Air compressor question

http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/tls/4494683764.html

How hard would it be to tackle this repair?

For $150? Give it a shot. If it's no bueno, just grab another motor.

DeVilbiss is a well known brand. Parts and information should be readily available. On a scale of 1 - 10 I would say maybe a 4.

good enough for me. email sent.

I think DeVilbiss are out of the compressor business. Parts should still be available though. I changed the reed valves in my compressor. It took me 5x longer to remove and reinstall the compressor, back on the tank, than the actual valve swap.

Doesn't HF sell compressor motor units? Might be the easy button...

But for $150, I would give it a shot. That's a big tank of awesomeness I would love in my garage.

If the motor is in fact 6hp, it's either a really large single phase motor (which will require a lot of amps in your garage) or it's a three phase motor (which you most likely do not have available in your garage.)

As an aside, I know my local electric utility requires a special permit for any residential electric services running motors larger than 5hp. It's mainly to protect your neighbors from having their lights dim every time the motor kicks on.

I had one of those buzzy little Craftsman compressors with a reed valve. The valve puked, it's the ONLY part not available anywhere in the world.

Find the new part before parting with cash.

Dan

If I had to GUESS, I would GUESS that the "6 HP" motor in that compressor is probably the same rating as my almost 30 year old "4 HP" compressor motor. Somehow or other, in the past 10 years the horses have gotten smaller. So I would GUESS it is about a 4 HP 220V single phase motor, going by the "old" American horse size standard and not the "new" Chinese horse size standard.

Yeah, I'd be all over that thing and put a new HF compressor pump on it and go. The motor and tank are worth a bill and a half to me.

That was my mindset as well

Many air compressors used to be advertised at "peak" hp rather than "running" hp. That's the difference Dr. Hess is pointing out. Peak hp is meaningless. Running hp is what you want to go by. You'll find both on that plaque on the tank, along with cfm and electrical requirements. As someone else said, three phase electrical won't work in a residential setting. Don't confuse that with a two-phase pump, which is something else and highly desirable.

Note that the reed valves are in the pump, not the motor, so be sure you're checking out the cost of a new pump.

All that said, $150 is a bargain and a half, especially if all it needs are reed valves. I'd be wary, though. Might be the equivalent of one of those CL listings selling a $500 car that "only needs a $20 fuel pump and it would be worth thousands."

Picked it up. Single phase 240 15amps. Definitely needs new valves and gaskets. Pistons move smoothly and motor is quiet so I think I did OK. Tank sounds solid as well.

Luckily I just wired my garage and ran two 240 lines preemptively, leaving them in a junction box in the ceiling.

Score.

I love the smell of airtools in the morning.Well done.

Based on the actual current load, the motor is about 3hp.

That's what I guessed too based on the cfm.