Old air compressor motor replacement or???

[Tipton]

Greetings everyone! I have an old air compressor my father in law gave me years ago and it has worked perfectly. He had it for years before that in his workshop. The tank tag shows a date of 1961 so it's a grand dad. Recently while using it I noticed the motor sounding a little different. I walked around the corner to take a peek and the motor was smoking pretty good and smelled horrible.

Anyhoo, I have been trying to decide if I should replace the motor and call it good, or retire this beast and get a new/used unit. The pump on it is an Ingersol Rand type 30 and it turns just fine after removing the motor.

My concerns are the condition of the inside of the tank after all these years. Also how much more time do I have on the pump? It's been on there for years and years. Plus that particular pump is rather expensive from what I am seeing online. It looks like a decent motor is going to run me somewhere in the $800.00 range. I see cheaper ones but I don't know about their quality.

I have an opportunity to buy a used Quincy QT series 3hp compressor with an 80 gallon tank with a Lincoln motor. It's three phase but has a VFD to run it on single phase. It appears to be in really nice condition. The guy is asking $1,500.00. With the cost of replacing my motor on my existing compressor and the potential for something else to go out on it the price tag of the Quincy seems attractive.

As far as usage, I have a machine shop (lathe and mill) at my home so air is a necessary commodity. I also do some sand blasting, gutter cleaning, lawnmower blow off etc. I use my compressor quite a bit.

Just looking for a little guidance. I'm including a pic of my old beast.

 

[cvairwerks]

Older T-30's have something like a 50,000 hour life. Pull the fitting and inspect the inside of the tank if you are worried.

Something else...get rid of the PVC or CPVC piping and use a couple of feet of flexible hose or line between the tank and any rigid piping. If you want to use plastic, then convert to ABS, which is rated for compressible gas pressure. PVC and CPVC are only rated for incompressible fluids. Take a minute and actually read the specification that is listed on the pipe. Failures with compressible gases generally results in lots of fragmentation and shrapnel. Not trying to be a **** about it, simply been around a number of failures where it was used and had to treat the resultant injuries til the victims reached the emergency rooms.

 

[Tipton]

Here's a pic of the Quincy I was talking about. I actually did some research and found the sales order number for the original purchase and called the company. They resell them with their company sticker on the tank. The guy said it was sold back in 2004 for $2,800.00 new.

 

[finn]

The IR T30 compressor was sold in 5, 7.5, and 15 hp versions according to Google.

I don’t trust Google, but the 5hp version should be somewhere between 14 and 15.5 cam, well above what a 3 hp Quincy delivers.

Just make sure that’s adequate for your needs, or you’ll be looking for a higher hp motor and larger pulley to spin it faster.

If your IR has a smaller motor, and you’re satisfied with the pump output, the Quincy looks like a nice unit.

 

[Tipton]

The IR T30 compressor was sold in 5, 7.5, and 15 hp versions according to Google.

I don’t trust Google, but the 5hp version should be somewhere between 14 and 15.5 cam, well above what a 3 hp Quincy delivers.

Just make sure that’s adequate for your needs, or you’ll be looking for a higher hp motor and larger pulley to spin it faster.

If your IR has a smaller motor, and you’re satisfied with the pump output, the Quincy looks like a nice unit.

Here's a pic of the tag off the old motor. By the amperage I'd guess a 5 HP unit? Or does the "3" under the model number represent 3 HP?

 

[djbmw]

3 HP
1735 rpm
18 amps at 230v .... thats a power hungry motor!

If you want to save money... toss a Vevor motor in there (check shaft size and mounting plate dimensions first): https://www.vevor.ca/general-purpos...e-tefc-cooling-230v-184t-frame-p_010210323709

 

[Tipton]

3 HP
1735 rpm
18 amps at 230v .... thats a power hungry motor!

If you want to save money... toss a Vevor motor in there (check shaft size and mounting plate dimensions first): https://www.vevor.ca/general-purpos...e-tefc-cooling-230v-184t-frame-p_010210323709

Are the Vevor motors any good? I was looking at them the other day. The one you link to claims it's 3HP but the amperage is listed as 13.6A. The Vevor 5 HP model lists 18.2A which is on par with my old motor.

 

[djbmw]

Are the Vevor motors any good? I was looking at them the other day. The one you link to claims it's 3HP but the amperage is listed as 13.6A. The Vevor 5 HP model lists 18.2A which is on par with my old motor.

Ive used two Vevor motors so far... one in my tire machine (1.5 hp) and another on my zip line rope tow (2hp). They seem fine and have worked well... but i havent done a true hp test on them. If the bigger one fits and is within budget... its a decent buy.

 

[finn]

Here's a pic of the tag off the old motor. By the amperage I'd guess a 5 HP unit? Or does the "3" under the model number represent 3 HP?

18 amps would be a 3 hp motor.

That’s what is in my old Champion VR15. Those old motors aren’t very efficient.

From memory, a 5hp 1750 rpm 240v is in the 23 amp range.

You might look into WEG motors. When I was researching this, they seemed to be priced between Vevor and Leeson/ Baldor / Marathon. They offer rolled steel shells and heavy cast iron shells. I was looking at the lighter rolled steel shell because I don’t want to lift 94 lbs (?) to the top of an 80 gallon tank in a constrained space like my boiler room. WEG had several good recommendations. I think they’re a Brazilian outfit.


if you’re happy with the performance of your old IR, you’ll be ok with the Quincy, unless there’s a loss in power using a phase converter. (Not saying there is…I’m unfamiliar with them and shun them because of complexity and space concerns).

 

[micromind]

The old motor is 184T frame. Any 184T and a lot of 182T frames will fit.

The only difference is the 184T rear mounting bolt holes are farther from the shaft end than the 182T but most manufacturers have both holes.

 

[Tipton]

18 amps would be a 3 hp motor.

I chatted with a local guy that repairs these electric motors. He said to go by amps and not horse power on the new motor tags. Another guy online that works in the industrial compressor industry (at ZIQI Compressors) said "The HP ratings are often exaggerated. They use "Peak HP" or marketing fluff. If you check the Amperage draw on the plate, a "5HP" VEVOR motor often has the same guts as a true 3HP industrial motor."

I looked at the PDF manual for a Vevor 5 HP motor and sure enough the specs are all identical to my old 3 HP motor including the 18 amp rating. That might be part of the problem with people having issues with these VEVOR motors. They are going off HP and straining them because the specs that really matter are not met.

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[Bert_]

It's a standard 3hp motor. Nothing special

I hopped on marketplace and saw a couple decent 3hp 1ph motors for $100. I'm sure you could do better if you want to wait and find a deal.