What? There are thousands of recip compressors running very hard duty in commercial applications for control air and refrigeration. Control air compressors in most buildings cycle 30 times an hour, and a recip compressor in a cooling apprication might run 24/7/365 for 30 years or more between rebuilds. I do agree that the rotary screw compressor is the best solution, especially if you consider the cost of operation and the increased efficiency of a screw. But i don't know that you can get anything under 50HP in a screw compressor.
Glad to hear you made out well with your compressor in the end. Its one thing to get sold a bad bill of goods, but that can be easily forgotten when replaced with exceptional product support. IR might not be so bad afterall. I only use IR air tools and have NEVER had a problem with them. I am also king of maintenance when it comes to all my shop equipment. I think that has a lot to do with it!
Welcome to the H.A.M.B.! 1) You might take a look at Quincy compressors...although I'm not sure that there is a comparable one in the $1000 price range exactly, they are American made, last forever, and their customer service is great in my experience. Also, look at their duty cycles to get an accurate comparison to other compressors. 2) When wiring your garage, I would consider the fact that you need to plan for the future. Will you ever have a welder out there, or a plasma cutter? It's generally more expensive in the long run to under-wire a building than it is to over-wire it....
Thanks for the info. Glad my Ingersoll is an older unit..so far so good. and its well over 13 years old..maybe more. maybe the newer ones are getting cheap crap for motors and switches?
the average guy that buys a compressor isnt an expert on everything in his shop. He buys a tool spends the xtra bucks so he doesnt havto worry about it for a long time. The motor is part of the whole package, however thier are some things he should know. Low voltage can cause problems. One of the tnings he should know is when the lights dim its usually becuz of a voltage drop. Using heavy wiring won,t hurt anything it just costs a little more. Most of the higher HP 120V compressors will start pulling down the volts and start tripping stuff off, not good don,t keep resetting the breaker. Most breakers arent very accurate, and the more they trip the more they can be degraded. If they trip often somethings wrong they are a warning. A common problem on 120V is a long 14 gauge household cord. Get closer to the box and usea 12ga. wire at least. If that doesnt work youvegot a problem. just some handy tips. 240V usually has less problems, is better all around specially for a shop, but the same basic rules apply.
I know I'm late to this party but my IR comp just crapped the bed monday.Same 230 V 5hp motor,14 months of use,maybe 100 hours total run time.IR rep tells me my wire size is to small for the length of run>10 ga,80 ft.Sucks.I bought this comp.with the idea it was the last one I would ever buy, thats why I ponyed up the bucks for the IR.Oh well,live & learn. Thanks,rant over. B12
Let me tell you about my experience with Ingersoll Rand. I run a semi-serious powdercoating gig in my shop. I use my IR compressor way harder than I should. I work the snot out of it. A few weeks ago, I was blasting and I noticed the compressor sounded funny. On inspection, I found the head gasket had extruded out from between the block and head. Now, since I run a pretty busy deal here, I was screwed without my air compressor. I called the 1-800-Oh-Shit number on the label and talked to an English speaking woman in the good old old by God US of A. She helped me get the part number I needed for the gasket and transferred me to another English speaking person to take my order. Long story short, I had my gaskets in 4 days and was back online powdercoating again. I had to pay for the gaskets as my warranty is long expired, but that is fair. Overall, I am not dissapointed at all that the compressor failed. I run it well beyond what it is designed for every day. I am though, very happy that I dealt with two English speaking persons on the phone who helped me immediately and took care of me. In the price range of my compressor, it was either Ingersoll or some brand made in Sumflungdung to choose from. I am very happy I went with IR. If my motor fails down the road sometime, I will just replace it with a better unit and go on using it.
The Jalopy Journal
