Have a Sealey VS020 brake vacuum bleeder that requires a minum FAD of around 10cfm, ideally 12cfm. Does anyone on here have a similar setup of can you recommend a compressor that would be up to the job. Sealey themselves state that the vacuum unit requires 90-120psi and at peak has a max consumption of 180L minute. I am a little lost as to which compressor would do the job on low volume motorcycle systems.
I bought one of these, https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-raider-151050-100-litre-v-twin-air-comp/ when Machinemart kindly gave me a £500 voucher. It has more than enough spec to cope with your requirement or there is one a bit smaller. Andy
The best thing to do when buying a compressor is to get the biggest one you can fit/afford. You can guarantee that once you have one you'll find another air tool you want that is just too air hungry for the compressor you have. I warn you, it' a real slippery slope.
I'm in this camp, I have a shitty little compressor for home DIY and acf50 application. The problem is, it runs out of pressure quickly as it's too small. OP, take Nashers advice, buy the biggest your budget allows for. Otherwise you'll spend twice like I'm going to have to
Agree on going large. I had a large compressor at my business premises that I no longer used there but it was physically too big to fit where I wanted it in my workshop so I sold it and bought a smaller one. I quickly discovered that the smaller one was too small so ended up buying another slightly larger model which is still not quite big enough by itself for heavy use but I can link them together and they can cope with anything I've thrown at them so far.
50 quid one from aldi...enough legs to blow out a bead....bit noisy but otherwise great. https://www.aldi.co.uk/portable-compressor/p/090352319982100
I 've thought about getting one for my bike - always decided against it as my compressor is simply too small. Interesting reviews on the Sealey website for the VS020. Suggests bikes might not need quite so much air. "Used to change my motorcycle brake fluid. Worked very well. Nipples quite small on a bike but managed ok. There is air sucked into the pipe as well but makes no difference to it's effectiveness. I used about 60psi setting on the compressor and that was sufficient for it to run through slow enough not to drain the reservoir." Although another review states "It takes quite a lot of air but my 200l 15cfm compressor was adequate, anything smaller may struggle" - car brakes perhaps? https://www.sealey.co.uk/product/5637204666/1l-pneumatic-vacuum-brake-bleeder
I found when doing bike brakes with a smaller compressor that it would last happily for around 1/2 a reservoir then fill up while I was adding more fluid. A bigger air reservoir helps
When I was researching for the compressor to run an aquablaster it seemed the choices were speed of pump vs/and size of reservoir. If you find a compressor with a small reservoir but a high cfm it will do most jobs (but the pump will be running a lot). But inversely will also work, if you have a large reservoir it will run off the stored compressed air before needing the pump to recharge the volume. So ultimately it depends what you are using it for... inflating tires - ie. used briefly and rarely...sure small pump and small reservoir. Air tools running non stop for hours...large pump and large reservoir.
To be honest, despite having a decent compressor for other things, I think using one to bleed brakes just isn't necessary. I use one of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mityvac-MV...6&psc=1&mcid=c373cf0157aa3a3c80516f4dfa90fa85 It does the job really well, especially bikes, but it doesn't struggle with my Landie either. It can obviously be used anywhere, without the noise of a compressor, and gives great control over the amount of vacuum applied. Just 2 or 3 manual pumps is all it needs to bleed a bike system. It can also be used to test other things, and apply a small controlled amount of pressure if required. Like popping brake caliper pistons out slowly and carefully. My big tip for using any Vacuum brake bleeding kit, especially a powerful one, is to wrap a couple of turns of plumbers PTFE tape around the bleed nipple thread before starting. Otherwise you'll suck air in down the thread as well as the Fluid out, and it will look like you are still drawing a small amount of air out of the system.
Your last paragraph answered my question and the problem I always face, thank you I shall try that next time.
Well I ended up plumping for one of these. Got a good deal on it. It will be used for a host of other jobs not just bleeding brakes, so it's a good long term investment. Good CFM and FAD output, 2 year warranty and specs comparable to more expensive compressors. Also it's only 59db, so pretty quiet.
What can I say about this compressor, other than it's flipping ace. Managed to vacuum refill and bleed both front and rear brakes and my clutch in less than 45 mins. Rock solid with no air bubbles, using a Sealey VS020 vacuum bleeder. Job done and no mess to boot. It's made bleeding brakes a much less onerous task.
Replaced the funky euro fittings on the compressor with some much better quality PCL fittings, that are more of a universal choice in the UK at least and compatible with more air tools than most, at least here.
Hey, I’ve got a similar setup and found that anything around a 20-gallon compressor should work fine for your needs. Look for one with at least 5-6 HP and a CFM rating above 10 at 90 PSI. I’ve been using a Makita MAC5200 for my bike and it handles the vacuum bleeder perfectly.
Already bought the SIP QT100/10. CFM is over 14 and FAD around 10, so more than capable for my needs.
