At-Home Tire Inflation

If you use air regularly, it may make sense to plumb in a compressor, that's what I did. Compressor is in the basement, I ran two air lines, one comes out into the driveway, connects to a spool of flexible hose that I can use for blowing out IT equipment and inflating tires.
 
My big compressor is at my shop, 10 miles from the house. I tend to drive different cars down there, and check tires, fluids, wheel bolt torque, whatever, on the car I brought while I’m there.

I did buy a compressor for the house. A small one.

I get the convenience of the battery powered compressors, but that Milwaukee is $179.

For $30 more, I got a California Air Tools 2010A. It’s a 1 HP with a 2 gallon tank. Plenty for tires. Very quiet. Very portable. Much faster than the battery units.

But it runs on 110V, so it’s not something I can throw in the trunk.

 
For background info, Viair is the popular brand for Jeep fans. Offroading often involves lowering tire pressure by at least half, then reinflating afterwards to drive on the street. Thus, Jeep folks have a need for a heavy duty portable unit, one that would meet your occasional needs very well.
 
I was using small inflators for a while, but it got old having to power it up and the slow fill time.

Eventually I picked up a small air compressor (this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-4...wered-Silent-Air-Compressor-3320445/305026725 ) and it has been SO much better. Also, used it for some home remodel with various air tools, trim nailer, etc... So it's been well worth the price of admission. I'm sure plenty of good smaller/cheaper model options if need be, too.

It's very quiet and it's a nice size. Can fill tires 5 lbs low in seconds, versus minutes. It's very nice! I picked up a 50ft air hose so I am able to reach all across my garage and driveway if needed, so I never have to move the compressor.
 
I was using small inflators for a while, but it got old having to power it up and the slow fill time.

Eventually I picked up a small air compressor (this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-4...wered-Silent-Air-Compressor-3320445/305026725 ) and it has been SO much better. Also, used it for some home remodel with various air tools, trim nailer, etc... So it's been well worth the price of admission. I'm sure plenty of good smaller/cheaper model options if need be, too.

It's very quiet and it's a nice size. Can fill tires 5 lbs low in seconds, versus minutes. It's very nice! I picked up a 50ft air hose so I am able to reach all across my garage and driveway if needed, so I never have to move the compressor.
110V compressor for the win, with any real usage at home. So many applications for compressed air!
 
Like many in this thread, I have multiple compressors. I have a larger Craftsman that I purchased in the 1990s, noisy as can be but works pretty darn well. I have the small Goodyear 110v compressor that Wal mart was clearing out for $49, I love this little wheeled compressor. Great for tires, kid toys, inflatable mattresses. I also have a few 12v compressors. None of the 12 v compressors work great.

I think if one wants/ needs to use a portable compressor, a great way to help the compressor is to take a load off the tire. Jack the tire up and remove the load on the tire when feasible. This makes getting the tire to desired pressure much less stress on the compressor.
 
For car size tires and pressures, I still like my bike pump. There's one in each car for bikes, and by the time I mess around getting the little 110V one out at home, I can be done adding a few psi to each tire... And my triceps need work anyways!
 
I have a Ryobi One+ tire inflator, works with all my 18v Ryobi batteries. Love this thing, it's how I fill up all my car tires. On a road trip I also throw it in the trunk.

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For car size tires and pressures, I still like my bike pump. There's one in each car for bikes, and by the time I mess around getting the little 110V one out at home, I can be done adding a few psi to each tire... And my triceps need work anyways!
Whatever floats your boat. My twenties were forty years ago. I LIKE my power tools.....
 
Whatever floats your boat. My twenties were forty years ago. I LIKE my power tools.....
I like some of them too. A chainsaw is a great invention for cutting firewood. The slow loud 12V air compressor... meh, unless I'm filling up 34" off road tires from 12 psi to 26psi x 4 a couple times every weekend.
 
I also use an old fashioned bicycle pump just to add a couple or three lbs to the tires to keep them properly inflated. Not a big deal.

However, when I tried to top off the donut spare in my Mazda that requires 60 PSI and was down to about 40 PSI when I checked it, the bicycle pump wouldn't cut it. I bought one of the little Harbor Freight 120V inflator which did the trick. A couple times a year I pull the spare out, check it and top it off again. I don't trust those type of spares anyway and it may be hazardous if you needed to install one and it was down by 1/3 of the recommended pressure.

However I'm still considering buying a compressor for the garage, one of those foam cannons for washing the cars looks like a good thing to have and I'm sure a compressor would come in handy for many other tasks.
 
Many posts about the cordless tire inflators being slow. It takes a few seconds for the M12 Miuwalkee to add 2 to 3 psi. How much faster do you need?

By the time you have fired up the compressor, the hose and inflator, you would be done with a cordless. And much less to put away.
 
Many posts about the cordless tire inflators being slow. It takes a few seconds for the M12 Miuwalkee to add 2 to 3 psi. How much faster do you need?

By the time you have fired up the compressor, the hose and inflator, you would be done with a cordless. And much less to put away.

I've got two cordless tire inflators, ordered from a Chinese marketplace.

The first one is from a few years ago and it can do 7L/min (feels too slow)

The newest one can do 41L/min

So there's a big difference between models vs non-cordless which are all fast

I agree with everything you said about the benefits of cordless. I've also got a Viaair and it hasn't been touched since buying cordless.
 
For at home inflation, a regular compressor is great! I keep mine in the closet and put up a hose reel to reach throughout the garage and out the driveway.

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This setup was less than $350 back in the day. You can also run impacts and run an air gun to blow stuff out. Makes it nice for the annual computer clean! (I have a cheap water separator on there). I've also run an HVLP spray gun off of it to spray varnish on furniture projects.
 
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