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air compressor for blowout

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njitgrad

Active Member

Posts: 32

Location: NJ

1

Sunday, June 23rd 2013, 9:13am

air compressor for blowout

Looking to buy a compressor this summer to blow out my own lines out at the end of the season. Will a 125 PSI compressor like the one below be sufficient for a residential property with approximately 1/2 acre of property? Do I then just need to add a blowout fitting (also below)?

Rolair 2.5 Gal Air Compressor

Blowout fitting

H2oExpert

New Member

Posts: 5

2

Wednesday, June 26th 2013, 4:20am

Air Compressor for blowouts

Your going to want to find a compressor that has a high CFM (cubic feet minute). Depending how much time you want to spend doing your B/O, for a normal system 135cfm is a good place to start. you can use a compressor like the one you were asking about but it will take quite a while

njitgrad

Active Member

Posts: 32

Location: NJ

3

Thursday, June 27th 2013, 1:46pm

RE: Air Compressor for blowouts

Quoted from "H2oExpert"

Your going to want to find a compressor that has a high CFM (cubic feet minute). Depending how much time you want to spend doing your B/O, for a normal system 135cfm is a good place to start. you can use a compressor like the one you were asking about but it will take quite a while


Is it just me or does 135 cfm sound like a tremendous amount. The Rolair JC10 specs indicate 3.8 cfm @ 40psi and 2.35 cfm @ 90 PSI. These numbers are not even in the ballpark. Am I missing something here?

In fact the enormous Rolair RC4MK103 (115 lb unit) only puts out 7.5 cfm.

H2oExpert

New Member

Posts: 5

4

Friday, June 28th 2013, 6:25am

The compressor we used were tow behind air comp. we used a 135cfm and a 185cfm. We kept the pressure at 65-75psi. You need flow not pressure

electrifiedmale

Active Member

Posts: 31

Location: Longview, Texas

5

Saturday, June 29th 2013, 6:21pm

Quoted from "njitgrad"

Am I missing something here?
Usual disclaimer here, Im not a pro sprinkler guy, but Im a pro at some other stuff.

The flow is whats important... if you add up all the area inside the pipes that are full of water, that is going to add up to a lot more area than you might think.

A comparable task to blowing out the irrigation system, would be maybe to blow out a couple of huge tractor tires full of water, with only a few small holes for the water to escape from..... It will take a while with the home type compressor.

Pro's dont have that kind of time to spend on a blowout. They need the big one in order to offer a competitive price, and Time (labor) = Money. Lots of it.

njitgrad

Active Member

Posts: 32

Location: NJ

6

Wednesday, July 10th 2013, 9:55am

So basically what you're saying is that its not practical for a homeowner to purchase a compressor just for doing blowouts because of the storage space it requires and the hefty price tag for such a dedicated unit. My blowout costs $90 every Fall.

electrifiedmale

Active Member

Posts: 31

Location: Longview, Texas

7

Wednesday, July 10th 2013, 10:59pm

No, I didn't say that or intend to make any point other than to say why the pro's use such a big one.
Apologies for any misunderstanding about that.

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