My friend Paul wants to buy an air compressor. So he asked me, ‘’Will a 3 gallon air compressor run an impact wrench?’’ We all know 3 gallon air compressor is very popular for its home style. That’s why Paul wants to have one. But is it can run an impact wrench? What do you think? If you have the same question as Paul, this article will give you an exact answer. So let’s see the answer.
KNOW THE SIZE OF THE AIR COMPRESSOR
At first, we have to see what we want to do with our air compressors. If we’re going to use an air compressor for a paint sprayer, paint a car, paint gun, we have to choose a big one. But A 3 gallon air compressor is tiny in size. It can only do stapling, fix the nailing of walls, inflation, roofing, farming, blowing, trimming all kinds of household activities.
WILL A 3 GALLON AIR COMPRESSOR RUN AN IMPACT RANGE?
- 3 gallon air compressor is home style.
- It is very inexpensive
- Can quickly inflate auto tires.
- Small in size
- Marketed as a beginner air compressor.
- Can do small household activities
For all of these reasons, we are crazy about it. But if it comes to say about running an impact range, sorry to say it can’t because it can’t generate sufficient pressure to run an impact range.
HOW MUCH AIR PRESSURE NEED TO RUN AN IMPACT WRENCH?
If we want to run an impact wrench, we have to know the size of it also. A large air compressor can run great tools because these air compressors can generate more air pressure. Wants to know details about it? Okay, let’s see the requiring CFM and air pressure to run different impact wrenches. It will help us to buy an air compressor for running our impact wrench.
FOR RUNNING ¼ INCH IMPACT WRENCH
The tiniest size among all sizes of impact wrench is 1/4 inch impact wrench. The required air volume is 2 CFM, which generates 90 PSI air pressure. It does not need a lot of pressure to run. So an 8-gallon air compressor will be more than enough for it.
FOR 3/8 INCH IMPACT WRENCH
3/8 inch impact wrench requires a little bit more pressure than for ¼ inch impact wrench. This impact wrench volume of air needed is 3 CFM, which also generates 90 PSI air pressure. So a 12-gallon air compressor will be best for it.
FOR ½ INCH IMPACT WRENCH
½ inch impact wrench is medium in size. We most commonly use this impact wrench. The required air volume is 5 CFM to run a 1/2 inch impact wrench, which generates 100 PSI air pressure. You have to buy a 20-30 gallon air compressor for it.
TO RUN ¾ INCH IMPACT WRENCH.
These impact wrenches are larger. So it requires a high amount of air volume to run. The required air volume for this impact wrench is 7 CFM, which generates 100 PSI air pressure. If you want to run it, you need a 28-30 gallon air compressor.
TO RUN A 1-INCH IMPACT WRENCH.
We don’t commonly use this size of the impact wrench. In construction sites, we can see the use of this size of the impact wrench. It is the largest. So it will require the highest amount of air volume to run. The required air volume for this size of impact wrench is 10-15 CFM for generating 120-150 air pressure. The large one 40-60 gallon air compressor will correctly run it.
So if you want to impact wrench, don’t try the 3 gallon air compressor.
WHY CAN’T A 3 GALLON AIR COMPRESSOR RUN AN IMPACT WRENCH?
We usually use an impact wrench for loosening or tightening the ear nuts from our cars and trucks. We most commonly use this air tool. Impact wrenches apply a high amount of force for doing tasks through short, fast bursts. These short (happens for every 5 seconds) bursts of power fasten this loosening or tightening. So to complete this action, it needs a vast amount of air pressure. Above we saw how much air pressure need for running different impact wrenches. A 3 gallon air compressor has only 0.5 CFM air volume.
So a 3 gallon air compressor can’t produce sufficient air pressure for running an impact wrench. Even a 6-gallon air compressor is also not recommended to run the tiniest impact wrench of ¼ inch because this air gallon will take time to refill after several duration of 2-3minutes to fill it so that it will hamper our work. We recommend buying a minimum 8-gallon air compressor if you want to run an impact wrench of 0.25 inches. A 20-30 gallon air compressor will be the best choice for running an impact wrench because it can produce the required air pressure to impact wrench correctly.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. WILL A 3 GALLON AIR COMPRESSOR RUN AN IMPACT WRENCH?
Answer : The answer is no. We already said that this kind of air compressor only generates a few air pressure amounts, which is impossible to run an impact wrench.
Q. WHAT SIZE OF AIR GALLON WILL I NEED TO RUN AN IMPACT WRENCH?
Answer : Depending on the impact wrench’s size, we recommend you have an 8-20 gallon air compressor to do your task without ease.
Q. IS A 6-GALLON AIR COMPRESSOR PERFECT FOR RUNNING AN IMPACT WRENCH?
Answer : Yes, a 6-gallon air compressor can run the smallest size of impact wrench but not entirely. So we don’t recommend you to have it. Go for an 8-gallon air compressor. It will be best for you.
WRAPPING UP
I hope this article helped you find out the answer to the question “will a 3 gallon air compressor run an impact wrench?”.
Now we all have the answer. So it is our request to all of you please don’t waste your valuable money to buy an unnecessary thing. Don’t be tempted by the advertisement for a low-quality product.
Research properly before buying, can it fulfil your requirement or not.
