[richie ross]

I just bought a used ingersoll rand industrial two-stage air compressor with an 80 gall capacity 5hp running 11.8 peak 230 volt 175 max and 15.8 cfm. I bought it for $400 as is without plugging it in.(dumb thing to do)The unit is missing the contact cover. Well i had it hard wired to my breaker box and when i started it it ran for under a min and made some loud noise and spark and flipped the breaker. i tried it again and the same thing happened. I then took it to a electric repair shop and the guy plugged it up and started it and immediately tripped his main breaker. He told me it was no good(which i figured) and said that those specific motors were not at all good motors and that he really doesn't like to work on them because they usually don't last more than a year if that. So he looked to see what they were priced at and it was about $400 just for the motor. So basically i am wondering if the compressor is worth buying a new motor for or if what he said is true. Also if it is possible to put a motor with a higher horse power on it will it over work the cylinder. I just bought the compressor because it seemed like a steel and it probably would of been if it worked, but i'm just looking for advice because theres not very many shops around here that deal with just compressors and the compressor is to big to just be taking to get checked. Thats why i started off with taking the motor in first and was disappointed with the results. I don't know if the guy just didn't want to mess with the motor but i heard those engines are rebuildable.

[32Essex]

I gave $1550 for mine new and it still works perfect after 19 years, buy a new motor and you're done.

[oldred]

Sure it is worth replacing the motor, but not with another junk Emerson! Find a 5 HP Baldor, GE, etc and you will be fine you do not need to go with a higher HP. Make sure the AMP rating is at least 21 AMPs regardless of the HP rating and that the RPM is the same as the original motor. You can still use a motor with a different RPM by changing the pulley(s) to keep pump RPM the same, going to a motor with higher HP will not change anything as long as it is the same RPM because unless you change the pulleys the pump RPM will remain the same regardless of HP.

[richie ross]

i appreciate the advice fellas. and it is good to hear that my money spent can still be used effeciantly i guess for $400 i should of known something would be wrong with it. do you have any suggestions as to how to wire it. i have it hard wired to the breaker box. is that good enough or is there a more effecient way to connect it . i've heard of some kind of start up kit u can put on them and i assume it helps the motor crank up . would this help or not really make more of a difference. i'm jus a diy i own a construction company but this compressor is for personal use only for painting, sanding and mechanic work. what kind of equipment would be good to invest in to ensure a good air flow along with easy maintenance of unit.

[woodz428]

post deleted

[Lhorn]

I converted a 3 phase compressor to single phase using a Baldor 5 hp single phase motor I got off ebay. Make sure you search for the correct motor frame size. I think mine was a 184T. There is a seller on there that sells a lot of these motors. I got mine for about 260ish plus shipping came out to about $300. So you might save a few bucks that way.

[richie ross]

I did hear those motors are pretty good. I appreciate the info. Now that I know a little more I'm going to look for a motor and see if it'll do the trick. (hoping theres nothing else wrong with it.)

[oldred]

Originally Posted by richie ross

I did hear those motors are pretty good.

IMHO Baldor is more than just pretty good, they are about the best out there.

[deadbodyman]

At my local scrap yard they have a pile of motors I pull every baldor out I find 75% of them still work and they only cost 5-10.00 at most 20.00 the rpm is important too..I just rebuilt my ingersoll compressor pump top to bottom at a cost of 600.00 for parts it should last another 20yrs of everyday use at the shop..

[302 Z28]

IMHO Baldor is pretty much the gold standard in electric motors. What you need to make sure of is correct voltage, RPM, and frame size.

Vince