BelAire Air Compressor 438VL4 Iron Series 7.5 HP 80 Gallon Two Stage 460V Three Phase

BelAire 438VL4 Iron Series 7.5 HP 80-Gallon Two-Stage Compressor — 460V, 3-Phase

This is the 460 volt build of BelAire’s 7.5 HP Iron Series, and that is the whole point of it. On the higher three-phase supply a motor of this size draws proportionally less current than the same horsepower on a lower voltage, which means smaller conductors, a smaller breaker and a cheaper installation — often the difference between running a new circuit and running a new service. If your building is on 460 volt three-phase, this is the version of the Iron Series to buy.

What you get for it is a solid cast iron two-stage pump on a vertical 80 gallon ASME tank, magnetic starter fitted, rated to 175 PSI, in a footprint narrow enough to stand against a wall.

Why the supply voltage is the specification to start with

Buyers usually compare compressors on horsepower and tank size and treat the electrical entry as an afterthought. On a machine this size it is the opposite way round. A 7.5 HP motor is a substantial load, and what it costs to install depends almost entirely on what the building already has. On 460 volt three-phase the current is low enough that the wiring and protection are unremarkable. On a lower single-phase supply the same horsepower becomes a serious electrical project.

So the honest advice is to open the panel first. If the answer is 460 volt three-phase, the 438VL4 is the straightforward choice and the rest of this page is about the machine rather than the installation. If it is not, the Iron Series has other builds and we would rather point you at the right one than sell you the wrong one.

BelAire does not publish a breaker size or an amp draw for this model and says to consult a certified electrician. That is the right answer — conductor and protection sizing depend on the run — and it means booking the electrician is part of buying the compressor, not something to sort out after the pallet lands.

Confirm the 100 PSI airflow figure before you order

Published figures for delivered air at 100 PSI differ. The product description and the specification block say 23 CFM. The feature list on the same listing says 18.5 CFM. That is a wide gap — wide enough to change which tools this compressor will keep up with — so both figures are printed here beside the source that states them.

The 21 CFM figure at 175 PSI is consistent across the sources we hold. If the 100 PSI number is the one your decision turns on, confirm it with us in writing before you order and we will have it checked against BelAire’s current sheet.

Will it fit?

The tank is vertical: 72" tall, and you want headroom above that for the outlet plumbing and a hand on the pressure switch. The floor footprint is roughly 37" by 24", which is genuinely wall-friendly, but leave enough space at the sides that the belt guard, the sight glass and the drain stay reachable without shifting 600 lbs of machine.

The pad wants to be level and solid. Vertical compressors concentrate their weight on a small area and transmit a lot of vibration into whatever they stand on; on an uneven floor they work their own mounts loose over a season.

Two-stage compression, and what it is actually for

A two-stage pump compresses the air twice, passing it from a large first cylinder to a smaller second one. The value is not a bigger headline pressure — it is that the machine holds high pressure as a normal operating condition instead of as a strained maximum. Heat is shed between the stages, so the pump runs cooler, the oil lasts longer and the rings are not fighting the whole pressure rise in one stroke.

That is why a two-stage machine is worth the extra money in a shop where the air line is genuinely busy all day, and why it is overkill for a garage that fills tyres on Saturdays. The construction here is solid cast iron, belt driven and splash lubricated, with an oil sight glass so the weekly check is a glance.

The receiver is an 80 gallon vertical ASME tank with a safety relief valve and a 3/4" outlet. BelAire names the CPXHT25 as the recommended dryer; it is not included.

Perfect For

• Industrial and commercial buildings already on 460 volt three-phase — the least demanding installation route for a compressor this size.
• Multi-bay service shops running impact tools, sanders or a hoist air supply simultaneously.
• Manufacturing and fabrication where the air line is under continuous demand.
• Fleet maintenance facilities that need high pressure held rather than merely reached.

It is the wrong machine for a home garage, and not because of the pump — because almost no house has 460 volt three-phase service.

What’s in the Box

The complete factory-assembled compressor: solid cast iron two-stage pump, motor, vertical ASME tank, magnetic starter, start-stop pressure switch, pressure gauge, fully enclosed high-flow belt guard, oil sight glass, tank drain and safety relief valve.

Not supplied: the CPXHT25 dryer, filtration and regulation, and shop plumbing.

Specifications

Motor and electrical supply

Pump and output

Tank and outlet

Size and weight

Certification, stated plainly

The tank is an ASME certified pressure vessel with a safety relief valve — the certification this product’s data does claim, and the one that matters on a receiver working at 175 PSI.

No third-party safety listing is claimed for the packaged machine anywhere in the data we hold, and we will not imply one. That distinction is occasionally decisive: a manufacturer’s own declaration is not the same document as an independent listing, and some insurers, plant standards and electrical inspectors ask specifically for the second. If that applies to your installation, ask before you order and we will take it up with BelAire in writing.

We would rather tell you that plainly than let a badge you assumed was there turn up missing during an inspection.

Freight and receiving

Shipped as palletised freight throughout the lower 48 states, free of charge.

Receiving is on you, and it is easier if you decide how before the truck is booked. The carrier delivers to the back of the trailer only, so you want a forklift, a loading dock, or a pallet jack and level ground. If none of that exists at your site, choose terminal pickup. Home addresses count as residential deliveries and carry a residential fee — say so when you order.

And inspect it standing there. Damage found after a clean signature is your problem; damage written onto the bill of lading before you sign is the carrier’s.

Warranty

BelAire warrants this unit bumper to bumper for 2 Year coverage, consumer and commercial, across the whole machine, with no extra purchase required to hold it.

Our standing warning applies here as it does to every compressor on the site: do not take the pump apart before the claim is open. Once it is in pieces the sequence of failure is unrecoverable and the claim gets a great deal harder. Call it in first and let it be looked at whole.