Small air compressor for cleaning Roomba

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nate

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Topic # 185449 23-Nov-2015 13:26

Reading online, seems the best way to clean my Roomba is to periodically blast it with compressed air.

I haven't had the best experience with cans of compressed air, and am struggling to find a small air compressor that isn't powered off 12v cigarette socket. Don't live in a massive place to getting a full size air compressor isn't practical.

Suggestions?

Fred99

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Reply # 1433293 23-Nov-2015 14:10

Perhaps this: SCA 240 Volt Air Compressor - Turbine

mdooher

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Reply # 1433300 23-Nov-2015 14:13

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Take it down to your local service station.. Obviously I mean the ones that still have mechanics.

And yes compressed air is what I use to clean mine. It works very well.

Matthew

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Reply # 1433445 23-Nov-2015 18:04

Fred99: Perhaps this: SCA 240 Volt Air Compressor - Turbine

These are much better for cleaning PCs etc.. and about the same price...

Blackridge Air Compressor Direct Drive 1.0HP - 40LPM

They are often on sale for around $100.

They will last a lot better than a tyre pump. However, it still has nylon rings on the piston. So virtually no maintenance. But, a much shorter lifetime than a bigger compressor.

If you think you will ever need a compressor for larger jobs e.g. painting a large area, nail gun etc.. then a more powerful compressor with a larger tank is needed.

richms

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Reply # 1433446 23-Nov-2015 18:12

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Not one of these though - noisy as, takes about 4-5 mins to get to pressure, and then it being full is not enough to even get part way thru a PC case cleaning.

Richard rich.ms

mattwnz

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Reply # 1433448 23-Nov-2015 18:13

Fred99: Perhaps this: SCA 240 Volt Air Compressor - Turbine

Pretty sure you need something with a tank to store the air. I believe all that will do is build up the compressed air, eg for pumping up a tyre, but if you want to blast something with compressed air, you need a good supply of compressed air. I purchased a small cheap one with a tank off supercheap for under $200 with all the tools, but a bit overkill just for cleaning a roomba, plus even the small ones are quite big and heavy.

For occasional use, a can of air maybe better.

mattwnz

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Reply # 1433449 23-Nov-2015 18:17

richms: Not one of these though - noisy as, takes about 4-5 mins to get to pressure, and then it being full is not enough to even get part way thru a PC case cleaning.

Yes that looks good although doesn't have great reviews. I have something more similar to this Blackridge Air Compressor Direct Drive 2.0HP - 95LPM, and find it really good for cleaning, although the tank is a tad on teh small size for air cleaning I find. They tend to have quite a small duty cycle too per hour. It is also handy to have it on wheels, as you almost always need to move it to the location you want to use it in, and they are heavy.

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Reply # 1433515 23-Nov-2015 20:15

Compressed air cans are useless. They don't have enough pressure to dislodge some crust that forms with lots of dust.

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itxtme

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Reply # 1433562 23-Nov-2015 21:21

MetroVac FTW - it looks piddly but check out one of the youtube videos, it packs a punch

JWR

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Reply # 1433564 23-Nov-2015 21:30

mattwnz:
richms: Not one of these though - noisy as, takes about 4-5 mins to get to pressure, and then it being full is not enough to even get part way thru a PC case cleaning.

Yes that looks good although doesn't have great reviews. I have something more similar to this Blackridge Air Compressor Direct Drive 2.0HP - 95LPM, and find it really good for cleaning, although the tank is a tad on teh small size for air cleaning I find. They tend to have quite a small duty cycle too per hour. It is also handy to have it on wheels, as you almost always need to move it to the location you want to use it in, and they are heavy.

That would be, the most capable option in the discussion so far.

SuperCheap often have that (or very similar) compressor on sale. The price is about the same, but they include a hose, airgun, tyre inflator, paint gun etc...

Those can accessories add a lot to the price.

JWR

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Reply # 1433597 23-Nov-2015 21:55

itxtme: MetroVac FTW - it looks piddly but check out one of the youtube videos, it packs a punch

That is pretty impressive for it's size.

I looked at another review and it did look way less powerful than most compressors though.

I wonder how it is for static buildup.

It looks like a small vacuum cleaner (in reverse) and it isn't recommended to use those to clean inside PCs because of static.

The manufacturer's website https://www.metrovacworld.com/DataVac_Electric_Duster-ED500/overview

You would want to be certain to order the 220-240 volt version - not the US 120 volt version.

Fred99

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Reply # 1433606 23-Nov-2015 22:22

JWR:
mattwnz:
richms: Not one of these though - noisy as, takes about 4-5 mins to get to pressure, and then it being full is not enough to even get part way thru a PC case cleaning.

Yes that looks good although doesn't have great reviews. I have something more similar to this Blackridge Air Compressor Direct Drive 2.0HP - 95LPM, and find it really good for cleaning, although the tank is a tad on teh small size for air cleaning I find. They tend to have quite a small duty cycle too per hour. It is also handy to have it on wheels, as you almost always need to move it to the location you want to use it in, and they are heavy.

That would be, the most capable option in the discussion so far.

SuperCheap often have that (or very similar) compressor on sale. The price is about the same, but they include a hose, airgun, tyre inflator, paint gun etc...

Those can accessories add a lot to the price.

I've got larger version of that - which did come with free add-ons and a hefty discount, In that case, a free air rattle gun, tyre inflator, blower nozzle, and long (15-20m?) hose.
The rattle gun is of course almost completely useless, good for about one wheel nut - if it's not too tight, then wait a minute for the tank to fill. 120 l/m air isn't enough, and anyway the quality is pretty dreadful. It weighs too much, is cumbersome, and sits in the bottom of my tool chest - I should just turf it in the recycle bin. It did come with a free set of metric impact sockets, though I don't have faith that one of the sockets won't blow to pieces on me when using it with my proper impact wrench (battery - but very grunty) - so I don't use them either.
I don't use the tyre inflator - there's no gauge, but for about $15 on special, supercheap sell perfectly adequate ones with dial gauge, so I bought one of those later. The extra hose was a bonus - they can be quite expensive, and it means I can leave the compressor at the back of the garage, with enough hose to reach cars parked up the driveway. Air gun is plastic with aluminium nozzle, but does the trick.
For the price, the compressor itself seems okay. You can forget running any serious air tools, it's too small. I needed a compressor when doing some concrete drilling/grinding/bonding (eq repairs) to blow out cracks, holes etc. It was perfect for that job.