Air tools rant

[orezok]

If you want to determine the true horsepower of a motor, take the running load amps, multiply by voltage to obtain watts. Divide by 746 and you have horsepower.

 

[JB4310]

Is the motor 110v or 220v, mine is a 220v motor that draws I think 16.5 amps, If yours is a 110v motor, it is way over rated, the most you can get from a 110v 15 amp, circut is 1.5 hp.

This is on a 20 amp breaker, it will pop a 15. But that still probably means it well below 5 HP. I think this can be wired either way, 220 or 110. Was thinking of wiring it 220.

If you want to determine the true horsepower of a motor, take the running load amps, multiply by voltage to obtain watts. Divide by 746 and you have horsepower.

Thanks, I'll have to get the calculator out.

JB.

 

[Bird]

JB, I'm no electrician, but I can assure you that you do not have a true 5 hp motor. Back when I bought my Puma "6 hp" 60 gallon compressor at least the salesman told me, "We call it an imitation 6 hp" and then he showed me one of their 80 gallon, 2-stage compressors with a true 5 hp motor. And of course a true 5 hp motor is at least twice the size of yours. My current 30 gallon tank compressor is rated at 7.0 CFM at 40 psi and 5.7 CFM at 90 psi (most air tools run 90 psi). I'm sure it's as big and powerful a motor as yours, but rated at 1.8 "running" hp. It also can be changed to 220 volt, but I've left it on 120 and right on the motor itself, it says it'll pull 15 amps on 120 volt. Of course I've never had the breaker kick off because it's on a 20 amp circuit with the receptacle to which it's connected less than 3' from the breaker panel. And I do sometimes run it continuously for long periods of time.

 

[k0ua]

I have one of those "5 HP" CH oil-less compressor's also, It might pull 5HP for a millisecond on startup or some other convoluted way of figuring Horsepower,
It looks to be about a 1 HP motor to me. And it makes enough racket that Zombies and Vampires come up out of their graves in the middle of the day just to see what all that noise is! It does work though, and I have gotten a lot of use out of it. When it dies, I will get a real air compressor some day.

James K0UA

 

[SPYDERLK]

If you want to determine the true horsepower of a motor, take the running load amps, multiply by voltage to obtain watts. Divide by 746 and you have horsepower.

That would give a very optimistic answer. Divide by 1000 instead of 746 to get a closer answer considering efficiency. This will still be a little optimistic on single phase motors.
larry

 

[Bird]

That would give a very optimistic answer. Divide by 1000 instead of 746 to get a closer answer considering efficiency. This will still be a little optimistic on single phase motors.
larry

You fellows undoubtedly know more about that than I do, but since my motor is labelled at 15 amps X 120 volts divided by 1000 comes up with 1.8 and sure enough that's what it says on the tank and in the manual.

 

[orezok]

That would give a very optimistic answer. Divide by 1000 instead of 746 to get a closer answer considering efficiency. This will still be a little optimistic on single phase motors.
larry

I agree, 746 is the theoretical HP and the one that is legal for advertising. Given friction losses, heat conversion and other parasitic loads, 1000 is probably real world.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Been around machine shops all my life. We usually have scroll or rotary vane models. Although I've seen some IRand duds, we have one at current job that just got rebuilt with a tad over 55,000 hours. the rebuilt scroll alone was over $7000 installed. This is a 30 hp model. Run it at 125 psi.

My all time favorite is Kaeser. We had 2, 25 hp models at one shop, each with over 25,000 hours and almost never had any problems.

Another favorite is Hydrovane. Although these run at a lower 105 psi setting. I think we had 32,000 hours on the one we bought used at an auction.

Quincy builds good stuff as well as others. You just have to ante up to get into this arena. It all can be worked out into a cost per cfm at your needed psi dollar figure. If you don't need much air, you don't need one of these.

PS, I come home to a small little "buzz" model that annoys the H outta me.:laughing:

I have an oldie but goodie 5hp 3 phase speedaire but no 3 phase here at the house.

 

[deereman75]

It might be worth it to either get a phase converter for the compressor, or put on a single phase 5 horse motor.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

It might be worth it to either get a phase converter for the compressor, or put on a single phase 5 horse motor.

A good 5hp single phase motor is $500 or more! Unless I can find a good used motor, I'm not needing that much air.

 

[deereman75]

You might be able to find a used baldor somewhere, or you could build a phase converter with a 10 hp 3 phase motor, just googe rotery phase converter.

 

[5030]

Been around machine shops all my life. We usually have scroll or rotary vane models. Although I've seen some IRand duds, we have one at current job that just got rebuilt with a tad over 55,000 hours. the rebuilt scroll alone was over $7000 installed. This is a 30 hp model. Run it at 125 psi.

My all time favorite is Kaeser. We had 2, 25 hp models at one shop, each with over 25,000 hours and almost never had any problems.

Another favorite is Hydrovane. Although these run at a lower 105 psi setting. I think we had 32,000 hours on the one we bought used at an auction.

Quincy builds good stuff as well as others. You just have to ante up to get into this arena. It all can be worked out into a cost per cfm at your needed psi dollar figure. If you don't need much air, you don't need one of these.

PS, I come home to a small little "buzz" model that annoys the H outta me.:laughing:

I have an oldie but goodie 5hp 3 phase speedaire but no 3 phase here at the house.

If I'm not mistaken, a Speedaire is a rebadged Saylor-Beal, but it could be a Quincy or even a Champion. They all supplied compressor heads to Speedaire. It's easy to tell. Saylor Beal's have many cooling fins closely spaced (like a motorcycle engine) and Quincy has external vave pots with unloader lines attached. Chanpoin has less fins and an aluminum head with a low side to high side finned intercooler and a bulge at the outboard end of the crank where the unloader fits.

I'd look at local auctions and salvage yards for a true 5/1/220. So long as the nameplate amperage draw is in the 25-27 amp range it's a 5 and not a 3 on steroids.

My Quincy has a Century with honest to gosh grease fittings on the armature end housings.

It's very easy to get an offshore copy of a Saylor Beal, Champin or Quincy now. The Chi-com's have copied them all.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

If I'm not mistaken, a Speedaire is a rebadged Saylor-Beal, but it could be a Quincy or even a Champion. They all supplied compressor heads to Speedaire. It's easy to tell. Saylor Beal's have many cooling fins closely spaced (like a motorcycle engine) and Quincy has external vave pots with unloader lines attached. Chanpoin has less fins and an aluminum head with a low side to high side finned intercooler and a bulge at the outboard end of the crank where the unloader fits.

I'd look at local auctions and salvage yards for a true 5/1/220. So long as the nameplate amperage draw is in the 25-27 amp range it's a 5 and not a 3 on steroids.

My Quincy has a Century with honest to gosh grease fittings on the armature end housings.

It's very easy to get an offshore copy of a Saylor Beal, Champin or Quincy now. The Chi-com's have copied them all.

It must be the Saylor Beal.....Thanks!
Now if I could just find a nice used motor. I might check a couple of local electric engine shops.

 

[bindian]

It must be the Saylor Beal.....Thanks!
Now if I could just find a nice used motor. I might check a couple of local electric engine shops.

Kyle,
I have heard jet engines called "motors", so is this what an electric engine shop works on?:laughing::laughing:
hugs, Brandi

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Kyle,
I have heard jet engines called "motors", so is this what an electric engine shop works on?:laughing::laughing:
hugs, Brandi

I would love a jet engined anything as long as I have someone else to pay the fuel bill.

 

[Bird]

Kyle, I think Brandi was ribbing you about using the term "electric engine" instead of "electric motor". I'm not sure who it was who originally determined, and don't remember reading why he/she determined, that we have electric "motors" but gasoline/diesel/jet fuel "engines."

I don't think I've made the mistake of calling electric motors an engine, but I've sure called that thing under the hood a "motor" on occasion. But now, if our cars are propelled by "engines" why do we have the "Texas Motor Speedway" and "motor vehicle laws"?:laughing:

 

[bindian]

Kyle, I think Brandi was ribbing you about using the term "electric engine" instead of "electric motor". I'm not sure who it was who originally determined, and don't remember reading why he/she determined, that we have electric "motors" but gasoline/diesel/jet fuel "engines."

I don't think I've made the mistake of calling electric motors an engine, but I've sure called that thing under the hood a "motor" on occasion. But now, if our cars are propelled by "engines" why do we have the "Texas Motor Speedway" and "motor vehicle laws"?:laughing:

.........hehehe.............and extension hoses and air cords?:laughing:
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

I would love a jet engined anything as long as I have someone else to pay the fuel bill.

Sump fuel works fine.:thumbsup:
hug, Brandi

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Sump fuel works fine.:thumbsup:
hug, Brandi

My friend was given 3 drums of fuel that they drain to test for water during preflight. He heated his barn with it for a good long while. Talk about expensive heat if you had to buy jet fuel...

 

[bindian]

My friend was given 3 drums of fuel that they drain to test for water during preflight. He heated his barn with it for a good long while. Talk about expensive heat if you had to buy jet fuel...

Kyle,
It is great when you get it from a trusted source. Biggest problem I have with getting it from SWA for my truck is some folks pour Skydrol hydraulic fluid (sometimes other liquids) in the sump barrels, which could very well eat parts of your fuel system up. I have no idea what it would do to a plastic fuel tank. Skydrol is the fluid that burns the skin on contact. Very bad jeu jeu.
hugs, Brandi