Schedule a Meeting · Talk to a real woodworker: +1 937-890-5197 · 8:00AM – 4:30PM ET

I am looking for a quiet air compressor for my garage

greensdiyer

Hey guys,

Green here and I am a Hobbyist DIYer. I am looking for a quiet compressor for my garage. The last compressor I owned was a real loudmouth with an above 80 dB noise level. But, the poor guy died on me.

So, I want a compressor with lower noise levels that can run my DIYer garage tools plus, also works silently. If anyone has bought a quiet air compressor then do let me know about it. Any recommended places from where you buy from, or if you have links then do share them with me as well.

RFGuy

I can't speak from personal experience, but I have seen many online rave about how quiet California Air Tools compressors are. They have some ultra quiet models that are as low as 60dB. Might be worth a look:

https://www.californiaairtools.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwsNiIBhBdEiwAJK4khiaFOeH4ytLIwSVOnAuqPXNmlblSkXn4wOn7cJ0doqgoKv4wdmHxHhoCtJgQAvD_BwE

Hobbyman2

I think it would be easier to build a sound proof cabinet for one . :}

garys

Soundproof cabinets take care of the noise, but add a new problem of insulating the compressor so it is prone to overheating. If you put a compressor in a small soundproof cabinet, you should also look into having a fan and outside exhaust system to cool the cabinet.

edma194

garys wrote Soundproof cabinets take care of the noise, but add a new problem of insulating the compressor so it is prone to overheating. If you put a compressor in a small soundproof cabinet, you should also look into having a fan and outside exhaust system to cool the cabinet.

This is what I did. An insulating box with a cooling fan.

Most of the compressor noise will come from the air inlet. If you have a compressor with just a single round inlet pipe a muffler will reduce the noise significantly. Unfortunately mine was not so simple, several smaller holes in the intake manifold could not be so easily muffled. I made the box out of scrape materials plus a carton of sound insulating ceiling panels. It makes the noise tolerable. I also added a remote on/off switch as shown in this thread:

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=24380&p=277390&hilit=remote+ac+switch#p277390

greensdiyer

Well, I do know the DIY soundproof box. But, right now I don't have the time to make it. By the way thanks for the Soundproof Box idea. Does anyone have one of those reviews available for products or any links for best reviews XYZ? They do have some pros and cons in it which help a lot considering if the product is worth the purchase.

I finding here a lot of low-quality reviews as well. By the way, thanks RFGuy for the link. I'll check the California Air Tools compressors that you have recommended

fedrickwoodworking

I think the Edma194 and Garys have given a good idea. Building a Soundproof box is not that hard. But, I think what we gonna do about the size. 1st you have to buy the compressor then according to the measurement you can make the DIY box for your new compressor.

I totally agree with RF Guy. because CAT is famous for its quiet compressors. There range starts from 55 dB and goes up to 65, 70 dB.

You can directly purchase from the Company site. Or you can go for Amazon because Amazon is cheap. Here's a piece of advice with Amazon do read the customer review and ratings at the bottom of product page. The'll give you the real-life based experience of other people who have bought the compressors.

Well, for reviews and pros/cons. That's a hard one due to a lot of crappy reviews out there. You have to read through 3 to 5 sites for good insight. i usually read all the reviews on google's 1st page myself to get a good understanding for advantages and disadvantages of the product I wanna buy.

I do have 3 guys who I read on weekly basis. They write some pretty good pros and cons for compressors. I'll share them with you. Let me just check myself If they have something good on quiet compressors.

Ed in Tampa

Whatever you do be careful, my neighbors son had a compressor in the garage. It developed an air leak and turned on while they were out for the evening. When they came home they found their house engulfed in fire. Apparently the compressor in trying to over come the leak ran until it got so hot that the stuff around it caught fire and burnt the house down. Pretty expensive silent compressor. I now keep my compressor off and disconnected to all air lines.

claimdude

I have the large bore Makita 3 hp (I think) twin tank. I can care on a conversation within 4 ft of it when it is running. Way quieter than the Rigid I had before.

Jack

BuckeyeDennis

I second RFGuy. I have the California Air Tools 10020C, which is a vertical unit with a 10-gallon tank. The footprint is no bigger than my insanely noisy little pancake compressor, but it can sustain enough airflow to run an HVLP sprayer. Best of all, it's so quiet when running that I just smile when it kicks on.

One caveat: it does run on 120V, but the motor is rated at 14A, so you need a dedicated 15A circuit at minimum. When I tried mine on a shared circuit, it would reliably pop the circuit breaker when the tank pressure approached maximum.

edma194

Ed in Tampa wrote Whatever you do be careful, my neighbors son had a compressor in the garage. It developed an air leak and turned on while they were out for the evening. When they came home they found their house engulfed in fire. Apparently the compressor in trying to over come the leak ran until it got so hot that the stuff around it caught fire and burnt the house down. Pretty expensive silent compressor. I now keep my compressor off and disconnected to all air lines.

That's a big reason I added a remote switch. Before I even made the box I wanted a remote switch because if I left the compressor on unintentionally it would always start up between 2:00AM and 3:30AM and I'd have to get something on my feet and get down to the basement to shut it off. I sealed up fittings pretty well to decrease the frequency of such events but once it was in the box I didn't want to worry about going out and leaving the compressor on. So now I have the remote switch upstairs and part of locking up the house when everyone will be out is to switch off the compressor with the remote.

As noted above fresh air circulation is needed. I have an 11" fan (or 9" maybe?) pushing fresh air in through a furnace type filter so the compressor is getting clean filtered air, and a set of baffles made from ceiling tiles for an exhaust port opening. The only problem is that the fan is on whenever the remote outlet for the compressor is on. Eventually I'll wire that through the compressor's power circuit.

fedrickwoodworking

Here is a quiet air compressor from Amazon that has a 56 dB range.

https://www.amazon.com/California-Air-Tools-CAT-1P1060SP-Compressor/dp/B077CNLPBC/

Here is one guy with pretty decent pros and cons on quiet air compressors. Besides from California Air Tools the site also has pros and cons for other compressors such as Rolair, Metabo, Excel.

https://toolminer.com/best-quiet-air-compressor/

Although, Ed in Tampa has told really good info on not to leave your compressor powered on while you're doing something else.

Man, that's scary... Your whole home turns to ash...

edma194

I would definitely say a quiet compressor is the most preferable option. If your compressor doesn't sound like a herd of cattle stampeding across a metal roof then you may not need any other means of sound reduction.

jsburger

Piston air compressors are much quieter than diaphragm compressors. Years ago I had a 20 gallon vertical Craftsman compressor. It absolutely screamed. I replaced it with a 4 cylinder 30 gallon Quincy. The Quincy is much quieter than the Craftsman was.

GentlemanAdventurer

That's a nice looking Quincy! What are the airflow specs?

jsburger

GentlemanAdventurer wrote That's a nice looking Quincy! What are the airflow specs?

It is 21 CFM at 40 PSI and 18 CFM at 90 PSI. It has a 5 HP Baldor motor at 3450 RPM but the compressor pump runs at 900 RPM so it is pretty quiet.

GentlemanAdventurer

Thanks JS

NScottRDCS

I too can recommend California as a very quiet line of air compressors. I had one from HF for years that would make me jump whenever it turned on. When it finally died, I was so pleased that I replaced it with a California model. I’m not at home right now so I can’t tell you the specific model that I have but I think their entire line features similar quiet metrics.

Areba21

I have one that is horizontal (Porter Cable, 150 psi) and it has never let me down. When changing tyres, it works excellent with a torque wrench, and filling the tyres is a breeze. The only issue I had was a connection leak between the hose and the compressor, but that was due to me ripping out the old line and replacing it with one that didn't quite fit. Wrap insulating tape across the threading for an easy remedy. They easily fit onto shelves and are not in the way. If you only need it for modest work that necessitates the use of a compressor, a $100 horizontal will suffice.

Marklkram

Harbor Freight has a quiet series of compressors. They pump a lot of air & are relatively quiet. I am pleased with mine.