air compressor operation - confused

[foxbat426]

Hi, Is an air compressor suppose to run all the time or only when the airbrush is keyed?

I'm talking about a tankless hobbiest airbrush compressor, not one with a tank.

My compressor has an auto shutoff of about 55 psi. When i turn it on it runs all the way to 55 psi, shuts down and sits there until i key my airbrush. When the pressure drops to 43 PSI it kicks on again, so basically it runs all of the time, regardless of where i regulate it, is this correct? do most tankless compressors work like this?

I hear some hobbiests talking about how their tankless compressors only come on when they key their airbrushes and turn off when they unkey them. Confused.

Can someone explain this to me.

Thanks again, john

[MachinistMark]

all the time.

[foxbat426]

mark, so it is suppose to run all of the time?? that is until it hits its shutoff PSI. is that correct???

thx, john

[MachinistMark]

As far as i know, with no tank to fill, it is supposed to run constantly

[Psychographic]

The compressor turns on until it hit's 55 psi, then it turns off. During use it kicks back on when the pressure drops to 43 PSI. Correct?

If so, this is how an on-demand compressor works. It doesn't matter what pressure you are spraying at. The purpose of this type of compressor is so the compressor shuts of when you are not demanding air, when you need air it comes on. This is useful for frequent color changes and other times when the airbrush usage is on and off frequently. If the compressor shut of during use, you would have no air supply for the airbrush as the compressor is tankless and has no reserve.

Make sense?

[Tony T]

I have a tankless compressor with a pressure regulator. It is on all the time. I also have a compressor with a tank and it shuts off when it reaches a certain pressure and comes on again when it drops while in use. Hope that helps.

Do you have a manual for your compressor? There may be something that is particular to your make and model.

[foxbat426]

thanks to everyone for their help - got it!

[Mike Kucaba]

My recently acquired iwata whisper jet runs up to 40 psi and turns off.When i depress the airbrush button it turns on and runs until I release the button and it returns to 40psi. I can regulate the pressure to say 20psi by opening a bleed off knob and then it will run constantly as its calling for air.

[foxbat426]

mike, that's exactly what mine does except mine runs up to approx. 58 PSI and shuts off. you have a bleed off valve too? mine has one under the water filter that acts like a regulator, but was told is not a true regulator - i've been debating wheather or not to put on a "real regulator", not sure what the differences are.

sorry to hear about your shepard - i had one that passed at 8 years also.

thx, john

[Mike Kucaba]

John, Thank you for your kind thoughts on my dog AXLE. He was actually 11 y.o.,but I rescued him at age 3.He was a fantastic dog and I think I will have a German Shepherd 'till I die.

I have another A/C unit that I use with other airbrushes,especially the Paasche VL as they seem to really use a high volume of air. I don't think I want to mess with it as it works very well with the two Iwatas I have