garage electrical wiring question

[gmccruzr]

I have just got a air compressor that doesn't seem to have enough juice to run it I know I have 220 out in the garage. But need to figure out how to wire a normal house plug to 220 to feed the air compressor I have the four strand wire to the plug but not sure of the hook-up at the regular house hold three prong plug. Its on a separate 30amp breaker already in the fuse box in the garage, the compressor itself says that it should run on regular 110 if connected on a separate circuit, but will only build 30psi before kicks out at motor. the pressure switch is wired for a regular three wire, wire from what the book reads.

[Scott993cc]

On the 220 you will have two hot and two grounds. I made an adapter between a 4-prong dryer plug and household 3-prong for my compressor. I had one red, white, black, and bare. I trimmed the bare wire flush, put the black to the ground plug and the red and white for power.

You can look here to identify what plug you currently have: http://parkwaymarina.com/nemachart.htm


Scott

[dale48mrc]

Personally,I'd go for a proper 220 hook-up on a 60 amp circuit and use a dryer plug or better yet a welder plug.I've got a 60 amp single breaker box branched outta my main fuse box with a 220 welding plug wired outta the breaker box.

[Dodge Brother]

Hey just my 2 cents here but, If the compressor is designed for 110v then it can only be run on 110v. Check the data plate on the motor itself, to see if it reads 110v or 220v. If the compressor kicks out at 30psi(not kicking out the house breaker)Then it could just be that the pressure switch is set to low(should have adjusting screw under the cover)or it it runs for 30 seconds and then kicks out it may not be switching off the starter winding to the main winding=faulty drive. and lastly if it is kicking out at the breaker then there is to much draw on the circut that it is connected to, or if the breaker itself is old it could be weak, you may need to wire up a separate circut for the compressor,if ti calls for 15 amp on the data plate I would suggest a 20 amp circut and corresponding heavier gauge wire (12 gauge if I remember correctly) Sorry about the ramblings but I have had to chase down compressor problems a couple of times , Hope you can use some of this

Trevor

[34ford]

gmccruzr:pWhen it comes to wiring you have to know what you are doing.You must know how heavy your 220 volt feed is . There are a lot of factors .How many outlets in your shop ,,do you use a welder and what is its output .What motor is on your compressor .Is it 110 or 220 . I have seen undersized wire feeding a fellows shop at 220 with 110 outlets and his power washer would stop and his compressor would only go to 40lbs. He would bring it to my shop and both worked fine . I went to his shop and found out the wiring was 200 ft long and not heavy enough .So first find out what you have ,,,wire size is important .Know your load and make sure your source can deliver it .Having a meter helps to watch voltage drop . If it drops lmore than 10% then its too light . I myself have 220 to my shop fed with 4ott wire ,,,about the size of your finger . Then a 100 amp fuse panel .It runs my electric furnace ,330 amp mig welder and Ac unit and big 5hp 20 cfm compressor . Why I say big is I have another 5hp compressor but it draws 15amps compaired to my other one that draws 28 amps .
Bob

[gmccruzr]

tried hooking up the compressor with both black and red feeding the top terminals on the air compressors cutoff switch with some information was told to use the two live wire from the double breaker in the fuse box and was told to use the ground but leave the white or neutral unhooked to anything but it wouldn't even try to start the compressor now really confused can I hook both hots from the fuse box to the same termainal in the pressure switch and hook the neurtal to the other similar to the way I had it wired with 110? the motor says 230 but the owners manual says it shuld run on 110 if nothing is on the same circuit as the compressor. tried it that vway and will onlyh build to 30 psi before the motor gets hot and the internal breaker kicks off.

[Scott993cc]

Put the two hot wires together and you'll be welding. :eek:

I have a similar problem with my compressor, will get up to 45psi or so then the motor stalls and eventually flips the house breaker. Had the capacitor tested - fine, had the motor tested - fine, replaced the switch, tank valve, rebuilt the compressor head, The problem persists! I actually gave up around July and its been sitting in the corner of the garage acting as a shelf.


Scott

[dale48mrc]

Is it a single phase or two phase motor?

[gmccruzr]

that I,m not sure assuming two stage being 230 volt sticker on back of the motor.

[Techhead]

gmccruzr,
Any pictures of your setup?
Can ya post a few? Your panel, the info plate on the compressor and pressure switch.

I can draw ya what I have setup, my comp is 220V One or Two Stage??, 18A (start up draw). I use a 20A breaker my wire is 12-3 indoor (yellow).

[sqhd]

Most compressors have dual voltage capabilities, but you MUST change one of the wires inside the side cover of the motor to switch from 110 to 220. Check the diagram on the motor, it should show a schematic to do this. Your two "hot wires" are 110 each, do not put them together, as Scott says, you will not be able to see for a few minutes, due to the large blue flash.

Carl

[bct]

On the 220 you will have two hot and two grounds. I made an adapter between a 4-prong dryer plug and household 3-prong for my compressor. I had one red, white, black, and bare. I trimmed the bare wire flush, put the black to the ground plug and the red and white for power.

You can look here to identify what plug you currently have: http://parkwaymarina.com/nemachart.htm


Scott


red = 120v-

black=120v-
white =common
bare = ground

where i come from anyhow...just thought i'd mention it

[34ford]

gmccruzr:DBefore you blow up yourself and the motor on your compressor STOP .I suggest strongly you load up your compressor and take it to an electric motor shop .They will hook it up for you and test it . They will give you good advise . If there is something wrong with the motor or compressor they can fix it .It is well worth the money if you don't know what your doing . I have seen this happen too often .Take my advise :confused:
P.S. Scott993cc you should do the same with your compressor .Its just waisting space sitting in the corner.Sorry for the buntness but your life is worth more than a couple bucks .:o
Bob

[tunes]

I agree with 34ford. Wiring is something that is very difficult to explain to someone unless you are showing him what your trying to say. Go to a professional if you are NOT SURE how to hook it up. An electrician will always trip the breakers himself before he does his thing and not depend on a customer to do this. I'm only speaking from expereience. It could save your life.

[36_5W]

The output (HP) of a dual voltage motor is the same if it is hooked up 120Vac or 220Vac.

If you run it at 120Vac, read the CURRENT rating off the motor name plate. Size your cable and breaker accordingly. Typically, homeowner type compressors are designed to work @ 120Vac on 15A circuits, however 20A with #12 wire on a dedicated breaker is probably the best.

Also, a lot of compressor motors are rated for peak HP, they may say 5hp but that probably occurs just before the thing stalls out.

C

[tinmann]

If it were me, I'd call 36 5w and say something to the effect of, "get your Norwegian butt over here, I've got cold beer to drink"..... and then mumble something about.... "oh, and bring your multi-meter".

But that's just me.... wiring makes my brain ache.

[dale48mrc]

Bahhawhawhawhaw,Tinn you're killin' me!Especially the part about wiring makin' your brain ache!

[Scott993cc]

P.S. Scott993cc you should do the same with your compressor .Its just waisting space sitting in the corner.

I did take it in to get tested, first I suspected the the capacitor so I had that checked and it was fine. They told me to bring in the whole motor and they would load test it for free so I dropped it off the next day. Couple hours later I get a call saying the motor was in perfect order but they disassembled it and replaced the bearings for a total of $183 and change :eek: After that argument was over I brought it home, tried again only to have the same problem, thats about when I parked it.

I figured it best to let it sit a while, I was starting to get ideas, like what I could do to it with a sledge hammer.. soothing thoughts ya know :o

Tinnman I'd have to agree with you, I do alright with basic DC wiring but when it comes to multiple circuits, calculating wire size etc. I'd rather do anything else.

Scott

[bct]

a rookie mistake i made long ago was to hook the two hot wires in the same phase, trying to cheat without the proper fuse...every second fuse on your service panel is a different phase than the one next to it....best to find an electrician that loves beer...

[gmccruzr]

It turns out the way I had it wired was correct it was a problem in the way the main breaker box from the house was designed in this model where the breakers go in if you want 220 volts u have to have a different side of the doulble breaker in a different section not both sides in the same section where the breakers go in is divided up into two breaker segments, all that was needed was to move one side of the breaker out of the segment into another. It was the way this breaker box was made. aparently this style of box has created problems for a few people from what I have been told, it was an easy fix though. Thanks for all the tips and hints from everybody

[bct]

It turns out the way I had it wired was correct it was a problem in the way the main breaker box from the house was designed in this model where the breakers go in if you want 220 volts u have to have a different side of the doulble breaker in a different section not both sides in the same section where the breakers go in is divided up into two breaker segments, all that was needed was to move one side of the breaker out of the segment into another. It was the way this breaker box was made. aparently this style of box has created problems for a few people from what I have been told, it was an easy fix though. Thanks for all the tips and hints from everybody


cool , that was the problem....wrong phases...loosen wire, move wire ,tighten wire,... done

[34ford]

:eek:gmccruzr:cool:That would be a federal pioneer electrical box .Each breaker in line is staggered.Yes you must make sure your 220 volt breaker(double ) straddles the bus bar .Pretty common mistake . Glad its working for you .Does the pressure come up now and does the motor run cooler?

Bob

[gmccruzr]

yes the pressure builds up now and the motor doessn't cut out till the pressure switch cuts it off. will likely spend some time out in the garage today hooking up the regulator and running the copper lines to every corner of the garage so that there isn't so much airhose lying on the floor when tryint to get some work done.

[John in Oz]

I wouldn't muck around with electrical stuff like that if you are unsure, 1 flash and you could be ash, get a sparky in for sure, I'm with Tinmann on this.

Cheers, John

[Bgbkwndo]

Another aspect of this; if there is ever a fire, and it could be traced back to a faulty D.I.Y. wiring job, insurance may be voided! This is one area where a licensed electrician is really worth his wages.

Bgbkwndo.

[38racing]

Another aspect of this; if there is ever a fire, and it could be traced back to a faulty D.I.Y. wiring job, insurance may be voided! This is one area where a licensed electrician is really worth his wages.

Bgbkwndo.

By law any such wiring in Ontario requires a permit from ESA and work can be done only by licensed contractor or the homeowner or person living with the home owner. Homeowner work will always be inspected.
On the insurance issue a related story. An widow had her outside oil tank leak into the village drainage. Her insurance covered the cleanup. The ins. co. then sued the oil delivery company for putting oil into an improperly installed tank (guess they were expected to check it?). So now delivery co. (or their insurance co. ) is suing the widow's dead husband's estate because apparently he did the improper installation.