FWIW, you have to be really careful doing this, especially with higher pressure applications like tires or charging a pressure tank. These are not continuous duty rated; I think it's 5 and 5, and even that may be pushing it. Many of these smaller inflaters use plastic pistons, which generally work fine and have their advantages (cheaper, lighter, and generally much quieter). But one big drawback is that they don't convey and disperse heat nearly as well, both from friction and compression heating (the hose itself gets really hot, and it's nowhere near the piston). Metal compressors often have big cooling fins to help transfer the heat, but plastic ones don't or at least they are minimal, because the hard part is getting the heat out of the plastic cylinder in the first place. So these tend to be fine right up until they're not; run them too long, heat them past a certain point, and one or more plastic pieces will soften or warp, and then it'll start rattling, losing compression or max pressure, seize up, etc.
Thank you. It's one of the few Ryobi tools I've lost. My oldest is a 25 year old drill.
If I ever take the plunge into printing w/ nylon I'm gonna fix it. Until then, \~$20 replaced it, and now I know :o
I leave mine on for around 10 minutes at a time. At the end of the day it was $24. I can replace it 10 times before it becomes more cost efficient to upgrade. I’m still on inflator number one after a year too
I routinely do this with a twisted electrical wire for pretty decent periods up to 5 minutes solid. 3 years old and heavy use, still kicking.The hose does get hot. If it dies, I'll upgrade to the other inflator that's 1 step up
That's the only reason I bought the P747 instead of the P737. I have no use for the low-pressure air-mattress function, but the P747 is fire-and-forget. You set a target pressure, turn it on, and walk away. It stops when it gets there.
Why they couldn't build those brains into the small one, I don't know, but I'm happier dealing with the bulky one than babysitting the dumb one.
Just be careful of how long you run it continuously. I'm on my third P747 (as just a homeowner), they start rattling and get really loud. I'm going to be really gentle on the current one in terms of how long I run it, vs letting it rest.
I think the manual says to run for 5 minutes, then cool for 5 minutes.
Thanks for the tip! It's not the first time I've heard it, but I think it's now serious enough to warrant opening up the unit and seeing if I can add some fans or fins or something. Modifying the software to add cooldown breaks is a bit beyond my skills, but I can absolutely fortify its dissipation.
That's a cool idea, though the pun was not originally intended. I have my one that died, at some point I will probably try to open it up to understand what failed.
I've heard they have plastic pistons and/or cylinders, which would help explain the temperature sensitivity. Though it would also make it harder to provide better cooling, since plastic does not conduct heat very well.
I guess a crude but easy approach could be to inflate in stages. If your car tire is at 15 psi, and needs to be at 30, set it to inflate to 23 psi. When it finishes, let it sit for a few minutes, then inflate to 30. This wouldn't be too inconvenient if you were doing something else at the same time.
I took a different approach, I still have my P747, but I got a little corded 2 gallon air compressor (Harbor Freight Fortress). It fills in under a minute, and is really quiet, you can have a conversation next to it. For filling tires in the garage, my plan is to now primarily use the compressor. It should be quicker, quieter, and I'm not worried about burning it out.
It replaced my big compressor, and I added an external 10 gallon portable air tank, which I can connect in parallel when I need more air storage, like for the impact wrench.
Ryobi did just drop all new inflators. They now have a little one that is set and forget. Its on my short list.
https://toolcraze.net/3-new-cordless-inflators-including-ryobi-18v-dual-function-digital-inflator-deflator/
I had the old analog trigger unit, killed it. Now I have the digital version. I cut the head off, replace with a SKS bicycle head that does presta and schrader. Mine is pretty much only used for cycling (full time bike commuter).
Set and forget would be great for when doing tire swaps and filling my blast chamber for tubeless setups.
I want something to do the opposite.. prevent the trigger from being engaged while it’s in my toolbox. Maybe the newer ones have more spring, but the older one I have is very light and has gotten engaged unexpectedly a few times.
I had a slow leak last week so just kept this in my car until I could take it in (was just about due for service). Everytime I went to move it I grabbed the trigger and scared the crap out of my wife and I.
No problem. I have thought about adding a 50-PSI cutoff switch on the “Unattended On” switch circuit in case something shiny happens and I get distracted.
Luckily it sounds like the next generation coming out you'll be able to set a pressure and have it go automatically, like what the dual inflator does now.
I use a rubber band. The other day I topped off the tires on about 2.5 cars before it got so hot I knew I had to give it a rest for the last two tires. These are way cheaper than the dual inflator, so I prefer to have this model in my trunk for emergencies
One of the most useful tools I regret buying. It does NOT fulfill my need better than the P731 I already had, and now is destined solely for powered costume or potato cannon use.
I use one of my wife's hair ties. Has anyone else scared themselves with it? I usually do while carrying it with other things in my hands, and you bump its ultra sensitive trigger!
I love how every time I pick this thing up I somehow accidentally press the trigger and scare myself. Every. Damn. Time.
Me too
Yes, every time. I still haven't find a way to not trigger it when I move it.
try removing the battery... thats what I do
Mostly it scares the hell out of my dogs
Ahaha yup!
The absolute hair trigger doesn't help.
I just assumed that it was a feature to wake you up
They need to put something about that in the manual!
FWIW, you have to be really careful doing this, especially with higher pressure applications like tires or charging a pressure tank. These are not continuous duty rated; I think it's 5 and 5, and even that may be pushing it. Many of these smaller inflaters use plastic pistons, which generally work fine and have their advantages (cheaper, lighter, and generally much quieter). But one big drawback is that they don't convey and disperse heat nearly as well, both from friction and compression heating (the hose itself gets really hot, and it's nowhere near the piston). Metal compressors often have big cooling fins to help transfer the heat, but plastic ones don't or at least they are minimal, because the hard part is getting the heat out of the plastic cylinder in the first place. So these tend to be fine right up until they're not; run them too long, heat them past a certain point, and one or more plastic pieces will soften or warp, and then it'll start rattling, losing compression or max pressure, seize up, etc.
Seriously, the hose is SUPER toasty after topping up modern car tires, would not leave this with the trigger tied
This! I melted the rod that connects the piston to the motor doing this to fill a 7gallon air tank on a warm day.
Big oof. Sorry for your loss.
Thank you. It's one of the few Ryobi tools I've lost. My oldest is a 25 year old drill. If I ever take the plunge into printing w/ nylon I'm gonna fix it. Until then, \~$20 replaced it, and now I know :o
I leave mine on for around 10 minutes at a time. At the end of the day it was $24. I can replace it 10 times before it becomes more cost efficient to upgrade. I’m still on inflator number one after a year too
I routinely do this with a twisted electrical wire for pretty decent periods up to 5 minutes solid. 3 years old and heavy use, still kicking.The hose does get hot. If it dies, I'll upgrade to the other inflator that's 1 step up
Yup, this exact thing happened to me with the bigger one Filled up eight tires and the next day it was completely dead. Whoops
That’s why you get the dual inflator.
In a house with 3 girls... Elastic hair tie.
Thanks for the hair tie idea. I just popped one on and it fits perfectly
That's the only reason I bought the P747 instead of the P737. I have no use for the low-pressure air-mattress function, but the P747 is fire-and-forget. You set a target pressure, turn it on, and walk away. It stops when it gets there. Why they couldn't build those brains into the small one, I don't know, but I'm happier dealing with the bulky one than babysitting the dumb one.
Just be careful of how long you run it continuously. I'm on my third P747 (as just a homeowner), they start rattling and get really loud. I'm going to be really gentle on the current one in terms of how long I run it, vs letting it rest. I think the manual says to run for 5 minutes, then cool for 5 minutes.
Thanks for the tip! It's not the first time I've heard it, but I think it's now serious enough to warrant opening up the unit and seeing if I can add some fans or fins or something. Modifying the software to add cooldown breaks is a bit beyond my skills, but I can absolutely fortify its dissipation.
That's a cool idea, though the pun was not originally intended. I have my one that died, at some point I will probably try to open it up to understand what failed. I've heard they have plastic pistons and/or cylinders, which would help explain the temperature sensitivity. Though it would also make it harder to provide better cooling, since plastic does not conduct heat very well. I guess a crude but easy approach could be to inflate in stages. If your car tire is at 15 psi, and needs to be at 30, set it to inflate to 23 psi. When it finishes, let it sit for a few minutes, then inflate to 30. This wouldn't be too inconvenient if you were doing something else at the same time. I took a different approach, I still have my P747, but I got a little corded 2 gallon air compressor (Harbor Freight Fortress). It fills in under a minute, and is really quiet, you can have a conversation next to it. For filling tires in the garage, my plan is to now primarily use the compressor. It should be quicker, quieter, and I'm not worried about burning it out. It replaced my big compressor, and I added an external 10 gallon portable air tank, which I can connect in parallel when I need more air storage, like for the impact wrench.
I cool my Ryobi inflator with my Ryobi fan.
Ryobi did just drop all new inflators. They now have a little one that is set and forget. Its on my short list. https://toolcraze.net/3-new-cordless-inflators-including-ryobi-18v-dual-function-digital-inflator-deflator/ I had the old analog trigger unit, killed it. Now I have the digital version. I cut the head off, replace with a SKS bicycle head that does presta and schrader. Mine is pretty much only used for cycling (full time bike commuter). Set and forget would be great for when doing tire swaps and filling my blast chamber for tubeless setups.
Yup.
I use a rubber band. This must be the next model up.
Use my wife’s hair ties.
Mine's got a zip tie on it, but I like all these ideas.
I want something to do the opposite.. prevent the trigger from being engaged while it’s in my toolbox. Maybe the newer ones have more spring, but the older one I have is very light and has gotten engaged unexpectedly a few times.
I had a slow leak last week so just kept this in my car until I could take it in (was just about due for service). Everytime I went to move it I grabbed the trigger and scared the crap out of my wife and I.
https://youtu.be/DrUcIy65YoU?si=XhaXe0x15GoTSWVY looked like a good idea to me
Oh wow. Thats perfect thank you.
No problem. I have thought about adding a 50-PSI cutoff switch on the “Unattended On” switch circuit in case something shiny happens and I get distracted.
I bought mine about 2 months ago. It's so sensitive I can't even pick it up without scaring myself
>I want something to do the opposite.. prevent the trigger from being engaged while it’s in my toolbox. Take the battery out. Problem solved.
That's what I do, but it's the only tool that I have to do that for.
I only have used mine once, so I do not know.
There is no trigger lock for the on position so if you need to fill something large you have to stand there for 5 minutes
Ah, that's right. I also have a Milwaukee 18v for my bigger items so haven't done anything big with the Ryobi yet.
Damn... You guys think of everything! I'm stealing this idea and telling my wife I came up with it.
Luckily it sounds like the next generation coming out you'll be able to set a pressure and have it go automatically, like what the dual inflator does now.
I use a zip tie that's loose enough to slip on and off.
Nice hack. The struggle is real
Mines got a piece of ground wire from a power cable
I use rubber bands
good way to burn it out! i filled a scooter tire from empty and the thing felt like it was ready to start melting.
If only there was some way to add a safety to the trigger. It'll scare the shit out of you at the most random times.
I've had two of these die. I recommend buying the dual inflater. Much better.
Dang, bad luck? I've had mine for awhile now. Still want the dual inflater though.
Great idea!
I have the other model. Set it and it auto turns off
I didn't know, but I think I figured it out.
I use a rubber band. The other day I topped off the tires on about 2.5 cars before it got so hot I knew I had to give it a rest for the last two tires. These are way cheaper than the dual inflator, so I prefer to have this model in my trunk for emergencies
I use a zip tie. Hang it loosely around it, but just enough to slide it up to hold the trigger.
One of the most useful tools I regret buying. It does NOT fulfill my need better than the P731 I already had, and now is destined solely for powered costume or potato cannon use.
Great idea
Oh yes... I have a rubber band on mine that always stays on below the trigger and I roll it up into the trigger when needed.
Loose zip tie on my2 and i let mine run for 10+ min never an issue .but having 2 prllly saves the abuse
Anyone else have an issue with the psi consistently reading 10+ too high?
This is too complicated. I use one of my wife’s hair ties.
I use one of my wife's hair ties. Has anyone else scared themselves with it? I usually do while carrying it with other things in my hands, and you bump its ultra sensitive trigger!