What size air-compressor is needed for continuous duty?
I'm trying to use a 90psi needle scaler to remove paint layers from an outdoor wrought-iron trellis that has lots of nooks and crannies an abrasive pad and angle-grinder cannot reach. My brand-name 6-gallon air-compressor doesn't have enough capacity to support continuous use: the scaler works well only for about 5-6 seconds and then its ability to remove the paint rapidly peters out. Then it takes about 15-20 seconds for the compressor to get back to 90psi. So the job is taking forever.
Best Answer
Your tool and your compressor both have (or should have, but they probably do) ratings in "Standard Cubic Feet Per Minute" (SCFM) possibly stated just as CFM.
The compressor SCFM needs to be equal to or greater than that of the tool to operate the tool continuously.
Small "homeowner-grade" compressors are often not rated for continuous operation at all (they will overheat if asked to supply their maximum SCFM for more than 10 or 20 minutes at a time.) Industrial compressors are more typically designed to operate continuously for long periods without failure.