.so/Air-compressor-...
Kamtechnik's improvements:
/ bguirshhxwq
/ bqrfstojbqm
Improvements by others to consider:
• California Air Tools C...
#KvvCreates, #CaliforniaAirTools, #AirCompressor, - Наука та технологія
Be sure to also check pressure safety values: let the compressor fill and then feel how much force is needed to trigger the safety valve with light tugging. If a lot of force is needed, the valve may be defective and the compressor unsafe. The CAT compressor that I have only has a single pressure relief valve.
About the deformation. That’s kinda sketch looking but surely they hydro tested em to make sure all is well. I tested mine to 250 psi filled with water. 20 feet away behind closed doors lol.
@@durangotang1681 One would hope so. They might do a sampling, with an acceptable percentage of false negatives (boom). The change happens over a couple of minutes and is hard to notice unless measuring. I only noticed it while trying to trim down video. The breathing effect may be the most interesting part of the video.
@@kentvandervelden I can imagine that most tanks show this activity. But it is still scary!
I just bought one from HD and plan on doing a time lapse recording to see if my tank does the same thing. It is only a 20 gal, but still uses the same style pump.
So far I do like it, but plan to upgrade all the plumbing because it seems undersized, and install an auto drain valve.
@@durangotang1681 Hydrostatic testing, when done properly, tells you when to remove a unit from service. It does nothing to tell you the expected service life of the unit. The whole purpose of hydrostatic testing is to determine if there is plastic deformation of the vessel at the rated service + a safety margin. When you boil off all the technicalities, it comes down to how big is the air bubble remaining in the vessel after it has been filled with water, pressurized, and depressurized. If the unit is good, there will be no room available to add water after testing. Depending on exactly how much the vessel deformed, it may be returned to service, or scrapped. I ran a program testing 3000 psi spherical metal gas containers (both carbon steel and stainless steel) we used on aircraft, and regular hydrostatic testing was essential to human and aircraft safety. I learned a whole lot about the subject when we had to change contractors for the testing service. See my comment below about using aluminum for this application - it's only a good choice for the home user. This would not be a good choice for an industrial application.
@@pomonabill220 Your 20 gallon unit, like the one I bought, is made of steel. There's nothing to worry about at only 125 psi even when in industrial service. It will rust through before it cracks from pressure deformation.
Man - thank you so much for this! I’m a mobile auto detailer and I got this compressor for the low db level - I’m going to use your video to make the same changes so it’s even quieter in my van and for the neighbors around my jobs. You narrated it and edited it extremely well. It’s concise, informative, gets to the points, and is very easy to understand. Thanks again! -M
I've had the same compressor for years and this video both excited and scared me. Will be doing these mods. Great video.
Hi Michael, I don't know what to make of it, certainly was not looking for this. I plan to install an automatic drain soon. Probably rust is the the biggest enemy of thin-walled tanks.
If that scared you, watch this! - ua-cam.com/video/xrac4E4GYac/v-deo.html
Sweet. I’ve found myself not turning on my (same) compressor as much these days. I recently started chasing some leaks and this provides more fodder for the TO-DO list.
Hi Jeff, this has been on my to-do list since Greg mentioned it three years ago :)
I wish I could give more thumbs up to this. I wanted to several times during the video for every great point you brought up. Thanks for this video Kent.
Thank you David! I'm glad to have these repairs off my to-do list :)
I think everyone who had a shop is constantly battling leaky aircompressor these are the most useful tips I've seen.........ive noticed that sometimes when my compressr kicks on it has a harder time than others almost like there's back pressure in the cylinders or somthing does this sound like an unloader valve issue to you
Unloader valve or it's cold (if an oil-filled compressor.) Should hear a pussssshhh sound (hopefully that makes sense) when the compressor shuts off. Might put a power or clamp-on ammeter to double check that the motor load at start up varies. The sound of mine certainly changes as the tank fills and the compressor is working harder. Have you seen the ultrasonic listeners for finding leaks in AC compressor lines and window seals? They would be fantastic for finding inaudible leaks.
@@kentvandervelden thanks ill give those things a try......the ultra sonic listener sounds interesting ill check it out
cool video! time lapse was a shocker! in general im scared of high pressure devices, as they might explode one day. faulty weld, rust in the wrong spot. etc.. my compressor was set by default to 120psi but i turn it down to 85psi just for my piece of mind. and if it will explode one day i hope the damage wont be as big. some people have arachnophobia and i have compressorophobia :)
Thanks Fox. I've been reading pressure vessels and not found a great deal of practical information about flexing. Interesting though is if the weld beads are at inflection points, the weld experiences ideally no flexing as the pressure changes. Best I can estimate, given dimensions, weight and steel density, a spec'ed tank has 6 mm walls and my little compressor has 4 mm. Just estimates, especially since I don't know the the act weights, could be more or less. I read that walls of some air tanks can be 1.6mm thick. With thin wall tanks, which almost certainly includes mine, perhaps rust is the greatest danger.
My newly purchased silent air compressor has a default of 165 psi!!!! I am going to set it at 120 psi though... who needs that kind of pressure.
That should also not work the pump as much and it should last alot longer.
Can confirm, I have this same model and my couplers both leaked from the factory lol
Super cool!
WOW! I SURE don't like that time lapse of the tank "breathing"! That would metal fatigue quickly, I would think!
If it were steel it wouldn't be a concern for a very long time. Steel has a massive stress cycle life. Aluminum (which is what this tank is made of according to the model number) has a very finite stress life, and this tank will crack over time much sooner than a steel unit would. Service life will depend entirely on how often it goes from empty to full. Think of it in the same terms as taking a piece of aluminum and putting it into a vise, then flexing it with something like Vise Grips until it cracks and eventually breaks. Young's modulus for steel isn't even in the same ballpark as any aluminum alloy, and each of the commonly available aluminum alloys have different stress cycle service life expectations. I worked on aircraft in the Air Force, and routine stress fracture inspections are a fundamental part of maintaining aluminum aircraft (really all aircraft, but composite materials are also in another league).
@@lobuxracer I think you mixed up the tanks, this one is a steel tank, not Aluminium. The AL tank has the letter A in the model number. I've also checked his link to Amazon, and it states it's steel.
Thanks, I will have to try those couplers. Disconnecting while the tank is under pressure can be a bit scary. I have the same compressor and it has been overheating. It has a lot of hours on it so I decided to upgrade to the 4 HP from California Air since I need more CFM.
Hi Craig, you might look at the industrial version of the couplers. They don't have them at Northern Tools, but they are on Amazon. They accept several connector styles, which might be nice. Just a couple dollars more too.
Hi Kent, great videos. Especially your OCD on the tool length measurement system. As I understand it steel tanks will not violently rupture releasing all the contents. The tearing work hardens the steel as it tears halting further tearing of the tank to a much smaller rupture. As the pressure drops after the initial rupture the forces causing the tear reduce. I understand stainless steel tanks are different and the tear will keep running like a slow-mo balloon bursting resulting in an explosive decompression.
Thank you David for writing a great explanation. Metals are remarkable
Dont believe everything you read on the internet. Steel tanks do explode and they can kill you. Here is a recent story of a compressor explosion from a youtuber. ua-cam.com/video/W2LbTHfU5fQ/v-deo.html
Even in this day and age professionals lose entire pressure vessels and other structures when hydro testing them. All it takes is a slightly elevated carbon content to make it succeptible to cracking and a stress raiser. I spent a long time working on steam boilers and petrochemical plants doing non destructing testing and we found a lot of hair raising stuff which had to be immediately repaied before there was a catastrophic failure.
Kent... One very important upgrade you didn't mention is the installation of a 110 volt mechanical HOUR METER onto the compressor's face plate. It might be good to know how many hours you have left before the thing needs scheduled maintenance or explodes!.
Please note that while this seems to work for Milton, the PREVOST Safety Couplings would not fit through the welded face plate. I used them anyway but I used a hole saw and a block of wood to enlarge the hole.
Most panels will probably need to be modified, I got lucky. The Provost couplers look great, with interesting options like the wall mount coupler with a built-in drain.
Good to know, and glad I saw this, I’m just about to place a small prevost order
ok I got it. 10020c seems to be cost cut version of 10020, but regulator might be better - mine black ABS piston is hard never works. unloader valve on 10020 is a magnetic valve.
That flex in the tank would give me a strong motivation to replace it with something that won’t be working cracks in itself every time it comes to life. I know there’s a coin shortage but that’s my two cents.
There's not really a coin shortage, it's just that facial recognition doesn't work well with masks and they need you to use a credit or debit card in order to properly track you!
Hi Dave, that's a scary notion. Kamtechnik mentioned that his tank had small cracks near the welds. Maybe you just explained what created the cracks. My dad has a 7.5HP Quincy, I'll check if that tank flexes. Thank you
It’s just like bending the last bit of a hacksaw cut until it breaks. Work hardened steel breaks easy.
Appropriate. I just completed my air compressor. Made it from an lg window ac unit rotary compressor, rusty old 40lb propane tank that I cleaned up and repainted inside and out with rustoleum and hardener. Used a condor 150 psi switch. Cost me less then a 100 bux all together. Mostly made it so I could repaint my pm 25mv appropriately, and be able to use hardener in the paint. Brush job didn’t work out so well so I bought some lplv spray guns. Those couplers suck. Looks like I’ll be looking into the ones shown in this video. Been using barbed fittings.
That sounds awesome and very MacGyver! Any chance you have any pictures or video posted? I'd love to see how well the compressor works. I never would have thought of an AC compressor.
Kent VanderVelden I have pictures through the process. I plan on starting a channel when I get the machine running. Had a problem with new revisions to the castings on the pm25 that Dave Clements wasn’t aware of so we’ve been talking back and fourth and I finally got the y ball-screw mounted today. Fits perfect. Hoping to god Precision Mathews only relocated the holes on the base, and not the column and table too. Dave’s already had to send me the revised y motor mount and a new screw with larger bearings. His customer service is amazing I must say. I got the compressor idea from other you tubers but it seems the most of them use the reciprocating type from refrigerators. This ones specs say it’s capable of 350psi. First thing I did when I removed it was gave it an oil change as sometimes the oil in these things was made to react with refrigerant, not with air. I only emptied 110ml of the oil out so I just replaced it with full synthetic 1030. Ran it a bunch while testing and it got pretty hot above 60 psi to where I was only running it 30psi at a time and letting it cool till I got to 150psi due to the size of the tank. I knew the oil charge for it was supposed to be 230ml according to the spec sheet on LG’s website so I changed the oil again with about 230-250ml to see if that would help and it barely gets warm now. A whole lot a learning went into this lol. Right now I’m building a box to where I can use the compressor directly when needed, or connect it to the tank for painting and what not. Nothings ever totally done around here lol. I promise I’ll send a link to my channel when get everything together. Otherwise I don’t have any social media accounts.
@@durangotang1681 Please do, I'd like to follow along. Dave has helped me quite a bit too. Amazing value in his kits. Apparently my dad made an air compressor using a couple cylinders of a gas V6 engine while the other four provided the power. Delivered huge CFM. I have vague memories of this and I don't think there are any pictures.
Kent VanderVelden 😂. Yeah I was eyeballing that old lawn mower in the back yard for quite some time wondering how hard that would be lol. Furthermore, my original idea was to use an old active aqua commercial air pump that I used to use for hydroponics and then compost teas. I think it produces somewhere around 3-4 psi. One of the big aluminum ones. But can run all day everyday. I made a small aluminum air nozzle on the lathe with a 1/16th hole, and turned down some white delrin with a tapered tip and a 1mm hole drilled into it as a fluid nozzle. I actually painted the base of my machine with this siphon feed external mix airbrush contraption. Now I use that setup minus the fluid nozzle as air on my sherline lathe.
The air pump is the linear type not the diaphragm type. Works well for cooling the lathe tools and blowing chips.
Hey Kent! I noticed the line from the tank to the Schrader (unloader?) valve that goes into the pressure switch is quite small (6mm ID?). While leaving that line, could I take the the output of the pressure switch and connect the aluminum regulator assembly/manifold directly to the larger port on the check valve coming out of the tank instead? This way I can increase flow by replacing the line with a normal 3/8" stainless steel braided hose
Would this set up interfere with the function of the pressure switch or Schrader valve since they won't directly connect to the outputs?
My guess is that the regulator creates a greater restriction than the small diameter riser tube the pressure switch is connected to. The compressor is not able to keep up with max flow rate as it is. If the flow is increased, the pressure will drop below usable levels quicker. Hope this helps, all just opinion though.
I usually put my thumb on top of the cold start valve till I can't hold it there anymore. ha... Man I need to do the solenoid mod. That blowoff is always so loud!
That's funny, I did that too :) Try to find a nicer solenoid than I used. It sometimes sticks closed.
@@kentvandervelden I ended up with a little guy from eBay. Around $28. I was able to mount directly to the back of the switch box. Btw that line for the unloader is a 6mm. A 6mm push fitting with 1/4 npt thread made the install super quick. I'm tempted to see what else I can fit behind that panel (water trap/filter)
@@kewlbug Cool, thanks for letting me know all worked out well. Let me know if you come up with improvements. I occasionally consider replacing the tank with a larger cast iron one, because I never need to move it... As luck goes, my next job is installing hardwood flooring and need the compressor on wheels :)
as you said your unload valve has spring weak issue, what is the goodness of your new unloader? the time saving is compared to good compressor or your compressor with bad valve? I also see you said 2/3 restart can be saved but why? thanks I try to understand the improvement.
Can two of these be run simultaneously into a common hose? Do I just need check valves between them? They don't seem to like to start if there's any back pressure they have to work against.
The compressor with a higher on-setpoint would run more, and the second would only turn on if the pressure continued to fall. The larger CAT models have multiple compressors, and a common pressure switch. Once the compressor turns off, the cylinder is unloaded. If the unloading does not complete, before the compressor turns back on, the motor will stall, overheat, etc. The unloading necessitates a check valve between the compressor and the tank. No additional check valve should be needed. Interesting situation you describe. Depending on need, may also consider a nearby large receiver tank instead of multiple compressors. Happy holidays!
@kentvandervelden thanks for the reply. Having a big tank makes the system take forever to get up to pressure. The large tank solves short term needs of high cfm, but doesn't solve a longer term need such as spraying.
Great vid for NOOBs like muah. Waiting for a CAT-4710SC to be delivered; ordering all High Flow fittings and 3/8" Flexzilla hose with 1/4 NPT to try to give it a little extra umph.
Only using it for Finishing and Brad Nailers during renos but they have CFM requirements close to top end of what this small compressor can do.
Already looking into Prevost High Flow S1, would you recommend Milton 1086-4 (exhaust muffler) for my model as well? If so, in how many places?
Thanks in advance for the guidance; trying to order everything in one order to avoid extra charges and delays.
Happy Holidays!!!
Looks like a very similar or identical compressor and pressure valve. You'd need one muffler, a solenoid, and brake airline tubing to do the same upgrade. If your compressor is going to be cycling frequently, you'll appreciate the difference. I put a little muffler on the cold-start valve, just epoxied it into place, but it does not do too much and may not last long, there's probably a better way, but so far, so good. Mine picks up a good amount of water in conditioned space, but if you drain the tank each day, should not be a problem. I can't think of anything else I would do.
Hey Kent I know this is a older video but I recently puchased a Cat20020AD 20 gallon compressor. I’ve been having a issue with the regulated pressure dropping to 60-70 psi with trigger pull on a blow gun when it has been set to 90. Do you know why this would be happening or what I can do to help this issue?
Hi Ben, in practice the pressure in the line will drop when air starts flowing, especially to a large sink like a blow gun. Especially, if the gauge is mounted in the plumbing vs. directly into the tank. If in the plumbing, the amount of measured drop by be influenced ratio of diameters of the gauge inlet hole (small) and the outlet. The underlying principle might be Bernoulli's: as the velocity of air increases (over the gauge inlet), the pressure the air exerts on its surroundings (the gauge scale) decreases. Hope these guesses help.
I have this same model compressor and wanted to change the couplers, but I can't get them to budge. I can see what looks like adhesive on the threads. Were yours difficult to remove?
Might need a little heat to break the thread lock.
@@kentvandervelden Thanks. I'll give it a try.
Can those 1/4" lines be replaced with 3/8" assuming those are bottlenecks for the whole system?
It's all possible, but the tank is small and the compressor has low volume. Replacing the lines will give you a higher volume for the first (very) few seconds. Since you understand the bottleneck created by the smaller lines, you should consider a larger compressor. This one is pretty minimal. Hope this helps you.
@@kentvandervelden I already have this one.......a few seconds? . Ya sure? No. It would only be once in a while and I dont mind starting and stoping for a bit. I could always add a tank. Sheeah c'mon man
@@Max-kn9yi I must not have understood what you were asking. But, the useful improvements with bigger lines will only help at the output for a very few seconds. Further modifications could mitigate the causes, but reward is low.
@@kentvandervelden this guy did it?
ua-cam.com/video/0nfry50SVx4/v-deo.html
So I think you are wrong. Maybe this calf air is not upgradable. Others are. That was my question.
How do you get the old NPT quick connects off? I find most manufacturers these days are using something like Loctite 545, and they wont budge. Considering applying heat from a heat gun, but wondered what you did?
Hi Chris, the connectors came right off, without heat. I don't remember what thread sealant was on them. Have a great day!
@carnold.knowledge did you find a way to remove the couplers? I have the same model compressor and I can't get the couplers off.
👍😎👍
Great stuff i believe all compressors are ticking time bombs lol
Hard to beat the heavy cast iron tanks :)
How safe is that tank movement while filling and emptying? I doubt there's any way to be sure. Safe enough to get well out of warranty probably, but after that? Compared to the danger of a high pressure steam boiler it's a whole lot less, but certainly still more than dangerous enough. All metal has elastic limits just as that tank movement shows. Within that limit it will return to it's relaxed state each time. However very high cumulative numbers of any flexing over enough years will start to weaken welds etc. You could always edit the video down to just that tank movement and send it to California Air Tools and ask them about it. My best guess is probably all air compressor tanks would show the same thing to some degree. If it really concerns you then buy a higher quality and much heavier wall air compressor tank that's rated for higher pressures and mount the rest of the CAT components to it.
Thank you, that's great advice, and probably the wisest thing to do. This morning I've been looking at a different receiver as an option. I'm sure you know the cost of a ASME coded receiver. Certainly the bulk of the cost of a compressor. Ran across a few videos of tanks exploding and those are pretty scary, all pretty thin walled. I'll check my tank for an expiration date. From the weight and dimensions, I tried to estimate the difference in tank wall thickness between an IR receiver and the CAT tank, and the IR tank may be 2-4x thicker. Rust must be the biggest enemy to the thin wall tank and probably best to empty a thin walled tank before moving. You may find this short article interesting, where they talk about how the placement of the welded joints will reduce stress, in theory. I've not found much practical information though.
www.motovated.co.nz/making-the-most-of-inflection-points/
@@kentvandervelden I would think that the thought of potential multi-million dollar law suits would have resulted in some serious corporate considerations of air tank structural integrity. I wonder what percentage of these things actually burst???
ALSO, Thanks to you Kent... I will be listening carefully for air leaks. No need to run the compressor any longer than necessary.
@@tribulationprepper787 Love your IBC tote graphic. My family has a wood stove and 40x20 garden. Been thinking about water storage a lot.
I passed the video to California Air Tools. They were as kind and helpful as they could be in responses, understandably, as you said. Some pretty terrible air compressor accidents are on UA-cam. Especially outside tanks, as they seem to fail because of rusting. Thank you for commenting
@@kentvandervelden Surprised you noticed the tote graphic. No one else ever has. I have four totes connected in-line (1,200 gallons of water) and a simple two inch PVC manifold to feed them from one roof gutter. As I recall, probably less than $350 plus my time to design and install (inside my garage.) I don't know where you live but where I am at, we can take showers daily and drink filtered rainwater whenever we want AND the water is freely delivered, by God Himself, to our home.
Dang! That's gotta be spme thin metal on that tank. I've never seen that before. It makes me worry for your safety.
You cant beat cast iron tanks no flexing
The idea of tying a NO pressure relief solenoid in to the same circuit as the motor is genius.
Is that tank aluminum? What pressure is it going to? I just went a put a dial indicator on my compressor tank, and only registered about 0.003" of retraction as it went from 120psi to 0. (Measuring while it pumps up would be an exercise in futility.) Mine has a 15 gallon steel tank, laying horizontally, so the compressor is on the cylinder wall, and I put the dial indicator at the peak of one of the bell ends, on a base fixed to an external object.
No doubt, but I can't take credit for the idea :) Thank you for measuring your tank. I've not measured mine, so maybe the video makes it look worse than it is? Looks pretty bad though.
@@kentvandervelden Oh, it looks pretty bad all right. I'd be pretty sketched out if that were in my shop.
Hell, I don't even keep my shop compressor in the shop, but that's 60% for noise, 20% for floorspace, and 20% for cleaner compressed air. I'm not worried about my tank exploding. I keep it downstairs, then run a hose up to the shop where I use that to keep an auxiliary tank/pressure buffer full.
ua-cam.com/video/YYMU21chUEI/v-deo.html
Might be worth considering, both for the noise, and in your case, a little bit of safety.
arggh, those evil NPT fittings are a crime against humanity, Better to stick with Metric and BSP like the rest of the world when you have a choice, Then again you are in Yankee Land. That tank flex sure does look nasty. You may want to add an auto drain valve on the bottom of the tank if you have not already to get rid of the water.
BTW single phase direct drive compressors are noisy things compared to 3 phase belt drive as the pistons are moving many times the speed of a belt driven unit.
at 60hz 4 poles your piston is moving at 1800 rpm which goes a long way to making the loud noise.
Hi Frans, I'm looking for a automatic drain. They're all internal timers. Maybe have it open a second each time the compressor kicks on instead of every 45 min. Might be safest to open the drain when I'm done and leave it empty when not being used. Just what I'm thinking today.
@@kentvandervelden Run it in parallel with the compressor motor, set the duration to a few seconds and the timer to about 30 seconds to 1 minute, that way it only kicks on with the motor running.
I like it, nice and simple. Thank you
@@kentvandervelden A little expensive, but here is an auto drain that only empties after water fills the little external reservoir. It also does not depressurize the tank.
Tsunami Moisture Minder Automatic Piston Air Tank Drain w/ External Reservoir (250 PSI)
Model: 152-0000
@@HouseofKhaine Thanks, I've seen some of their other products, air driers, and everything looks amazing!