My 60 gallon Kobalt Air Compressor is starting to show signs of pump failure. Unfortunately I’ve had it for 10 years and only in the last few months had I really started to put it to work, other than tire filling duty & fall sprinkler blow out. Thus there’s no warranty on the item at this stage. If I am correct & the pump is failing, what can one suggest to use as a replacement pump? Since I’ve been doing more sandblasting lately, I’ve discovered just how inadequate this current pump is on suppling enough air for long sandblasting sessions. Thus I’d want to upgrade the pump to one which 1) can keep up better for blasting, 2) that’s quiet, this one was terrible at 87 decibels when tested at 8 ft from compressor. 3) hopefully a reasonable swap without too much difficulty. I know there will be drilling & fabrication but trying not to create weeks of work on this project but instead get back to working on the old car projects. If these upgrades aren’t possible then what would one recommend as a replacement air compressor? Thanks in advance guys! Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Unless you buy a replacement pump from HF, it'll cost you as much as you paid for the compressor originally. Time to upgrade the whole thing.... I hear good things about Quincy units...
Quite it down is easy - More volume is not Sand blasting is best sent out unless it’s palm sized areas, you want to make a big step up in equipment or burn up your expensive little equipment.
More air = bigger pump . bigger pump = bigger motor . You stuck where you are . When you buy a new unit air compressors are rated in CFM and horse power not gallons ! True HP = 746 watts per HP not the liars peak ratings that most are rated . Peak HP means it reached that rating but not how long it was maintained ! Just some thoughts when comparing .
Summit racing has parts for those. I replaced the motor on one and they were cheaper than what I got quoted to rebuild the original one.
Bite the bullet, buy a two stage Quincy with an 80 gallon tank. Maintain it correctly and it will last for 20 plus years. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I bought an 80 gallon IR 5 HP unit on sale at Tractor Supply for around 900 bucks. Keeps up with my Barrel Blaster media blast cabinet. Does what I need in a home shop but my guess is that a working repair or body shop would need a higher dollar unit. The IR unit says "assembled in USA" but the pump is made in India and who knows where the motor is from.
If you have the bucks for a new compressor, shop around for one of the small scroll compressors. Most have close to 100 percent duty cycle and run very quiet. Eastwood has one but i know nothing about it.
Unless you have been draining the water out of your existing tank on a regular schedule (daily when used), the tank is probably about shot as well. Putting a new pump on an old tank quickly reveals any problem the tank may have, and at a higher pressure, the problem will show up soon. It takes a really big compressor and a really big tank to keep up with a sandblaster. Your next compressor has to be able to deliver the cfm your blaster needs, at the pressure your blaster uses. the correct cfm at less pressure then you need, won't do the job. Gene
The kobalt compressor is listed at $488. Repair parts (if you scored the piston and sleeve are around $500). One thing I found was to cool down the air leaving the compressor, you can use a large diameter copper tubing. Use large size fittings. A few years ago, (when the grass was green) I checked each fitting for burrs and restrictions. A few fittings I could drill out and changed my couplers to a larger size made a difference in the amount of air it would push. I still have my little compressor I bought in 1980. I bought my second one in 1999. This one uses a kit to replace the sleeve and piston. My third compressor was given to me and it is a two cylinder and it will handle my media blasting cabinet (80 psi constant). I use a water trap and a paper roll filter (Florida 90%+ humidity).
I bought a rebuilt 2 cylinder Quincy compressor in 1968 when I was 18 years old. I installed it on a tank my dad got from his work place. I bought a new 5 HP electric motor to drive it. I am still using it today. It is starting to take a little longer to initially fill the tank so I think it's time for another rebuilt. Only lasted 51 years.
There’s Eastwood link. https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-elite-qst-30-60-quiet-scroll-air-compressor.html 12 cfm @ 90 psi and 100,000 pump life!?!? All for $1800. That’s 40 hrs a week (2000 hrs a year) for 50 years !!! Or 24/7 for 11 years. One hell of a claim there. Wonder if they’ve actually been in testing for 10-11-12 years
I bought from these guys, https://www.ranch-rite.com/air-compressors/compressor-pumps.html a replacement pump for my 30 year old Craftsman. Its been working good so far and is a little quiter.
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