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Old but new to me Air Compressor!

S

sdx

New member
Joined
Apr 23, 2014
Messages
4
Hi, I'm new here. :beer:

It should be said that I don't know much at all about electrical/wiring.
I was recently given an air compressor. It has a 3 prong plug, but my dryer plug/outlet is different (4 prongs with one being an "L" shape). The dryer outlet say it's 125/250v and 30A. The motor on the compressor says it's 230v and 15FLA?

Side note: It looks like the 3 prong plug could plug into the 4-prong outlet, it's just missing that bottom "L" shaped prong, but I don't want to fry anything so not going to try it until I know for sure.

How can I convert the air compressor plug to plug into the dryout outlet? Is there an adapter?

I have attached some pics. I hope someone can help.
 

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B

BreeStephany

ALLIANCE MEMBER
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May 19, 2012
Messages
863
Location
Oregon
Your dryer plug has a ground, 2 line voltage wires and a neutral, as some dryers utilize the neutral for the motor and timer / electronics. Your air compressor has a ground and 2 line voltage wires.

From the looks of it, your larger line voltage prong on your air compressor is one the opposite side of that of the dryer outlet. If this is the case, your best bet would be to pick up a 4 prong dryer plug and only utilize the ground and 2 line voltage prongs.

The the straight blade outlet terminals SHOULD be your line voltage and the u-shaped outlet terminal should be your ground, however, I would recommend you to use a multimeter to check and make sure.
 
P

pattenp

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 4, 2008
Messages
10,175
Location
Virginia - USA
The dryer plug prongs are...
| = hot
| = hot
L = neutral
U = ground
For the compressor don't use the "L" shaped prong.
The dryer plug is a 14-30P

Edit: Another bit of info is that compressor has a 50A plug on it and the motor says 5HP so by NEC rules the 30A dryer circuit is undersized, plus the compressor should be hardwired because the 50A plugs and outlets are rated for 3HP max.


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S

sdx

New member
Joined
Apr 23, 2014
Messages
4
Well I got the correct plug and wired it up. It started right up, except there's a pin hole in the bottom of the tank....I guess it's toast...:(
 
B

bcassel

Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2014
Messages
23
Location
Northern California
You should be able to find an old tank, or a good sized old propane tank to use as a holding tank. Take the valve off the propane tank, fill it with water and drain it a few times and then just plumb it.
 
K

kams1973

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Oct 3, 2010
Messages
1,587
Location
Amarillo, TX
As stated above, you should be able to find a good used tank. What is your location? There may be a member local to you that could help.
 
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