Adding an electric fan to an air compressor question.

[Lelandwelds]

Why fan cool an aftercooler? The ones I have seen are within 10°or 15° over ambient just one third into the cooler. The pumps only get about 25° over ambient. The tank was at ambient. Why fan cool if you already have excess capacity?

Why not do something practical like moving compressor into an airconditioned space? Maybe wick water around cooler for evaporative cooling?

If you add an effective aftercooler, you are far ahead of the pack. Next level would be dumping water before air enters the tank.

 

[manwithtools]

which is?
nothing he said would be in violation of UL. The fan wouldn't be depending on the starter for protection and would NOT defeat the overload protection for the compressor motor. Someone has UL tinted blinders defeating good sense. He cant seem to think outside the box misinterpreting HIS requirements to UL. I suggest the OP contact a local electrician to get sound advice.

Can't you understand that code does not allow connecting anything to the overload terminals other then the single motor it protects? There is no thinking outside the box when code states it specifically. NEC 430.32 covers this in detail.

This has nothing to do with MY requirements to UL, I don't have any UL requirements that are specific to me - you cannot grasp that, can you?

Call all the local electricians you want, none that understand code are going to wire anything to the output terminals of a motor starter (contactor/overload combination) other than the wires going to the motor it supplies.....

 

[Infinia]

Can't you understand that code does not allow connecting anything to the overload terminals other then the single motor it protects? There is no thinking outside the box when code states it specifically. NEC 430.32 covers this in detail.

Wait you said UL was the authority that didn't allow it, now it is the NEC code? haha. :

This has nothing to do with MY requirements to UL, I don't have any UL requirements that are specific to me - you cannot grasp that, can you

Not you literally.. I meant as a component supplier that agrees to supply parts /appliances/ building materials with UL listing/oversight. Electricians have local building codes.

Call all the local electricians you want, none that understand code are going to wire anything to the output terminals of a motor starter (contactor/overload combination) other than the wires going to the motor it supplies.....

So any electrician that disagrees with your edicts doesn't understand NEC...
Cant connect anything? I cant have him attach a indicator lamp/LED or a relay to a buzzer? Wow life in your world (boxed) view is strict.
Why don't you just provide the NEC codes (their words in English)* that explicitly says that. Because apparently you are the only authority here that can correctly interpret either UL or NEC. You already tried that by waving UL numbers, which failed after looking it up.

 

[KENWIL138]

OK just got to read your comments. I am the one who actually installed a power wire and a ground on the starter (the red and black small wires) they go to an hour meter I installed. Is this not ok? I am going to open the pressure switch up and check on those two terminals that I am hearing about. Thanks again.

 

[Infinia]

Originally Posted by manwithtools
Can't you understand that code does not allow connecting anything to the overload terminals other then the single motor it protects? There is no thinking outside the box when code states it specifically. NEC 430.32 covers this in detail.

So there is no provision if the compressor motor is already protected AND its also on a dedicated branch circuit with it's own breaker, the OP compressors installation may infact only use contactor function not the overload section.. Does anyone do a locked rotor test on new installs, to check which protection out of the three here is active. Building Inspectors do have oversight over NEC in most cases.

 

[manwithtools]

So there is no provision if the compressor motor is already protected AND its also on a dedicated branch circuit with it's own breaker, the OP compressors installation may infact only use contactor function not the overload section.. Does anyone do a locked rotor test on new installs, to check which protection out of the three here is active. Building Inspectors do have oversight over NEC in most cases.

SMH. Well damn it, you not only can't read, apparently you can't see either...

After you say " the OP compressors installation may infact only use contactor function not the overload section"

I have to ask: "Have you looked at the picture of his starter box in post 16?" More importantly, do you know which is the contactor and which is the overload in that picture?

It's very obvious how this motor starter is wired and why I stated what I did in the first place. If you so strongly disagree with my postings, why don't you cite the sections of code that refute my statements.

If this was not so frustrating, I'd continue the discussion just for the entertainment value.... but I really am feeling I'm being beaten by experience in this debate.

In case you don't get the satire in that last paragraph, I suggest you do a little Googling about Mark Twain

 

[manwithtools]

OK just got to read your comments. I am the one who actually installed a power wire and a ground on the starter (the red and black small wires) they go to an hour meter I installed. Is this not ok? I am going to open the pressure switch up and check on those two terminals that I am hearing about. Thanks again.

The hour meter is 120 volt I presume? You should not connect it to one leg of 240 and ground as the ground now becomes a current carrying conductor. I know it works this way, but it's not as it should be.

An hour meter or an indicating light would normally be hooked up via an aux contact on the contactor or a spare contact on the pressure switch. In this case it would be best if it were a 240 volt hour meter.

 

[American Locomotive]

Why fan cool an aftercooler? The ones I have seen are within 10°or 15° over ambient just one third into the cooler. The pumps only get about 25° over ambient. The tank was at ambient. Why fan cool if you already have excess capacity?

If the answer is "because I can", please continue. I am guilty of the same thing just with a different subject.

And, yes, I am the guy who keeps taking the temperature of everybody's beer with the laser.

I have never seen any air-cooled compressor that only got "25° over ambient". Even large, slow-turning 4-cylinder pumps will easily hit 150-200*F after prolonged operation. I've seen the discharge on some compressors get hot enough to boil water.

 

[Infinia]

SMH. Well damn it, you not only can't read, apparently you can't see either...

If this was not so frustrating, I'd continue the discussion just for the entertainment value...:

What cant find your NEC code book?
Entertainment value? what I can see is... calling internet bully's on their baloney w/o trying to insult them is just as rewarding.

 

[engineer2]

If you are stuck with a 120 V hour meter, you can bring in a neutral (white wire) from another 120 V circuit and connect the other side of the meter to the extra contactor terminal.
Not sure how this sits with the NEC.
Be careful, you can still get a tingle off off the white.