Should I bolt shop air compressor to the floor?
 

I just got a 2 stage, 80 gal. vertical tank air compressor. I had been planning on bolting it to the floor, but I have been having second thoughts. If I ever want to get at the back, or wish to relocate it, it will be hard to move. It needs to be mounted to something. I have seen quite a few compressors for sale on e-bay and Craig's list that are bolted to a large wooden skid. Does anyone have a large compressor that is just bolted to a skid? If so does it have a tendency to move around as it is running? Or does anyone have any other mounting options that have worked well?

Thanks :cheers:

what ever you bolt it to...use rubber spacers to reduce the vibrations......

Thanks onaquest, I have the rubber spacers and the anchor bolts, I am just not ready to pull the trigger on a permanent location.

I have a friend that has left his on the small pallet that it came on and does just fine with it. I bolted mine to the floor because I ran fixed lines through out my garage with water traps and to prevent any accidents from it tipping over.

i left mine on the shipping pallet also and have had no trouble or movement.

I remember reading in some literature somewhere along the line that a compressor should be mounted on a wood frame or rubber isolators. The life will be extended quite a bit due to reduced shock.

Mark G

Mine is just wood screwed to a couple of 2x4's,one of these days I might remember to put the hockey pucks under the sticks.Never moves at all,never saw a need to bolt one to the floor,if you are scared of it falling over,best to attach a safety chain or strap to the wall,if you are connecting to permanent piping,its best to use a flexible connector(hose).

I put mine on a rubber mat that is .75"? thick that I purchased from a farm store. I think the origional use is to line the floor of horse stalls.

I have mine outside on a slab I poured seperate from the garage and I used the rubber under it and bolted it down because I have a child and was afraid it may fall over on her. I used a hyd. pressure hose to conect the comp. to the hard piping in the garage (with the seperate pad and rubber hose you do not get any noise or vibration on the inside of the bulding).

You might consider bolting it to the floor and just drill the holes all the way thru the slab so if you want to move it later you just drive the anchors into the holes. I have been around a lot of comp. that just sat on the shipping crate and they were fine, but there were no kids running around either.

Mine is mounted on the shipping palet and there is NO movement.

shmoky

mine has been siting on the corner of the shop for 15 years with no problem, my other one is outside in a small house and it isn`t bolted down either

I have a vertical 80 gal tank and I set mine up on short pieces of 4X4 with 1/2 inch rubber in between. Everything is bolted to the floor. The extra height gives you enough room to get a drain pan under it and it also runs vibration free.

I have a similar unit set it in the corner of the garage and REDHeaded it to the floor using epoxy cement on the bolts and 3/4" rubber under the feet. A year went by to change the oil and while I was draining it and the tank noticed that the one of the bolts had worked up and the other 2 where loose. Used loctite on the bolts and I would recommend an auto drain on your tank mine is close enough to the outside wall and vented it outside save you lot of greif to drain it by hand and save the tank not all that expensive. Used a 1" braided flex hose to tye it to the regualtor and water trap then 1" the rest of the way. Get a big regulator and water trap no need to reduce the flow and volume.

Good Luck wro87

I have actually been thinking of building a little room off the back of my garage for the compressor. I think that is some of my hesitancy to bolting it to the floor, since I think there is a good chance I might be moving it.

Wro87, I have been looking at an autodrain, for know I ran a pipe out from under the tank with a ball valve on the end so I can easily drain the tank.

still on the pallet it came on 10 years ago, and I have had a need to move it a couple times and glad I never bolted it

I bolted hockey pucks to the bottom of the feet on mine....works really good....does'nt move and also isolates vibration.:thumbs:

Use these style of anchors so you can easily move it. Thats what I did.

http://cgi.ebay.com/25-hilti-3-4-dro...item1c0d4eeb59

Best bet is to just set it on earth outside the garage, that way you don't vibrate the concrete.....I had mine on the driveway/shed next to the garage, NOW, it's in the dirt section of the shed, and I noticed the vibrations are GREATLY reduced.....

obviously you need weather covering, and air circulation....

I have a very hefty compressor. I got 4 hockey pucks, drilled holes in them, and bolted them to the 4 "legs". Snug up the nuts so you suck the heads about half way into the puck. Great isolators and you don't have to screw around with a mat - if you have to move it, just move it!

Yes Sir: When I installed these compressors in Service Stations as a plumbing contractor, we were required to use rubber under each leg. I used to buy shoe heels, the thickest I could find at my local shoe repair shop. I drilled a hole in them and anchored them to the floor, and sometimes on wall plates, or plates, hung from the ceiling. Have a great day. Gene