BelAire 438V4 Iron Series — 5 HP, 80 Gallon, Two-Stage, 460V 3-Phase

The 438V4 is the Iron Series unit for a shop that already has 460V three-phase service at the panel. It is a belt-driven, two-stage, solid cast iron pump on an 80 gallon vertical ASME tank, and its detail worth knowing is inside the pump: BelAire specifies automotive-style connecting rod bearings and wrist pins rather than the plain bushings common at this price. That is the reciprocating hardware of a car engine, chosen for the same reason a car engine uses it — it survives repeated start-stop loading and it can be serviced.

Output is 18 CFM at 100 PSI and 16 CFM at 175 PSI, which is a whole-shop number rather than a one-tool number: impact guns, ratchets, blow-off, a plasma cutter, and enough headroom that a second technician picking up an air tool does not stall the first one.

Will It Fit, and Will It Run?

The cabinet measures 37" long by 24" wide and stands 72" tall, and it weighs 580 lbs dry. Two things follow from those numbers. First, the vertical tank means the footprint is roughly the size of a shop stool while the height is that of a tall man — measure the ceiling, the door you have to walk it through, and any low duct or lighting run on the path from the roll-up door to its corner. Second, 580 lbs on a small footprint concentrates load, so it belongs on a sound concrete slab and never on a raised timber floor or a mezzanine without checking the structure.

The power supply is the part people get wrong. This is a 460 volt, 3-phase machine with a factory magnetic starter fitted, so it wires straight into an existing 460V three-phase service and needs no separately purchased starter. It cannot be run on single-phase household power, and it cannot be converted with an adapter. BelAire publishes amp draw and breaker sizing as "consult a certified electrician" rather than a fixed figure, and that is the honest answer — the correct breaker and conductor depend on the run length and your local code. Confirming the supply with a licensed electrician before you order is the customer’s responsibility, and it takes one phone call.

Why Two Stages, and Why Cast Iron

A single-stage pump compresses air once and dumps the heat straight into the tank. A two-stage pump compresses it in a large cylinder, passes it through an intercooler, then compresses the cooled charge again in a smaller cylinder. Cooling the air between stages is what lets the machine reach 175 PSI without the discharge temperature climbing to the point where oil carries over and valves coke up. It is also why a two-stage unit can hold a longer duty cycle at pressure than a single-stage of the same horsepower.

The 438V4 adds an aftercooler on the discharge side, which drops the temperature of the air on its way to the tank so more of the moisture in it condenses where you can drain it rather than downstream in your lines. Solid cast iron cylinders matter for the same unglamorous reason: iron carries heat away and wears slowly, and the pump is splash lubricated with an oil sight glass so a five-second look tells you whether the level is right.

The Things You Actually Touch

Control is a start/stop pressure switch, so the machine builds to its cut-out pressure and shuts off rather than idling, which is the difference between paying for the air you use and paying for the air you leak. The belt guard is fully enclosed rather than a mesh screen, which keeps fingers, sleeves and shop rags out of the drive. The tank drain is manual: open it at the end of the day, let the water out, close it. Skipping that is the single most common way an otherwise healthy 80 gallon tank rusts from the inside.

Perfect For

• Commercial garages and body shops already on three-phase service, running several air tools at once.
• Industrial and fabrication shops where 175 PSI at the header keeps a plasma cutter or a blast cabinet honest.
• Fleet and municipal maintenance bays that need a machine to sit in the corner for years with nothing but oil changes and a daily drain.
• Not for a home garage. If your panel is single-phase, this is the wrong model in the range and no accessory changes that.

What’s in the Box

The compressor arrives assembled on its 80 gallon vertical tank with the two-stage cast iron pump, the enclosed belt guard, the magnetic motor starter, the start/stop pressure switch, a pressure gauge, an air filter, the ASME safety valve and the manual tank drain fitted.

One thing is deliberately not included, and it is better to know now than on installation day: there is no air dryer fitted. BelAire recommends the CPXHT25 dryer for this unit, sold separately, and if you spray finish you should budget for air treatment after the tank rather than hope. The tank outlet is 3/4", which is the size your first fitting needs to be.

Specifications

Certification, Stated Plainly

The receiver tank is built and stamped to the American pressure-vessel code, and the safety relief valve is rated with it. That is a certification of the vessel — it says the tank has been designed, welded and inspected to hold the pressure it claims. It is not a third-party safety listing of the finished electrical machine, and the two are often confused. If your insurer, your municipality or a plant safety policy requires a listed assembly rather than a coded tank, ask us in writing before you order and we will put the answer in writing back.

Shipping and Delivery

This machine ships as freight to the lower 48 states, not as a parcel. It weighs 580 lbs and stands 72" tall on a pallet. Freight is quoted live at checkout for your address, and delivery to a residential address carries a residential fee. If you would rather collect it yourself, terminal pickup is available and avoids that fee.

Plan the unloading before the truck arrives. The driver is not responsible for taking the crate off the deck, so you need a forklift, a loading dock, or several people and an engine hoist. When it lands, walk around the crate with the driver: check the shroud, the belt guard, the gauges and the tank for dents or scrapes, and write any damage you find on the delivery paperwork before you sign it. A signed clean bill of lading is very hard to argue with afterwards; a noted exception is straightforward.

Warranty

BelAire covers this unit with a 2-year bumper-to-bumper factory warranty, which is the term published for both consumer and commercial use. The full document is on this page. One practical warning that applies to every compressor we sell: do not disassemble a pump, a starter or a pressure switch to diagnose it before you open a claim. A manufacturer is entitled to inspect the part as it failed, and a stripped pump on the bench is the usual reason a good claim gets denied. Call us first and we will start the claim with you.