Every tool has its own set of requirements to work efficiently and it is equally important for you to know about that. I am glad some people don’t make their decision just based on their liking but they do their research.
You are the one here, welcome to this world. Coming to the point, one must know that various pneumatic tools have varying needs in terms of the type of air compressor used. Because of this, the air compressor has to be a certain size to power all of the tools. In this case, the size is determined by the impact wrench used.
To talk about this in detail and to devise an answer to your question, this article will take you through a vast standpoint of information and knowledge. We will make sure to give you a detailed yet straightforward answer if your 20-gallon air compressor runs an impact wrench or not. Begin reading the below-given sections:
What is an Impact wrench and its sizes
An impact wrench is a type of wrench machine that is designed to give a high-tension outcome with minimal effort. This is accomplished by storing energy in a spinning form and then rapidly sending the stored energy to the output.
Now you get a clear idea on what is the purpose of the impact wrench, moving on it is directly correlated with air compressors and its functioning varies with the size of the air compressor. The greater the size of an air compressor, the more psi and cfm it will contain, and the greater will be the efficiency of an impact wrench.
To have a clear idea, we are going to discuss different sizes of an impact wrench and what size air compressor will go with it!
So, we will take these three sizes into concern:
- ¼-inch wrench
- 3/8-inch wrench
- ½ inch wrench
- 1-inch wrench
1. For a ¼ inch wrench
A wrench of ¼ does not require high pressure or level of air, so it is advised to go for an air compressor that generates 1.6cfm would be enough to work with. It usually comes in the category of handheld air compressors.
2. For a 3/8-inch wrench
Moving to a higher level will require more energy consumption. For that, you should go for an air compressor with a 3.5CFM level. Concerning so a portable air compressor would be the best choice.
3. For a ½ inch wrench
The most-known and most-used of all, the ½ impact wrench serves multiple purposes. To find the right option for it, a 4-5 cfm air compressor is what you should opt for.
4. For a 1-inch wrench
It is the most uncommon of all, but the most powerful option out there and I know you must be familiar with it if you are here. As we are going down, the CFM levels are increasing so for the 1-inch wrench, one must go for a 10 CFM air compressor.
Factors on which the Size of the Impact Wrench Depends
These factors are the most dependable ones when we are calculating the size of an air compressor concerning its impact wrench. These include the following.
Tank Size:
The size of an air compressor tank is usually given in gallons. It also shows how much air the air compressor can hold at one time. After using all of the air in the tank, you have to fill it up again, so you better get a tank depending on your needs.
CFM:
CFM stands for Cubic Feet per Minute, which is a rating. This number tells how much air the air compressor can pump out per minute. This is one of the most important component in functioning and later affects the performance of device.
PSI:
PSI stands for Pounds per Square Inch, which is also an abbreviation. The pressure exerted by the air compressor is measured in pounds per square inch according to this rating. After cfm, psi is equally important. Usually a good compressors has psi rating between 125-250PSI.
Will a 20-gallon air compressor run an impact wrench? – Direct Guide
To choose an air compressor, there are three different perspectives that you must know first. These include the amount of pressure, CFM level, and the size of the tank.
Considering that and the above-mentioned impact wrenches and their respectively required CFM levels, if you have an ½ inch impact wrench and the required cfm then you can easily go for a 20-gallon air compressor. But if you have others, then it will be difficult to run a 20-gallon compressor.
Features a 20-gallon air compressor must-have for an Impact wrench
Drain Valve
It is a very important part of any air compressor that will be used to power an air impact wrench. A drain valve gets rid of water that has collected at the bottom of the tank and could cause the air compressor to rust or break down.
Performance
There are two very important ways to measure the performance of an air compressor. Pressure per square inch (PSI) and cubic feet per minute are those units used to measure these things.
Importance of using the Right Wrench
- To run an air compressor efficiently, you must go for the right size impact wrench. Because using the smaller or the bigger size will cause internal damage.
- By not using enough power or air or even when the tool is using more of it than the air compressor capacity, overheating and explosion can take place during work.
- If you are using the wrong size, even when both the tools are working fine but slowly it will affect the efficiency and performance of the air compressor. By performance and efficiency, it means that your compressor will not last you as it should.
Final words:
In the end, having this information will help you determine the size of the air compressor you’ll need. Also, get the right size for your impact wrench. Additionally, a larger tank and more air storage gallons are vital with a higher CFM air compressor.
Other than that, yes you can use a 20-gallon air compressor with an impact wrench, and to know which sized impact wrench, scroll above dude!
