# Anyway adding a tank to my compressor?



## Rns1016

I have this compressor from TCP Global 
http://www.tcpglobal.com/airbrushdepot/images/TC-20.jpg

And I was wondering if there was a way to add a tank to the compressor? After I bought it I noticed I should really had bought the one with the tank but it's too late now. So any idea where I can get a tank like this one http://www.tcpglobal.com/airbrushdepot/images/TC20T.jpg and if so all the fittings? 

TCP Global doesn't sell just the tank and I can't find it on Ebay...


----------



## scottnkat

a tank certainly makes it much nicer. I'm sure there's a way to add a tank to a compressor, but I don't know how. Sorry about that


----------



## Rondo

Have you tried the unit yet? Any specific complaints? Noise? Pressure fluctuations?

To retro-fit a tank with pressure switches would probably be more expense and work than you want. The tank shown looks like about 1 gallon. Not enough to do a lot of painting without the compressor running. So it wouldn't help much with noise but ought to smooth out any pressure blips.

Something like a 5 gallon tank would probably let you do a paint session without turning the comp. on. Like I said though, wiring and plumbing the thing to factory function would probably not be worth it. I'd either try to exchange my way into a factory model with tank OR

http://www.google.com/products/cata...kWTT9GBDqro2QXustSJBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CK8BEPICMAA#

get a cheap 5 gallon tank which you can pressure up manually with any air source (including your current comp) regulate the output and paint away. If the output on your comp. is NPT (pipe threads) it should be fairly easy to plumb any number of ways using fittings from a home improvement store.

The tidiest answer of course would be to upgrade to a bigger unit with tank.

http://www.harborfreight.com/air-to...lon-100-psi-oilless-air-compressor-97080.html


----------



## Rns1016

Rondo said:


> Have you tried the unit yet? Any specific complaints? Noise? Pressure fluctuations?
> 
> To retro-fit a tank with pressure switches would probably be more expense and work than you want. The tank shown looks like about 1 gallon. Not enough to do a lot of painting without the compressor running. So it wouldn't help much with noise but ought to smooth out any pressure blips.
> 
> Something like a 5 gallon tank would probably let you do a paint session without turning the comp. on. Like I said though, wiring and plumbing the thing to factory function would probably not be worth it. I'd either try to exchange my way into a factory model with tank OR
> 
> http://www.google.com/products/cata...kWTT9GBDqro2QXustSJBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CK8BEPICMAA#
> 
> get a cheap 5 gallon tank which you can pressure up manually with any air source (including your current comp) regulate the output and paint away. If the output on your comp. is NPT (pipe threads) it should be fairly easy to plumb any number of ways using fittings from a home improvement store.
> 
> The tidiest answer of course would be to upgrade to a bigger unit with tank.
> 
> http://www.harborfreight.com/air-to...lon-100-psi-oilless-air-compressor-97080.html


Thanks Rondo for your answer, a Harbor freight actually opened up a month or so back in my town. I went when it opened and saw the portable tanks and was thinking about getting one of them but I would have to fill it up, and keep switching from the compressor and the airbrush, no?

I wish I could return/exchange the compressor out but I bought it back on 2/12. I'm not having any issues with the compressor at all, in fact it's a great quiet compressor, works flawlessly. I just wanted to get a tank to extend the life of the compressor. It's constantly turning on and off, on and off, and I don't want to burn the motor out or anything like that...Maybe I'll try to sell the one I have with all three airbrushes it came with and buy the one with the tank....


----------



## Rns1016

scottnkat said:


> a tank certainly makes it much nicer. I'm sure there's a way to add a tank to a compressor, but I don't know how. Sorry about that


Thank you for replying Scott, seems like it would be more work and more of a headache then I thought.


----------



## Rondo

Does your compressor turn completely off when you're not spraying or does it keep running and bypass air? If it completely shuts off, then it already has a pressure limit switch which would help you. You could really just plumb a tank inline. 

You would still need to add a regulator after the tank or move the regulator from your compressor to the tank which may be impractical.

Since durability is your main concern, I'd hate to guess at whether a tank would help or hurt. Consider that while the comp will kick on less often with a tank, it will run much longer at a stretch which could cause more problems.

One thing to do either way is aim a small fan at the compressor.


----------



## Rns1016

Rondo said:


> Does your compressor turn completely off when you're not spraying or does it keep running and bypass air? If it completely shuts off, then it already has a pressure limit switch which would help you. You could really just plumb a tank inline.
> 
> You would still need to add a regulator after the tank or move the regulator from your compressor to the tank which may be impractical.
> 
> Since durability is your main concern, I'd hate to guess at whether a tank would help or hurt. Consider that while the comp will kick on less often with a tank, it will run much longer at a stretch which could cause more problems.
> 
> One thing to do either way is aim a small fan at the compressor.


It has an auto shut off when it reaches the PSI I limit it too. I usually like to spray from 5-10 psi max. So it tends to turn on and off a lot. They say not to run this compressor for more then 10 minutes at a time. If I'm not mistaken this compressor has a small fan towards it ( sorry it's in the basement right now and I'm upstairs, to lazy to go look ) I do notice it gets pretty damn hot after I'm done with it. About your concern on the regulator, I would just take the regulator off the compressor and add it to the tank.

Now that I'm thinking about this, it seems like a lot of work and probably would cost me $60-75 to do, so really I'm not saying much money if I just bought the compressor with a tank and sold my compressor.


----------

