On-Board TV Air Compressor for Winterizing

[knunut]

Thinking of On-Board (TV) Air Compressor for Winterizing,and tire inflation.Could lower air pressure for Sand and re-inflate.
Have large space under Hood were a second Battery would go,or primary would be ?(Depend on Model?)
Could winterize while Fulltiming in marginal season. I could just carry Pink Anti freeze and pump it in lines.But Air compressor could be used for other uses .Found a Brand ARB used in off-road apps. Looks Good.
How much air do you really need to "Blow out the Lines"?

[dznf0g]

I have wondered the same thing. I have a nice little off road high volume compressor as well. I think you would need some sort of pop off valve to regulate the pressure which enters the water lines. A normal regulator won't work because the compressor has no high pressure shut off and you could damage the compressor in a hurry.
You could leave a faucet open at all times....but if you forget there will be in excess of 200psi in your plumbing pretty quickly. That'll create some big problems.

I haven't given a mod to the compressor too much thought, but a regulator and a self resetting pop off would be required IMO.

[nickmeloy]

Originally Posted by knunut

Thinking of On-Board (TV) Air Compressor for Winterizing,and tire inflation....
How much air do you really need to "Blow out the Lines"?

You may find the following link to be helpful.
VIAIR Corporation - 12 & 24 Volt Air Compressors
These units will deliever all of the air that you need to do the things that you mentioned. These products are expensive.

[CrawfordGene]

Some people recommend 45 lbs. for winterising, but city water pressure is often 60 or 70 lbs. I assume the system can handle that much, though I set my home compressor to 50 assuming the limits are not very accurate. You could use a water pressure regulator screwed to the city water inlet and then an adapter for a compressor fitting. Getting the water blown out with a portable compressor may take some time and watch for overheating. It might be better to keep the heat on and not winterize, or stay south.

The compressor itself needs to be able to fill a Load Range D or E tire too. That can be as much as 80 lbs. A compressor that plugs into the cigarette lighter will not do it, or the wait will be longer than you want. Get a compressor that attaches to a truck or Airstream batteries—more amps than a cigarette lighter. I found one for around $65 at Costco a couple of years ago and it works very well. I haven't it seen for a while, but I hardly ever go to Costco so it may be back. Other compressors I have seen on the internet cost far more, but keep looking.

Gene

[Jammer]

knunut

As for the compressors themselves, the off-road crowd know more about what is and is not good than anyone else. They depend on being able to air up after 'wheeling but do not have the needs/budget of the service truck guys. I'm out of touch these days with what the 'wheelers are doing.

For blowing out the lines, the size of the compressor is immaterial as long as you have a 5 gallon or larger tank to air up so that you then have enough volume to blow the lines. There are commercially made tanks available at home centers and farm stores, or it is possible to retrofit an old out-of-cert propane tank for such purposes. I find that, regardless of which kind of tank is used, that replacing the air chuck with a quick-connect coupler makes the tank more useful. A pair of quick-connect tool-side fittings with a valve in between can be used to air up the tank from the compressor.

I carry a compressor for emergency tire repairs only, that would not stand up to frequent use.

[Hibby]

Depending on your needs, I have been very happy with a combination winch/compressor from Warn. It's a very expensive solution if you have no use for the winch.



The compressor function of this unit has been great for everything from inflating tires to aerobeds and even swimming pools for the kids. You would want a pressure regulator for blowing out lines on your Airstream.

The winch has been helpful many times and for many reasons. Once I foolishly put my Airstream lift jack directly on the grass and watched it sink almost a foot deep into the soft ground. At 700 lbs. of tongue weight, I don't know how I would have gotten it out of the ground without the winch.

[ck21084]

I often carry a porter cable pancake compressor with 25ft of hose, a tire chuck and a snap on 1/2 impact. I think the volume of the compressor is 3 gallon and it works well enough. I can remove one wheel before I have to let it catchup. I am sure it would blow out the lines too. If I do run out of air I guess I could plug it in to the trailer and turn on the inverter.
If you catch them on sale you can get the compressor and a finish nailer for $169

[AIR-Quarius]

Just for my two cents worth...I keep a good sized compressor bungie'd to my tool box in the back of the truck. With about 150 feet of airhose (s). Every body should have some form of air compressor to have with them. This way I can park where ever I am painting / airbrushing, plug in and walk half way around the block to paint.

[mojo]

Blowing out the water lines completely takes a lot of air so you need to have a tank with some volume (3-6 gal). There are some 12V compressors with tanks but are rather expensive. I suppose you could hook up an on-board compressor to a tank with a regulator. But, like the post above, I carry a Porter Cable 6gal compressor for the fall and spring trips in and out of Colorado. I either have a Honda generator with me or plan the last night out at a site with electric. Also have a quick connect fitting with a hose end that screws on to the water inlet on the trailer which makes it a one man job to blow the lines.