Messing with my air compressor's electrical

[Heritagefarm]

I had some minor issues with my (free) air compressor a while back. It would stick a lot. I got it past that, and then sometimes the plug would throw sparks and sizzle. (I had to rewire a plug onto the end of the cord.) And then it stopped working. I let it sit for a while, then thought, "Well, maybe I'll get the motor fixed." So I took the motor off the compressor, and then it occurred to me to wire the motor up. I did, and it works quite fine. My guess is that I need to rewire my cord again.
So, what can I do to prevent this in the future? Can I wire a lightswitch into the cord? It seems to me that it flew sparks between the gap of time where there was enough distance to bridge the gap with sparks and the time before it met. of course, it still just sat there, sizzling and smoking. And this is a heavy-duty cord meant for large loads. To top it all off, the plugin in the shed no longer works.
I wonder what I should do?
I already know the answer: Buy A New Air Compressor!

[arabian knight]

Yes sometimes there is a very good reason why something was free. LOL

[Heritagefarm]

Actually it sat in the barn for 5 years. A wonder it even started.

[plowjockey]

If it 'sparked and sizzled", something was not wired right.

Attaching a switchbox to the compressor and properly wiring in a switch, would work fine, IMO.

[Bandit]

What make , model , HP , and voltage is the compressor ?

[Heritagefarm]

Originally Posted by plowjockey

If it 'sparked and sizzled", something was not wired right.

Attaching a switchbox to the compressor and properly wiring in a switch, would work fine, IMO.

Well, it has a box on it. I don't know if it is a switchbox, but it strongly resembles a well low-pressure relay switch.

Originally Posted by Bandit

What make , model , HP , and voltage is the compressor ?

Campbell Hausfeld, 2 horsepower, 115 volt. I don't know the model.

[plowjockey]

Originally Posted by Heritagefarm

Well, it has a box on it. I don't know if it is a switchbox, but it strongly resembles a well low-pressure relay switch.



Campbell Hausfeld, 2 horsepower, 115 volt. I don't know the model.

The box that looks like pressure switch is the pressure switch.

Put a siwtch between the pressure switch and the line coming in from the plug.

[rancher1913]

you may just need to clean the points on the presure switch so they make good contact.

[Allen W]

I bet there is a switch on the pressure switch box some where. some times they are small and hard to notice. Probably a small lever you can flip on and off.

[Heritagefarm]

Originally Posted by Allen W

I bet there is a switch on the pressure switch box some where. some times they are small and hard to notice. Probably a small lever you can flip on and off.

OK, I have noticed a small switch or lever-like switch in there; does this box perhaps act like a breaker, and need to be turned on when it blows?

Originally Posted by rancher1913

you may just need to clean the points on the presure switch so they make good contact.

That could be, but they look squeaky clean to me.

Originally Posted by plowjockey

The box that looks like pressure switch is the pressure switch.

Put a siwtch between the pressure switch and the line coming in from the plug.

That is what I was planning on... Can I wire a normal house switch into it, or do I use a different switch?

Thanks everyone!
Oh... What about the fact that it apparently pulls so much excess electricity that it ruined an outlet in the shed?

[Old Vet]

Originally Posted by Heritagefarm

OK, I have noticed a small switch or lever-like switch in there; does this box perhaps act like a breaker, and need to be turned on when it blows?
No what it does is to release any pressure so that it can start up without any load on it. Always through this switch when you unplug it.


That could be, but they look squeaky clean to me.



That is what I was planning on... Can I wire a normal house switch into it, or do I use a different switch?

Thanks everyone!
Oh... What about the fact that it apparently pulls so much excess electricity that it ruined an outlet in the shed?

My guess you ruined it replace it with a 30 amp plug. It is a little bit more costly but will save you many headaches.
When you rewire it use a 10 gauge wire to handle the load. No need of a switch in the wire if you flip the switch on the pressure switch.

[plowjockey]

Originally Posted by Heritagefarm

OK, I have noticed a small switch or lever-like switch in there; does this box perhaps act like a breaker, and need to be turned on when it blows?



That could be, but they look squeaky clean to me.



That is what I was planning on... Can I wire a normal house switch into it, or do I use a different switch?

Thanks everyone!
Oh... What about the fact that it apparently pulls so much excess electricity that it ruined an outlet in the shed?

I have smaller compressor, that has a little metal lever, right on the pressure switch, to turn it on and off. Maybe yours does too.

I'd use a light switch, if needed.

If it shorted at the plug and burned, it could certainly have burnt the outlet also.

If it's a real 2HP motor, they draw quite a few amps @ 115v. Is your wiring at least modern, verses something wired in during the REA?

That may also have let to the motor "sticking", if it was not getting enouth electrical current, to start properly.

[Bandit]

when it reaches pressure and shuts off , do you hear a hissing of air being released from the unloader valve ?

[Waterwheel Farm]

As stated before, a 2 HP motor is about max you can run on 125V, and they are really stretching the horsepower rating. But, the receptacle ought to be nothing less than a good quality 20 amp receptacle, assuming the wiring from the breaker is heavy enough. I'd use 12 gauge for these kinds of loads, but that's just me. Also, I never hook up a recptacle by sticking the wire in the little holes in the back of the receptacle. The little metal blade that holds the wire in the hole only contacts a small portion of the surface of the wire and under heavier loads these can get hot and arc, etc. I attach the wires to the screws on the side of the receptacle, but again, that's just me. Bottom line is the whole circuit needs to be able to handle the load....plug, cord, receptacle, wiring, and breaker or you'll just keep chasing problems to the weakest point. Good luck!

[Allen W]

Heritagefarms the motor should have a red reset button on it in case it overheats. The on/off switch on the pressure switch will be on the outside of the pressure switch. My compressor has a nice long metal lever to switch my friends had a short plastic lever that didn't show up as well.

[rambler]

Think I'd like to watch this from a little distance, with a bowl of popcorn & a fire extinguisher.....

The compressor should have the lever to turn it off & on, with the air-dump built in. You mention it, but then ignore it?

Why do you want a light switch in the cord? It won't dump the air pressure in the pump, so will not work right - you should use the lever on the pump that is there to turn it off & on. As well, a compressor of that size will want a 20 amp circut - most light switches are rated for 15 amp.

Compressor manufaturers got into the game of rating their motors at stall speed - a theoretical number of hp that is meaningless in the real world. Their hp ratings are based on the moment the motor would let all the smoke out, not a useable number. I've seen 120v compressors rated at over 5 hp - which is not possible in the 'real' world of 20 amp 120v outlets.

--->Paul

I had one the same brand and size. My compressor, itself, failed. The motor still works fine. Have you tried turning the compressor's pully to see if the compressor is free?

When a compressor motor, or any motor, starts up it pulls a lot more current than when it is running. If the compressor is sticky or frozen, the current draw is very very large. This will usually trip the breaker or blow the fuse. If the breaker is defective or someone put a penny in the fusebox, the weak point in the circuit will heat up, melt, and arc. Sounds like your plug, doesn't it? You fixed the plug. Maybe the next weakest spot was in the circuit in the shed. It melted and now the outlet doesn't work. Good thing the shed didn't catch fire.

If this is what is going on then you could get a new compressor head from Northern or Harbor Freight or you could buy a whole new compressor. I did the latter and turned the tank from the old compressor into an impressivly large air tank. I can fill the air tank, wheel it over to the work site, and drive a lot of nails before I have to fill it again.

[Heritagefarm]

Originally Posted by Old Vet

My guess you ruined it replace it with a 30 amp plug. It is a little bit more costly but will save you many headaches.
When you rewire it use a 10 gauge wire to handle the load. No need of a switch in the wire if you flip the switch on the pressure switch.

Hi, Sorry for not getting back to your PM. If I come across any 3-phase motors I need to wire in, I'll let you know. Thanks!

Yes, I may need to find a different plug to plug it into anyways.

Originally Posted by plowjockey

I have smaller compressor, that has a little metal lever, right on the pressure switch, to turn it on and off. Maybe yours does too.

I'd use a light switch, if needed.

If it shorted at the plug and burned, it could certainly have burnt the outlet also.

If it's a real 2HP motor, they draw quite a few amps @ 115v. Is your wiring at least modern, verses something wired in during the REA?

That may also have let to the motor "sticking", if it was not getting enouth electrical current, to start properly.

The building was completely wired about 2 years ago by a retired professional electrician.
No, my compressor has no switch on it that I can see. You plug it in, it turns on, you unplug it, it turns off.

Originally Posted by Bandit

when it reaches pressure and shuts off , do you hear a hissing of air being released from the unloader valve ?

I hear hissing, that that is because it has a leak on the bottom weld.

Originally Posted by Allen W

Heritagefarms the motor should have a red reset button on it in case it overheats. The on/off switch on the pressure switch will be on the outside of the pressure switch. My compressor has a nice long metal lever to switch my friends had a short plastic lever that didn't show up as well.

No, my compessor has no switch that I can see. The relay switch, when enclosed, has no moving parts around it. So far as I can, they only thing it does is turn the motor off when it reaches a certain pressure.

Originally Posted by rambler

Think I'd like to watch this from a little distance, with a bowl of popcorn & a fire extinguisher.....

The compressor should have the lever to turn it off & on, with the air-dump built in. You mention it, but then ignore it?

Why do you want a light switch in the cord? It won't dump the air pressure in the pump, so will not work right - you should use the lever on the pump that is there to turn it off & on. As well, a compressor of that size will want a 20 amp circut - most light switches are rated for 15 amp.

Compressor manufaturers got into the game of rating their motors at stall speed - a theoretical number of hp that is meaningless in the real world. Their hp ratings are based on the moment the motor would let all the smoke out, not a useable number. I've seen 120v compressors rated at over 5 hp - which is not possible in the 'real' world of 20 amp 120v outlets.

--->Paul

No, I can't ignore it, it doesn't exist. I was thinking that if I put a switch in it, it would be easier to plug it in and then turn the switch on. The compressor does not seem to fry the plug if I plug it in very fast.
Also, yes, this compressor runs on 115v and 15 amp. That's 1,725 watts. Well, I've run 1,500 watt heaters off this very same shed plug, so...
Another thing I forgot to mention, this compressor does have a problem with sticking. When I first used it, it would make electrical noises, stop, and when the belt was kicked, it'd start again. So long as the belt keeps moving, moves the pulley past the compressor's sticky spot. If it stops at the sticky spot, well, then it sticks.

[Bandit]

Sticky Spot ? or air pressure on the pistons from the built up air NOT being vented to atmosphere ?? by the UNLOADER VALVE that it should have , either as a part of the check valve .
http://www.airtekltd.com/valves.htm
Or built into the Pressure Switch
http://www.electricmotorsite.com/pc/...furnas/69MC8LY
Cheaper but ONLY rated for 1.5 Hp when used on 120 V
http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.as...-1816&catname=
Bandit

[Ozarks Tom]

There really ought to be a lever on the pressure switch with a marking of some type indicating "auto", or "off". Right now is appears you are using your plug as a switch. If the pressure in the tank is low, and the switch is closed, it will draw power immediately when you get the plug near the receptacle. With mine, I throw the switch to "off" when I put it up. When I use it again I plug it in (no sparks), and throw the switch to "auto" to start the unit. If your unit doesn't have a lever or toggle switch, it wouldn't cost much to replace the pressure sensor/switch.