I just moved into my own house back in March. I bought the house the previous October, but spent several months repairing/redoing it. My brother and father got together and bought me this compressor for Christmas. Now, my garage is small by car guy standards, but I'm going to make the most of it for now. I'm single without a roomate so it belongs to me alone. That also means I'll probably be here less than 5 years.

The house is a single level with the garage attached to the right end (as you're facing the house). It has one double garage door on the front facing the street, a window facing to the right (end of the house) and a single walk-through door at the rear close to the common wall with the house. As you drive into the garage, it opens a little wider on the side common to the house. I figure that is the best/logical/only place for any bench or storage. The rest of the garage would be taken up if two vehicles were parked inside. My plan is to keep my car on the far end where it can sit undisturbed until I am ready to drive it or work on it. I'll park the daily on the near side and just move it out whenever I need garage space to work.

So down to the question: where would you install the compressor? It requires a 220v which I don't have yet. However, the box is on the far wall of the garage so running the new line won't be a problem. I'd like to run a welder line at the same time. I don't have one yet, but I figure I could use the compressor line since I probably won't be using both at the same time. Thoughts on that? I don't know whether to install the compressor inside or outside. Outside would give me more room and keep the noise out. However, I don't want to disturb neighbors or make the house look bad. Also, my side yard (next to the garage) is kind of a neighborhood cut-through with people and kids going through there all the time. I don't want them messing with it. Also, you think it would be worthwhile to plumb the garage being that it is so small?

Thanks for reading this far. Any thoughts/ help would be greatly appreciated.

 

I have my compressor (a 5hp / 60 gal Ingersoll-Rand unit) plugged in to a 50A 220V outlet on the wall. It's also my welder outlet. I don't weld and use the compressor at the same time either, so only having one plug makes sense.

I'd put the compressor where it makes the most sense. The oiled units aren't nearly as noisy as oilless, I wouldn't worry about noise.

You may want to consider bolting it down to the concrete. I used some vibration isolation pads from Grainger, but they were kinda expensive ($26/ea x 4 - I splurged that day). You could make something similar out of a 1/4" thick 3"x5" rectangular piece of metal and a hunk of old tire. Stack the metal on the old tire chunk, drill a hole through the center, and you're done. Use a hammer drill to put a hole in your concrete, and use concrete lags to clamp the compressor down.

And consider putting an extension on the drain at the bottom of the tank. Do that before it's bolted down.

I have a thread here that details my air line buildup and compressor installation. Yeah, I went overboard. Yeah, it was most definitely worth it.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/tools-fabrication/480039-plumbing-shop-air.html

 

Camaroholic: Thanks for the response. I read thread about your buildup. I just wonder if it would be worth it to plumb my garage because it is so small. I'll only be in the house for a few years. I want to move to a bigger garage (tall enough for a lift) plus I'll probably be married by time that rolls around so the woman will want another house. As for the compressor, it came with the pads to bolt it down. Either that or dad bought them because that's how I received it. He also got me a filter/separator. I'll definitely do the drain extension. I might even elevate the compressor slightly so I can get a drain pan under the drain. Either that or add a hose attachment. I'll probably install the compressor in the middle of the garage on the back wall. That way it's equidistant to all work areas plus it's out of the way of the work bench and the cars. It'd be nice to get it out of the garage, but I just don't see a good way to do it.