IR 60 gal Air Compressor oiled

[grsthegreat]

Well the sale expired and I have not bought a compressor yet. One question - seems in some reviews people are saying the compressors they purchase are not ready to use. Seems they have to add a regulator? I assume this determines what the air pressure is coming out of the hose. Every compressor I have seen (smaller ones) have that already included.

Also, on the 230 volt models it appears there is no power cable, it has to wired in. I figured on fixing a plug to plug into the same outlet in my shop as my welder, but some reviews indicate you have to hardwire it direct to the circuit breaker?

you don't have to hard wire it direct.... it can be a plug.

However most welders are set for 50 amps, and most compressors are either 20 amp or 30 amp - 240 volt. Personally, i always run a dedicated, direct circuit for all compressors as i like to leave them plugged in.

 

[CurlyDave]

Well the sale expired and I have not bought a compressor yet. One question - seems in some reviews people are saying the compressors they purchase are not ready to use. Seems they have to add a regulator? I assume this determines what the air pressure is coming out of the hose. Every compressor I have seen (smaller ones) have that already included...

Every compressor I have ever seen, the included regulator was inferior to even a modest aftermarket regulator. Not having a price point regulator included may be a good thing.

I have to admit I have not had the opportunity to inspect top quality compressors, but I have seen my share of $400-600 ones.

 

[SandburRanch]

I had a Sanborn for over 20 years. Bought it from Northern Tool years ago. The safety relief valve went on mine and I replaced it with another from a local store. You should be able to get it most anywhere.

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I'd be interested in what local store may have a relief valve for sale for my Sanborn since the one I made from a hickory limb may fail some day but is probably better than the original.

I have a Sears, Lowe's, Belts/Hydraulics, NAPA and several oil field supply stores. Would any of those satisfy my compressor's relief valve needs?

 

[jdonovan]

Seems they have to add a regulator? I assume this determines what the air pressure is coming out of the hose. Every compressor I have seen (smaller ones) have that already included.

No larger compressor comes with a regulator. This is standard.

Most larger air installations, the piping all runs at tank pressure, and is regulated down, filtered and if needed, oiled, at point of use.

My home system has 3 points of use, 2 are oiled for tools, and one has a desiccant, and very fine filter for painting, and other sensitive air tools.

Also all the piping acts to increase the effective volume of the tank as it stores air at higher pressure than the tool uses.

Also, on the 230 volt models it appears there is no power cable, it has to wired in. I figured on fixing a plug to plug into the same outlet in my shop as my welder, but some reviews indicate you have to hardwire it direct to the circuit breaker?

Correct, you need to add cord whip and a plug, or hardwire. Again completely standard for this class of machine.

You should not use your welder outlet. The appliance, and the outlet need to have matching ratings. i.e. don't plug a 20a device into a 50 amp circuit.

 

[Bird]

Well the sale expired and I have not bought a compressor yet. One question - seems in some reviews people are saying the compressors they purchase are not ready to use. Seems they have to add a regulator? I assume this determines what the air pressure is coming out of the hose. Every compressor I have seen (smaller ones) have that already included.

Also, on the 230 volt models it appears there is no power cable, it has to wired in. I figured on fixing a plug to plug into the same outlet in my shop as my welder, but some reviews indicate you have to hardwire it direct to the circuit breaker?

As the others have said, that's right on both accounts. I bought a threaded nipple and relatively cheap regulator/filter for my Puma, and I hardwired it to its own breaker.

 

[jmanatee2]

Adding a shut off valve and a regulator is easy, I did have a hard time finding a regulator with the flow to match my compressor (175psi 24cfm).

You could absolutely add a whip (plug) to the compressor and plug it into a welders plug. Remember a breaker is to protect the wiring, not the device.

My IR compressor has its on breaker on it. I am hardwired in parallel with my welders plug.

 

[grsthegreat]

No larger compressor comes with a regulator. This is standard.

Most larger air installations, the piping all runs at tank pressure, and is regulated down, filtered and if needed, oiled, at point of use.

My home system has 3 points of use, 2 are oiled for tools, and one has a desiccant, and very fine filter for painting, and other sensitive air tools.

Also all the piping acts to increase the effective volume of the tank as it stores air at higher pressure than the tool uses.





Correct, you need to add cord whip and a plug, or hardwire. Again completely standard for this class of machine.

You should not use your welder outlet. The appliance, and the outlet need to have matching ratings. i.e. don't plug a 20a device into a 50 amp circuit.

errr. i have installed alot of screw drive, $5,000 - $10,000 units over the years, and all had regulators and air dryers built into them. You control output air pressure electronically from the control panel. I guess it depends on the needs of the shop. The last cabinet shop i did had maybe 30 pieces of equipment hooked into it. They didnt want 30 regulators and oilers....it was 1 central unit.

 

[jdonovan]

errr. i have installed alot of screw drive, $5,000 - $10,000 units over the years, and all had regulators and air dryers built into them. You control output air pressure electronically from the control panel. I guess it depends on the needs of the shop. The last cabinet shop i did had maybe 30 pieces of equipment hooked into it. They didnt want 30 regulators and oilers....it was 1 central unit.

There are ALLAYS exceptions....

 

[Mace Canute]

You should not use your welder outlet. The appliance, and the outlet need to have matching ratings. i.e. don't plug a 20a device into a 50 amp circuit.

Meh.

That pretty well flies in the face of almost every appliance that is plugged into a 120 receptacle. Consider a 60 W trouble light for example...15 amp breaker on a half amp load. Also consider how many appliances have just an 18 gauge cord attached to them, like a vacuum cleaner...still on a 15 A breaker which is matched to the 14 gauge required to feed the receptacles.

The breaker is sized to protect the wiring between the receptacle and the breaker only.

 

[grsthegreat]

Meh.

That pretty well flies in the face of almost every appliance that is plugged into a 120 receptacle. Consider a 60 W trouble light for example...15 amp breaker on a half amp load. Also consider how many appliances have just an 18 gage cord attached to them, like a vacuum cleaner...still on a 15 A breaker which is matched to the 14 gage required to feed the receptacles. A 60 watt trouble light is probably wired with wire capable of 15 or 20 amps......

The breaker is sized to protect the wiring between the receptacle and the breaker only.

true...but if the compressor is wired with #12 for the 20 amp circuit it requires, and its hooked into a 50 amp circuit... you can see the problem.

Now, if you wire the compressor for 50 amps (6/3 so cord or whatever) then its less of an issue. Mind you the pressure switch is probably only rated at 20 amps...etc. A 60 watt trouble light is usually wired with cord capable of holding 15-20 amp current. Notice that most wired appliances get away with smaller wires than the electricians can use.

you see the can of worms... then again, i think 50 amps US is the same as 20 amps Canadian hehe