The situation:

The contractor the built my garage and poured my driveway offered me a 30 gallon, 2-piston compressor for $150. She offered to drop it off at my house so I could check it out, and I could pay her later. This compressor is the old school setup, 145T-frame compressor plumbed to the tank, 2HP 1725RPM motor bolted to it, dual belt drive, all separate assemblies that can be removed, replaced individually, etc. Nice stuff, designed to last a long time.
Now, this compressor had what I thought was a 30amp 120v plug on it, and the motor diagram said it could run either 120v or 240v depending on how it was wired. Seeing the plug, I assumed it was runing 120v, so I switched to the usual 120v thee prong plug i have all over the place in my garage and plug the thing in. It chugs, runs, makes some pressure, and starts smoking. I decide that this is bad, unplug it, and shoot a text to my contactor. She comes by while I'm at work, checks it out, and tells me that since it's a 240v compressor, I must have burned something up. When I get home, i see she's installed the 240v plug style I have in the garage on it and apparently tested it. I plug in in to see what'll hapen and it's totally dead. Okay.
So, feeling bad about it, I order a brand new 1800RPM, 2HP motor to the tune of $170, and installed it tonight. After I got it on the compressor and wired it in, i plgged it in and ... nothing. It was totally dead. No voltage at the motor. I pop open the 240v plug she installed and sure enough, the neutral lead is snapped of at the screw. I fix it, plug it in and it fires right up, but the compressor will only make about 50psi befor it stops moving air. This tells me the compressor is in need of a re-ring at least, as at 5psi, the intake on the compressor assembly is actually pushing air and unable to further compress.
The real kicker is that once I installed the new motor on the compressor, I rewired the old motor for 120v, hacked together a short cord and 120v plug, plugged it in and ran it. Worked like a charm (and damn near torqued itself right off my bench on startup), so I can safely assume that the old motor is perfectly fine as well.
I never paid anything for this compressor, and I thought I'd burned up the motor on it. Now I have two working, 2HP, 1800RPM motors, and a compressor that can't compress more than 50psi.

Do I put the old motor back on and ask the contractor to pick it up, or do I hang on to it and attempt to re-ring / rebuild the compressor and hope for the best? I'm already $170 down on this compressor for the new motor (though I guarantee that even without the compressor, I can FIND a use for a 2HP 1800RPM electric motor!), and haven't paid the contactor anything for it yet.

Bit of a conundrum. Dunno what to do.

I say keep it. Even if it costs you another $150 to finally get that thing straightened out, you're still only into it about $500 (including the cost of beer). Not a lot of freshly repaired, utterly dependable, 2HP, 30gal air compressors out there as far as I can see.

Of course, I'm not really looking, either, so I might be a clueless fuckwit right here. Still, seems like a deal to me. :shrug

The unit in question if anyone cares.

I think I'd pass (but what are you going to do with the new motor you bought?). You're already into a broken used compressor for like $320? You figure a re-ring (fair assessment) but what if there's more?

I know that I'm the cheap guy on the block, but it just seems to me that I could find a good used one for $300 or so that would last just as long (I just did a quick check of craigslist in my area and came up with a few immediate prospects). But then again, how does the time of looking at the used ones factor into your parameters? I can make time during the day to check crap out, but can you?

Of course, this coming from a guy who bought a used Home Depot brand compressor for $150 about 18 years ago. Beat the snot out of it and still running strong;



Edited in (I'm always thinking of you guys - BUT not in a gay way :nono)
I just happened to run across this one posted on a different forum
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00916762000P?vName=Tools&sName=Air+Compressors&cName=Air+Compressors+%26+Air+Tools&cascycle=true&origin=prod&aff=Y&sid=I0084400010000100600

:nono

I would see what the rebuild on the compressor cost. The ones today dont use a ring style setup. I wouldnt be surprised if its not expensive at all.

If air is getting pushed out the intake, open the head assy up and look for the block off plate. The way the intake works is there is a thin piece of metal that flexes into the chamber as the diaphram pulls air in and when the assy tries to compress the metal plate is forced against the head blocking off the intake port. Exhaust works similer.

Terry

Not bad, Dino. My step dad has an old craftman's he uses it for inflat tires only, nothing major. Its belt driven like your but he has a cover on it. Yours would make a decent backup for inflating tires, only. But, I would buy newer one from sears Craftsman they always have good deals, especially around the holidays.

I have that exact same compressor sitting under the carport at home. I'll ask my Uncle what his plans for it are and see if we can work something out. I think it had a pressure switch go bad and we had a larger compressor already that we moved in.

Originally posted by freelancefool
I have that exact same compressor sitting under the carport at home. I'll ask my Uncle what his plans for it are and see if we can work something out. I think it had a pressure switch go bad and we had a larger compressor already that we moved in.

That would be awesome. let me know!

Originally posted by DarkOne
The unit in question if anyone cares.

Dino,

That looks kinda like a Saylor-Beall compressor. Model 703-705 http://www.saylor-beall.com/air_compressors/pumps.php

I used to work for them. If it is an S/B the first thing I would check is the valves, the two plugs at the top. It's a simple spring valve system, and the springs have a tendency to break. I think they sell the whole valve assembly, but you might be able to talk them into just the spring. If you call you probably either talk to Denis...I can't remember is last name, or Bob Hopkins.