The 5 Horsepower Air Compressor Power To Perform

A 5 horespower air compressor can be bought as a single stage or a double stage compressor. The most popular type is the reciprocating (or piston-and-cylinder) compressor. The selection depends upon the job requirements and how many tools will be using the same tank. The other consideration is the CFM requirement of the air tools used plus the total CFM of air tools being used serviced from the same tank.

Single Or Two Stage

Most pumps are either single-stage or two-stage. The difference refers to the number of times intake air is compressed in a pump. A single stage compressor compresses intake air one time before sending the air into a storage tank. Single stage air compressors can have one, two, or four cylinders, but the air is only compressed once. For a high quality 5 HP compressor that delivers check out the Ingersoll Rand SS5L5 5-Horsepower 230-Volt 60-Gallon Vertical Compressor

Two-stage air compressors compress air twice before sending it into a storage tank. A two-stage compressor has a minimum of two cylinders: a low-pressure cylinder (largest) and a high -pressure cylinder (smallest). Air is compressed once in the large cylinder and then sent through an air cooling tube, which reduces discharge air temperatures.

Single stage 5 horespower compressors are usually featured with 60 gallon tanks with a single stage compressor rated at 11 to 18 CFM and a maximum PSI of 150. Single-stage compressors are generally used for pressures in the range of 70 psi to 100 psi. The 60 gallon air compressor tank is a good match with a 5 HP air compressor. 

A double stage unit with the same size tank can produce 18 CFM with most producing a maximum of 200 PSI.  In both cases larger tanks are available depending upon the need that will deliver more CFM air flow. Two-stage compressors are generally used for higher pressures in the range of 100 psi to 200 psi with some makes and models producing as much as 250 psi. 

Drives

A 5 horsepower compressor will be oil-lubricated and exclusively belt drive. Air compressors less than 5 HP can be oil lubricated units or are built direct drive, oil free with internal combustion engines. In direct drive designs, the motor may be integrated with the compressor, sharing a common shaft and support structure as in small oilless types or may be connected with a coupling for larger sizes. Some special configurations use power takeoff drives in service trucks and heavy equipment. Belt drive designs may use vee, poly vee, or multiple belts, and require periodic maintenance and replacement when worn. Direct drive are high RPM and are very noisy with a much shorter life. 

You should avoid high speed aluminum pumps, they have very low life expectancies and were built for low price, just like some of the direct drive compressors.

Power Requirements

A 5 horsepower compressor can use gasoline engines as a power source or can be electric. Electric 5 Hp compressors will need a single phase power source rated at 30 amps and 230 volt AC.

Running Off A Generator  

There is often a problem using an electric compressor powered by a generator. Most electric tools have a "start-up surge" they need more current to start than they do to run. Electric compressors use about three times as much power to start as they do to run. A compressor that runs on 15 AMPS may need 45 AMPS (or more!) to start. The reason compressors don't blow your house's circuit breakers is that the demand is for a very brief time (thousandths of a second). The power lines have all the power your compressor needs, so the compressor starts, and the "spike" is so short in duration that your circuit-breaker doesn't have time to react. But your generator probably doesn't have that starting power available, so it will make a valiant effort, fail, and shut down - and your compressor won't start at all. Make very sure your generator is big enough to handle that huge start-up surge or consider using a gas powered compressor.

Gas horsepower is rated differently than electric motor HP. You would require a 10 HP gas engine to give the same performance as a 5 HP electric motor. The difference is one of efficiency. The electric motor is far more efficient by design. Any electric motor more than 2 Hp will be a 220 volt motor requiring 25 amps to operate.

Lubrication

Splash lubrication relies on an oil dipper attached to the bottom of the connecting rod, which randomly splashes oil from the crankcase reservoir onto the bearings and internal parts of the compressor to keep them properly lubricated. This is the most common form of lubrication and is used in most reciprocating type air compressors. In oil-free and oilless compressors, there is no oil on the cylinder walls. Oilless designs depend on the self-lubricating materials to allow the piston to slide in the cylinder and the grease in the sealed bearings.

Pressure lubrication uses an oil pump driven by the crankshaft to draw oil out of the crankcase. It is then filtered and pumped through passageways in the crankshaft to the connecting rod bearing surfaces. This action provides direct, positive lubrication to these critical parts. Oil also sprays onto the cylinder walls lubricating the piston and piston bearings. A pressure lubrication system costs a little more, but delivers superior lubrication and is the system of choice for heavy-duty industrial service