I just got my new 60 gallon Vertical compressor last night! I’ve been reading about people putting rubber insulators between the feet of the compressor and the concrete. Does any one have any idea what these do? And have any of you put insulators under you compressor or just anchored it right to the floor.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

 

I bolted my vertical tank compressor to just the pads.
Mine are rather large for the application (about 3x6") and I have turned them outward in order to increase the footprint and stability.

The rubber mounts or pads uncouple the vibration from the building structure as well as eliminating any 'knocking' of the feet on the concrete.

You need to either bolt it down or mount it on pads otherwise it will dance around and walk while running.

 

I was going to shock mount mine but never got around to it. Been 5 years now sitting on original wooden pallet and no problems. Do use a flex line to connect to piping and place water filter about 10ft away from compressor to allow for air to cool and moisture to condensate.

 

I have left 3 on the skids they were shipped on. Never had one move or dance around. No noise from vibration either. I just cut the skid down as much as I can and then leave it attached. As long as the skid is heavy enough. Just make sure that you have a flex line running from the compressor to your air lines. (This includes solid mounting)

 

I made a small skid for mine and put a piece of carpet on it, top and bottom. It doesn't dance around and it keeps some of the noise down.

 

I got some of these waffle pattern pads that the CNC guys use for machines, but never used them. I bolted the compressor to 2 4x4 PT posts cut to about 2ft long and it has never moved an inch. not even a 1/4 of an inch! ;-)

Mine is 175 capable, but I set the cutout at 135 - no sense in blowing any filters, tools or regulators up....

 

I used 5/16" thick renforced rubber between the concreteand the feet then bolted it down. I ran 3/4" pipe around the shop so I also used a piece of rubber hose with crimped ends to isolate the hard line on the wall from the compressor.

 

My 60 gal verticle IR never made it off the pallet, either. Does not move an inch, sturdy.

 

A lot of people (myself included) leave them on the pallet, which works just fine. You definitely DON'T want to tightly secure the tank to the concrete floor directly. As the pressure in the tank rises, it does expand a bit. Plus temp changes cause expansion/contraction too. What you often see done is one foot is secured tightly so the compressor stays in place, and the other feet are secured, but the bolts are left slightly loose so it can expand and contract freely. One of my friends put a pair of 4x4's under his and bolted the feet to that. That works, and gives you better access to the drain valve. Rubber under the feet is a good idea as it dampens vibration which is good both for your sanity (less noise) and for the tank's longevity. Vibrations lead to high-cycle fatigue failures in steel over time (long times...).

The other important thing to do is to connect the compressor to the piping with a short section of rubber hose to isolate the vibrations from the piping. And to account for any expansion/contraction.

Those are the only real important things to do, and as you see there are many ways to get there.

-Dave

 

Hockey pucks work great.

 

I worked for Johnson Controls for 18 years and all we ever mounted our compressors on was HOCKEY PUCKS.