Air compressor in need of a new one, looking for suggested quality brands

[Mustang408]

I did the Chinese knock off pump Eaton/EMax that others use. It's the rip off of the Saylor Beall 707 pump. I got it in 2018 for around $650 shipped to my house. I bought a Baldor 7.5 HP motor for around $600 and pulleys to outfit my old Craftsmen 80 gallon tank. Even before Covid, the prices really went up just 6 months after I did all this. This pump is a Beast... and I've never had any problems. I can do blasting with my HF cabinet and the pump never runs continuously.

 

[Whitesnake]

I did the Chinese knock off pump Eaton/EMax that others use. It's the rip off of the Saylor Beall 707 pump. I got it in 2018 for around $650 shipped to my house. I bought a Baldor 7.5 HP motor for around $600 and pulleys to outfit my old Craftsmen 80 gallon tank. Even before Covid, the prices really went up just 6 months after I did all this. This pump is a Beast... and I've never had any problems. I can do blasting with my HF cabinet and the pump never runs continuously.View attachment 28131View attachment 28132View attachment 28133

Pretty cool setup you got there.

 

[DATEC]

Damn, that could’ve went bad. I’ve seen my fair share of melted breakers. Correct start up is where the major amp draw is. Esp when cold as you stated. And a disconnect at the compressor is always smart. Obviously there’s other things that also play a role such as how far compressor is from panel, gauge wire to compensate for distance, etc but you seem pretty knowledgeable so you know that. You def have a real 5hp not a box store “5hp” to melt 40amp breakers lol. You show sub panel? Is this at another location in your shop off the main shop service? Or a sub panel from a house service to a home shop?

I was running the compressor hard when I heard it sounding real funny. I turned around to see sparks, smoke and flames shooting out of the breaker box. I s@#t ran over kicked the main ran to the house to look at the main box (nothing wrong at the houses main thank god). I relocated the new 100amp sub panel to the other side of the workshop where it enters and put the new wiring in metal conduit in the workshop. I put all outdoor cabling in plastic conduit and buried it 30in inground and plastic conduit in the house to the main box.

 

[DATEC]

Damn, that could’ve went bad. I’ve seen my fair share of melted breakers. Correct start up is where the major amp draw is. Esp when cold as you stated. And a disconnect at the compressor is always smart. Obviously there’s other things that also play a role such as how far compressor is from panel, gauge wire to compensate for distance, etc but you seem pretty knowledgeable so you know that. You def have a real 5hp not a box store “5hp” to melt 40amp breakers lol. You show sub panel? Is this at another location in your shop off the main shop service? Or a sub panel from a house service to a home shop?

That melted breakers is the sub panel that ran the workshop. The breaker that melted is the compressors breaker. When I relocated the sub panel I ran 6ga wire for the compressor 8ga is what they said was needed so I went 1 size bigger so that never happens again. I also used "OO" burial service cable from the house to the workshop sub panel.

 

[Jim C]

I did the Chinese knock off pump Eaton/EMax that others use. It's the rip off of the Saylor Beall 707 pump. I got it in 2018 for around $650 shipped to my house. I bought a Baldor 7.5 HP motor for around $600 and pulleys to outfit my old Craftsmen 80 gallon tank. Even before Covid, the prices really went up just 6 months after I did all this. This pump is a Beast... and I've never had any problems. I can do blasting with my HF cabinet and the pump never runs continuously.View attachment 28131View attachment 28132View attachment 28133

i have the same pump. my whole compressor is eaton. i bought it new in 2006. it gets used all day long prob 6 days a week. the pump is still going super strong without a single issue. i recently wore out the weg motor that it came with and replaced it with a leeson. that pump may be a knock off but i dont have a single bad thing to say about it. its an awesome design and their build quality on it seems top notch.

 

[Treeslayer]

I was running the compressor hard when I heard it sounding real funny. I turned around to see sparks, smoke and flames shooting out of the breaker box. I s@#t ran over kicked the main ran to the house to look at the main box (nothing wrong at the houses main thank god). I relocated the new 100amp sub panel to the other side of the workshop where it enters and put the new wiring in metal conduit in the workshop. I put all outdoor cabling in plastic conduit and buried it 30in inground and plastic conduit in the house to the main box.

i had to re do the feed to my shop two years after it was new. every one said i didnt need conduit since there are no rocks here.........yeah, one leg burnt in two underground. idk why but i used conduit the second time and no problems in twenty years. lesson learned. conduit is cheap compared to digging by hand lol.

 

[Whitesnake]

That melted breakers is the sub panel that ran the workshop. The breaker that melted is the compressors breaker. When I relocated the sub panel I ran 6ga wire for the compressor 8ga is what they said was needed so I went 1 size bigger so that never happens again. I also used "OO" burial service cable from the house to the workshop sub panel.

Ok I had a feeling the sub panel was power for a home shop was just clarifying. Everything you did looks great. As a former sparky I approve. Sometimes I miss it. But every occupation has its good and bad. But great job. I’m a firm believer in overbuilding everything.

 

[D.A.T.]

isn't the hp rating really more about running amps? seems like i used to know this........25 or so amps is 5 hp? i forget the actual number.
i guess im asking, what is the true running amps single phase vs three phase.

You have to calculate.

3 phase motor HP= measured voltage x measured amperage x stated efficiency x stated power factor x 1.73/746

single phase is less the 1.73 factor.

Huge difference with only one applied phase. Rather power inefficient in the larger sizes of single phase induction motors and continuous use. Insignificant for intermittent users

single phase motors are relatively low starting torque and not always the best choice to be starting under load with lots of on off cycling with the desire for long term life. What other users you are sharing a power pole with and how far out from a substation can mean a lot to some and nothing to others.

Nameplate values are just a starting point and yes--"running conditions" are your values when you put an amp-meter on your draw and see what your voltage is across the motor for your application and how you have "fed it" with wiring gauge and length from your sub panel or main panel. Same thing applies to seeing what your draw is with the starter winding "kicking in" on any single phase motor starting under load and cycling on and off in whatever shop temperature extremes your location may see. The attached is from FLUKE.

Same with the basic values from a pump manufacturer using typical single phase motors to 15hp on the last page --values are fairly decent starting estimates. Depending on how the motor makers sized their starting capacitors and the temperature rise of your motor in cycling operation your starting draw could be double your max load amp draw (that gives about a +20 to +30% margin for recommended circuit breaker sizing as they recommend) But "locked rotor values" (The new name for instantaneous starting current) extremes without adequate compensation could be the problem for many with such high listed draws in some installations. Your particular values will lie somewhere in between to size your sub-panel breakers or fusing.

I encourage people who install any commercial equipment in a non-commercially zoned and residentially insured property to measure what their equipment is using under the most unfavorable conditions it may see as well as the usual expected condition of draw/voltage and document that in the event you ever have an insurance claim yourself or one from someone else under any "umbrella policies" you may hold for your accidents or acts of potential negligence if others claim damages.

 

[DATEC]

Ok I had a feeling the sub panel was power for a home shop was just clarifying. Everything you did looks great. As a former sparky I approve. Sometimes I miss it. But every occupation has its good and bad. But great job. I’m a firm believer in overbuilding everything.

Also installed the workshops own grounding rod with 4ga copper in conduit also. Code in Pa from what I heard afterwards was they require 2 ground rods for out buildings with a sub panel, just have to install a 4ga copper jump cable to connect them together not sure why but I will probably do that in the spring, just because, or not we will see. One is sufficient IMO.

 

[Dean Jenkins]

Problem solved. Can hook up to 2 phase, 80 amp circuit