Quincy compressor issue

[conceptmachine]

Hello fellas, I have a 5HP 80 gallon Quincy compressor. Been having a problem when I work it good, the breaker on the compressor is flipping. I keep a fan on the motor so it stays fairly cool.
What may be causing it to trip?
Any ideas are appreciated.
thanks
Jim

 

[TonyJ]

What does the data plate on the motor say for amps and service factor ? What size breaker is it connected to and is it the only thing on that circuit also size and length of wire


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[Citation]

The starter or run capacitor might be going bad.

 

[matt_i]

Have you checked torque on the breaker lug? And verify that you see some bare copper and not a piece of insulated wire jammed into the lug?

A poor connection is going to build up heat due to the micro-arcing which increases resistance which can trip the breaker.

Along those lines it would be good to verify the rest of the 240vac power connections with the power = OFF.

 

[conceptmachine]

Thank you for the tips, I'll check into them. Sorry for the late response, I had family matters and I didnt have alerts set. Didn't think anyone replied.
I'm noticing that the breaker is never tripping before it reaches its programmed PSI. it hits it, then trips, if that makes any difference.
Thanks
Jim

 

[conceptmachine]

And verify that you see some bare copper and not a piece of insulated wire jammed into the lug?

A poor connection is going to build up heat due to the micro-arcing which increases resistance which can trip the breaker.

This is what I think it was. I went in and loosened the connections and reinserted wires until they but up against the insulation and tightened it good. did this with all visible connections and so far it hasn't tripped once, and it tripped about 5 times this AM.
Thank you for sharing the info, I appreciate it.

 

[redmondjp]

Surprisingly enough, a loose belt can also cause nuisance tripping. I've seen this reported multiple times on this forum.