Thread: When is my air compressor full?

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Hey guys, I recently purchased this air compressor for some pneumatic props
http://www.einhell-uk.co.uk/store/pr...hp?pid207.html.
The manual didn't answer my question, so i hope you guys can help me out. As the title says, I'm not sure how im supposed to know when the compressor is full.
This is what I've been doing so far
1. Turn air compressor on
2. Pressure gauge starts to increase
3. Choose pressure with regulator valve
4. Then I just turn it off once its reached 40 psi ( the pressure needed for prop) because i don't know whether im supposed to switch it off straight away or it will turn of itself.

Any help is really appreciated, I have contacted the manufacturer and the store where i purchased the compressor, but haven't received any reply's.
Thanks
Phil

It should automatically shut off when it reaches maximum pressure. Air compressors have a safety valve which will open if the tank exceeds maximum pressure.

For optimal performance, you should set the tank pressure close to it's maximum safe pressure, and use a pressure gauge on the output set at your prop's operating pressure (40 psi in your case). If you charge the tank to only 40 psi, you may not have enough pressure to activate the prop,as the pressure will drop off quickly.

Do you mean it should shut off when its full, I once had the compressor go up to 8bar (maximum pressure) and the release valve activated but I don't think it turned of itself, to be honest I got a huge shock when it happened so I may not of realised it turning off at the time.
Thanks
Phil

Yes, it should shut off when it's full. Here's a link with some more information:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home...icient/1275131

Hope this helps.

I went through the manual. I saw no indication that the compressor has an auto shut off. The fact that it has only one pressure gauge leads me to believe it does not. On US units. You generally see two gauges. One that shows tank pressure and one that shows line pressure. Line pressure is adjustable. Unfortunately this compressor you have may turn out to be a poor choice for props. Generally you want the tank pressure to be as high as allowed. Say 125 PSI. Then with the line pressure regulator you set the line pressure lower to a safe level for your prop or props. If after your manifold a particular prop needs even less pressure, you add another pressure regulator before the feed line to that prop. The desire is to reduce how often the compressor has to run. The PRO's in pneumatics put slave tanks near the prop. This is especially required when the prop requires large volumes of air. IE CFM. This way the slave tank is charged to fire the prop, and then it is replenished by the master compressor.

The manual says it shuts off @ 8bar and starts @ 6bar. I found that towards the end of the manual.

I did not see that. So the question is why did it not shut off ? The member clearly said it ran until the safety valve blew.

Yes it will shut off automatically. when i got mine i was scared that it would not but when i
let it go it shut off after the release valve opened and let out a blast of air.

The switch may need adjustment. The compressor should indeed shut off at 120
PSI or 8 bar.

Hi guys,
Spinman: should i get some slave tanks if i don't want to be constantly turning the air compressor on and off, Also how would one adjust 'the switch' ?

bfjou: "The manual says it shuts off @ 8bar and starts @ 6bar" what does it mean by starts at 6 bar ?

Thanks
Phil