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Air Compressor Motor has crapped out-thoughts

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Jim_Gruber

Jim_Gruber

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OK my Campbell-Hausfeld 30 Gallon 5 HP compressor has bit the dust. I was using and air hammer/chisel to remove ceramic floor tile and I'm guessing I overheated the motor and it's toast. It really did the job while it was working but wasn't up to the task.

Compressor turns freely but motor will not run, no thermal reset button that I can find on the motor and I show 120 VAC going into the motor with my VOM. Motor turns but guessing windings are burnt up.

Thoughts at this point, new electric motor from CH is $120.00/ with compressor i.e. turnkey about $200.00. Now compressor was not that stout to begin with. Anyone played around with replacing motor/compressor with something better that provides higher CFM Rate(4.9 @ 90 psi is what they claim but I don't believe). At this point I'd love an 80 gallon tank with 10+ CFM @ 90 psi to run real air tools but not in the budget right now. Looking for some thoughts and options on what others have tried before. The tank is on wheels, horizontal, and is somewhat portable. Ideally like to stay 110 VAC as I do not have 220 VAC in the garage.
 
I picked up a used craftsman 1.8 hp 25 gallon from Craigs list. It works pretty well. It is a single stage conventional unit, but is pretty quite. IMO, stay away from the loud "oilless" units.
 
See if you can find a motor repair shop that will give you an estimate on a repair. It might not be as bad as you think.

Did you smell anything? I would have guessed you would have smelled the windings burning.
 
ummm.... this may sound a bit off-th-wall, but: I drive my 50+ year old compressor with an old Sears in-ground water well pump motor. Check around with the folks who replace those things and mebbe find one semi-used they'd sell for cheap? Pulleys can be had for pocket change at places like Grainger, etc. If your intent is to economize, that's what my recommendation would be...
MacGyver th' stuff ya have. :wink:
 
Even though this is a 120V motor, does it have a starter/run capacitor on it? If so, you may want to check this first before investing in a new motor. Capacitors can be purchased in the $5-$10 range.

Also, don't forget eBay. As daunting a task as it may seem, you may be able to search eBay and find what you need used (or new). I recently bought a fan motor for my HVAC unit. I found a suitable unit on eBay for $35 delivered. Places like Grainger wanted well over $200 for a comparable motor. Nothing wrong with Grainger... just don't expect discount prices.
 
Well I didn't smell anything burning as compressor was out in the garage and I was working in the basement. I'd think these things have some sort of thermal overload protection but nothing obvious like a reset switch that jumps out at me. Fuse checks ok and I've got 110 AC going into the motor. I don't even get a humm out of it which is what I'd expect if I blew a start capacitor. I haven't had time to dig into it, got to finish the floor tile project before I can get back to Bugsy projects. Wife wants 36 boxes of 16" tiles placed and grouted before Christmas. Got my work cut out for me. Fortunately a cheap $44 hammer drill from HF finished the job. Should have gone with that in the first place, Of course I tried using that hammer drill to stir thinset up and it's already gone TU. Oh Well it worked for it's intended purpose for chipping concrete.
 
I've also bought items from Surpluscenter.com but no motors yet. Their prices are generally OK.

With no "hum" coming from the motor and since the motor isn't working, why not open it up to see what's going on. You may find that elusive thermal switch or some other safety device hidden inside that is responsible for the current situation. Perhaps it's just a matter of cleaning something inside that's burnt or stuck.

I know this isn't comparable (necessarily) but I had an issue several years ago with the motor in our clothes drier. It had an inertial switch that engaged a starter circuit only when the motor first fired up. The mechanical switch mechanism had seized up which prevented the motor from operating. Once that was freed up, the motor worked fine for another 5 years. Given that the motor you have doesn't work, you really have nothing to loose by opening it up.
 
dklawson said:
I've also bought items from Surpluscenter.com but no motors yet. Their prices are generally OK.

With no "hum" coming from the motor and since the motor isn't working, why not open it up to see what's going on. You may find that elusive thermal switch or some other safety device hidden inside that is responsible for the current situation. Perhaps it's just a matter of cleaning something inside that's burnt or stuck.

I know this isn't comparable (necessarily) but I had an issue several years ago with the motor in our clothes drier. It had an inertial switch that engaged a starter circuit only when the motor first fired up. The mechanical switch mechanism had seized up which prevented the motor from operating. Once that was freed up, the motor worked fine for another 5 years. Given that the motor you have doesn't work, you really have nothing to loose by opening it up.
Click to expand...

+1

Can't screw something up that's already broke. Tear it down and see what's up.

Home depot has a 6or 7 hp 60 gallon for $429 w/ a cast iron pump. That's what I have and love it. I run the crap out of mine. sometimes the line will blow and it'll run ALL NIGHT w/ no problem. Might not be in the budget, but you won't have to buy another one again for a LOOOOONG time, maybe never, just a little tweak here and there.
 
I found this place on line and bought a valve plate and head gasket for my compressor from them. Good price and quick shipping. Worth a check for a new motor or any other parts that might work on your unit. https://www.sanborncompressors.com/
 
Lots of good advice!! I vote for replacement with a Quincy. US made in Quincy Ill. I just replaced my 1956 model Quincy with a new one. Nothing wrong with the old except for a air leak that I could'nt find. A salesman convinced me after scaring me about the hazards of old compressor tanks. In hind site he was good and I scared to easily!!
Cast iron compressor and far better quality than most.
KA.
 
I replaced the motor on my CH years ago after I burned it up sandblasting. The compressor was fairly new so I didn't hesitate replacing it. It wasn't too expensive at the time.

I was in Northern Tool the other day and noticed they had several electric motors. You could try them.
 
Thanks folks for all of the advice. Replacing the motor $100, replacing compressor adds another $85.00. Compressor still turns freely. I'll pull the motor out and do a little diagnostics and report back. Again I'd like to have more HP and more CFM but it comes at a cost along with a need for 220VAC in the garage. Breaker box is 40' away and through two block walls.
 
Wireless?
 
I bought a 21 gallon from harbor freight for 169 bucks. It was what I painted my midget with and used the heck out of it since then. If the motor is bad then it might not be worth replacing. Ohm all the motor leads and make sure that something is indeed bad. Some motors have an internal overtemp snap switch that can go bad. Could be that start cap but the motor should hum and at least make some noise. Also make sure you have a good neutral. When I worked on them for sears years ago, some of the old ones had the neutral go through the pressure switch and kill the motor and if you read to ground it looks like you have hot and common to the motor but only the hot. I wish I was closer Jim. Its probably not bad if it did not give off that expensive smell and magic smoke.
 
CampellHousefield+110= Chinese POS. Solution? Buy a decent air compressor rather than [censored] around with cheap ass Lowes [censored]. Any repair shop will laugh it you.
 
....so, how do you really feel? :wink:
 
gmichael52 said:
CampellHousefield+110= Chinese POS. Solution? Buy a decent air compressor rather than [censored] around with cheap ass Lowes [censored]. Any repair shop will laugh it you.
Click to expand...
well yes, you can always spend way too much for something and get something that will work. Why fool around with a midget or a sprite and just go buy a 30K Miata? I have found the cheap stuff to be a great deal for most people who don't use an air compressor that much. I have used the heck out of mine from harbor freight and if it blew up tomorrow I could not complain at all. Or I could spend 1000% more on a larger compressor that I don't need. 120v compressors are perfect for most people's home garages. When I worked on them for Sears, I had more trouble from the 220v than the 110v ones.
 
Thanks Kim, Since this one was "FREE" with Contest Point I later had to pay taxes on it was still a great deal. Again would love to have more CFM but did work for just about everything I threw at it after I changed out to larger air hoses and got rid of those restricting 1/4 fittings. Maybe sometime to play with it this weekend although Mama has me on the trip to the mall and hang lights on the tree kick. I'll give a good report on what I find out when I find the time to get to it.
 
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