Do you know how to assemble an air compressor from improvised materials? Air compressor: do it yourself from the refrigerator A powerful compressor for painting a car with your own hands.

Recently, compressors have gained popularity among tinkerers. They are made on the basis of almost any engine, calculating the power of the base unit depending on the number of consumers. For home workshops, do-it-yourself self-made compressor units are in demand.
Compressors from refrigerators often remain operational after the breakdown or obsolescence of the refrigerator itself. They are weak, but unpretentious in work. And many masters make quite worthy home-made installations from them. Let's see how we can do it ourselves.

Details and materials

Required details:

11 kg propane tank;
1/2" Female Coupling with Plug;
Metal plates, width - 3-4 cm, thickness - 2-4 mm;
Two wheels with mounting platform;
Refrigeration compressor from the refrigerator;
1/4" adapter;
Brass check valve connector;
¼ inch copper pipe connector - 2 pcs;
Compressor pressure control equipment;
Bolts, screws, nuts, fumlenta.

Instruments:

welding inverter;
Screwdriver or drill;
Milling cutters for metal with titanium coating;
Turbine or drill with abrasive nozzles;
Metal brush;
Roller for copper tubes;
Adjustable wrenches, pliers.
Assembling the compressor
Step one - prepare the receiver
Rinse an empty propane tank thoroughly with water. It is very important to remove all residues of the explosive gas mixture in this way.

In the end hole of the cylinder, we overlap the adapter by 1/4 inch. We scald it from all sides by welding, and muffle it with a screw.

We put the receiver on wheels and support. To do this, we take pieces of metal plates, bend them at an angle and weld them onto the body from the bottom side. We weld wheels with a mounting platform to the corners. In front of the receiver we mount the support bracket.

Step two - mount the compressor
On top of the receiver, we expose the mounting frames for the compressor from metal plates. We check their position with a bubble level, and scald. We sit the compressor on the clamping bolts through rubber shock-absorbing pads. For this type of compressor, only one outlet will be involved, through which air is forced into the receiver. The other two, sucking in air, will remain intact.

Step three - we fix the check valve and the adapter to the equipment
We select a cutter for metal that is suitable for the diameter, and make a hole in the housing for the coupling with a screwdriver or drill. If there are protruding forms on the coupling body, we grind them with a drill (you can use a regular electric emery or a grinder with a grinding disk for this).

We expose the coupling into the hole and scald it around the circumference. Its internal thread must correspond in pitch and diameter to the seat thread on the check valve.

We use a brass check valve for small compressors. We plug the pressure relief outlet with a suitable bolt, since a bleed valve is already provided on the adjusting assembly.

To install a pressure switch or pressure switch with all the control equipment, we mount another 1/4 inch adapter. We make a hole for it in the center of the receiver, not far from the compressor.

We twist the check valve with an adapter 1/2 inch.

We connect the outlet of the compressor cylinder and the check valve with a copper tube. To do this, we flare the ends of the copper tubes with a special tool, and connect them with brass threaded adapters. We tighten the connection with adjustable wrenches.

Step four - install the control equipment
The control equipment assembly consists of a pressure switch (pressure switch) with a control sensor, a safety valve or a pressure relief valve, an adapter-coupling with an external thread and several taps and pressure gauges.

First of all, we mount the pressure switch. It must be slightly raised to the level of the compressor. We use an extension-coupling with an external thread, and we twist the relay through the sealing tape.

Through the adapter, we install a pressure control sensor with pressure gauges. We complete the assembly with a pressure relief valve and two taps for the hose outlets.

Step five - connect the electrician
We disassemble the pressure switch housing with a screwdriver, opening access to the contacts. We bring a 3-core cable to the contact group, and distribute each of the wires according to the connection diagram (including grounding).

Similarly, we make the supply cable, equipped with a plug for a power outlet. Screw the relay cover back into place.

Step Six - Refinement and Trial Run
To carry the compressor unit, we attach a special handle to the compressor frames. We make it from scraps of a profile square and round pipe. We fasten it to the clamping bolts and paint it in the color of the compressor.

We connect the installation to a 220 V network, and check its performance. According to the author, to obtain a pressure of 90 psi or 6 atm, this compressor needs 10 minutes. With the help of an adjusting sensor, the inclusion of the compressor after a pressure drop is also regulated from a certain indicator displayed on the pressure gauge. In my case, the author set up the installation so that the compressor turns on again from 60 psi or 4 atm.

The last step is to change the oil. This is an important part of the maintenance of such installations, because they do not provide an inspection window. And without oil, such machines can work for a very short time.
We unscrew the drain bolt at the bottom of the compressor, and drain the waste into the bottle. Turning the compressor on its side, fill in a little clean oil, and screw the plug back on. Now everything is in order, you can use our compressor unit!

Each garage owner dreams of their own source of compressed air - having a compressor in the bins of the garage, you can do a lot of work to repair your car on your own. But the cost of a new compressor is quite high, and acquiring an old one at your own peril and risk is not the best idea. Although, in rare cases, you can stumble upon a very good deal. If you still need professional equipment, then you can familiarize yourself with the catalog sold by TechMash Group LLC.

But in any case, a do-it-yourself high-pressure compressor is a great option that requires minimal spending.

What is needed for this? First, you need to know how the elementary compressor unit in the kit functions. And this is the engine, compressor (unit), receiver, connection details. The motor transmits the rotating movements to the compressor pulley by means of a belt drive. The driven compressor absorbs atmospheric air, which then enters the compression chamber. The movement of the piston reduces the working volume of the cylinder, inevitably squeezing the air. The compressed air then enters a container called a receiver, and then through the hoses the air drives the pneumatics, sprays the paint, and supplies various tools with energy. The receiver is necessary to eliminate pulsation caused by uneven air compression by a reciprocating compressor.

Secondly, when creating a high-pressure compressor with your own hands, you need to decide for what purposes you plan to use the compressor, since this is the determining factor in the search for the necessary elements. By choosing a high-pressure unit of 10 atmospheres, you can provide yourself with compressed air for a long time to operate any type of pneumatic tools. For such a machine, a container is needed as a receiver, capable of withstanding such an internal pressure exerted. A well-preserved former-use fire extinguisher, a container from a gas cylinder, or a home-made container made by welding a muffled piece of pipe can serve as a receiver. But at the same time, the quality of the welds and the condition of the metal must withstand an internal pressure not lower than one and a half times the operating pressure of the compressor. This will fully ensure the safe use of a homemade receiver.

The inside of the container must be protected from corrosion. There are many special fluids on the market for such operations. Then you can give the balloon an aesthetic appearance by painting it. The receiver can be installed horizontally or vertically, depending on its shape and on the desire of the author of the idea. Having decided on the position of the container, you should start drilling holes - in the lower part, a hole is necessary for periodically draining the condensate that accumulates at the bottom of the cylinder.

The drain valve must be able to withstand the pressure generated by the compressor. Under the diameter and thread pitch of the tap pipe, an internal thread is cut in a recently drilled hole.

Next, the tap is screwed in - for reliability, you can use seals or silicone sealant. Then the same is done in the middle part of the receiver to supply air into it and in the upper part to exit. A non-return valve must be installed at the inlet to the tank so that the air does not have the opportunity to escape in the opposite direction towards the compressor.

At the outlet, a through valve of the appropriate pressure and diameter is screwed in. The outlet is best done at the top of the receiver, as in this case the maximum amount of liquid will remain at the bottom of the cylinder. The pressure gauge can be mounted by making a separate hole for it and cutting a suitable thread in it, or by attaching it to the outlet pipe, up to the tap. Thanks to the pressure gauge, it will be possible to control the operation of a home-made high-pressure compressor and, if necessary, subject the installation to more precise adjustment. Another not unimportant point - in order for the compressor to be able to periodically turn off and cool down at this time, you should pay attention to the size of the receiver. You should not make it small - the larger the receiver, the less often you will need to turn on the compressor.

As the main unit, you can use compressors from an old household refrigerator or a serviceable used unit. Often motorists use a 12 volt compressor to inflate wheels. Lots of options. The main thing is to decide for what purposes the compressor is needed and how much air is needed. The advantages of refrigeration motor compressors are that they already have an engine in their design. In addition, they create an extremely low amount of noise. The disadvantages include the fact that when working with air, and not with freon gas, the compressor needs frequent replacement of lubricating oil. As for electric tire inflation pumps, this is also a good choice for building a DIY high pressure compressor. But at the same time, you will have to provide it with a constant current of 12 volts, that is, you will need an additional power supply. And the volume of the receiver must be calculated specifically for a specific model, since the period of periodic operation of such pumps is limited, and it will have time to gain the necessary pressure in the receiver before it turns off.

For greater ease of use of the compressor, you can adapt a very useful part - a pressure switch. It is best to install it on the receiver. Thanks to this device, it is possible to correctly adjust the start-up and shutdown of the unit, which is necessary to control the pressure in the receiver and the uniform operation of the compressor and electric motor.

The pressure switch eliminates the need to manually turn the compressor on and off, which means eliminating the risk of overheating of the electric motor and destruction of the elements of the compressor unit caused by excessive overpressure.

A portable air compressor, quiet, consuming relatively little electricity - this is probably the dream of every owner of a private house, cottage, garage, small business. Well, it is quite possible to make a mobile compressed air installation on your own, for example, by taking part of the equipment of an old household refrigerator. Each refrigeration unit has a built-in compressor. If you remove this part, add equipment, you get an air compressor from a refrigerator compressor,.

Before deciding to implement an idea, it is advisable to determine exactly: is this idea really worth taking on? Let's consider several important aspects of the topic in order to help future designers make the right decision:

not designed for air service.
The performance of compressors in household refrigerators is low.
Refrigeration compressors require special oil to lubricate the mechanism.

From this follow the corresponding conclusions. When working with an air environment, the device will not be able to function for a long time without good cooling.

When the refrigeration compressor works with freon, due to other temperature parameters of the refrigerant, the housing is cooled.

Compression of the air mixture by a refrigeration compressor occurs in completely different temperature conditions, which will lead to an increase in operating temperature by an order of magnitude. Ultimately, without good cooling, the compressor will simply burn out.

A burnt refrigerator compressor as a result of a violation of technological operating modes. The same fate awaits the device, which is supposed to be used in the project, if you do not apply special protective equipment.

The low performance of home refrigeration units is another factor limiting the use of such equipment for producing compressed air.

For example, in order to pump up a 5-liter receiver to a pressure of 5-7 atm., It will take at least 15-20 minutes of operation of the refrigeration unit.

Meanwhile, this volume of air is not enough even to inflate a car wheel in one sitting or paint one wall of a small garage with a spray gun.

Low performance of the refrigerator system is a common thing for such equipment. But for an air compression system, especially with a large flow rate, a high-performance system is already required

Finally, another important factor is compressor oil. To lubricate the mechanism of refrigeration compressors, a special freon oil is used, the properties of which change dramatically in contact with air.

If you do not change the oil to another type of lubricant that is loyal in structure to air, after a certain time the compressor mechanism will simply “close” due to the rapid wear of parts.

DIY construction

So, if, despite all the noted nuances, a decision is made to assemble from the refrigerator, you can proceed directly to action.

Approximately such a design should be obtained as a result of the implementation of the conceived idea. In appearance, there are no complaints. The device looks more than flawless and quite impressive

The first step is to collect all the necessary details of the project equipment:

Air receiver.
Oil separator.
Differential pressure switch.
Copper tube.
Inlet air filter.
Shut-off control and control valves.

For an air receiver, a compressed air cylinder from a KAMAZ vehicle is optimally suited. The five-liter container has overall dimensions acceptable for the domestic environment and meets the requirements for pressure vessels.

A home compressor made from a refrigerator is best equipped with one of the cylinders that are used on KAMAZ truck tractors. These vessels comply with Rostekhnadzor standards

Design option of the oil separator, which is recommended for use as part of the installation. For reliable operation of the system, high-quality separation of oil from air is required.

A differential pressure switch (for example, from the PT series) is used from among those used in industrial refrigeration plants.

A sufficient amount of copper tube is available in the design of the condenser of a domestic refrigerator. In diameter, it fits the outlet pipe of the refrigerator compressor.

The air filter at the compressor inlet is easy to make from any suitable plastic container by placing an ordinary foam rubber sponge inside. Shut-off control and control valves - valves, check valve, pressure gauges - can be bought at the store.

Assembly of the air unit

An air receiver (for example, an air tank from a KAMAZ vehicle) is mounted on a chassis made of a metal corner. Additionally, it is recommended to install a pair of wheels on the chassis for ease of movement, a supporting “leg” and a handle.

A platform for installing a refrigerator compressor and a bracket for mounting a differential pressure switch are fixed above the upper area of \u200b\u200bthe cylinder. An oil separator is fixed to the side of the receiver, through a clamp and an outlet fitting.

Hand made oil separator. For fastening, one clamp with a bracket was used on the left side of the separator, and the right side is attached to the fitting of the inlet pipe of the receiver

An air filter must be installed on the inlet pipe of the refrigerator compressor. The presence of an air filter is required to reduce the entry of foreign particles present in the air into the system.

It is easy to make an air filter from any plastic container by attaching it through an angled threaded transition to the inlet pipe.

Air filter at the unit inlet. It is easy to make one with your own hands from a suitable plastic container. Foam sponge inside the filter housing

The outlet pipe of the compressor is connected through a compensatory copper tube-heat exchanger with the inlet fitting of the separator (oil separator). The outlet branch pipe of the separator is connected to the receiver through an angle adapter.

A tee and (compressed air outlet) is installed at the receiver outlet. Through the branches of the tee, the outlet of the receiver is additionally communicated by copper tubes with a differential relay and a pressure gauge. There is also a safety valve.

Electrical part and principle of operation

The electrical circuit diagram actually remains intact, with the exception of minor changes. That is, the compressor from the refrigerator, as it was powered from the AC mains through the starting relay, so this option is left unchanged.

Another question is that it is possible to modernize the circuit somewhat. For example, supplement it with a switch installed on the body of the assembled installation. Still, this option is more convenient than periodically plugging and unplugging the plug from the outlet each time the device is used in practice.

This design does not have a separate power switch. The compressor is connected to the network with a two-wire cord with a plug through the contact group of the pressure switch

Also, the circuit for supplying voltage to the compressor must be configured taking into account the inclusion of the contact group of the differential pressure switch.

Due to this configuration, the device will turn off immediately after reaching the set air pressure limit. Here, in fact, that's all. The air compressor from the refrigerator can be considered done.

Some notes on the project

A fire extinguisher for a receiver for a home compressed air unit must be selected taking into account a three-fold pressure margin. Powder OT bottle is not the best choice

Often, fire extinguisher cylinders are used as a receiver for home-made projects. Meanwhile, the containers of powder fire extinguishers have a low limit of the maximum allowable working pressure (8-12 atm.).

In addition, such vessels are subject to mandatory examination after a certain period of time in the relevant authorities. If you still take a fire extinguisher vessel under the receiver, then vessels from under carbon dioxide systems can be considered an acceptable option.

Finally, the most important point. Such structures, in fact, should be registered with the Rostekhnadzor authorities, since the assembly contains a vessel operating at a pressure of more than 0.07 MPa (the operating pressure of the installation is 10 atm.).

Owners of unregistered home-made air compressors may well be held liable (administrative and even criminal), as soon as something extraordinary happens during the operation of the equipment with a threat to human life and health.

So it’s worth thinking a thousand times before trying to assemble an air compressor from a refrigerator compressor with your own hands.

The practice of assembling a compressed air installation

Tags:

This air piston compressor is very easy to manufacture and anyone can repeat it if desired. The compressor can be used to inflate balloons, for some chemical experiments where it is required to create air bubbles in a liquid, like an aquarium fish compressor, etc.

What is required to make a compressor?

The motor with a 12 V gearbox is the most scarce part, you can buy it here -
Several bicycle spokes.
Two valve nipples from a bicycle.
12 V power supply, you can buy it here if you suddenly don't have it -

Motor-reducer for 12 volts DC, with a speed of 300 rpm.

Bicycle spoke.

Manufacturing

So, if you have collected all the components, but we can start manufacturing our compressor.
Bend the needle at the end at a right angle.

With wire cutters we bite off the knitting needle on the other side, so that we can make such an L-shaped shape.

We insert the threaded part of the spoke into the hole in the gear motor shaft. The hole was there in the beginning. We fix the second locking nut from the other knitting needle, tightening it with pliers.

Then we take two knitting needles and wind one on the other. We take out the inner knitting needle, bite off a part of the knitting knitting needle. Here's what should happen.

We bite off at a distance of about 10 cm and make a bend.

Next, we put this curl on the part that was made earlier on the gear motor. The limiters were made from lock nuts from the spokes. Fix the nuts with super glue. We have a moving node. This is the piston lever that will push the compressor piston.

Let's take a piece of wood board and attach the motor with gearbox and our crankset using a brace, screws, and a piece of wood for elevation.

We take out the syringe, separate the needle - it will not be needed.

We take out the plunger of the syringe and cut off the lower edges into a cone to ensure greater ease of movement of the plunger, removing excess pressure.

With a hot soldering iron, from the side closer to the beginning of the syringe, we will make a hole for the nipple valve.

We insert the nipple, fix it with super glue. This will be the intake valve.

We fill the hole for the needle with hot glue - we do not need it.

We make another hole with a soldering iron and insert the exhaust valve, fix it with super glue as well.

For greater reliability, and so that there are no leaks, fill the valve connections with epoxy.

Take the paste from the gel ballpoint pen. Cut off a small piece about 1 cm. Glue this piece to the end of the piston with super glue.

Insert into it the end from the spokes of our mechanism. And install the modified syringe on a wooden stand. Everything is fixed with hot glue.

I have been dreaming of buying a compressor for two years now. A very useful device for a wide variety of jobs in the garage: pumping wheels, painting with a gun, blowing engine parts, and so on. On average, a simple compressor costs 10 thousand rubles, a home-made one cost 300 rubles, plus a bunch of rubbish that was lying around at home. An old compressor from a refrigerator, a gas cylinder, a pressure gauge 10 BAR, angles and tees from brass, plugs for them, metal nipples with threads from moped chambers, clamps, washers.

For manufacturing, I used a compressor from a cylindrical refrigerator installed horizontally. It has a capacity of 10 l / min, which is very small compared to industrial ones, but I don’t need to, say, bleed air at a low pressure of 3 Bar for 5-10 seconds, when the pressure in the receiver (I’ll talk about it later) is 8-9 Bar.

For the receiver, I take a 50l gas cylinder. He drained all the gasoline from him ahead of time. I tried to spin the crane, but no matter what methods I used, the crane did not succumb.

Since the cylinder valve has a left-hand thread, I decided to make a 3/4-inch adapter with a right-hand thread. I took a high pressure hose and two adapters from 3/4 to 10mm with left and right threads. It turned out such an adapter

I assembled a simple splitter from tees and corners and made a trial inclusion.

In 45 minutes, the cylinder gained pressure of almost 9 bar, with a receiver volume of 50L, this is approximately 430L of air

He scored a couple of times, and then lowered the cylinder upside down to remove the remnants of gas and gasoline, after which he set about a thorough assembly. The position of the cylinder is horizontal, I welded the compressor mount on top and installed all the wiring with a pressure gauge. I fixed the scheme on clips mounted on nails welded to the cylinder by welding. The compressor with the circuit was connected with a hose, fastened to the clamps

I drilled a hole in the plug, inserted a nipple into it and put a rubber gasket on top. I clamped the plug onto the tap, two tees in a row to the tap: one outlet to the receiver, the other to the pressure gauge. Then I wound a corner, a coarse filter to the corner, a coupling to the filter and the same plug as on the other side.

The filter had to be installed so that the oil that the compressor squeezes out settles and does not fall into the receiver and tubes.

It remains the case for small, weld the legs and paint everything in one color. One leg in front, two in back. All legs are the remains of a corner

I didn’t set the machine to turn off until there is money to buy it. For the same reason, I did not install a pressure regulator. How will the money finish, but for now enough and so.

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