Air compressor repair or mod

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lckstckn2smknbrls

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Lake in the Hills Illinois
I picked up an old Sears Craftsman air compressor, paint sprayer. It was made by Devillbiss in 1981, it's a 2hp, 220v, 150psi with about a 15 gallon tank.
The motor is 220v only and someone tried to convert it to 110v they put a 110v starting capacitor on the motor, spliced the power cord wires together and put a 110 plug on it. I haven't looked into the splice yet, the motor will run for a few seconds on 110v and it does build up pressure in the tank.
I'd like to properly convert it to 110v as I don't have 220v in my garage and it would be too difficult to run it there.
Harbor freight sells a 110v motor that might work the problem is the style of motor mount on the compressor is no longer made. It's called a pivot mount or ballerina mount, I would have to fabricate a mounting system. My other option would be to fix it, sell it and buy an other one. Sears and Devillbiss are of no help they don't support this model in anyway.
So my questions are has anyone converted an air compressor from 220v to 110v?
Can the pressure switch be used for 220v or 110v?
Does anyone know how to figure out the correct starting capacitor for the 220v motor?
 
I would fix it, sell it and buy another one. If you run the motor on 110v you will be using more watts than if you were running it on 220v. A higher voltage motor running the same equipment will use less electricity. They do make some motors that are capable of running on 110 or 220 by just reconnecting the wires differently but you said there was problem with the mounting bracket type you have.
 
lovedr79 said:
look at sears website, go to parts direct. i bet they have it there.
You'd be wrong.
No one makes a replacement motor with this style mount.
 
KMixson said:
I would fix it, sell it and buy another one. If you run the motor on 110v you will be using more watts than if you were running it on 220v. A higher voltage motor running the same equipment will use less electricity. They do make some motors that are capable of running on 110 or 220 by just reconnecting the wires differently but you said there was problem with the mounting bracket type you have.
Running a dual voltage motor on 110v doubles the amps the motor draws.
The way the mount works is there is a pin under the motor that pivots like a teeter totter.
 
Do you have an electric dryer or range?
If so, fab a long pigtail, problem solved.
 
PATRIOT said:
Do you have an electric dryer or range?
If so, fab a long pigtail, problem solved.
No, the house is gas. The electric panel is in the back right corner of the basement, the garage is attached and in the front left of the house. The basement is finished so I can't run power to the garage.
When the house was built the planning for the elect was lacking, there were no outlets on the exterior sides or back of the house. Due to some storm damage last spring the siding had to be replaced, I took advantage of the situation and put 3 GFI outlets on the back of the house.
 
great white said:
My .02?

Fix it, sell it, get what works for your situ.

8)
I think that maybe the best solution. I googled how to figure out the proper starting capacitor but didn't get a good answer.
 
Snowshoe said:
I'd junk it. The tank probably has major internal rust problems after 30+ years.
I opened the drain when the tank had some pressure in it, No water or rust particles came out.
For it's age it not missing anything, every nut, bolt, screw and piece is there.
 
Find an electric motor repair shop and get an estimate for repair.
That compressor made in the early eighties will be better than what You can get today.
Good Luck.

Steve A W

 
I took the mess of a splice in the power cord apart and found 3' of black electric tape and found it wired blk to blk, wht to wht and grn to grn. The only issue is the 110 plug and the 110v starter capacitor. I picked up a new 250v, 20a plug and am returning the compressor to it's original configuration and will test it.
 
The compressor was sold by sears and made by Devillbiss. Devillbiss sourced the motor from Doerr and Doerr was owned by WW Grainger in the early '80's.
I went to Grainger's this morning and while they didn't have any info on the motor itself the tech I talked to did tell me the 110v starting capacitor was correct for the motor. I'll put the new plug on the cord remount the motor and test it out.
The tech also told me an easy way to make an adapter if I want to mount a new 110v motor onto the compressor
 
For what it's worth, I've been using a Harbor Freight 24 or 30 gallon compressor for years without problems. I made sure to get the oiled version. I paid just over a hundred bucks for it and you can find a similar deal if you watch their sales. I wouldn't put much time or money into what you've got.
 
Jim311 said:
For what it's worth, I've been using a Harbor Freight 24 or 30 gallon compressor for years without problems. I made sure to get the oiled version. I paid just over a hundred bucks for it and you can find a similar deal if you watch their sales. I wouldn't put much time or money into what you've got.
Harbor freight has a sale now for a compressor in the size I'd want for $154.00.
 
I took the compressor to my mom and dad yesterday, I put several 220v outlets in his shop years ago. Plugged the compressor in without the belt on then flipped on the power switch and the motor started right up. Turned the motor on and off several times and it worked just fine. I then put the belt on and with the tank drain open let the compressor run for 20 minutes pretty much following the original break in procedure. That went well so I closed the tank drain and the compressor started to build up pressure. I let it get to about 60psi and pulled the over pressure valve, I know it was free but just wanted to test it again before I let the compressor go to it's full pressure of 150psi.
The pressure gauge climbed to 120psi and the compressor cycled off. I could hear a slight hiss so I know I had a leak somewhere. Turns out the compression fitting at the coupler was leaking I tried to tighten it up but that didn't help so I removed the tube from the coupler and regulator. I put Teflon thread seal on the fittings and reinstalled the tube. I was still leaking at the coupler. The tube has a slight bend it at the coupler and I think the tube has a small kink in it that can't be fixed but I'll keep working on it.
I have a total of $4.00 invested so far and have 2 issues still to address. It's not getting to 150psi so the pressure switch is out of adjustment or was replaced at sometime with the wrong one and the leaking compression fitting. I could bypass the leaking fitting by moving the coupler so it comes off the pressure regulator.
I'll get a new air filter, drive belt and change the oil in the pump.
 
lckstckn2smknbrls said:
It's not getting to 150 psi so the pressure switch is out of adjustment or was replaced at sometime with the wrong one and the leaking compression fitting. I could bypass the leaking fitting by moving the coupler so it comes off the pressure regulator.
I'll get a new air filter, drive belt and change the oil in the pump.
Have you tried adjusting the regulator to get up to 150 psi? Just thinking out loud...
 

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