Simple Conversion Boosts Air Compressor Capacity

Simple Conversion Boosts Air Compressor Capacity FARM SHOP Maintenance 15-4-25 At first glance this new blower pipe doesn't look like much. But hook it up to a small portable air compressor and you won't believe how much air comes out the end. "I wanted a way to get more air volume out of a small air compressor for blowing dust out of combines, radiators, around elevators and so on. This venturi idea lets a small 100 psi portable air compressor move 5 to 10 times more air. Works much better than hand-held electric or gas blowers and eliminates the need for a big compressor. And by using a long pipe you can stand back out of the dust," says Terrence Piekarski of Ski's Repair, Lowry, Minn., who came up with the new idea. Here's how the blower works: Piekarski attaches a heavy-duty lever-type air valve to the end of a piece of 3/4-in. electrical conduit. The conduit can be cut to any length, depending on what you plan to use it for. It can even be bent in a curve for getting into difficult-to-reach locations like overhead milk pipelines, etc. Key to success of the idea are the oval-shaped holes Piekarski cuts on either side of the conduit 4 to 5 in. from the valve. Then he runs a small steel tube (1/8-in. inner dia.) directly out of the air valve down the inside of the conduit to just past the two holes. When air comes blasting down out of the small tube, headed on down the length of the conduit, it sets up a venturi action that draws air into the conduit through the two holes. "Many times more air is drawn in through the openings in the large tube and forced out the end of the conduit than could be generated by a small air compressor alone. At about 100 psi, a small compressor can de-liver a tremendous amount of air. I've sold many of them to elevators who need a lot of air to get the job done," says Piekarski. He says the blower pipe is easy to build yourself or he sells them equipped with a heavy-duty Milton air valve. The electrical conduit can be cut to any length. The shorter they are the better they work be-cause drag is reduced, but Piekarski says they work fine at lengths of 7 to 8 ft., which keeps you out of the dust. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Terrence Piekarski, Ski's Repair, P.O. Box 58, Lowry, Minn. 56349 (ph 612 283-5347).

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