I posted this in case anyone is considering buying a Bostitch 6 gal 150psi compressor to supply air to a ShoeBox.
I bought this early Dec of 2018 to replace an older Craftsman 3 gal 100psi compressor that I initially bought to keep my car tires aired and to blow out my desktop computer. The old compressor had problems with car tires and barely made it thru one desktop blow out.
I can say the Bostitch fills those old needs nicely but I found that when using it as an air source for the ShoeBox -- it fails miserably. With the regulator set at 90-95psi and a 'duty cycle' of about 1 minute to fill the tank from 120-150psi and a little over 4 minutes to reach the starting point where the motor starts again, after about 1.5 to 1.75 hours it starts a fast 'duty cycle' (fast cycle) barely reaching 122psi before starting over. I found turning it off and on, the regular 'duty cycle' ran for several cycles but started the fast cycle again shortly afterwards.
The following day I took it to a warranty shop nearby and after 1.5 weeks called for a status and they said they found nothing wrong. I picked it up and later the same day started the operation again to finish topping off my tank but once again it started that fast cycle routine at about the same time frame. Back to the warranty shop I went and after a rather long but cordial conversation, I was told they couldn't help. It was designed for "light" work and not extended running times. They then gave me the customer support number and said they would do what the customer support folks said.
I called customer support today and they listened to my story then after inquiring with others familiar with this compressor -- said basically the same thing. It was not designed for longer run times. They were willing to give me a phone number of the main compressor technical support but if they agreed to look at it, I would need to ship it to them. I didn't keep the box and it is heavy so that's not an option for me. I would guess the shipping charges would be about 1/3 the value one way.
Bottom line -- I'm on my own. I did see what the motor looks like while at the warranty shop and the fan that cools the motor is directly connected to the motor itself. Any heat created while running that is still there once the motor shuts off has to dissipate on it's own.
I don't want to let it run without my being within ear shot as it is (basically babysitting) but I might try forcing air through the intake area to see if that helps since the fan don't run without the motor. If that don't help I may look at other options or simply sell this to someone local needing air for short running times (ie: trim work).
I will post this on several forums.
Thanks for the heads up. If it were me, I would just use it in conjunction to the Shoebox to directly fill the rifle if you have to baby sit anyway and not even bother to ship it. The manufacturer or at least the representatives had already relayed what they think. They may not warranty you if you overdo it since they already think you are overworking their product unless another member can chime in who has experienced different results as you have.
HA
I've got a little bit older version of that compressor and it has worked beautifully. Mine came from Lowes, and it was a returned unit when I bought it for cheap.
The guy that originally purchased it just returned after completing a construction job with it and got his money back. Still had sheetrock dust all over it when I opened the box.
I keep mine set at 90psi and it hardly ever cuts on. When it does it runs for maybe 45 seconds. Are you sure yours is building pressure right in the first place, or that your Shoebox isn't leaking and bypassing air? Are you saying your compressor kicks on every 4 minutes?
I assume you bought yours online or something, but if not try taking it back to the store and see what they will do. Obviously Lowes will take back about anything after my story.
Limbshaker: I'm sure it's not anything to do with the ShoeBox. No leaks there and it's an older unit that has been upgraded with hardened pistons and belt instead of a chain.
Before I called Bostitch customer support, I set up a controlled leak using a shutoff valve on the output and got the Bostitch to mimic the 'duty cycle' when it was running as intended. After close to 2 hours running it started that fast cycle so I shut it down and made the call. I knew the ShoeBox would be in question and wanted to rule it out.
There is no adjustment as to when the duty cycle starts and ends so the working pressure is roughly 120-150psi when I have the regulator set at about 95psi. By the way, the model number on my Bostitch is BTFP02012.
The fan inside the unit is actually built into the motor and doesn't function when the motor shuts off. Like yours -- the time the motor runs is around that 45 second mark.
A quick update on my attempts to use the Bostitch compressor with my upgraded Shoebox booster.
A couple of days after my initial post on the matter, I set up a contolled bleed to mimic the dury cycle seen so far but this time I had a small fan blowing into the intake grill of the Bostitch. I don't believe having the fan as part of the motor is a good design for extended run times since there is no cooling done at when the motor is not running and I believe using an external fan blowing into the intake should show improvement. I tested temperatures off/on and didn't see any temps to be alarmed about and it ran for 4.5 hours without issues. I can make this work using an external fan.
Given all the replies I have got on several forums, one reply stated they had an older Bostitch and had no issues (same internal cooling design?), plus many of the replies thought leakage is causing a loss of air which in turn shortens the duty cycle, more investigation was needed. Well -- yesterday I tested all connections before the Shoebox and did find multiple leaks (sigh). It took some time but I think I got all the leaks addressed.
I hooked up my full tank (valve closed) and fired up the Shoebox. I got to 4600psi pretty quick and once it shut down, let it sit for about 5 minutes monitoring the tank gauge during that time and pressure remained at 4600psi.
More lessons learned and I want to say thanks to those who took time to reply -- much appreciated...
