BelAire 4918VN — Single-Phase, Cast Iron, Stainless Valves

The 4918VN is the compact single-phase machine in the BelAire vertical range: a 5 HP motor on 230V 1-phase power, a solid cast iron pump, stainless steel valves, and a footprint deliberately kept small enough to tuck into a corner rather than claim a bay. Delivery is 16.1 CFM at 100 PSI.

Stainless valves are the detail worth understanding. Valve plates open and close every revolution of the pump, in hot, oil-laden air, for the entire life of the machine. They are the most common first failure on a budget compressor, and specifying stainless there is a decision about the fifth year of ownership rather than the first week.

Before You Buy: One Number Is Published Two Ways

Published figures for the tank capacity on this model differ, and it is worth settling before you order:

Those are different machines in any practical sense — tank volume is what decides how long you can run a sander before the motor restarts. Two further specifications are published two ways as well: the pump is described as two-stage in the title and as single-stage in a spec field, and the recommended breaker is given as 40 amp in one field and as "consult a certified electrician" in another. If tank size, pump staging or circuit size decides your purchase, ask us in writing before you order and we will confirm each of them in writing against the factory spec sheet.

Will It Fit?

The unit is 36" long, 24" wide and 73" tall, and weighs 382 lbs. That makes it the shortest and the lightest of the vertical 5 HP machines in this range — roughly a hand’s width lower than its siblings, which is occasionally the difference between fitting under a garage door track and not. Measure to the lowest obstruction over the spot you intend to use, check the route in, and put it on concrete. Verifying clearance and the electrical supply before delivery is the customer’s responsibility.

Power is 230V single-phase. No magnetic starter is fitted; the feature list states that no additional starter needs to be purchased, while the spec field simply records none present — another point worth confirming with your electrician when the circuit is sized.

Built to Be Left Alone

The pump is belt driven and splash lubricated with an oil sight glass, so the pump turns slower than the motor and runs cooler, and the daily oil check takes a glance. The belt guard is fully enclosed rather than open mesh — it keeps a sleeve or a shop rag out of a moving belt, which matters in a workshop where the compressor lives behind other equipment and nobody is watching it. Control is a start-stop pressure switch: the machine builds to cut-out and stops, rather than running unloaded and burning power for nothing.

Every unit is 100% factory tested at full pressure before it leaves the plant. There is no aftercooler and no air dryer on this model, so air arrives at the tank warm and carrying moisture. Open the manual tank drain at the end of each working day, and if you are spraying, add a separator or a dryer downstream.

Perfect For

• Home and hobby garages with a dedicated single-phase circuit and limited headroom.
• Small workshops and mobile-service bases running impact tools, ratchets and blow-off.
• Second-machine duty in a larger shop — a compact backup or a dedicated supply for one bench.
• Not for continuous production air. This is an intermittent-duty machine in a home or small-shop role.

What’s in the Box

Assembled compressor on its vertical ASME tank, with the cast iron pump, stainless steel valves, high-flow enclosed belt guard, oil level sight glass, start-stop pressure switch, pressure gauge, air filter, safety valve and manual tank drain fitted. No air dryer, no magnetic starter and no electronic drain valve are included.

Specifications

Certification, Stated Plainly

The receiver is an ASME tank: built, welded and inspected to the American pressure-vessel code, with a safety valve rated to match. That certifies the vessel and nothing else. It is not a third-party safety listing of the assembled electrical machine, which is a separate document that some insurers, employers and local jurisdictions specifically require. If yours does, put the question to us in writing before you order — you will get a written answer, not a reassurance.

Shipping and Delivery

This is a freight shipment to the lower 48 states, not a parcel carrier delivery. It is a 382 lb machine, 73" tall, on a pallet. The freight cost is quoted live at checkout for your own address; a residential delivery carries a residential fee, and collecting from the freight terminal yourself avoids it.

Sort out the unloading before delivery day. Getting the crate off the truck is the receiver’s job, so line up a forklift, a dock, or enough hands and an engine hoist. Before you sign anything, inspect the crate with the driver — look at the shroud, the belt guard, the gauges and the tank shell — and write any damage on the delivery paperwork. Damage noted at delivery is a claim; damage found after a clean signature is usually an argument you lose.

Warranty

The published term is a 2-year factory warranty, and the warranty document is on this page. When something fails, open the claim before you open the machine: a manufacturer is entitled to inspect the failed part as it failed, and a pump that has already been on the bench is the usual reason a genuine claim is refused. Call us first and we will file it with you.