Air tools are your constant companion whether you’re a mechanic, carpenter, or other handymen. As you may be aware, compressor air is in high demand for air tools. And it is up to the air compressor to provide them. CFM compressor requirements for various air tools are currently fluctuating. Thus, the question arises how much cfm for air tools and how many cfm to run air tools? However, you should not expect to obtain it all from a single compressor.
As a consequence, you must modify it in order to create an air compressor with high cfm. Changing your systems, such as adding another compressor pump or an air receiver tank for increasing air compressor storage cheap and safe, is the best answer for “how to increase cfm on air compressor?”. Some tools need CFM rates greater than the rating of your air compressor to perform effectively. Here are some tips for tuning your compressor to get the desired airflow rate (CFM).
What is CFM in Compressor?
A CFM rating (cubic feet per minute) specifies the amount of air a compressor delivers at a particular pressure. More air can be produced by an air compressor with a higher CFM rating. A 6 CFM compressor, for example, signifies that it can produce six cubic feet of air per minute.

How to Measure Cfm of Air Compressor?
Procedure 01: Lessen the Pressure
Before we go any further, without looking for “how to make air compressor,” let’s look at how an air compressor works. Later we figure out “how to increase cfm on air compressor?.“
The machine drew air from the surrounding environment and retained it inside the tank to get more air pressure from the compressor. At some point, the pressure compels the air to escape. It is measured in cubic feet per minute. So, if we want to raise the CFM, we may lower the pressure because you can’t compel the machine to work beyond its capabilities. When the pressure is dropped, the CFM climbs gradually. To do this, the regulator must be switched off. Because of the decreased air fluxes, the tank will fill slowly and at a lower pressure. The bigger the CFM, the lower the pressure. Assume you have a 6 CFM air compressor with an operating pressure of 125 PSI. That implies that air compressor cfm rating will be 6 CFM of air after reaching 125 PSI. CFM may be increased by simply reducing the PSI. There are certain steps for how to increase psi on air compressor, but this is not necessary to know here. There will be no major adjustments, but they will surely be effective. Furthermore, this method is safe enough to utilize in circumstances where other methods may ruin the equipment.
Procedure 02: Use Two Compressor
You may need more CFM than your compressor can give in certain cases. However, you cannot move the machine out of the restriction without inflicting harm to it. It is, however, not an impossible challenge. So, how do you get started? To maximize the CFM level, this method employs the usage of two compressors. Assume you have two air compressors with CFM values of 9 and 5. When you connect both, you’ll get 14 CFM all at once. It’s really that easy. So, let’s take a gamble and connect two of them to accomplish our goal. During the process, you must handle an extra hose. The third and most significant hole on the dedicated hose should be the most critical. The first two apertures will serve as inputs, while the third will serve as an output.
After that, begin by connecting the hoses of two compressor tanks. Connect both hoses with the spare hose. Connect the air compressor output of the third hose to the air tool now. And, of course, best wishes! But what if you don’t have access to two air compressors?
The nature of the task will decide if a high CFM compressor is required. If your job needs high CFM, purchasing two compressors isn’t a bad idea.
Procedure 03: Connecting Two Compressors Together of Differing CFM
Similar to the previous proposal, this one focuses on connecting two air compressors with variable CFM, make, and model. It’s as simple as it sounds. It’s not so much the technique as it is the concept.
If you connect two compressors with 10 CFM and 5 CFM ratings, you will get 15 CFM of consistent flow rate.
The processes involved in connecting the two compressors are as follows:
1. Connect the outputs of the air receiver tanks using a t-piece air fitting.
2. Connect your compressed air hose to the t-outlet.
3. Connect your air tool to the air hose.
Procedure 04: Adding Another Air Receiver Tank
Adding an extra air receiver tank enables the air compressor to load both tanks (the one with the compressor and the one you added), providing much greater air storage. This implies that the air compressor engine will run for a longer length of time before reaching cut-off pressure and shutting down, allowing you to use your equipment for a longer period of time. The compressor pump is now filling a greater volume, and you have more CFM as a consequence of the larger reservoir of pre-compressed air ready to be used for your high-demand air tool (oversimplification as an increased tank size changes the available CFM for a period of time, not the CFM of the system). This is by far the most effective method for increasing the CFM of your compressed air system. Adding a second tank to an air compressor may give it with more cooling time (provided you’re not using more CFM from the system than the compressor pump can produce). Because there is more air stored today, your air tool can function for a longer amount of time before the air in the tanks goes below the air compressor pump’s cut-in pressure. So, if your air compressor has a 50% Duty Cycle and you run it for 5 minutes and then turn it off for 2 minutes, you’re over-stressing it!
Procedure 05: Increasing the Size of the Existing Compressor Pump & Motor
Boosting the CFM of the compressor pump may supply you with extra CFM that you can utilize on a continuous basis. The increased motor size will not necessarily enhance CFM since the pump is generally designed to run with a certain motor size, resulting in a huge motor on a small pump. Retrofitting a new compressor pump and motor to an existing tank may be reasonably cost-effective, depending on the size and age of your tank. In many cases, acquiring a new, higher CFM compressor complete with a tank suitable to your needs may be more cost-effective. Before making any modifications, please conduct your research to ensure that your air compressor is capable of them.
Figuring out the CFM level
Before trying to figure out “how to get more cfm out of air compressor?” or “how can I increase the cfm of my compressor?” we need to know how to calculate air compressor cfm. It is very feasible that the identical air compressor CFM figure may be disregarded. When you’ve had a device for a long time but don’t feel like using it very much, a top manual may be handy.
But let’s say you don’t have it either.
So, how to measure cfm of air compressor or how to measure cfm of air compressor? It would be beneficial if you performed some maths here. Doesn’t it seem boring?
We’ll try our best to keep things interesting. Follow the instructions below:
- To turn off the machine, turn the knob. Examine the tank’s volume right now. To find out how many gallons are in a gallon, you’ll need a calculator. Divide the sum by 7.48. Because one cubic foot is equivalent to 7.48 gallons. So, 50 cubic feet per minute air compressor is equivalent to 374 gallons.
- You have the cubic foot measurement (V). Refill the tank when it has been entirely emptied.
- When reloading, take note of the PSI. You must keep track of the kick-in and kick-out timings. For example, if the PSI was 60 during kick-in and 90 at kick-out, the difference is 30. That is what you will need to know in order to do subsequent computations.
- After you’ve calculated the value, divide it by 14.7. As a consequence, the pressure (P) at the ATM will be shown.
- We’re almost there. Subtract the pressure from the volume. Then divide the value by 60. As a consequence, you will be aware of your air compressor’s CFM. As a consequence, CFM= Pressure-Volume / 60 is the formula.
Benefits of Increasing CFM
Each operation that needs the use of an air compressor necessitates a certain quantity of CFM. The relationship between an appropriate CFM level and a flawlessly completed task cannot be messed up. It is dependent on your job and the compressor, the amount of CFM you need, and how it will handle it. Assume you are using a paint sprayer. Air paint sprayers often need a greater amount of CFM to operate. Nail guns, on the other hand, need a lower CFM. As a result, it is easy to understand that you may need to adjust the CFM on the air compressor as you go between jobs.
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Conclusion
Processes included for “how to increase cfm on air compressor are straightforward. However, performing it well might result in a little rambling at the end.
In our opinion, this tutorial will enlighten you on how to increase air compressor cfm. Finally, brace yourself if you don’t want to speed through all of this and are anxious to get an air compressor with a higher CFM rating because the process of increasing CFM on an air compressor requires a high level of knowledge. If you are completely unfamiliar with them, you may take incorrect measures. So, if necessary, seek professional advice.
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