pblanton
Well-known member
I was looking for a good shop air compressor and was scouring Craigslist a few months ago in an effort to find a good candidate. I found this Champion VR5-8, 80 gallon two-stage industrial air compressor listed for $300. I met the guy at a storage facility and ended up getting it for $225.
It had been used for twenty years in a local auto dealer's detail shop. Mostly for blowing out the grime from auto dashboards, nooks and crannies. Nobody likes grime in their cranny.
The motor on it was a three-phase and it was missing the starter. It also had one of the power connection terminals on the pressure switch stripped out.
I bought a new single-phase 5HP electric motor (Baldor), a new pressure switch and a single-phase starter. I also replaced the pressure gauge on the tank since the glass was broken on the original. Total spent about $700, and I should be able to re-capture about $250 from the three-phase electric motor I removed from it.
Tonight I finished cleaning it up, and wired it all together. I've temporarily mounted a regulator and manifold so that I can use it until I get it mounted in its closet and finish plumbing the shop for air. I have the pressure switch set to cut-on at 125 PSI and cut off at 170 PSI. It runs smooth as butter and is much quieter than I expected.
The compressor came with an automatic tank drain and a low-oil cutoff switch. I wired up the low-oil switch in series with the on-off switch and the pressure switch so that it is protected in an low-oil situation.
I'm not sure about the tank drain. How it is supposed to work or where the water comes out if there is any. I'll post another thread about that.
Here are pics of the completed compressor...
It had been used for twenty years in a local auto dealer's detail shop. Mostly for blowing out the grime from auto dashboards, nooks and crannies. Nobody likes grime in their cranny.
The motor on it was a three-phase and it was missing the starter. It also had one of the power connection terminals on the pressure switch stripped out.
I bought a new single-phase 5HP electric motor (Baldor), a new pressure switch and a single-phase starter. I also replaced the pressure gauge on the tank since the glass was broken on the original. Total spent about $700, and I should be able to re-capture about $250 from the three-phase electric motor I removed from it.
Tonight I finished cleaning it up, and wired it all together. I've temporarily mounted a regulator and manifold so that I can use it until I get it mounted in its closet and finish plumbing the shop for air. I have the pressure switch set to cut-on at 125 PSI and cut off at 170 PSI. It runs smooth as butter and is much quieter than I expected.
The compressor came with an automatic tank drain and a low-oil cutoff switch. I wired up the low-oil switch in series with the on-off switch and the pressure switch so that it is protected in an low-oil situation.
I'm not sure about the tank drain. How it is supposed to work or where the water comes out if there is any. I'll post another thread about that.
Here are pics of the completed compressor...
