How To Remove Pulley From Air Compressor Motor

It's late at night or a weekend and you're human knee deep in a project prepare to call in some pneumatic power to assistance you speed upward your progress and the air compressor starts acting upward! What can you practise?! Y'all can either give up and call in a professional; or maybe diagnosis and fix the effect yourself like a true Eastwood Guy or Gal! We decided to put together a simple trouble shooting guide for common reciprocating air compressors to assist you get to the bottom of your bug.

Compressor Won't Commencement

If yous're compressor is dead in the water and won't show whatsoever signs of life (clicking, humming, sparks, burn down, etc.) you may have a switching or electric issue. Generally speaking, when a compressor pump or electrical motor goes bad it volition give you lot some alert before it totally dies. It will make odd sounds or you will run across a large drop in performance, etc.

Start at the furthest point from the compressor and work your way through the compressor. Check the fuse box that feeds the compressor and brand certain there are no breakers partially flipped or completely switched to off. Try switching the breaker back and forth and test the compressor. This is the easiest, quickest solution. Continue in mind that a flipped breaker usually means there may be some other problem that may arise in the future. If the breaker continuously flips discontinue employ of the compressor until you can locate the trouble. If the billow on the wall looks ok, make sure your compressor itself doesn't accept a breaker mounted on it or virtually it on the wall. Follow the same procedure here as above.

Next let's check the pressure switch on the compressor itself. The force per unit area switch senses the tank force per unit area and shuts the motor off to avoid over-pressurizing the tank. Check the pressure level gauge on your tank and make sure it is beneath the switch setting. If the pressure level switch is prepare to 125psi it should allow the compressor to turn dorsum on at annihilation below that pressure. Most pressure switches can be tested manually by removing the embrace and activating the force per unit area switch lever with your finger. This will override the switch and turn the compressor on. If you lot're able to manually actuate the switch and brand the compressor run you at present know that your switch is out of adjustment or needs to exist replaced.

If the switch isn't working manually yous must adjacent check the wiring and brand sure that there is power going to the switch. Check the wiring diagram for your switch and make sure all wiring is getting power and isn't cleaved from the switch to the motor. Replace or repair as necessary.

Finally Check that your compressor will turn over past paw. Almost reciprocating compressors have pulleys that tin be turned past manus. You may demand to remove a cover/guard to become to them. Unplug your compressor at the wall outlet and try and to plow the larger pulley by manus. It should plow both the compressor pump pulley and electrical motor pulley at the same fourth dimension. If you aren't able to plow both pulleys by hand you may take a seized electric motor or pump. Cheque them separately to find the issue. Running a compressor out of oil can seize the engine (much like your auto) or a bad bearing in an electric motor tin can seize it and crusade a no-outset issue.

Loud NOISES!!

Much like whatever reciprocating engine there volition be noise. Only you shouldn't hear loud noises from your compressor. If you lot hear it, y'all need to check on information technology earlier information technology gets worse. If your compressor is in a hidden expanse (exterior, carve up room, etc) it'southward good to go check on it from time to time to brand certain that no odd sounds are coming from it.

Bank check all of the parts related to the external moving parts of your compressor. Get-go thing is the guards over the pulleys and belt. Is information technology rattling or loose? Y'all'd be surprised how loud a loose belt guard can be when combined with the audio of your compressor! Also check the belt and pulleys on your compressor. The belt should be moderately tight with little slack. Pulleys on the compressor pump and the electric motor are unremarkably keyed then they shouldn't come up loose, but occasionally we've seen the stop lock commodities on the pulleys come loose and cause a loose pulley that will make a racket when spinning. This is a good example of checking loud noises immediately when yous hear them; a loose caster can wobble and harm the caster diameter, key style, or shaft if left loose too long.

Next cheque how the compressor tank, pump, and electric motor are sitting. Has anything shifted so that information technology is resting against the compressor? Are the safe dampeners or safe feet on the compressor pump, motor, etc cleaved, cracked, loose? A loose or damaged rubber dampener will cause vibration and excessive noise if left lonely likewise long.

If those simple things aren't the issue listen to the compressor every bit it fills from empty; does it change as information technology builds pressure or gets hot? A bad valve could cause excessive noise only above a certain pressure or temp. Bearing, piston ring, or some other internal upshot may also worsen as the pump warms upward. Exist certain yous bank check your oil levels. Running a compressor depression or out of oil tin cause catastrophic damage and could hateful a pump replacement if left too long. You lot can also drain the oil and cheque it for any signs of metal to give you an idea if something major has happened. A piston band issue volition cause excessive oil consumption and a rod or principal begetting issue in the pump will generally cause a knock or RPM-based sound. Almost compressor pumps can exist rebuilt if the issue is caught early enough. Check with your compressor manufacturer for those parts.

Loud hissing or excessive air leakage sounds hateful that you have a leak somewhere at a fitting or an unloader valve is damaged and is assuasive air to go where it shouldn't. Check to make sure that your pressure switch is shutting the compressor off at the advisable PSI and isn't over pressurizing the tank causing the unloader valve to be tripped.

Compressor Tries and Tries (and Fails)

Can you hear the compressor attempting to turn, only it tin't get started? Does information technology trip the breaker after trying? This could be caused by a number of bug. Every bit mentioned in earlier steps, test to brand certain that you can plow the compressor pulleys over by paw. A seized pump or motor tin cause this issue. If your check valve at the tank goes bad it will allow the pressure level in the tank to piece of work back into the compressor pump head and will get too much pressure for the electric motor to overcome and spin the pump. This is easy to diagnosis as the compressor will frequently run fine through it's commencement cycle (or part of it) and then it will stall or fail to start and trip the billow due to the force to get-go upward. The bulk of the draw of an electrical motor/reciprocating engine is when information technology commencement starts and if there is boosted force on it from pressure in the compressor pump it will trip the breaker. Check valves are unremarkably threaded into the top of the air tank or somewhere between the tank and the compressor pump outlet. Replacement is cheap and elementary and can be done speedily with normal hand tools.

Check your oil level. Low oil can cause the compressor to seize and fail to start when you try to plough it on. Most compressors have a sight glass to check oil levels quickly. If the compressor has been run very low or completely out of oil information technology could seize the pump and require a rebuild or replacement.

Air Compressor won't build Pressure

If your compressor of a sudden won't build pressure or hasn't been maintaining the pressure level it used to in that location are a couple things you can check. Starting time make sure that your pressure switch is cutting out at the correct PSI. A faulty switch could start shutting the compressor off at a lower pressure than you want and will cause a "no-pressure" issue. If y'all're compressor merely seems to run and run and never build enough pressure information technology could take a large leak that it is causing the air to leak out equally quick every bit it is entering the tank. Cheque and repair anywhere y'all hear a leak coming from. It also could have a bad inlet/outlet valve or reed valve that isn't assuasive the pump to build pressure. This may require disassembly of the pump caput to check. Finally bank check your inlet filter(s) as over time they can get clogged from breathing shop grit and clay and can get clogged so much that the inlet air is restricted choking the compressor down. Replacing your intake filter(s) every yr or ii is skilful insurance if your compressor lives in your work space.

H2o In the Air Lines

A natural by-product of compressed air is wet or water. The amount is dependent on the heat of the air coming out of the compressor and the climate you're in. Remember to drain the h2o from your air tank regularly. At that place is a bleed on the bottom of your tank that tin can be loosened and drained periodically. We as well advise installing an air dryer or air filter system that will reduce the moisture in the air lines at your outlet or tool. Keep in mind that early symptoms of a failing compressor could exist a sudden influx of water into your air lines considering the compressor is working harder or longer and heating upwardly the air more than usual.

Excessive Oil in Air Lines

Just through the procedure of compressing air your pump may put a small amount of oil in the air. This is normal and an air filter system can help split the oil in the lines. If y'all begin to run into oil seeping out of air lines or at the outlet of your air hose your compressor pump may exist experiencing blow-by and may need a rebuild due to failed piston rings. Nosotros'd suggest an air filter arrangement first, but if that tin can't keep up you may take a larger issue you demand to await into.

We hope that these tips will assist you diagnosis an issue with your air compressor and help yous save money by repairing them yourself. Reciprocating air compressors are adequately simple machines and nigh domicile DIY'ers tin handle the diagnosis and repairs. Yous tin view our entire line of air compressors and accessories here: https://world wide web.eastwood.com/shop-equipment/air-compressors.html

Source: https://garage.eastwood.com/eastwood-chatter/compressor-trouble-shooting/

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