# Compressor Motor wiring help requested PLEASE



## Cwoods99508 (8 mo ago)

Hello 1st time poster here. I recently acquired an old Charge Air Pro air compressor that is wired for 220 but has a motor on it that I believe can be switched to 110v...which I would like to do as I don't have a 220v hookup.
I am quite green at this in particular and hope someone can spell it out for me to achieve this. In pics the left row of wires is from motor and right row is the plug. I'm sure the motor tag plate is showing the schematics for different wiring options but I can't make heads or tails of it quite frankly lol.
I'm sure I need to buy a new 110v pigtail and make the connections but by the motor plate info it's describing wire colors I simply don't see! I took the shroud off and pulley as well to get a clearer view so hopefully these pics suffice to show what I'm scratching my head over. Thank you for any Input in advance.


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## stevon (Mar 5, 2019)

Cwoods99508,

You have another problem besides wiring your motor for 120 volts. A custom power setup would be required to run 20 amps at 120 vac e.g. a 30 amp breaker, 10 gauge wire and a 120 volt receptacle and plug rated for 30 amps (80% rule). If you are planning on using an existing household circuit, even if it is a single outlet and 20 amps, The plug, outlet and wiring will be overloaded. A 20 amp rated electrical part (in this country at least) has the extended run rule built into it so parts will not work for extended time at the full/max rating. Using the design rating of "the 80% rule", 16 amps on a 20 amp circuit is all you can use for more than a few minutes. The breaker would randomly trip and wiring will over heat and the plug and/or receptacle will be burned up too in short order. Also since this is a motor load, the RLA at startup and at 0 rpm will be 120 amps or so until the rotor starts turning. Basically if you want to use this compressor you need at least 12 gauge wire @ (less than 50 feet, 10 gauge for a longer run) to a 220 to 240 volt, 20 amp plug (motor uses 10 amps @ 230V) plug and socket (230 vac plug shown in your post would work). A qualified person or an electrician might be able to change the breaker on a single pole circuit to a dual pole 230v, 20 amp breaker and add the correct receptacle. This can only be done on a single circuit, not on the usual "daisy chained" multiple 120V outlet circuits seen in most houses. You got the correct plug already installed for a 230 dryer type setup. You see there was a reason why this compressor is set to run on 230 VAC. Basically your stuck on running 230 volts anyways because at 20 amps full time, it requires a custom installation of 10 gauge wire, 30 amp breaker, 30 amp plug and receptacle, might as well install 230 setup at that point.
Reasonable choices, you could:

1) buy a smaller 1 HP motor (15 amps max, if you don't need large CFM), smaller drive pulley and a new belt
2) buy a smaller compressor (15 amps max, if you don't need large CFM)
3) wire in a *new* or convert an existing *single* line to a 230 volt run

Stephen



Cwoods99508 said:


> Hello 1st time poster here. I recently acquired an old Charge Air Pro air compressor that is wired for 220 but has a motor on it that I believe can be switched to 110v...which I would like to do as I don't have a 220v hookup.
> I am quite green at this in particular and hope someone can spell it out for me to achieve this. In pics the left row of wires is from motor and right row is the plug. I'm sure the motor tag plate is showing the schematics for different wiring options but I can't make heads or tails of it quite frankly lol.
> I'm sure I need to buy a new 110v pigtail and make the connections but by the motor plate info it's describing wire colors I simply don't see! I took the shroud off and pulley as well to get a clearer view so hopefully these pics suffice to show what I'm scratching my head over. Thank you for any Input in advance.
> View attachment 11847
> ...


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

there should be a plate on the end of the motor for the 110/220 wiring.
GE is a good setup.
and is easy to switch over.
just remember you will be at 20 amps on the 110 vac setting.

wire by the left hand diagram


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## Cwoods99508 (8 mo ago)

Well.....darn!
I was under the impression I could switch out the plug on the compressor and change the moto wiring and wallah!
So...I know I can't wire in a 220 since I remodeled and built a new garage and was stopped by the Muni on wanting to put in a 220 outlet because I only have 100 amp service to the house.
I bought a 110v Miller 140 and have learned to love with its limitations. Now, I have acquired a freestanding blast cabinet to replace my little bench top that I used with my oilless Devilbiss 30 gallon with a 4hp motor running on 110v.
I picked up this older 2hp oil fed unit for 100 bucks hoping it would be quiter as well as put out a little more cfm's.
I read up online about finding one that was listed as 110/220 ready and simply switch it over to 110 if not already and deal with the lesser output than if at 220 setting.
I'm kinda baffled all about it at the moment again....not as easy as I thought. I surely do not want to burn up wiring in the wall by running it on 110,I do have a dedicated 20 amp outlet in the garage...not daisied to another.
Hmmmm


iowagold said:


> there should be a plate on the end of the motor for the 110/220 wiring.
> GE is a good setup.
> and is easy to switch over.
> just remember you will be at 20 amps on the 110 vac setting.
> ...


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## stevon (Mar 5, 2019)

Cwoods99508,

The "oilless Devilbiss 30 gallon with a 4hp motor running on 110v " sounds like a fantasy marketing claim. A true 4HP output electrical motor draws 40 amps on 110v, claims like "peak" or "develops" high HP is really a joke. If you still want to use your 115v 20 amp circuit, you will have to buy a compressor with the max amps pulled on 110v at 15 FLA or 1.5 actual HP. Well the 2 HP compressor is perfectly safe to run 220v on a 100 amp service house breaker panel, you just need a 220 volt outlet and dual pole breaker (if there is room in the fuse panel for one) either have a qualified person or electrician convert the dedicated 12 gauge 120v line to a 230v circuit, then put on a 220 receptacle. Or put 220v receptacle, somewhere with a 12 gauge wire or better then use an extension cord to your compressor. A standard 50 foot 12 gauge extension cord would need the ends changed. You would really need the 220v to use the 2 HP compressor is all I'm saying. 2HP is 2HP when you lower the voltage the amps go up inversely, the amount of energy used is the same on 220v or 120v, ohm's law

















Stephen




Cwoods99508 said:


> Well.....darn!
> I was under the impression I could switch out the plug on the compressor and change the moto wiring and wallah!
> So...I know I can't wire in a 220 since I remodeled and built a new garage and was stopped by the Muni on wanting to put in a 220 outlet because I only have 100 amp service to the house.
> I bought a 110v Miller 140 and have learned to love with its limitations. Now, I have acquired a freestanding blast cabinet to replace my little bench top that I used with my oilless Devilbiss 30 gallon with a 4hp motor running on 110v.
> ...


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

220 is a better choice for power.

so can you reset a better breaker panel in the house?
and the do a sub panel in the garage or if it is an attached garage just run direct from the house panel.


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## Cwoods99508 (8 mo ago)

Thank you so much for the replies! So, the garage is attached to the house and there is a subpanel breaker box out there as well. Problem being all the breaker banks are filled already. The dedicated outlet I was going to use for the compressor is in the mechanical room with the wall mounted central vac unit plugged into it, I was going to unplug it and plug in the compressor whenever I wanted to use it. If I "did" have room in the breaker box to change it to 220 then I would be SOL on power to the central vac. I suppose the ole compressor I just picked up will be on FB Marketplace LOL.
You guys have been very helpful and I thank you for not letting me burn out an outlet!


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## stevon (Mar 5, 2019)

Cwoods99508,

I had 100 amp service but was forced to upgrade and move/relocate my panel to a 200 amp one that was $120 4 years ago:









GE 200 Amp 40-Space 80-Circuit Main Breaker Indoor Load Center Contractor Kit TM4020C80K - The Home Depot


The GE 200 Amp 40-Space 80-Circuit Main Breaker Indoor Load Center Contractor Kit is pre-packaged with a selection of circuit breakers. The UL-listed load center has holes rated 100% split neutral on each side that are compatible with #14-4 wire. The breaker box is a single-phase, 3-wire unit...



www.homedepot.com














I also upgraded the meter pan and ran a 2.0 2.0 2.0 copper SER cable from meter pan to the new location of the breaker panel. Did most of the work myself (no permit) then hired an electrician (with permit) to install the meter pan and SER cable run. The permit was required to upgrade the service with the electric company SDGE, my costs weren't that bad $2000 dollars for supplies, permit and contractor. You see your power company will easily disconnect your service but the catch 22 is that to turn power on and connect it to the street, only your town building inspector can call them to have it hooked back up! thus the permit was mandatory. While I was at it, upgraded all the rooms and ran 80 amps to the kitchen alone! My house was a firetrap before I rewired it, 4- 15 amp daisy chained circuits and one 30 amp for the dryer! 50s wiring was lax in the day. The ceilings and outside facing walls were stripped so there was no access problem to rewire the house. This kind of project can *not be done* while *Women and children are residing in a house*! Sent mine to a B&B for a week. Don't be tempted, divorces are common enough these days! lol
I would at least upgrade the panel to at least 30 (60 circuits) spaces, 40 (80 circuits) spaces preferred and update your service from your power company at a later time.










Stephen


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## stevon (Mar 5, 2019)

Cwoods99508, 

Oh one thing, make sure on whatever breaker panel you buy that it has copper buss bars. Cheap panels have aluminum buss bars and they cause problems later. For 200 amp service 4.0 Aluminum SER cable is OK to use instead of 2.0 copper SER cable, you can safely save money there as long as proper anti-oxidant grease is used in aluminum SER wire installations.

Stephen


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## stevon (Mar 5, 2019)

Cwoods99508,,

Question could or do you have the option to rewire the whole house VAC to 220? Just clutching at straws here, lol

Stephen


Cwoods99508 said:


> Thank you so much for the replies! So, the garage is attached to the house and there is a subpanel breaker box out there as well. Problem being all the breaker banks are filled already. The dedicated outlet I was going to use for the compressor is in the mechanical room with the wall mounted central vac unit plugged into it, I was going to unplug it and plug in the compressor whenever I wanted to use it. If I "did" have room in the breaker box to change it to 220 then I would be SOL on power to the central vac. I suppose the ole compressor I just picked up will be on FB Marketplace LOL.
> You guys have been very helpful and I thank you for not letting me burn out an outlet!


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