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Thread: Air Compressors

  1. #1
    Mike Switzer's Avatar
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    Air Compressors

    In 1993 I bought the biggest air compressor Craftsman sold, a 5hp 30 gallon single stage. At the time it was the biggest single phase 220 volt compressor you could buy. The tank has developed a pinhole leak & a replacement is no longer available. I was going to buy a 60 or 80 gallon tank for it, then I saw how much that would cost & I started looking at 80 gallon 2 stage compressors. I was considering the Kobalt that Lowes sells for $950 (made by Campbell Hausfeld) then I discovered the pump life rating is only 10,000 hours. Looking at the automotive & shop equipment suppliers there seems to be a wide range of brands (and varying reviews on quality) in the $1000 - $1700 range.

    For those of you that have 2 stage compressors in your shops what brands seem to work good & which ones should I steer clear of? Thanks.

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    Mike: 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year for just under 5 years to get to 10,000 hours..... If you want a real workhorse, 2 stage, then the commercial level IR, Quincy and Champion are the brands to go with. I've got an IR T-30 that was built in '62 that is about to come out of storage, and I can still get parts for it if needed.

    One option for you is to buy a dead compressor off of Craigslist and remount your power unit to it.

    You can also find used 3 phase units fairly cheap at times too, but changing over to a single phase motor is going to be several hundred bucks. If you choose this route, make sure you buy noting bigger than a 7.5 hp unit, or replacement motor and shop wiring are going to eat you alive.
    Last edited by CraigCantwell; 03-16-2019 at 02:16 PM.

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    I have a similar air compressor from the 1970's that developed a leaky tank. Still looking for a tank because the compressor is otherwise still going strong. My 20 y/o C/H upright probably has ~7-8000 hrs and it's giving me trouble. The new "sealed" motor/compressor rigs are annoying loud.

    Don't run away from an industrial compressor with a three phase motor. Just install a VFD and you can do some neat stuff with it.

  4. #4
    Mike Switzer's Avatar
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    I went to the local Rural King store today & was looking around (they had a clearance sale & some new guns), They have a 80 gallon Dewalt compressor for $999, more CFM than the Kobalt. Turns out it is made by MAT Industries in Long Grove, IL. The same compressor is sold under a 1/2 dozen different names, including Sanborn. (The painted over ASME tag on the tank says Sanborn on it). Can't find any info on pump life rating though. TP tools has some nice Champions (made by Gardner Denver) but they are a bit more $$.

    I have been looking at Craig's List & local ebay listings but haven't found anything yet that I am interested in. I sure don't want to buy a used tank that may also spring a leak & possibly turn into a bomb.

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    [QUOTE=martymayes;74897
    Don't run away from an industrial compressor with a three phase motor. Just install a VFD and you can do some neat stuff with it.[/QUOTE]

    Where you have to be careful about the VFD is sizing and having the available power to run it. Most VFD manufacturers tell you that for compressor usage, the drive needs to be rated to handle 2 to 2.5 times the nameplate hp of the compressor motor. For example. a Spedestar PC1-100 is rated for a 7.5 hp motor, but it pulls 72 amps when running that motor. To hang one in the shop is over a grand, and you would most likely have to add in the cost for an electric unloader so that you could program it to soft start the compress and not exceed the current limitations.

    I had been looking at going the VFD route with my big compressor, but decided to drop less than half the cash and swap it over to a single phase motor and only need a 40 amp circuit.

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    In about 1959 or '61, (don't remember the exact year, but I was in 2nd or 3rd grade, and I graduated H.S. on '70.) my Dad bought a reman Quincy, 2 stage, 60 or 80 gal, 5 hp, and it was still running when the motor burned up a couple of years ago. Unfortunately it is still sitting there waiting for a new motor, because 5 hp single phase motors don't come cheap, and as long as my 1 hp 30 gal compressor is keeping up with about 90% of what I ask of it, it is difficult to justify the expense,
    Dave

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    Quote Originally Posted by dclaxon View Post
    In about 1959 or '61, (don't remember the exact year, but I was in 2nd or 3rd grade, and I graduated H.S. on '70.) my Dad bought a reman Quincy, 2 stage, 60 or 80 gal, 5 hp, and it was still running when the motor burned up a couple of years ago. Unfortunately it is still sitting there waiting for a new motor, because 5 hp single phase motors don't come cheap, and as long as my 1 hp 30 gal compressor is keeping up with about 90% of what I ask of it, it is difficult to justify the expense,
    Dave
    You can probably have the motor rewound for way less than the cost of a new one.

  8. #8
    Mike Switzer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by vaflier View Post
    You can probably have the motor rewound for way less than the cost of a new one.
    Yea, we did this all the time when I was a maintenance engineer. Way cheaper than buying a new one. Most places that sell electric motors for industrial use can rewind them (or send them out to be done).

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    For what it's worth, I've found Tractor Supply to be the best place for compressors and other air related things around here.

  10. #10
    Mike Switzer's Avatar
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    One thing I have figured out, I am probably going to have to do some electrical work if I upgrade. I currently have a 220V 30 amp breaker feeding 10 ga stranded wire running approx 70 feet in EMT. The current 5 HP motor says it pulls 13.8 amps. Anything I am looking at pulls between 22 - 28 amps for a 5 HP compressor. I figure I will split the 2 hot wires I have now to make 2 30 amp 110 circuits & have to put in a new 220 circuit with 6 or 8 ga wire on a 40 or 50 amp breaker if I upgrade. Wouldn't be a big deal except my shop is so full of crap & unfinished projects I will have to empty it out to run a new circuit. I have a bad knee I don't like ladders.

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