Air Compressor Vs. Air Blower, Is There A Difference? – Air compressor repair knowledge at your finger tips.

If you are hunting for technology that can help you move volumes of air, then you are probably curious about the differences between air compressors and air blowers. Here I will go over the key differences between air compressors and air blowers.

Is there a difference between air compressors and air blowers?

 Yes, there are many key differences between air compressors and air blowers. Air compressors are better suited for applications requiring highly-pressurized streams of air. In contrast, air blowers are well-suited for moving more significant volumes of air at a moderate rate of pressure. Air blowers are high volume low pressure and, compressors are low volume high pressure. Air blowers are more efficient than air compressors. I will discuss several reasons in this article.

Centrifugal fans also referred to as “air blowers.” We’re going to cover the ins and outs of what a centrifugal fan is and why it differs from an air compressor in many key ways. You will also learn which applications air compressors and air blowers are most useful for.

Air Compressor

Air compressors are a staple of any garage. They get used for a variety of utility-related purposes. Air compressors for commercial and industrial purposes can power large pneumatic tools, as will be discussed further below.

What does an air compressor do?

An air compressor is a piece of equipment that forces air into a storage tank until enough air has been forced into the tank to build-up a desired magnitude of the pressure. After reaching the desired pressure, the machine shuts off at a preset pressure rating that is enforced by a network of gauges and valves.

In the meantime, the air is forced out of the pressurized tank for a variety of utility-related uses. That utility use may be as simple as someone using the pressurized stream of air to fill their bike tires.

There are many more advanced uses of this pressurized air stream, though, including providing power to tools such as nail guns or paint sprayers. Simply directing a controlled stream of air like when using a paint gun, Typically air compressors are powered in one of two ways: either Direct-drive or belt drive.

In a belt-driven air compressor, The motor drives the pump utilizing a belt to transfer mechanical motion. By changing the size of the pulleys optimizes the size of the motor to the speed and force needed to compress air quickly.

You will most likely see belt-driven air compressors in industrial and commercial settings, where control and efficiency are of utmost importance.

In a direct-drive air compressor, the motor is attached directly to the crankshaft of the compressor.

There is less opportunity to control the airflow with this system, but it makes more sense to include a direct-drive system in air compressors found in most DIYers’ garages because it takes up much less space than a belt-driven system.

High-Pressure Capabilities 

Air compressors are valued both at home and in the commercial industry for their ability to deliver a highly – pressurized stream of air.

Small-scale air compressors are utilized for a variety of functions, including filling tires with air, powering nail guns, or for use with pneumatic paint sprayers, among other uses. 

Sure, you can use a hand pump to refill the air in your bike tires, but the task can be performed so much quicker with an air compressor. 

Regardless of specific use, air compressors differ from air blowers in that they can deliver air at high pressure. In a furniture shop that my brother worked in, they utilized a hybrid system, To dry wood and paint a blower supplied the large volume of air needed. The relatively low 45 psi also fed the compressor. The advantage was the air was already pretreated to remove water, and the compressor had a larger volume of air supply to increase pressure to 225psi needed to run clamps and nematic feeds. 

The residential-grade air compressors that most DIYers use in their shop will typically operate at a range of 75-200 psi. In comparison, it is not uncommon for the largest industrial air compressors to release pressurized air at a rate of 6000 psi.

Air Delivery Is Concentrated And Easy to Direct in a Specific Direction, centrally locate the compressor as a power source and run airlines to power equipment. Air operated tools are fast and last a long time.  

Air compressors can be an excellent option for situations in which precision is of the utmost concern, such as is the case when you are delivering pressurized air to one specific tool or piece of equipment.

You can find many useful tools and attachments Readily available for air compressors, including a snowmaking machine.

Air compressors can also be used to power a variety of tools, including nail guns. Air compressors are versatile, with many attachments available, allowing you to complete tasks requiring precision.

Air Compressors Are More Versatile Than Air Blowers

The many attachments you can find for your air blower make the air compressor a more- than -useful addition to any garage.

One key difference between air compressors and air blowers is the number of tasks that air compressors can be used for, not limited to just filling tires.

The payload from air blowers, on the other hand, cannot be harnessed to quite the extent as can be done with air compressors. 

Air blowers serve the purpose of providing airflow for utility purposes, including ventilation, exhaust, and painting with low-pressure high volume spray guns. I use one to paint kitchen cabinets.

There are many uses for small quantities of pressurized air, as is shown with the large number of tools that are fed by compressed air.

Air Compressors Can Be Used For Drying Tight Spaces

Air blowers are effective at drying general spaces I repair homes when I need to dry carpets or texture, I use an air blower I got a great deal on this one At amazon, but air compressors are your best bet if you are looking to quickly dry tight spaces or move debris.

I have a few in my work van and home but, I really like this one Capri Tools Windstrom EX High-Performance Air Blow Gun.  

This air gun allows you the opportunity to adjust the flow of air coming out of the gun, making it perfect for auto detailing or spot-drying shooting stuff at a buddy.

Tools such as this further illustrate the usefulness of air compressors in helping you harness the power of pressurized air in ways that are not as feasible with air blowers. Air blowers are better than air compressors at consistently moving large volumes of air.

Air blowers, Designed to force a wide stream of air or gas into a selected area. Bounce houses are a great example of this. It could take a week to fill a bounce house with an air compressor.