Drying: Air Compressor or Blower

J

jw

New member
What are people's preferences for drying?  Would you rather do it by air compressor or a blower?  If it's blower i'd curious what blower everyone likes for drying?  Thanks.
 
I use a variable-speed leaf blower, Toro Model 51599, only because I already had it. It work's great for blowing off water that collects in all the nooks and crannies of a car that end up dripping/running off what you thought was a dry car, and cause unwanted streaking (like side mirrors or rim spokes).


One caveat is that is can also be use as a leaf vacuum. NEVER do this and then use it to dry off a car: you'll end up with leaf-litter all over a wet car. (Live and learn from someone else's "dumb" experience).


 


That said, an air compressor is more desirable because of the control of the air pressure and tools that are available for drying, like an air wand or Tornado, with an air compressor. The drawback is the initial cost of a good air compressor and the cost of maintenance associated with it. A bigger plus is all the pneumatic tools that can be driven with it, provided you bought a decent-sized quality air compressor in the first place. If you do, you are probably looking a stationary compressor that sits in your garage/shop/car man cave taking up floor space.
 
Different tools for different jobs (though admittedly in the same ballpark).


 


I use the AirWant on a blower to get most of the water off, but the compressor to do the nooks and crannies.  Neither does the other job *NEARLY* as well.


 


And yeah, as Lonnie touched on, IMO *every* household that has vehicles should have an air compressor.  OK, somebody's grandparents could get by with an always-filled (and non-leaking) air tank, but anybody here at Autopia oughta have one even if just some cheapie from Harbor Freight.
 
I use the Metrovac airforce master blaster. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xemGB-KqkFk


 


None of the videos done by other people come close to showing just how good this machine is.  Wayne Carini endorses the machine but obviously hasn't used it much, another guy addressed the problem with the rollers by putting the machine on a crate and then putting the crate on top of a furniture dolly.  Guess I'm going to have to make my own...


 


But in the meantime, if you haven't tried one of these, you should. 


 


Robert
 
I had an existing Sears blower that I adapted to use  exclusively drying the car---the concentrator nozzle works well for cracks and cranies but I plan to add the AirWand to make drying more effecient.


tn_AssortedDIY007.jpg
 
pwaug- If you do get the AirWand, I'll be interested to hear how it compares with your current setup.  Just because *I* love it doesn't mean that *you* will.  Yeah, it'd be all about being time-efficient, being able to get the majority of the water off *very* quickly.  (Note that I seldom  completely dry the vehicle this way.)
 
Accumulator--I plan to just replace the concentrator nozzle with the Air Wand when doing the painted surfaces and use the concentrator to do the cracks and cranies.  I made an Air Wand similar nozzle by sealing the open end of a long crevice nozzle and cutting a slit down one side but it's hard to handle thus the plans for the Air Wand which, based on my try at duplicating it, will work well.
 
When it comes to detailing, (or any trade for that matter) there are a million companies out there doing their best to convince you that you need THEIR PRODUCT to get the job done right. When it comes to certain things, I feel it's all about the detailer's personal preference. I still continue to try different waxes, polishes, drying towels, and that's fine. DON'T waste your money on a "high-speed car dryer", because that's all it is- a waste of money. If you have a electric leaf blower in garage.... perfect. If not, go buy one. It's about around $50, and can be used not only to flush the sitting water out of nooks and crevices, but you can also use it to push the majority of dirt/dust out of the car before vacuuming. Work smart- not hard. I have a Toro electric leaf blower and it works perfectly for the job. I think some of those Metro-Vacs run for around $250. And and air compresser?What a waste of money and space in your detailing trailer/van. 


 


Rich Castleberry


Owner


Attaboy Mobile Detailing


(561) 235-6408


http://www.attaboydetailing.com
 
As a weekend detailer I find the leaf blower perfectly adequate, but believe there are some advantages to the Metro Vacs.  They seems to be much more powerful than a leaf blower and I believe the air is also heated.   As far as a compressor I think anyone using MF pads would disagree with you as they are valuable for cleaning MF pads on the fly.
 
attaboydetail said:
When it comes to detailing, (or any trade for that matter) there are a million companies out there doing their best to convince you that you need THEIR PRODUCT to get the job done right. When it comes to certain things, I feel it's all about the detailer's personal preference. I still continue to try different waxes, polishes, drying towels, and that's fine. DON'T waste your money on a "high-speed car dryer", because that's all it is- a waste of money. If you have a electric leaf blower in garage.... perfect. If not, go buy one. It's about around $50, and can be used not only to flush the sitting water out of nooks and crevices, but you can also use it to push the majority of dirt/dust out of the car before vacuuming. Work smart- not hard. I have a Toro electric leaf blower and it works perfectly for the job. I think some of those Metro-Vacs run for around $250. And and air compresser?What a waste of money and space in your detailing trailer/van. 


 


Rich Castleberry


Owner


Attaboy Mobile Detailing


(561) 235-6408


http://www.attaboydetailing.com


 


 


Have you ever worked with a metrovac or tried one?  


 


Robert
Click to expand...
 
attaboydetail said:
When it comes to detailing, (or any trade for that matter) there are a million companies out there doing their best to convince you that you need THEIR PRODUCT to get the job done right. When it comes to certain things, I feel it's all about the detailer's personal preference. I still continue to try different waxes, polishes, drying towels, and that's fine. DON'T waste your money on a "high-speed car dryer", because that's all it is- a waste of money. If you have a electric leaf blower in garage.... perfect. If not, go buy one. It's about around $50, and can be used not only to flush the sitting water out of nooks and crevices, but you can also use it to push the majority of dirt/dust out of the car before vacuuming. Work smart- not hard. I have a Toro electric leaf blower and it works perfectly for the job. I think some of those Metro-Vacs run for around $250. And and air compresser?What a waste of money and space in your detailing trailer/van. 


 


Rich Castleberry


Owner


Attaboy Mobile Detailing


(561) 235-6408


http://www.attaboydetailing.com
Click to expand...


 


I'm guessing you haven't tried the 8hp Master Blaster then??? The point of a blower is to avoid touching the paint with towels, which have the ability to induce marring. Electric leaf blowers will work but their not filtered and they don't have the power of the MB.
 
attaboy- Gee, you're catching a lot of flak for your post #9 already, but I guess I'll pile on...Noting that I don't detail out of a trailer/van:


 


I've tried leaf blowers *without* the AirWand.  I've detailed in a shop *without* an air compressor.  The modest (to me) expense of such equipment is well worth it (again, to *me*), based on my experience. 


 


I wonder if a with/without comparison would alter your opinion as I did consider the AirWand a gimmick and was predisposed towards considering it a waste of money.  But first-hand experience, over a period of time (there *is* a learning curve to the thing), convinced me that it was a worthwhile piece of equipment for my situation.


 


RaskyR1- I sure won't argue the value of the filter, if my shop weren't the way it is I'd be all about having one on whatever's doing the blowing.  I did kinda overkill the filtration on my compressor's system.


 


And I sure won't criticize the MetroVac; everybody I know who has one (pet-salon places, homeowners using their vacuums, detailers using their blowers...) is very happy with it, and it's the sort of company, making the sort of product, that I appreciate anyhow. 


 


pwaug- With the AirWand, I'd advise you to take some precautions against the hose/nozzle connections coming undone (resulting in potential vehicle damage and general high-drama).  Mine blew apart and I felt lucky that nothing bad happened.  No problems since securing all the connection points with self-vulcanizing tape and it's been quite a few years now.
 
8 hp,metro here. It's a beast. I needed to upgrade the outlet it runs off of. It makes drying a well cared for car easy and get the portions of the car that drip forever blown out quickly.
 
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