My small air compressor cycled so often during use that the noise almost drove me crazy. As much as I hated to spend the money, it looked like a bigger compressor would be my only option. That’s when I discovered air-storage tanks. By connecting a 5-gal. storage tank to my compressor’s tank, I more than doubled its air-storage capacity.
Now my compressor cycles much less frequently. Standard plumbing components, available at any hardware store, connect the storage tank to the compressor (see photo, left). The storage tank is still portable because the input ball valve allows airtight disconnecting and reconnecting.
The tank is mounted upside down, so the moisture produced by the compressed air collects in a 4-in.-long trap. Cracking a ball valve mounted at the end of the trap expels the moisture.My total cost was about $50. Make sure the pounds-per-square-inch (psi) pressure rating of the storage tank you buy is equal to or greater than your compressor’s psi rating.
An onboard safety switch prevents the compressor from pressurizing higher than its psi rating, so I fully open the compressor’s regulator and use the storage tank’s regulator to adjust the line pressure. This arrangement pressurizes both tanks to the compressor’s limit and provides maximum air storage.