BelAire 318H 5 HP 80-Gallon Two-Stage Air Compressor — Horizontal Tank, 1-Phase

Start with the thing most listings for this model bury: the 318H ships without a magnetic starter. BelAire sells the matching starter, part number 0000052006, separately. That is not a fault and it is not a downgrade — it is why this unit sits where it does in the range, and it is the single most useful thing to know before you buy, because a compressor that arrives unable to be switched on properly is a bad week rather than a bargain.

Budget for the starter alongside the machine and the 318H is a straightforward proposition: a two-stage pump with an aluminium body and cast iron cylinder sleeves, on a horizontal 80 gallon ASME tank, running on 230 Volt 1-phase service, factory tested at 100% of working pressure before it leaves the plant.

The starter question, answered properly

A magnetic starter does two jobs on a motor this size. It switches the heavy current safely rather than making a pressure switch do work it was not designed for, and it provides overload protection that drops the motor out before a stalled or struggling machine cooks its own windings. On a 5 HP single-phase motor both of those matter, which is why the starter is not optional in practice even though it is optional on the invoice.

So order part 0000052006 with the compressor, or confirm with your electrician that what you already have is suitable. Ask us and we will price the two together in writing, so the starter arrives on the same delivery as the compressor rather than becoming a problem on installation day.

Why a horizontal tank

The 318H lies down. A horizontal 80 gallon receiver runs about 71" long and 24" wide and stands only 49" tall, which changes what rooms it can live in: under a mezzanine, beneath a low garage ceiling, along a wall behind a bench, or anywhere the roller-door track rules out a tall machine. It also puts the pump, the belt guard, the sight glass and the drain at working height instead of overhead.

The trade is floor. A vertical tank of the same capacity takes roughly half the floor and asks for the height back. Neither is better; they solve different buildings. If your constraint is ceiling height, this is the layout you want.

Whatever the layout, the pad must be level and solid — this is roughly 491 lbs concentrated on four feet, and an uneven floor works the mounts loose over a season.

Power, and the number to give your electrician

The 318H runs on 230 Volt, 1-phase supply, and the motor can be wired for either of the two standard single-phase shop voltages. BelAire recommends a 40 Amp breaker and records the amp draw as “consult a certified electrician”, which is the honest answer, because the conductor size depends on the length of your run and on local code.

Forty amps is a substantial single-phase circuit. It is worth confirming your panel has the capacity before the compressor is on the truck, not after — this is the most common reason a machine of this size sits on a pallet for a fortnight.

The pump, and one thing we are not going to print

It is a belt-driven, splash-lubricated two-stage pump with an aluminium body over cast iron cylinder sleeves, stainless steel valves and an integrated aftercooler. Two-stage compression is why the machine holds 175 PSI as a working condition rather than a strained maximum; stainless valves are the part that usually decides how long a pump keeps its efficiency, because valve plates are what carbon and heat attack first. The oil sight glass makes the weekly check a glance, and the fully enclosed high-flow belt guard covers the drive without smothering the cooling airflow the flywheel provides.

Here is what we are not going to do: quote you a delivered-air figure for this model from a field that does not carry its own units. BelAire’s 318-Series specification block records the pump as rated at 18.5 cubic feet per minute at 100 PSI, and 175 PSI as the maximum pressure. If your buying decision turns on the delivered air at a specific pressure, ask us in writing and we will confirm it against the current 318-Series sheet rather than have you plan an air system around a number we cannot fully stand behind.

Perfect For

• Low-ceilinged garages and workshops — the horizontal tank is the whole reason this model exists.
• Single-phase buildings with a panel that can carry a 40 Amp circuit.
• Serious home shops and one- to two-bay independents doing real work rather than occasional tyre inflation.
• Buyers who want to choose their own starter or who already have suitable switchgear on the wall.

What’s in the Box

The compressor as a complete factory-tested assembly: two-stage pump, motor, horizontal 80 gallon ASME tank, start-stop pressure switch control, pressure gauge, stainless steel valves, fully enclosed high-flow belt guard, oil level sight glass, 3/4" outlet, tank drain and safety relief valve.

Not included: the magnetic starter, BelAire part 0000052006, which is a separate purchase on this model. Also not supplied are any air dryer, filtration, regulation or shop plumbing.

Specifications

Motor and electrical supply

Pump and output

Tank, size and weight

Certification, stated plainly

The receiver is an ASME certified pressure vessel with a safety relief valve, and BelAire states that every unit is factory tested at 100% of full pressure. That is what the product data claims and it is the claim that carries most weight on a tank working at 175 PSI.

What the data does not claim is any third-party safety listing for the packaged machine. A manufacturer testing its own product is not the same document as an independent listing, and some insurers, facility standards and local electrical inspectors specifically ask for the second on hard-wired shop equipment. We are not going to imply one exists. If it is a condition of your installation, ask us before you order — especially on this model, where the starter is a separate item and the switchgear is therefore partly your specification rather than BelAire’s.

Shipping and receiving

It travels as palletised freight to the lower 48 states. This item ships free, so there is nothing to add at checkout.

Decide how you will get it off the truck before you order. The driver is responsible for bringing the pallet to the tailgate and nothing beyond that, so a forklift, a dock, or a pallet jack with level ground is what you want on site. No equipment? Take terminal pickup and collect it from the carrier yourself. A home address is a residential delivery and carries a residential fee — better said now than argued about on the day.

Check it before your signature goes on the paperwork. Damage written onto the bill of lading in front of the driver is claimable; damage discovered after a clean signature usually is not.

Warranty

BelAire covers the 318H with a 2 Year full factory warranty, with nothing extra to buy to hold it.

One rule of ours protects that cover: leave the pump assembled if it develops a fault. Once it has been taken apart nobody can establish what failed first, and a claim on a stripped pump is a very difficult conversation. Call us, tell us what it is doing, and let it be assessed whole.