Daily, we keep using the air compressor for different tasks. Sometimes, we use it at home for DIY projects and for running various pneumatic tools. On the weekend, a portable compressor should be in the back of your vehicle when you go offroading or picnic.
As you know, the compressor needs the power to work, so how will you arrange the required amount of power when on the alone road? That’s why we are saying you should know about the watts usage of a compressor so you can quickly turn on the tool to blow up tires. Similarly, if you don’t want your home breaker to keep tripping after a while, the better option is to choose a suitable machine and know how many watts it is consuming.
The consumption of watts of the compressor depends on its size and how big the motor is installed. Like bigger compressor will consume more watts because it needs more energy for its efficiency. More watts mean more electricity consumption, which will increase your electricity bill.
But now, what to do? Stop using a compressor? The answer is no; we will use an air compressor according to our requirements. Below we will discuss how you can see or calculate ampere and watts. We are going to discuss some popular compressors and their different sizes and consumption of watts so you can understand better.
While if you are using a small air compressor that is portable and easy to carry, especially for a car, tire filling with 12 voltage consumes 15 amps of electricity and is equal to 180 watts. You can calculate it too by multiplying voltage with amp-like (12×15=180). Don’t worry; we will discuss these calculations in detail too.
Calculations of Watts
To know the total wattage from a compressor’s horsepower, you can multiply horsepower with watts to get the total wattage. You can see horsepower printed on your compressor, and once you get the total wattage from it, you can calculate ampere too.
Total wattage: (horsepower) x (watt)
Ampere: (total wattage) / (total voltage)
Example
Total wattage: (5hp) x (180) = 900 total wattage
Ampere: (900) / (12) =75 ampere
From the above calculation with an example hope you understand well how you can calculate your total wattage and ampere if needed.
Let’s discuss some popular compressors based on size and how much they use watts.
Electricity Consumption Of Different Air Compressors
First, we will let you know the usage of watts based on horsepower, which is written as hp.
1.5 Hp Air Compressor
Above we already discussed how you could calculate watts based on Hp, but for your ease, we will discuss this further. Usually, you can say one Hp equals nearly 700+ watts, and 1.5 Hp of air compressor will nearly use watts from 1100 to 1500. This variation depends on starting and running watts because they differ from each other.
2Hp Air Compressor
An air compressor with 2Hp is more efficient because you can see it has more power as compared to 1.5 HP. Considering that one horsepower consumes 700+, then from this, you can see 2Hp air compressor will consume from 1400+ to 2200 Watts varies on starting and running time. As we discussed earlier, when the device turns on, it takes more power, and when it starts running, the power consumption is reduced.
2.5Hp Air Compressor
An air compressor with 2.5Hp will consume 2800 watts on running time, and for starting, it can vary from 3000 to 4000+ watts. This is because, with the increase of horsepower, it needs more energy or force to produce pressure, which consumes more electricity in terms of watts. But nowadays, with the latest technology in compressors, it can decrease because I have seen different air compressors coming up with new good, design circuit boards and good technology which consumes less energy than old ones.
5Hp Air Compressor
More HP means more watts. So, for a 5Hp air compressor, we tested that and found that it consumes a minimum of 16000 watts and a maximum of 22000 watts. If you are planning to use this air compressor out of the home, like in construction areas with a generator, you need a generator with a minimum of 18000 watts that can run this compressor smoothly without no problem.
The bigger the compressor motor, the more it will consume power. Similarly, the air tools with larger tanks will also take more electricity. Let’s know much the compressor will use power according to the tank size.
6 Gallon Air Compressor
Usually, everyone has a 6-gallon air compressor in their home and garage because this is portable and easy to use. Just find the free space available in your garage and, adjust it there, put it in that place where you can easily access it. So, let’s come to the point; for a 6-gallon air compressor, you need 1100 to 1200 watts and a maximum of 1500 watts.
30 Gallon Air Compressor
This compressor is mainly used on construction sites and for professional work because of its big size, and it will consume more watts. This compressor will take 10800 watts which can be decreased on the running stage and goes down to 1800 watts. We recommend that if you run this device smoothly on a battery or generator, you need a minimum of 10800 watts.
60 Gallon Air Compressor
This 60-gallon compressor with the giant tank is specially used for hard and long-hour jobs. It is used in painting vehicles and running multiple air tools at a time. As it has a big tank, it will take more time to reach the cutout pressure, so your electricity keeps consuming.
We calculated the watts this compressor uses from starting to running stage between 11250 watts to 3750 watts. These variations, as you know, are due to the initial phase of the compressor and the running stage, same as an engine that needs more fuel or energy to start, and on the running stage, it consumes less power or fuel.
Last Words
I hope you find this article helpful in which we briefly discuss watts consumption by the air compressor. Now, you can easily identify any compressor’s watts usage and manage your electricity bills and power utilization.
FAQs
How an air compressor consumes more watts?
For certain reasons, an air compressor can consume more watts than its normal usage. These reasons can be a shotted component due to contact with electricity consuming more watts, or it can be due to bad winding of the compressor motor, which allows it to use more energy and watts.
What kind of breaker did we need at home for air compressors?
You need a breaker from a minimum of 18 to 20 amp for your home if you use an air compressor. Because this amp of the breaker will easily handle the electricity from the primary source, and if something wrong happens, it will also provide protection in case of an auto shutdown.