I bought one of these 10 years ago:
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-to...hp-125-psi-oil-lube-air-compressor-68740.html That little bastard still works, though the power switch is stuck in the "ON" position.
I bought this puppy this year:
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-to...-cast-iron-vertical-air-compressor-61454.html I've only used it twice so far, but it fills up 21 gallons as quickly and more quietly (though "quiet" is a relative term, it's still loud as hell) as the little 8 gallon fills up.
My 8-gallon was just enough to run my Aircat 1000TH impact for a single wheel worth of lug nuts between refills if none were on too tight, and could run fast enough to keep my sandblaster going at about 80psi for short periods of time (a minute or two) and keep my reserve tank (2 gallon) with it's own regulator filled at around 30psi (ran hose from the 8gallon tank which was at 90psi to the reserve tank and let the regulator bleed off pressure to keep the reserve tank pressure low) for powdercoating. The 21-gallon means I don't wait between wheels anymore, that I never run out of air with the blaster, and that I don't have to hear the motor nearly as often.
I'd go bigger, but portability is important for me right now since I'm working on things out of the back of my truck on the side (also have a 4000watt generator), and have some rural property that I'm hauling both the generator and compressor to for work. Any bigger than that and I wouldn't be able to lift it into and out of my truck bed by myself.
i was thinking of putting in my laundry/storage room in the basement (right next to the garage but 1 story down) and, at least for now, just putting a dryer cord on it and using the dryers outlet. then run (probably copper) hardline up from the compressor into the garage.
other than the (slight) pita from having to share an outlet, are there any problems i'm likely to run into?
Not the ideal solution, but I've done it and it works (that's how I powered my powdercoating oven in the garage, had it on the other side of the divider wall that separated the laundry area from the rest of the garage, I'd unplug the dryer, plug in the oven, get that night's work done, unplug the oven, plug in the dryer, do laundry, then go to bed!).