Air Compressor Help

[HiccaBurp]

Happy New Year All..!! I picked this Campbell Hausfeld 60 gal stationary air compressor from a job site a while back ago for free. They used it to run a die cutter table and it stopped working. Where should I start for diagnosing?

Looking at the switch box, the white wire looks burned and melted. I do not have 240v in the garage. I'm going to run a temp extension from my electrical panel so I can test it out. Someone said start and/or run capacitors is the first place to look? Btw, I can freely spin the belt drive so nothing seems seized up.

If you have any suggestions on how to test/diagnose this compressor, I would appreciate it

[/URL]
[URL=https://s745.photobucket.com/user/Hiccaburp/media/Garage/IMG_9769_zpsww7crffm.jpg.html]

 

[engineer2]

It woulnd't hurt to do a quick visual of the capacitors. They have a safety plug that blows out, but sometimes they die quietly. If a capacitor looks blown up, it could mean a bad motor winding. The burnt wire might mean other issues too. Time to do a thorough inspection. Are you able to find the manuals and wiring diagram online?

 

[Bretny]

Personaly i would wire it up with out the burnt up switch just to make sure it will build pressure with out spending any money on it.
There about $400 new so buying a new switch and or motor may be dollar foolish.

 

[The Cobbler]

I agree on bypassing the switch to see if everything else works . see if it builds pressure ( or even runs)
how long of a cord do you need ti get to your 240? remember voltage drop can play a big role in how compressors run too.

 

[EOC_Jason]

I would also check the contactors on the pressure switch to make sure they aren't burnt up. The whole pressure switch assembly isn't that expensive, just make sure you get one with the proper HP size and pressure rating if it needs replacing.

As someone else said it doesn't hurt to give the capacitors a visual inspection. Likewise pulling off cover place where the electrical goes into the motor to see if anything burnt up in there.

I would wire up *just* motor directly first, and unhook the belt from the pump. See if the motor even starts and have a clamp-on amp meter to check what it's pulling.

 

[Citation]

Start by taking the belt cover off and turning the pump by had hand. Next look at the wiring and see what kind of shape it's in. Already I don't like what I see (burnt wire).

I would probably just buy a new pressure switch. I just picked up a replacement for a similar switch. It was under $25. Lots of variations of the same Condor switch. The pressure ranges are adjustable but you want one with a hole in the side for the power wire and a clamp on the bottom for the motor wire and an unloader. The motor probably had enough wire so you could strip and recrimp a new connector on the end.

You could go ahead and test the thing by connecting it two a dedicated line then using the breaker to switch it on. If it doesn't turn over the problem is electrical. If it doesn't build pressure it may be the check valve or pump (likely a bad valve or valve plate).

Good find.

 

[Mick56]

Did you press the red reset button on the motor?

 

[Citation]

OK, now that I'm not on my phone and can see the pictures, I see a lot of black on what should be copper colored connectors in the pressure switch. I would say replace it and the motor wires. If it's long enough you could cut ends and crimp on new connectors.

Condor makes lots of similar looking pressure switches and they are all over Amazon for $20-40 for basically the same thing. You can change the cut in and out pressures but it never hurts to get one that is set to what you need already. Look at the model number of your compressor as well as similar ones from say Husky, Kobalt etc. You will find websites that have part numbers. For example, I wanted to replace the pressure switch on my Westward/CH compressor. I found a "Coleman" that was similar and bought it vs the "correct" part number. I suspect the correct model was identical but the cost was about $15 cheaper for the Coleman.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BCNFPXG/?tag=atomicindus08-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008JVM49W/?tag=atomicindus08-20
The only reason why the second one wouldn't work for you is it lacks the hole in the side plate used to secure the incoming power line. If you choose to use a more traditional power cord it does have a clamp on the bottom where such a cord could come into the compressor.

Anyway, looking at the parts I bet you could check things with a multimeter. The contacts should have VERY low resistance else the 15 A current will cause them to over heat. Something I don't like about your current pressure switch is if you remove the cover the contacts turn on. I don't think that is a good design idea. However, that means with your cover off you know the compressor is "on" and should be able to check for continuity between the contacts in the switch.

It's possible the pump is bad but those are pretty robust and long lasting pumps. The basic design has been around since at least the early 80s.

 

[HiccaBurp]

OK, now that I'm not on my phone and can see the pictures, I see a lot of black on what should be copper colored connectors in the pressure switch. I would say replace it and the motor wires. If it's long enough you could cut ends and crimp on new connectors.

Thanks for all the info! When I got home, dove in and found that the black motor wire was barely attached to the pressure switch. Wonder if this caused the overload on the white wire?

I'm about to run a cord from my fuse box.. i'm using my 2 pole 20amp AC circuit since it's not being used right now. I'll remove the AC wires and use that. That should work.. i think?

 

[HiccaBurp]

I got the air compressor running! I bypassed the switch and it kicked right over and started building pressure. Here is a quick video I made. The whistling you may hear is the plug i had in the air outlet wasn't completely tight, i have since tightened it and no whistling.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Could have started out slightly damaged and over time got worse. I would still clamp an ammeter on it and see how much current it's pulling, though if it didn't trip your 20A breaker you're probably okay.

Check the contactors on that pressure switch to make sure they aren't damaged, I would be highly suspicious if the wire was melted that much.

 

[HiccaBurp]

Could have started out slightly damaged and over time got worse. I would still clamp an ammeter on it and see how much current it's pulling, though if it didn't trip your 20A breaker you're probably okay.

Check the contactors on that pressure switch to make sure they aren't damaged, I would be highly suspicious if the wire was melted that much.

Here is the amp reading.. i believe multiply by 10 from reading for actual amperage?

 

[danielbuck]

nice score :-D

 

[The Cobbler]

The compressor sounds nice
the melted wire could simply be those spade connectors loose, & causing resistance thus heat build up
nice score/
that deserves a "YOU ****"

 

[Citation]

Glad to see this is looking like a low buck fix. I would definitely look at replacing the pressure switch. They just don't cost that much and it looks like that one had something over heat in it.

The bad connector on the black wire might be the cause of the overheating or, worse, it could be a symptom of the real failure. Anyway, the great news is the pump, motor and tank seem fine so just spend $30 or so on a new pressure switch and some crimp terminals and enjoy your good fortune!

 

[HiccaBurp]

Glad to see this is looking like a low buck fix. I would definitely look at replacing the pressure switch. They just don't cost that much and it looks like that one had something over heat in it.

The bad connector on the black wire might be the cause of the overheating or, worse, it could be a symptom of the real failure. Anyway, the great news is the pump, motor and tank seem fine so just spend $30 or so on a new pressure switch and some crimp terminals and enjoy your good fortune!

Yes, got it hooked up through the pressure switch and I got it to 100psi and shut it off. Couple of questions..

1. At what psi should it shut off? I don't need a grenade going off while i'm standing in the garage
***edit***found it's cut in at 105, cut off at 135. I'll try it tomorrow. Does it take it a while to get to that psi? It seemed like it was moving really slowly

2. The pipe from the air compressor to the tank got really hot.. is it supposed to get that hot?

Sorry for so many questions, i'm being overly cautious.. i have 3 kids in the house and don't want anything happening to them or me!!

 

[Citation]

The sticker says 125 psi max so I would assume cut off at 125. Cut in is probably around 100. The blow off valve is probably 150 (it's stamped into the part). My guess is about 8 min from empty to full.

The pump outlet does get hot. Nothing to cause alarm there.

 

[HiccaBurp]

The sticker says 125 psi max so I would assume cut off at 125. Cut in is probably around 100. The blow off valve is probably 150 (it's stamped into the part). My guess is about 8 min from empty to full.

The pump outlet does get hot. Nothing to cause alarm there.

Ok great. I'll let her run when I get home and keep fingers crossed everything works as it should.

Thanks to everyone for the helpful info

 

[pcmeiners]

Since you have no main in your garage you may have a long run of wire to the compressor, that does not help. You should really run a 240v line. If the line is long, voltage drops and amp draw increases.

 

[94EG8]

I really don't like those Condor pressure switches, they're built very cheaply, the Square D and Furnas ones are much better made, but also more expensive. You get what you pay for really applies here IMO.


The most common thing that seems to happen to that compressor pump itself is the reed valves break, but the valve plates are pretty cheap and definitely cheap enough to be a worthwhile repair if that were to happen. It's a great compressor for running an impact gun, air ratchet, air hammer, etc. But it will struggle with an air sander, sandblaster or die grinder. Definitely a screaming deal for the price of a pressure switch.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Here is the amp reading.. i believe multiply by 10 from reading for actual amperage?

You can't clamp around all the wires, you have to clamp just around a single hot to get a proper reading. Usually that's easiest around the pressure switch or motor. Like I said, if it hasn't tripped the breaker then you are probably okay. I bet it was just poor wiring.

Yes, got it hooked up through the pressure switch and I got it to 100psi and shut it off. Couple of questions..

1. At what psi should it shut off? I don't need a grenade going off while i'm standing in the garage
***edit***found it's cut in at 105, cut off at 135. I'll try it tomorrow. Does it take it a while to get to that psi? It seemed like it was moving really slowly

2. The pipe from the air compressor to the tank got really hot.. is it supposed to get that hot?

Sorry for so many questions, i'm being overly cautious.. i have 3 kids in the house and don't want anything happening to them or me!!

The tank should say the rated pressure, but you can also search online for that model and the manual will say. 135 is kind of an odd #, usually they are 125 PSI. I have my compressor set a little lower at 115 just to help reduce wear, the higher the pressure the harder the pump & motor have to work.

Yes, the pipe from the compressor to the tank will get extremely hot.

Make sure you drain the tank regularly. I plumbed in an elbow & ball valve for easier access (and so I could drain it into a bottle). The OEM petcocks are hard to get to, often leak slowly, and will make a mess on your floor.

 

[PT Doc]

Quincy still might use Condor switches, they did on my 5+ year old qt5. Unless quality has changed, they will sort you out.

 

[HiccaBurp]

You can't clamp around all the wires, you have to clamp just around a single hot to get a proper reading. Usually that's easiest around the pressure switch or motor. Like I said, if it hasn't tripped the breaker then you are probably okay. I bet it was just poor wiring.



The tank should say the rated pressure, but you can also search online for that model and the manual will say. 135 is kind of an odd #, usually they are 125 PSI. I have my compressor set a little lower at 115 just to help reduce wear, the higher the pressure the harder the pump & motor have to work.

Yes, the pipe from the compressor to the tank will get extremely hot.

Make sure you drain the tank regularly. I plumbed in an elbow & ball valve for easier access (and so I could drain it into a bottle). The OEM petcocks are hard to get to, often leak slowly, and will make a mess on your floor.

Thank you!! Yeah, brain fart when using the tester, I should've used the splitter that came with it. I'll do that next time i run it.

Good idea on the drain. Will definitely do that.

Thanks for all the info