# Air Tank ? Portable tank compressor ? how to..



## sebastian21 (Apr 26, 2005)

HI guys im planning on buying one of those Craftsman 5 gal. Horizontal Air Tank, 135 psi 
to imflate my tires with stans... But i have a question how do you refill these tanks with air...
the one im looking at is this one

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...ir+Compressors+&+Inflators&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

Also i have a mini 300 PSI air compressor that work with 12volts, Which one will inflate faster the tire....
thanks


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## Beolin (Apr 19, 2006)

Well considering a floor pump will take about a minute to fill up a bike tire...I'd say a 135 psi compressor would go from 0 psi to blow up in your face in about 5 seconds.

Plus it's easier regulate how much air you put in your tires with a floor pump.


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## ThatHurt (Jan 16, 2004)

To fill the tank you can use a few methods. Your small 12v aircompressor will do it (although take a while to fill a 5 gallon tanks volume), your floor pump (same thing, will get there but take a while) or take it down to your local gas station and fill it up there (try and find an actual service station that has a garage, they have bigger compressors)

As for using it to do Stans. Dial in 35 psi, put a presta valve adaptor on your stans valve stem and hold the schrader chuck to the valve with one hand the use your free hand to help seat the tire. You don't need or want 135 psi blast of air. You want a continious flow of low psi air to seat and then continue to fill the tire while the stans fills the gaps. 

Not knowing how many pin holes the stans will be filling, you may find yourself running back down to the service station to fill your tank up. My $.03 would be to get a small 1hp air compressor w/ an attached tank. As with your 12v pump, it isn't the pressure you want, but a flow of continuous low pressure air.


Forgot- if you use the 12v 130psi pump to fill the tank, make VERY sure to stop filling at 135psi (there SHOULD be a presure relief valve on the tank). You DO NOT want to be around when the tank decides to pop from to much pressure.


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## Stuart B (Mar 21, 2005)

Beolin said:


> Well considering a floor pump will take about a minute to fill up a bike tire...I'd say a 135 psi compressor would go from 0 psi to blow up in your face in about 5 seconds.
> 
> Plus it's easier regulate how much air you put in your tires with a floor pump.


I admit 135 sounds a tad hairy...but the point of the tank to so pop the bead on (stans are tubeless).....a pump generally just guffs out the gaps unless you are lucky.

I have been thionking of doing something like this so that I don't keep using loads of co2 canisters. My thoughts were to just use an car tyre inflater/track pump to get the tank up to 40psi. I think even 40PSI would be enough aslong as the valve to the tyre has good enough flow and the volume of the tank was 5 time or more of the tyre (guesing 5 times would be enough.

Maybe a bottle with a threaded hole with some sort of shreader valve fitted to allow it to pressurised. And some sort of coiled hose that fits on a compressor.

It would be nice to able to change tyres at endurance races at camp with out the pot luck of smacking the top of the tyre and pumping like a goon, or wasting CO2 canisters that are better for on the track for punnys.

I love my stans, but they can be a pain to mount. An air tamk would make life alot easier and more compact than a full on compressor.

Stu


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## Beolin (Apr 19, 2006)

Another option thats smaller than lugging around an air tank would be an air compressor. I use one a lot when I go offroad exploring. Airs my truck tires up real quick.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93186


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## Stuart B (Mar 21, 2005)

I make a bike tyre about 0.13 cubic feet in volume if filled with water (non compressable, not not sure how to or bothered to work out with the compressabilty of air))...but thet thing reckons 1.35 cubic feet a minute at 40 psi....intuitively that seems fast enough.

Stu


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

Get a little air compressor with a tank 1HP. The come with a pressure regulator that holds the in the hose at anything from 0 to 120 psi.

To set the bead on UST tire dial in a pressure about 10% higher than max inflation pressure. Soap up the beads.

Add the air and set the bead. Dial the pressure down to whatever you want and it vents ou the reg.

On occasion the compressor will start if the bead isn't quite right. No pain if you don't have to go fill it up somewhere.


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## texas (Nov 26, 2004)

*yeah I second the get yourself a compressor.*

A compressor is very handy to have. Here is a deal on a very small compressor with a brad nailer. This compressor looks like it would work for you plus it comes with a brad nail er. If you look around you will be able to find a better compressor for a few dollars more.

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=0&t=328979


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## adamantane (Jan 27, 2005)

the air tanks are nice when you take a trip to go racing, so you can change tires or what not 

stop by any auto parts store or walfart and pick up a compressor for like $40

then you'll love setting up tubless wheels cuase the job becomes a breeze


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## TNC (Jan 21, 2004)

*Those tanks work great.*

I'm not clear on whether you're wanting to take this tank with you somewhere or just have it to do at your home when mounting Stan's setups. Regardless, that tank and a small 110V compressor will satisfactorily fill up one of those tanks without having to take a nap while you wait. Most of those 12V cigarette lighter compressors take forever to fill up anything. I have a Viair 12V compressor for filling up my 4WD tires while off roading, but those types of units run about $200. At home I use a compressor/tank unit I got from Harbor Freight for less that $100. It has a max psi of 125lbs. and will fill up just about anything. Using high pressure tanks and sources to seat a bead on a Stan's setup or any tubeless tire is the best way to get the job done. It's not rocket science to let off the air chuck when the bead seats, regardless of the high pressure. High pressure and large volume is the way to go. Before I got my compressor/tank unit, I used one of those tanks like you have in your post and a Black & Decker 110V air compressor...see pic.


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## Stuart B (Mar 21, 2005)

I wish tools were that cheap over here.

Another one I might try....I don't condone thies...but I might give it a bash on old tyre....but a lil squirt of ligher/start fluid in the tyre....put on flame proof tape on eye brows...ignite fluid in tyre (maybe with a cooker gas ring lifghter thingy)...and hopefully a non melted or burst tyre mounted on the bead. I guess after that it might be worth pressuring and un pressuring a few times to get rid of as much excess fluid before addig sealent through the valve. Removee flame proof tape off eye brows...I guess low tack tape would be best...no point protecting em from flame then to go and yank em off ya face.

Found this too

http://cgi.ebay.com/12v-1-5-gal-air...QcategoryZ11751QQtcZphotoQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Would prbably double the cost with shipping to me tjough.

Might be of use to you guys though at races.

Stu


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## NRSguy (Oct 31, 2004)

Stuart B said:


> I wish tools were that cheap over here.
> 
> Another one I might try....I don't condone thies...but I might give it a bash on old tyre....but a lil squirt of ligher/start fluid in the tyre....put on flame proof tape on eye brows...ignite fluid in tyre (maybe with a cooker gas ring lifghter thingy)...and hopefully a non melted or burst tyre mounted on the bead. I guess after that it might be worth pressuring and un pressuring a few times to get rid of as much excess fluid before addig sealent through the valve. Removee flame proof tape off eye brows...I guess low tack tape would be best...no point protecting em from flame then to go and yank em off ya face.
> 
> ...


big mistake trying to seat bicycle tires with lighter fluid,the tire carcass isnt thick or strong enough to handle that. thats how we would seat the beads on our dune buggy tires if we had to change one on the trail and even with 6 ply agri tires it was sketchy at best, never had one blow up thankfully


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## Stuart B (Mar 21, 2005)

does it depend on how much you put in...or are you already talking of tiny amounts? 

Stu


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## Stewiewin (Dec 17, 2020)

TNC said:


> *Those tanks work great.*
> 
> I'm not clear on whether you're wanting to take this tank with you somewhere or just have it to do at your home when mounting Stan's setups. Regardless, that tank and a small 110V compressor will satisfactorily fill up one of those tanks without having to take a nap while you wait. Most of those 12V cigarette lighter compressors take forever to fill up anything. I have a Viair 12V compressor for filling up my 4WD tires while off roading, but those types of units run about $200. At home I use a compressor/tank unit I got from Harbor Freight for less that $100. It has a max psi of 125lbs. and will fill up just about anything. Using high pressure tanks and sources to seat a bead on a Stan's setup or any tubeless tire is the best way to get the job done. It's not rocket science to let off the air chuck when the bead seats, regardless of the high pressure. High pressure and large volume is the way to go. Before I got my compressor/tank unit, I used one of those tanks like you have in your post and a Black & Decker 110V air compressor...see pic.


So the air tank will do the job for tubeless?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Stewiewin said:


> So the air tank will do the job for tubeless?


sure, but it's been a LONG time that I couldn't get a tubeless tire seated with a floor pump. and not even one of the fancy high volume ones with the chargeable air tank built into it.

both my bike (29x2.6) and my wife's (27.5x2.35) seat up fine with a floor pump and valve cores removed.


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## C Smasher (Apr 20, 2012)

Harold said:


> sure, but it's been a LONG time that I couldn't get a tubeless tire seated with a floor pump. and not even one of the fancy high volume ones with the chargeable air tank built into it.
> 
> both my bike (29x2.6) and my wife's (27.5x2.35) seat up fine with a floor pump and valve cores removed.


I am the opposite! I used to be able to seat beads with a regular pump but that has not worked for a couple years for me. I have an Joe Blow with the accumulator pressure tank and even that takes ten tries which gets old pumping it to 160 PSI over and over haha. Now I dont even bother and just use the 6 gal compressor. I do take the Joe Blow on vacations if the riding is not near a city with a bike shop though...


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

C Smasher said:


> I am the opposite! I used to be able to seat beads with a regular pump but that has not worked for a couple years for me. I have an Joe Blow with the accumulator pressure tank and even that takes ten tries which gets old pumping it to 160 PSI over and over haha. Now I dont even bother and just use the 6 gal compressor. I do take the Joe Blow on vacations if the riding is not near a city with a bike shop though...


My go-to pump is an old Serfas that a shop used for years as its customer pump, and they'd host group rides twice a week that could get 300 riders. It's pretty well loved, you could say.

I use a Joe Blow pump at work and hate it. Doesn't move nearly as much air as my beat-to-hell Serfas pump.


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## C Smasher (Apr 20, 2012)

Harold said:


> My go-to pump is an old Serfas that a shop used for years as its customer pump, and they'd host group rides twice a week that could get 300 riders. It's pretty well loved, you could say.
> 
> I use a Joe Blow pump at work and hate it. Doesn't move nearly as much air as my beat-to-hell Serfas pump.


I will check those out next time I need a pump. That will be like ten years because I just bought the Specialized MTB Air Tool pump. I have not tried to seat a tire with it yet. It does push a lot of air though. I do love the the specialized pump because the gauge only goes to like 40 PSI so the dial indicator is really big and easy to read. It is also the first pump that measures the same pressure as my digital gauges. I like it.


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