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BelAire 338VL4 7.5 HP 80-Gallon Two-Stage Air Compressor, Vertical 460V

The 338VL4 is the version of this machine that asks least of your building. Vertically, because the 80-gallon receiver stands on end and takes a corner rather than a wall. Electrically, because it runs on 460V 3-phase supply and BelAire's recommendation is a 20 amp breaker — a small circuit for a 7.5 HP motor. If your constraint is floor area, panel space, or both at once, this is the configuration to look at.

The mechanicals are the same well-proven set as the rest of the line: a belt-driven two-stage pump with a cast iron cylinder sleeve and aluminum heads, an aftercooler, a fully enclosed high-flow belt guard, splash lubrication with a sight glass, and a 175 PSI maximum pressure.

Two kinds of space, and this model saves both

Most compressor buying decisions come down to a constraint the specification sheet does not mention. In a busy shop it is usually floor: every square foot is either a vehicle, a bench or a walkway, and a long horizontal tank wants a whole wall. Standing the tank up converts that wall into a corner.

The second constraint is the electrical panel, and it bites harder than people expect. A 7.5 HP motor on a lower supply voltage wants a large breaker, a large conductor and a free double slot you may not have. Because current falls as supply voltage rises for the same power, the 460V version of this compressor lands on a 20 amp recommendation instead. Smaller breaker, thinner cable, less voltage drop over a long pull, and a much better chance of fitting into an existing panel without a service upgrade.

BelAire lists actual amp draw as something to confirm with a certified electrician rather than publishing one number, because it genuinely depends on your service, your run length and your local code. Getting that verified is the customer's responsibility, and it costs nothing to do it before the machine ships rather than after. A magnetic starter is factory fitted, so motor overload protection is already handled. On first start, confirm the flywheel turns with the arrow on the guard: three-phase rotation follows the conductor order, and a backwards pump makes noise and almost no air.

Getting the air from the tank to the tools

A compressor is only as good as the pipe leaving it, and this is where a lot of otherwise well-specified installations quietly lose performance. The tank outlet here is 3/4", and that outlet size is the floor for your distribution, not the target — a long run of pipe the same size as the outlet will drop pressure under load, and your tools will behave as if you bought a smaller compressor.

Three habits worth adopting. Run the main line generously sized and slope it gently away from the compressor so condensate travels with gravity rather than pooling. Take every drop off the top of the main, with a leg running down past the outlet to a drain point, so water carries on down the main instead of falling straight into a tool. And put your filter and regulator at the point of use, not just at the tank, because air picks up moisture on the way down a cold pipe.

The aftercooler on the pump helps considerably here by cooling the discharge air and dropping much of its moisture out at the machine, but it does not turn a badly piped shop into a well-piped one.

Headroom and access

Our specification records this unit with a 39" by 24" footprint and a 77" overall height, weighing 467 lbs. Height is the dimension to check: measure your ceiling, any door header on the route in, and any duct, beam or lighting run above the intended position. Allow clearance above the machine for the outlet fitting and the piping elbow that follows it, and leave yourself a safe way to reach the pump for oil and belt work, because on a vertical unit that is above head height. If your headroom is anywhere near marginal, ask us to confirm the overall height in writing before you order.

The delivered-air figure: our sources give two answers

We hold two different airflow ratings for this model and we are not going to pretend otherwise. The manufacturer's feature list states 18.5 CFM at 100 PSI. Our specification database and the supplied overview text both give 22.3 CFM, the overview quoting it at 175 PSI.

That is not a rounding difference, it is a different pump characteristic, and we cannot resolve it from the data we hold. If you are sizing this compressor against a specific continuous-draw tool — a plasma cutter, a sander, a production cylinder — ask us to confirm the delivered air and its rating pressure in writing and we will get both from the manufacturer before you order. The maximum pressure of 175 PSI is not disputed by any source.

Perfect For

• Industrial buildings on 460V distribution with a tight panel and no appetite for a service upgrade.
• Shops short on floor area but with the ceiling height to stand a tank up.
• Compressor rooms and plant rooms where the machine goes in a corner and the piping run is already planned.
• Facilities with a long cable pull from the panel to the compressor position.

In the box

• Belt-driven two-stage pump, cast iron cylinder sleeve with aluminum heads
• Aftercooler
• 80-gallon vertical ASME tank with safety valve
• Magnetic starter, factory fitted
• Start/stop pressure switch controls
• Oil sight glass
• Fully enclosed high-flow belt guard
• Pressure gauge
• Manual air tank drain

Not included: an air dryer. BelAire names the CPXHT25 as the recommended dryer for this compressor and it is bought separately. A low oil shut-off is not listed as fitted on this model.

Specifications

Supply and motor

Pump and air

Tank and dimensions

Certification, stated without gloss

The receiver is built and stamped to the ASME pressure vessel code and carries a safety valve. That is the certification claimed here, it concerns the tank, and it is verifiable.

What we do not hold for this unit is a North American third-party electrical safety listing from an accredited testing laboratory. That document covers the motor, starter and control wiring, which a pressure vessel code stamp says nothing about, and the two are not interchangeable. Insurers, corporate facility standards and local electrical inspectors sometimes require the electrical listing by name. If there is a chance yours does, settle it and ask us in writing before you order rather than after installation.

Delivery

Freight to the lower 48 states, priced live at checkout against your actual delivery address.

Sort the unload out in advance: a forklift or a dock at the delivery point, or take terminal pickup and collect it. Residential delivery is available and carries a residential fee. Because it ships standing tall, look for lean or tipping in the crate as well as the usual checks — dents in the tank ends, a distorted guard, oil on the deck. Note any damage on the delivery paperwork and photograph it while the driver is still there, then sign. Damage discovered after a clean signature is very hard to claim back.

Warranty

A 2-year bumper-to-bumper factory warranty covers all components, with no extra purchase needed. Record the serial number at uncrating and keep it with the invoice.

Do not disassemble the pump, motor or pressure switch before opening a claim — taking a component apart to prove it failed is the surest way to lose the cover on that component. Report it first. Then keep to the manufacturer's oil interval, re-check belt tension after the first weeks of running, and drain the tank daily while there is still pressure behind the water.