by Tom
(Winnsboro SC )
How long should a 80 gallon tank compressor take to fully charge
I have an old Gilbarco compressor with an 80 gallon tank and a 12hp motor.
It runs beautifully and charges but seems not to hold a charge. I can cut the air supply off just outside of the tank and it will hold pressure indefinitely.
My question is how can I determine if the pump is recharging at a rate that if sufficient to keep up with demand?
If it is I need to look for a leak somewhere in the supply lines from the tank. It currently takes the pump approximately 15 minutes to charge a tank from 0 to 175 lbs.
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Tom, I have no personal experience with a venerable old Gilbarco air compressor such as yours likely is.
Yet, I think that a 12 HP motor running a pump to fill an 80 gallon tank should take what – 5-8 minutes at most? Anyone with actual stats for fill time for Tom?
While the lengthy fill time may be attributable to a leak, I suspect it more likely is a valve, gasket or seal problem inside the pump.
As to “my question is how can I determine if the pump is recharging at a rate that if sufficient to keep up with demand?” a 12HP motor should allow that compressor to deliver about 48 CFM of compressed air at 90 PSI into the tank. If your air tools are using more than this, pressure in the tank will decay as long as you are using more air than the compressor can generate, whether it is running perfectly or has some seal or valve issues.
I have no idea where you could find parts for this compressor should you need them. I hope someone with a Gilbarco air compressor can comment here for us both.
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