Powering a 230v air compressor

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Andre68

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Not sure if this is the right spot for this post, but I figured it is an electrical question.

I just bought a 60 gal. Kobalt compressor from lowes to paint my 68 dodge dart.
http://m.lowes.com/pd_36_0__?productId=3370356

Now my garage doesn't have the 230v plug and I have no idea if my breaker box can even handle the 230v or if there is enough room in it, and my garage is a good 50feet away from the box.

Now I would pay to get a 230v installed but I am renting, I don't know if the landlord will get mad, and I don't want to put money into a house I'm renting.

Someone suggested to me to buy a step up transformer? Will one of those work?

I also thought of maybe buying a generator to power my air compressor? This one here...
http://www.harborfreight.com/engine...ng-watts-65-hp-212cc-gas-generator-69676.html

Will that option work?

Any help will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
 
Hi
In San Diego you must have air conditioning
You should have a disconnect next to the condenser
You can get power there
50 feet of SO cord
10/3 or 8/3
10 gauge/3 conductor
8 gauge/3 conductor
Home Depot maybe a buck a foot
Landlord will never know

:burnout:
 
This could easily get sticky, too late, and not enough details

1.........Too late now, I guess you could have just bought an engine powered compressor. It takes a HUGE generator to start a big 240V motor. Most generators "lie" about capabilities, meaning that if it says it will start and run a 3 hp motor, that probably means 1 1/2--2 instead, and certainly not on a long run of undersized wiring.

2.........Depending on where the fuse box is located, consider having a 240V outlet installed BY SOMEONE QUALIFIED right at the box or nearby. Then make up an extension cord to reach the garage, for temporary use. This will have to be heavy enough wire to carry the load

4.........Tapping into the AC. This is something I would and have done, but not knowing your skill, or the attitude of the landlord, that would be WAY down the list, and if you are not skilled with "juice" we might be reading about you later. Seriously dead, that is.
 
I hear ya haha well the house does not have an AC unit, I'm gonna get an electrician in and see what he says!
 
I just did this. i installed a 240v 50a breaker and outlet right below the box. i watched a video on youtube and now im an electrician.

 
Look on the nameplate for the motor on compressor. It may have 115v capabilities. It will also state FLA (Full Load amps). This will tell you what size wire you need. 20amps or less #12, 20-30A #10 and so on.
 
swifty said:
Look on the nameplate for the motor on compressor. It may have 115v capabilities. It will also state FLA (Full Load amps). This will tell you what size wire you need. 20amps or less #12, 20-30A #10 and so on.
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He's not gonna be running the one he posted on 120V. Specs show 15A at 230V
 
I believe you also need a magnetic starter switch, if not the compressor will drag everything in the house down when it starts
 
66plyValiant said:
I believe you also need a magnetic starter switch, if not the compressor will drag everything in the house down when it starts
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Magnetic starters have nothing to do with "dragging everything down."

(You are probably thinking of a "soft starter" or other terminology)

A magnetic starter is simply a relay or other term, contactor. "In the box" these starters normally also include motor overload protection, IE in addition to fuses or breakers. As motors (compressors) get larger, the pressure switch has to carry more and more load. A motor starter allows the pressure switch to operate a contactor instead of switching the motor directly.

Very very large HP motors, larger than anything most of us will ever see in our private shops, do use reduced current starting methods, of several means, including reduced starting voltage, reactive components, and resistance in field controls Depends on the application.

But a soft starter of some sort would only normally be found on something like 12--15HP single phase, or more than 20-25 HP three phase systems.
 
65cuda360 said:
Typically a bad/weak capacitor causes dimming of lights during startup.
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Well, it depends on "how good" the house wiring is, in general. Below is the house I grew up in. The transformer on the street was over near the neighbor's on the opposite side of the county road. According to Google maps, it's nearly 400 ft from there to the house. Power came in overhead to a pole "across the crick" and then over to the house. This was older service, and the MAIN fuse "pull outs" were something on the order of 60 amps, so this was VERY small for nowadays. When the well pump would start, which was about 1 HP, the TV would "dip" a little and if you happened to be payin' attention, you could see the house lights dip.

Back in those days we had no bladder pressure tank, and when the tank would get waterlogged, the pump would "short cycle." That's how you knew to go fiddle with the tank..........you could see the lights or TV goin' nuts

Things got worse when we really went big time and got a dryer. Dad used to go in and ask Mom if she was baking in the oven or using the dryer before using the welder
 

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Here around the lake where I live, we see stuff like that all the time. Back in the 50's and 60's a lot of the houses were small fishing "camps" that had very little electric in them. Now someone buys a place that's been added on several times, they have to upgrade the service to power modern appliances and the HVAC equipment they want us to sell them. It can get very expensive. I've seen whole houses running on 40A screw in fuses with #8 cloth covered wire as the main feed.
 
Yup. My dad used to give our neighbor up the street "ell" For a very long time they only had 120V. Sometime they bought a washer / dryer pair, but for many many years the dryer sat unused!!! and unconnected!! on the back porch. He finally built a pole shop, and had 240 run into the meter/ pole/ shop from the street, but to the day he died, never did get 220 into the house!!!
 
A guy that washed the trucks where I worked had a spliter that was pluged into 2 outlets(120) that was on different circuts that run his pressure washer.I'm sure any body that knows electric wiring could do this. That way you come up with 240V and 40 amps from 2 20 amps breakers. Just a thought.
 
Darter6 said:
A guy that washed the trucks where I worked had a spliter that was pluged into 2 outlets(120) that was on different circuts that run his pressure washer.I'm sure any body that knows electric wiring could do this. That way you come up with 240V and 40 amps from 2 20 amps breakers. Just a thought.
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if you look in your breaker pannel thats all 220 is anyway, 2 breakers combining 110V
 
You would have to have 2 different legs of 110 to get 220v. From opposite sides of the buss.
 
Darter6 said:
A guy that washed the trucks where I worked had a spliter that was pluged into 2 outlets(120) that was on different circuts that run his pressure washer.I'm sure any body that knows electric wiring could do this. That way you come up with 240V and 40 amps from 2 20 amps breakers. Just a thought.
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No, and very dangerous. I used to know an amateur radio op who did this with a big linear.

First, you cannot get 40 amps from 20A breakers. Second this is incredibly dangerous for the following reason. You plug into two outlets, you have your haywired "splitter" box. What happens if someone UNplugs one of the cables and GETS ACROSS the male plug they just unhooked? It's got 120V live on that male plug!!!!

66plyValiant said:
if you look in your breaker pannel thats all 220 is anyway, 2 breakers combining 110V
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Exactly. Only difference is that it may not be wired through the house as 220 in such a way that you can utilize it without additional wiring.

"Back in the day" some rural houses were supplied with 120V only, but that ended a LONG time ago. I'd guess you'd have to be in a 100 year old farmhouse in rural US to come across such an installation that is still working
 
electrician is coming over wednesday. thanks for the help but sadly this was something i wasnt willing to tackle myself!
 
Not sure "sadly" was the best word, LOL. At least you won't make some mistake that might endanger the house or problems with the landlord.
 
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