gas powered air compressor?

So this year I will be doing sprinkler blowouts. I am co.sidering renting one of those huge trailer compressors or buying a little guy for my self I kinda need a better compressor for my self anyway. Plus my garage's electrical is limited in the winter due to heaters.

So my question is 1) how big a compressor do I need I do not have any larger commercial jobs all are small residential houses.2) price wise I would like to not spend a fortune I want it to pay for itself this year at 35$ a blow out. I am not sure hoe many customers I will be doing this for so I am thinking $500 ish would be ideal but I realize I probably will be spending more. 3) brand wise I am not picky at all would even be happy with a cheapy harbor freight.

I used to use my 5HP 60-gallon compressor to blow out the sprinklers at one place I lived at and it worked very well. You're only going to have one sprinkler circuit open at a time, so that limits how much air you will need. But having a large volume of air on tap will work much better, so those wheelbarrow-type compressors with the tiny twin tanks won't work as well as a unit having a larger tank. Or, you can use that type of compressor with an auxiliary air tank, even a 60 or 80-gallon one (from a dead compressor).

You can't get much of a compressor for $500 these days, unless you stumble across a really good deal which does happen occasionally. Good luck in your search!

I have been looking at those wheelbarrow type specifically the harbor freight one. I won't be doing anything huge most zones only have 5 or so heads max 100 ft away from valve. Almost all my houses are less that 1/2 acre and don't have much going on complicated. I have a few places I won't even try because I know I wouldn't be able to do it effectively

Do you not install drains up there?
Here we just open the drain and bang all the water drains out the pipes.

Not generally no. Most need blown out big money. 35-40$ a house

Went ahead and pulled the trigger on the harbor freight 212cc 9 gallon dual tank wheel barrow compressor. Should be more than enough for most houses. $35 a house I already have 30 houses signed up gotta go hunt down some specific brass fittings

Gas engine air compressors are great to have!! I don't need one, but could have used one when I was mobile service, ran the compressor with a generator installed in the stepvan.
Today I did buy a new electric air compressor as I have been concerned about the tank on my current unit getting rusty. Just this summer, locally there was a fire at a friends shop that was determined to have been caused by the air compressor air tank that rusted thru and blew open causing damage to the electrical wiring which caused a fire that burned the entire garage, storage area, package store and small restaurant. The father of a friend in Ohio was seriously injured when the same thing happened to his air compressor in their back shop. So as I have plugged several rust holes in the air tank of my shop compressor, I finally bought a new one!!! Not happy with the fact that a Porter Cable air compressor is totally made in China, but I'll live with it!!! My bride made me give my two stage 60 gallon Campbell Hausfeld to my older son as it was "too noisy", since I no longer use my glass bead blasting machine, this went away also!!! Oh well!!!
Just some thoughts, not trying to change the initial intent of this thread!!!
Mad Mackie in CT:laughing::biggrin::smile:

Here is the whole kit ready to go. 212 cc this thing never runs out of air at 60psi and with a 1/2 hose it does have quite a bit of volume as well. I don't think I am missing anything, anyone got any ideas what I might need out in the field to avoid the frustrating trip to the hardware store ?