Electrical help, Air Compressor

J R Green

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To you electrical type fellows. I have a large Craftsman compressor that suddenly started "bogging down"?,and tripping breakers.

It will start up but it seems there is a heavy load on it and then trips the breaker. The circuit works fine for other things and I have tried a different circuit with a drop cord and it trips too.

Any ideas? or am I buying a new unit?
 
Does the compressor pump up from empty and only do this when kicking on when the tank is full/partially full?

If so the check valve between the tank and compressor head could be hung open or damaged putting a larger than normal load on the pump at start up.

Need some more info on exactly what its doing.
 
Does the compressor pump up from empty and only do this when kicking on when the tank is full/partially full?

If so the check valve between the tank and compressor head could be hung open or damaged putting a larger than normal load on the pump at start up.

Need some more info on exactly what its doing.
^^^ This
 
check your cap's and meg the motor or find some one who can. Where you at in rutherford county?? If you can get it to shelby/waco I will test it for you this friday/weekend. My parents live out that way and I plan to visit them a couple times this weekend.
 
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In addition to the check valve, this problem can happen when the relief valve goes bad. It’s usuallty mounted to the pressure switch and its function is to relieve the pressure on the compressor head when it shuts off. The check valve keeps the air in the tank from leaking out via the relief valve.
 
Agreed with all and good test to see if the unloader (check valve) is indeed culprit is to listen for that last phssst of air when motor shuts off ....follow main copper line to tank... usually there
If possible and comfortable, at the pressure switch there may be a small plastic line...look below that for a metal tab.. push it down before starting, that should dup any remaining head pressure and should run fine if unloader is stuck/ bad.
Some get lucky and spray WD after removing line from head to tank.
 
Does the compressor pump up from empty and only do this when kicking on when the tank is full/partially full?

If so the check valve between the tank and compressor head could be hung open or damaged putting a larger than normal load on the pump at start up.

Need some more info on exactly what its doing.
No, it doesn't pump up at all. It just tries to start up but seems like it doesn't have the torque to get the motor spinning. This is only for 1/2 second or so before tripping the breaker.
 
First thing to check is the capacitor if it is single phase. You’ll need a meter. It’s either the start or run capacitor that gives it boost to start the motor. Edit: I just picked this one because it’s a craftsman. Some of the stuff he says is incorrect but it shows where the capacitors are.
 
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No, it doesn't pump up at all. It just tries to start up but seems like it doesn't have the torque to get the motor spinning. This is only for 1/2 second or so before tripping the breaker.

Separate pump and motor, belt driven? If so, have you tried turning the pulleys by hand? If pump isn't locked up/damaged i'd look into the capacitors and testing the motor.
 
First thing to check is the capacitor if it is single phase. You’ll need a meter. It’s either the start or run capacitor that gives it boost to start the motor. Edit: I just picked this one because it’s a craftsman. Some of the stuff he says is incorrect but it shows where the capacitors are.

Thanks buddy, That's the exact model I have.
 
How old is the compressor, could be a bad start run capacitor, some models use a start and a separate run capacitor.
This is most likely the issue. I have a Craftsman compressor that looks like the one in the video also and my caps died a while back. It had separate start and run caps. One of the new caps wouldn't quite fit back in the space for the old one so I had to zip tie it to the outer shell of the motor.
 
Well I thought it would be the capacitor so I ordered one. I tried to test the old one and wasn't able to get a spark with a screwdriver and I don't think my tester has the right function. Put the new one in and there's no difference whatsoever. I took a video of it starting and tripping the breaker but I haven't been able to load it here either.

I don't know what to do next.
 
My compressor has a water drain plug/spout that should be opened from time to time to let the water out that accumulates when the air is compressed. I don't know what the symptom is if it accumulates too much, but just wondering if that might be the issue.
 
Highly doubt that’s his problem, he would know it was full. That tank would be an additional ~250lbs to roll around.

Just for shits and giggles I might would unhook the air line going to the compressor head. That would completly rule out anything other than a motor problem.

Other than that I’m left scratching my head. I’m admittedly not an electric motor guy.
 
No, I switched them up. Also used a 20 amp instead of a 15. It's only about half power when it runs.
I wonder if the start winding is staying pulled in? That draws extra current. There is usually a centrifugal switch that cuts the start winding out as the motor comes to operating speed.
 
My compressor has a water drain plug/spout that should be opened from time to time to let the water out that accumulates when the air is compressed. I don't know what the symptom is if it accumulates too much, but just wondering if that might be the issue.


That would be water coming out of the exhaust port on your air tools.
 
If it's starting up, it's not the starting capacitor. That only serves to develope the initial phase difference required to develope the torque to get the motor to start turning. Once it starts turning, it has no further effect on the motor operation. You could still have a starting capacitor problem IF the problem is that the motor is literally seeming to "bog down" as it tries to start up. But if that video is your compressor, it's not likely to be the starting capacitor.

If it's "bogging down", then something is physically loading down the electrical motor, which will cause high currents and breaker trips.

Does the motor turn freely by hand? If it's supposed to be periodically oiled, have you done so? If the pump (or motor) is stiff operating, this will cause the breaker to trip. If the check valve isn't allowing air into the tank when the motor/pump is running, this will cause a similar symptom. Disconnect the air line between the pump and the tank and see if the motor will run this way (no load whatsoever). OBVIOUSLY you should completely bleed down the tank BEFORE disconnecting this air line...just saying.

A check valve is less than $20 if that's the problem.

Check this link out for exploded diagram and parts on the Craftsman 30 gallon compressor:


If you click on the symptom that matches yours, you'll get a list of parts and the percentage of time each part was the cause of the problem. For yours, that would be "Trips the power source circuit breaker". 71% of the time it's the check valve. 12% of the time the power cord. 8% the pressure switch. 4% the piston cylinder kit. 3% the fan.
 
Sorry for the hijack but I have an air compressor question as well. As I noted above my compressor like most has a drain valve that should be emptied fairly regularly. Well I haven't been doing it because the thing sits in a difficult to reach spot in our barn and on a dirt floor. So today I drug it out and drained it. Nothing came out when I loosened the thumbscrew so I bled all but a couple of pounds out of it and removed the drain assembly. As you might expect I was greeted with a nice blast of very rusty water. I was able to unclog the drain assembly and reinstall it.

So my question is, is this compressor still safe to use? It's been sitting like this for a couple of years and I used it a month ago at full pressure so I expect it will have no issues containing full pressure again, but for how long? Will the internal rust continue to eat away the bottom of the tank? Would it make sense to use it at full pressure, or a lower tank pressure than designed, or not use it at all? Thanks for any advice.

1679784426959.png
 
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Sorry for the hijack but I have an air compressor question as well. As I noted above my compressor like most has a drain valve that should be emptied fairly regularly. Well I haven't been doing it because the thing sits in a difficult to reach spot in our barn and on a dirt floor. So today I drug it out and drained it. Nothing came out when I loosened the thumbscrew so I bled all but a couple of pounds out of it and removed the drain assembly. As you might expect I was greeted with a nice blast of very rusty water. I was able to unclog the drain assembly and reinstall it.

So my question is, is this compressor still safe to use? It's been sitting like this for a couple of years and I used it a month ago at full pressure so I expect it will have no issues containing full pressure again, but for how long? Will the internal rust continue to eat away the bottom of the tank? Would it make sense to use it at full pressure, or a lower tank pressure than designed, or not use it at all? Thanks for any advice.

View attachment 599235
Use it till it starts leaking.
 
Thanks guys! I had visions of it launching itself through the roof.

I’ve seen the aftermath of tanks going kaboom but all (or the vast majority) of those were horizontal tanks that split at the seam or tanks someone patched that were leaking previously.
 
The rust question is a good one.

If you've been taking good care of your tank, with the noted exception of not properly draining the water when you should, you're not likely to have a problem. If your picture showed signs of damage/abuse externally, I'd be more concerned.


You're not running a high pressure air compressor, capable of refilling dive tanks or some such. Not saying a catastrophic failure wouldn't be dangerous, but you're not like to get a catastrophic failure.

What you'll get are leaks, which you'll likely notice at first by the compressor not being able to maintain pressure and the motor cycling more and more often. If this happens, and it's not due to joint leakage or some such and is isolated to the tank, then it's time for a new compressor.

ALL of these types of compressors WILL gather moisture inside them because none of them are set up with an air dryer for the intake.

Most air compressors people use don't do this...because they don't need to. Really high pressure air systems, however, may do this for various reasons. For example, the High Pressure Air Compressors (HPACs) on submarines do this because it's critical that the air in submarine systems be dry for several reasons. One is that the 4,500 pound air banks responsible for the emergency blow system could quite literally "ice up" piping and valves internally and block air flow in the precious seconds the system is required to work when performing an emergency blow to bring the ship up to the surface during a casualty. (In fact, this may have been a significant contributing factor to the loss of the USS Thresher during sea trials in 1963.)

Consequently, most common compressed air systems where moisture isn't that critical deals with this by periodically purging from tanks by venting at a low point and dry air necessities are typically attended to with the air as it's being used (from the tanks as opposed to when it's being initially compressed).

So you are ALWAYS going to have moisture in your tank...with compressed air (including oxygen). Some amount of corrosion will ALWAYS occur, whether you have only "condensation" in the tank or whether you actually get some kind of pool of water inside the tank.


If you REALLY want to know if the tank is capable of safely handling maximum operating pressure, then have it hydro tested. Probably cost you a bit under a hundred bucks to have this done. You can also do this yourself, but you have to understand what you're doing and WHY you're doing it the way it's supposed to be done.

First of all, for such low pressure air compressor systems, the hydro test pressure is typically going to be about 50% greater than your maximum operating pressure (NOT whatever your safety relief valve pressure is set at). The picture you posted leads me to believe your maximum operating pressure is 175 PSI. Hydro test pressure would then be 262.5 PSI. Tolerance on this is typically+/- 10%.

Second, it's called a HYDROSTATIC test for a reason...you use water to do the test and not air. Why? Because water is not compressible like air. If you used nothing but air to do this test, you'd be packing a LOT of air into that tank to get it up to test pressure...if the tank leaks or ruptures, then you will have a LOT of air escaping, which can cause a lot of damage. When you fill the tank completely up with water, however, this doesn't happen: water isn't compressible. Once it's full, only a tiny amount of additional water is required to cause a large change in pressure. If a leak or rupture occurs, then only a small amount of water under pressure will leak out and the tank pressure will immediately drop to atmospheric pressure in that instant.

If the tank holds hydro pressure for five minutes, it's good.

There are other tests that are performed on some tanks during a hydro, such as a deformation test. In this case, the tank under test is submerged in a tank of water and the level noted. When raising pressure in the tank being tested, the monitor water level to be sure the tank isn't swelling or bulging as they increase pressure.
 
The rust question is a good one.

If you've been taking good care of your tank, with the noted exception of not properly draining the water when you should, you're not likely to have a problem. If your picture showed signs of damage/abuse externally, I'd be more concerned.


You're not running a high pressure air compressor, capable of refilling dive tanks or some such. Not saying a catastrophic failure wouldn't be dangerous, but you're not like to get a catastrophic failure.

What you'll get are leaks, which you'll likely notice at first by the compressor not being able to maintain pressure and the motor cycling more and more often. If this happens, and it's not due to joint leakage or some such and is isolated to the tank, then it's time for a new compressor.

ALL of these types of compressors WILL gather moisture inside them because none of them are set up with an air dryer for the intake.

Most air compressors people use don't do this...because they don't need to. Really high pressure air systems, however, may do this for various reasons. For example, the High Pressure Air Compressors (HPACs) on submarines do this because it's critical that the air in submarine systems be dry for several reasons. One is that the 4,500 pound air banks responsible for the emergency blow system could quite literally "ice up" piping and valves internally and block air flow in the precious seconds the system is required to work when performing an emergency blow to bring the ship up to the surface during a casualty. (In fact, this may have been a significant contributing factor to the loss of the USS Thresher during sea trials in 1963.)

Consequently, most common compressed air systems where moisture isn't that critical deals with this by periodically purging from tanks by venting at a low point and dry air necessities are typically attended to with the air as it's being used (from the tanks as opposed to when it's being initially compressed).

So you are ALWAYS going to have moisture in your tank...with compressed air (including oxygen). Some amount of corrosion will ALWAYS occur, whether you have only "condensation" in the tank or whether you actually get some kind of pool of water inside the tank.


If you REALLY want to know if the tank is capable of safely handling maximum operating pressure, then have it hydro tested. Probably cost you a bit under a hundred bucks to have this done. You can also do this yourself, but you have to understand what you're doing and WHY you're doing it the way it's supposed to be done.

First of all, for such low pressure air compressor systems, the hydro test pressure is typically going to be about 50% greater than your maximum operating pressure (NOT whatever your safety relief valve pressure is set at). The picture you posted leads me to believe your maximum operating pressure is 175 PSI. Hydro test pressure would then be 262.5 PSI. Tolerance on this is typically+/- 10%.

Second, it's called a HYDROSTATIC test for a reason...you use water to do the test and not air. Why? Because water is not compressible like air. If you used nothing but air to do this test, you'd be packing a LOT of air into that tank to get it up to test pressure...if the tank leaks or ruptures, then you will have a LOT of air escaping, which can cause a lot of damage. When you fill the tank completely up with water, however, this doesn't happen: water isn't compressible. Once it's full, only a tiny amount of additional water is required to cause a large change in pressure. If a leak or rupture occurs, then only a small amount of water under pressure will leak out and the tank pressure will immediately drop to atmospheric pressure in that instant.

If the tank holds hydro pressure for five minutes, it's good.

There are other tests that are performed on some tanks during a hydro, such as a deformation test. In this case, the tank under test is submerged in a tank of water and the level noted. When raising pressure in the tank being tested, the monitor water level to be sure the tank isn't swelling or bulging as they increase pressure.
Thanks, great info. I enjoyed reading this.
 
I doubt a 20-30 gallon air compressor has enough thrust to send it through the roof.
Water heaters yes with the steam pressure and a plugged or defective T&P valve.
FD would have shutoff the gas supply to the house.

 
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Horizontal tank, burst at the weld seam.. AND looks like it’s been patched in the past. Check out the pile of welds at the bung the drain is in. 🤔

Betcha it leaked before.

Air compressor tanks should NEVER be structurally disturbed in any way. A temptation, I'm sure, for those who want to "restore" something they've found.

They should never see the touch of a grinder or welder. They should never be drilled into. And quite frankly, I don't believe they should be sanded down to bare metal for painting, either. Use a rust inhibiter to stop any external rust and paint over that.

External rust is always a question...light surface rust is most likely fine, but ought to be treated when it's found. If you have flaking rust, however, you've lost thickness and that's a problem. And certainly if you notice rust that has visibly pitted or eroded the surface of the tank, you've lost thickness even if it's not flaking.

Damaged tanks should be replaced...not "repaired". Given the cost of a tank itself, it's probably just as well to replace the entire compressor. (I'd save the motor/pump assembly, myself...never know when that might come in handy for parts, at least.)
 
Horizontal tank, burst at the weld seam.. AND looks like it’s been patched in the past. Check out the pile of welds at the bung the drain is in. 🤔

View attachment 599727


Betcha it leaked before.


That looked like *I* welded it.

And I can't weld.
 
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