Air Compessor question
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,257
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From: Scottsdale, AZ
Air Compessor question
So my craftsman 30 gallon got wet in the rain this weekend, so i'm down and out. A co worker of mine (I trust him) has a brand new 80 gallon 6.5 horsepower 16.9 cfm at 100psi Delta that's only been used for one hour. He says I have to hardwire it. I have no clue about wiring an air compressor or running lines from it. Any advice?
Lead Driver
Joined: Dec 2012
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From: Tennessee
I was given an older compressor out of a filling station . It is 220 , and painted green . Other than that , I don't know much about it . It was free ! I wired it in to my garage power and hooked an air line to it . One heck of a compressor ! My old craftsman is at a buddy's house now ( for 2 years ) . It was simple to wire up , just an electric motor . Wired it like I did my pool pump . Most electric motors even have a schematic on them .
Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Brentwood, TN
I assume that this model is a 220 VAC; if so, you are looking at a 30 amp supply. You can wire this unit using a 3-prong connector or you can "hard wire" it directly to a distribution box. The main concern with this installation is the length of wire needed to get from the power source to the compressor motor. My compressor sits in the garage in very close proximity to the power distribution panel. A standard electric dryer runs on a 30 amp service. I brought a 30 amp 220 VAC feed out of my power distribution panel to a standard 3-prong outlet mounted directly behind my compressor. I wired the compressor with a dryer replacement cord (found at your local home improvement store) and plugged it into the outlet. I have a plasma cutter, a MIG, and a TIG setup that all use the same outlet...by using the same connectors on each unit I can easily unplug one and plug in another as needed.
Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,222
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From: Houston
It should be very straight forward, 220 three wire directly to the box on the compressor. If you have a 220 oulet with a 30 amp breaker then use whatever plug you need. If you need to install one, and aren't familiar with electrical then find someone who is. As far as the compressed air, use a ball valve at the outlet and a regulator so you can dial the pressure you want. Most large compressors will put out more than you need so you need the regulator. Also make sure you have a drain so that you can drain the water out of the tank often. I used a ball valve on the drain too because it is much easier when bending down to drain it. I plumbed a pipe outside since it is messy water that I don't want in my shop. I rarely turn the electric switch off on mine, I just close the air supply ball valve. The tank has no leaks so it never comes on when left alone.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: NM
Yours. I guess I did confuse that yours is from a gas station. 6.5 HP could be either 2 or 3 phase. Houses rarely have 3-phase wiring.
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oldmerc
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From: Edmonton,Alberta
Can we assume that electrical power is almost free if small industrial users are operating on expensive Single Phase Power .
Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2003
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From: Houston
Here in Houston almost no residential areas have 3 phase except for the oldest wealthiest part of town, River Oaks. All of them do and they all run their AC's on 3 phase. They can cool their 10,000+ sq ft homes cheaper than I can cool my 2,000 sq ft home.
There are a lot of compressors made now that have single phase 6.5 HP motors on them, I am not so sure that they still use the same HP measurement though. The motors look like 3HP motors used to look like...
There are a lot of compressors made now that have single phase 6.5 HP motors on them, I am not so sure that they still use the same HP measurement though. The motors look like 3HP motors used to look like...
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 27,299
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From: NM
TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) used to be cheap, didn't it? The industrial users I used to work for used 3-ph for anything over 1 HP if they could.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,994
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From: Morgan Hill, CA
So my craftsman 30 gallon got wet in the rain this weekend, so i'm down and out. A co worker of mine (I trust him) has a brand new 80 gallon 6.5 horsepower 16.9 cfm at 100psi Delta that's only been used for one hour. He says I have to hardwire it. I have no clue about wiring an air compressor or running lines from it. Any advice?
For a big motor like that, hard wiring is the usual approach, but if you are setting this up in your garage, you can also install a power cord with a 30 amp dryer style plug and use the 220v dryer outlet for your compressor....you'd have to unplug your dryer when you want to use the compressor.
If you're not familiar with working on the electrical panel of your house, get some help on this. There are some good books on home wiring. Depending on the location of your electrical panel, it could be a simple hour job for a licensed electrician....that guy would be able to determine if your power panel has enough capacity for the installation.
One plus to using the dryer outlet is that when an electrician assesses the power panel, he has to assume that everything will be "ON" at some point, so the full capacity has to be there. If you unplug a 220v 30 amp dryer in order to plug in your compressor, then that outlet would only be able to be used by one device at a time (either the dryer or your compressor). That way you're not adding any new loads to your power panel.