Air Compressor Stalls Out

[DarkBlack]

10 gauge copper and and a good dryer plug and receptacle is more than adequate, as long as terminations are tight and clean and your wire length isn’t excessive.

 

[DarkBlack]

I would suggest attaching a volt meter to the motor side of the pressure switch and monitor the voltage as it runs.

If he has one. Otherwise he can check for heat build up, somewhere between the breaker and the motor.
breaker, wires, plug and outlet should all remain cool to mildly warm. If there’s a hot spot, there’s your voltage drop

 

[JohnSchroeder]

How do you get the slowed down motor to finally stop? Are you unplugging it, or does the thermal protection kick in?

If the motor is slowing down, that would cause it to draw more current than 15 amps, and should start getting hot.

I never let it run once it starts slowing down to see if it was getting hot.

 

[JohnSchroeder]

10 gauge copper and and a good dryer plug and receptacle is more than adequate, as long as terminations are tight and clean and your wire length isn’t excessive.

The cord is about 6' long. Based on where the compressor and receptacle are located, I could shorten it and check the connections. Thanks

 

[DarkBlack]

If you do have a multimeter, checking your running voltage would be the best.
Also, during your next run, check your air intake with your open hand, when the motor starts slowing down. Is it still drawing in fresh air in one direction? You’ll be ruling out an issue with the reed valve or whatever directional device yours uses.

 

[the old grind]

There should be a check valve in the plumbing from the pump to the tank. It's there to relieve tank pressure on a non-running pump. Often it's just a ball and spring.

If if gets stuck or gums up the pump will try to deadhead and the motor will drag down until it stalls. Been there twice and the symptoms here remind me of just that issue. Condensation caused some crud to build up and cleaning the little bits fixed it for me.

I've wised up and now drain tanks more often hoping to minimize such issues.

 

[JohnSchroeder]

10 gauge copper and and a good dryer plug and receptacle is more than adequate, as long as terminations are tight and clean and your wire length isn’t excessive.

I shortened the cord, that was not the issue.

There should be a check valve in the plumbing from the pump to the tank. It's there to relieve tank pressure on a non-running pump. Often it's just a ball and spring.

If if gets stuck or gums up the pump will try to deadhead and the motor will drag down until it stalls. Been there twice and the symptoms here remind me of just that issue. Condensation caused some crud to build up and cleaning the little bits fixed it for me.

I've wised up and now drain tanks more often hoping to minimize such issues.

It was the same with the old check valve and the same condition with the new check valve. I still have the old check valve and it works like it should, so I don't think the problem is there. Thanks

 

[JohnSchroeder]

I started it back up. The pressure switch is clicking on and off as it gets to 30psi. I let it continue to run. Good suction at the air cleaner inlet, so I know the reed valve is working. The voltage going into the pressure switch is around 119 VAC and going to the motor is around 117 VAC when stalling out. Seems low for a 230 volt system. The motor did heat up when it reached about 60 psi and then shut down.

 

[dodge man]

Is this a known 230 volt plug in you’ve used before? Is this a compressor that can run bot 110 volt and 220? Some can do both. I’m assuming the low voltage is the problem.

 

[JohnSchroeder]

Is this a known 230 volt plug in you’ve used before? Is this a compressor that can run bot 110 volt and 220? Some can do both. I’m assuming the low voltage is the problem.

I use the same outlet for my lathe which is 220v and it works fine. This is a strange situation. Time to call an electrician. Thanks