How To Increase CFM On Air Compressors [Most Effective Methods]
Air compressors work on specific CFM levels, depending upon the task in which it is being used. CFM stands for Cubic Feet Per Minute and is the output air volume that an air tool gets from an air compressor. For challenging and demanding tasks, you need air compressors with higher CFM. Although an air compressor cannot exceed a certain limit of CFM, we can modify it to enhance its CFM output. If you want to know more about CFM in air compressors, click here.
How To Increase CFM On Air Compressor?
If you don’t want to buy an expensive air compressor with a higher CFM, take a look at these methods through which you can increase the CFM on air compressors.
1. Lowering The Pressure
The simplest and most economical method of increasing CFM on an air compressor is lowering its pressure. As you know, air compressors take the air from the environment and store it in tanks. Pressure is built inside a tank, and as a result, we get the air outflow; this is called CFM.
Remember, an inverse relationship exists between the pressure inside tanks and CFM. Lower pressure means higher CFM output. So all you need to do is to regulate the pressure in the air tank. To increase the CFM on the air compressor, keep the pressure settings minimum to get the maximum CFM.
2. Pairing Up Two Compressors
If you want a significant boost in CFM level, you can pair your air compressor with another air compressor. You can pair any two compressors with the same or different CFM rating. The sum of their CFM ratings will be your cumulative output. To connect two air compressors, you will need a hose.
This hose will be connected to the tank’s hoses of both air compressors on one end. To connect two-tank hoses with one end, you will need a two-way or T-piece connector.
Make sure you have made air-tight connections. The other end of the additional hose will work as a cumulative output. Connect this end with the air tool, and you are ready to go.
Important Consideration While using Compressors with Different CFM Rating
Connecting the two air compressors with the same CFM rating is simple. However, it is a bit tricky to adjust the settings while using air compressors of different sizes. For instance, if one air compressor works at 80 PSI and the other at 70 PSI, they may hinder the output of each other since they are connected with the same hose.
To minimize this issue, you need to make a manual adjustment by regulating the pressure of each air compressor. To get the maximum output, it is advised to synchronize the CFM rating by adjusting the pressure on both air compressors.
3. Adding Tank
The third method you can use to increase the CFM on the air compressor is adding an additional receiver tank. It means you simply increase the storage capacity of the air compressor. Two-connected tanks mean a larger reservoir and a large volume of stored air.
When a large volume of water waits inside the reservoir to come out at a specific pressure the CFM output will automatically increase. This method will increase the CFM and run time of the machine but the air compressor will take more time to fill up both tanks. Also, you may face overheating issues with this method. Please read, how to calculate the CFM of an air compressor.
4. Increase The Size Of Pump
You can increase the CFM to a significant level by adding extra tanks but it is ideal only for intermittent use. For continuous use, you can increase the size of the pump on the air compressor to increase the CFM. Remember when you get a bigger size of the pump, you will need a more powerful motor to operate a bigger pump.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you increase CFM by adding a tank?
Yes, you can increase the CFM of the air compressor by adding a tank to it. The bigger reservoir will store a big volume of air, resulting in increased CFM output. However, this method causes the air tools and air compressors to overheat, and therefore it is only ideal for intermittent use.
Does CFM go up with PSI?
No CFM doesn’t go up with PSI. An inverse relationship exists between the pressure inside the tanks and the CFM output of the air compressor. When you lower the pressure, keeping the power constant you will see a significant increase in CFM of the air compressor.
Conclusion
The most sustainable and risk-free method of increasing the CFM on the air compressor is adding another air compressor with the same CFM rating. You will get an instant boost in the CFM without regulating the pressure on any air compressor.