After many years of spray painting experience I have now put in place some precautions that remove most problems in cleanliness of equipment. In the past I have had problems with gun and line due to exterior contaminants. After my last problem I now have a procedure that I follow religiously. I always clean the gun and store in a plastic zip bag which I put into a sealed plastic bucket for ease of storage and clean before I use said gun and check for any defects. I use rubber plugs that seal my line as I had a bug get in either my gun or line and blocked the spray gun and I store my line in a sealed plastic bucket just to keep everything clean as I don't want to contaminate my surface with dirt/dust falling off my line. It maybe excessive but since following this ritual I have had no problems that needed the surface to be sanded back and started again. If you are going to put so much effort into using a spray booth then spending a little bit more time in all aspects of your equipment and environment will pay off in the long run. Try also locating the compressor in an area where it doesn't need to be moved to enable you to use it as it will reduce introducing leaks. I have my unit under a table and a line runs to a place near where I use it so I never have to set it up each time I use it but mine is probably 5 times what I need but I got mine for about $100 as I made it from parts I either was given or bought.

In industry air compressors should cycle no more than 4 times an hour so it will be only running for about 7-8 minutes and idle for about the same time but that is for 9 to 13 hour run times. I have maintained units that ran 24/7 as they were so larger it would take almost an hour to fill the tank from empty. To help with cycle times always make sure all lines and compressor connections are free of leaks and are kept as short as possible. If used in short stints of less than an hour once or twice a week products of the day are quite capable of these running conditions even if the compressor is running continuously though not ideal as your flow may not be consistent. I have worked on motors that run 24/7 for 3 years and only needed bearings replaced and were good to go again. Always drain your tank and water filter after each use as there will be time, like during winter, when the unit wont be used for an extended time and if there is water sitting for that long then it could damage the unit.

If cycle times are too high then you will need a bigger unit plain and simple as its capacity is not adequate or the unit is faulty. You could change some pressures but that will only get you so far and unless you have the skills to replace the compressor or tank then a new unit is in your future. I would always buy maybe 50-100%, aiming for closer to 100%, larger than needed as I want due to your circumstances may change in the future. Budget is always a sticking point but so is buying the wrong size to begin with. Replacing the spray gun with a unit that requires lower compressor capabilities could also be an alternative. Once you buy the compressor you can check it by hooking up the gun and spraying air to simulate your conditions and maybe try some changes in pressures or even gun technique. Even if it cycles every 2-4 minutes for an hour, in short spray times it should be fine.