The number of amps that an air compressor draws is directly proportional to its overall size. Having an electric air compressor isn’t a piece of cake as it seems. To make it all worthy, you must look for all the fundamentals of the air compressor.
It is also evident from several researches that shows, if you are investing into an equipment and wants it to last longer, make sure to keep an eye on its power sources. The major fundamentals include the watts and amps of an air compressor.
To know about your air compressors specifications, this article will rightly direct you to the definitive information. Let’s have a look at your question now, which states as how many watts and amp does an air compressor use. We will break into two sections further more to get a clear perspective.
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How many watts an air compressor use?
If you are in the market for new compressors, it will be easier for you to make a decision if you are aware of the amount of wattage that a small air compressor consumes. It is also applicable for huge sized air compressors too as the currents varies.
There are several different types of compressors, each of which can be purchased with a grading that provides an estimate of their typical energy consumption.
In the realm of air compressors, the wattage of the compressor can be determined by the number of amps that it uses. Milliamps, which are another prominent unit of measurement for power usage, are used to indicate the amount of power that is consumed by a tool. In this section, we will take 2 examples of portable air compressor and an air compressor of 1hp to find out their respective watts.
Portable air compressor:
The amount of watts necessary for a compact air compressor is dependent on a variety of factors. On average, though, a tiny air compressor will demand close to 190 watts of power. A little motor is responsible for the movement of a piston back and forth in a small air compressor.
The compressed air is pushed into the tank storage by a motor consuming about 180 to 200 watts. When the tank has reached its maximum capacity of compressed air, the motor will turn off by itself.
Pancake air compressor:
Pancake air compressors comes with the voltage of 110. So according to that, a 110-volt air compressor with a current draw of 10 amps will generate 1,100 watts.
For 1hp air compressor:
It takes 4500 watts to kick on this compressor and just 1500 watts to keep it running. The average compressor requires three times as much power to start as it does to run continuously on a generator. Therefore, you need multiply the larger compressor’s operating wattage by three.
How many amps does an air compressor use?
Just like the watts, amps are also based on the size of your air compressor. The bigger the compressor, it is evident that more will be the amps. But to give you an exact figurative value, this section is all that you need to go through.
I am going to discuss three stages here, at first for the 2hp air compressor and then for the 50-gallon air compressor and so on.
2hp air compressor:
2hp air compressors falls into the category of pancake compressor. Contractors that work on homes often use pancake compressors. They can be held in a single hand and used to power several air tools. So, when we talk about that, 10 amps are required for those with 2 HP to function effectively. However, there are still certain variables that can affect the rating, particularly when considering the voltage.
12V air compressor:
These are mainly portable air compressors that can be found in almost every household or in workshops. These compressors that run on 12 volts will draw 9 –19 amps.
220V air compressor:
In addition, the pressure being used could affect the maximum allowable amperage. When set to maximum capacity, certain 220-volt compressors can draw as much as 40 amps of power.
110V air compressor:
An air compressor powered by a 110-volt outlet uses around 15 amps. In some researches, it is also stated that some 220-volt compressors might use as much current as their 110-volt.
How to collect the watts an air compressor generates?
Getting straight into the questions that is asked on the internet but quite o one is able to answer it clearly. So here it is:
- Your owner’s manual guide is your best friend. Always look for the solutions over there even before searching on the internet. You will find specific and to the point information from there.
- If you want to calculate the watts, it’s best to do a multiplication between the numbers of voltages with amps. It is in actual determined by the amps.
- Then at this point, you have to take the voltage at which it is functioning and here we will multiply it by 3.
- A little complex to understand, but here all you need is a generator and some patience. Make sure your generator’s power is more than your first needs. To get a compressor going, you need at least 5 times as many watts as you would need to keep it going.
Final words:
If you want to make sure your air compressor is providing adequate power for your tools, you should check its amps and watts. Knowing how many watts and amps does an air compressor use is vital before buying and installing a new one for your use.
To find out how many amps & watts an air compressor requires, check the user manual or the compressor’s frame. Additionally, you can look for an amp and watts draw chart, preferably on the product page of the relevant manufacturer’s website.