Part 3 of 5 - Building the sound proof enclosure for my air compressor

Access to the air compressor

The soundproof enclosure has 2 openings, a small door on one of the short sides allowing me to access the air compressor say when draining water in the air receiver, or when it will need to be transferred to another place, or when it needs some cleaning. The second opening is the large heavy lid on top. Nice and heavy, so that it will not vibrate when the compressor is running. I have also installed the exhaust baffle on this lid, but on the inside. A hole was made on it for the air compressor exhaust. I open the lid when I need to turn ON or OFF the compressor, to access the pressure ball valve, adjusting and cleaning the air intake filter, etc.

240V Power point

I have designed the enclosure so that there is only one electrical wire coming out of it. Remember that I have to power a 240V air cooling fan, the air compressor, and a 12VDC power pack for the electronic thermostat (which I use for controlling the fan). All these items get their power from the power point which I positioned inside the enclosure. I just got a 2-socket 10A 240V power point from Bunnings and made my own extension lead. Please remember that any work with live mains will have to be done by an electrician or a suitably qualified tradesman.

Junction box and Cooling fan Thermostat

Initially my design only had a 240V air cooling fan continuously operating. Although this is fine, it is a waste of energy though. And a little annoying too, as the fan I used, although not noisy, gets in your nerves after a while. Another trip to Jaycar solved this as I was able to secure a 12VDC electronic thermostat in kit form to control the fan's set points. It only took few minutes to solder the kit and a bit more to do its enclosure. The idea is - to turn on the fan when it reaches a certain temperature and turn it OFF once it reaches room temperature. Once I get hold of a digital thermometer, I will be able to calibrate it properly. The purpose of the junction box is just to neatly wire all the electrical bits together.

Air Filter/Regulator

The air compressor originally had an SMC air filter and regulator attached to it. But since this will now be living inside the soundproof enclosure, they will have to be accessible from outside the box. I just moved the filter/regulator outside the box and a quick trip to my local air tool shop to get a quick release fitting so that separating the compressor from the box will be easy. Have a look at the photos to see what I did to allow this.

First photo shows the soundproof enclosure showing the top lid open. The cooling fan, powerpoint and air hose positioning displayed. The blue airhose is terminated by a quick release fitting at the compressor side. The second photo shows the outside of the soundproof enclosure to show the location of the air filter/regulator. The filter is output to a Y quick release connector. One is going to the blowgun (or any of my other airtools), while the other one will be constantly connected to my underpinner.