My Free Compressor (and a crazy question)

pierredekat · Post by **pierredekat** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:23 am

A buddy of mine got a broken compressor from this guy he knew.

The story goes that the first guy "plugged in the compressor, 'fire' shot out of the motor, he unplugged the thing, and he was going to replace the motor, but he never got around to it."

So the thing sat in the guy's shop for a few years awaiting repair, but apparently he decided that it wasn't going to be worth the cost of a new 2 1/2 horsepower motor.

Eventually he gave it to my buddy, who also tinkered around with it awhile, but because he didn't really have much need for a compressor, anyway, he gave it to me thinking I might have some luck with it.

So I was about to launch into a big Ebay search for a used motor, but then I started thinking that this was a pretty solid, industrial-type Century motor here, and these things will oftentimes last for decades.

So I decided to look it over a little closer, and somehow, some way, the overload protector switch had gotten jammed into the motor to the point where it was hitting on a set of contactors inside.

And, of course, the overload protection switch was now in three pieces and the contacts inside the overload switch were now dangling around inside the motor.

Well, heck, no wonder "fire" shot out of the thing.

I haven't totally resolved the situation, as I would still like to have overload protection somewhere in the system, but basically I removed what was left of the overload switch, tied-and-taped the wires together, reassembled everything, hooked up the juice, and the compressor purrs like a kitten.

Speaking of, I gave my buddy a real kitten from one of the yard cats because his daughter had been looking for one, so ... I guess we'll call it even?

Okay, I'll owe him one.

Anywho, my crazy question. If I have two compressors, now, and let's just say that each compressor puts out, what, 5 scfm @ 90 psi. Why couldn't I just "T" the two output airlines together and get 10 scfm @ 90 psi?

Neither compressor is going to charge past, say, 100 psi. So it's not like anything's going to blow up or anything.

Can you take two smaller compressors and make a larger compressor rig out of them that's almost up to sandblasting standards?

kkendall · Post by **kkendall** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 10:26 am

You would have to put check valves on each line so the compressors aren't fighting each other. The end result - I have NO CLUE!

Anvil · Post by **Anvil** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 3:48 pm

The head of maintenance at work tells me that if you hooked the two up that you would keep the same psi and double your flow. This is assuming that they are the same. He also said that check valves shouldn't be necessary but I don't think it would hurt anything.

pierredekat · Post by **pierredekat** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 9:34 pm

Wow, awesome! Thanks, guys!

Yeah, besides the fact that it's not gonna cost more that a few bucks for fittings to set it up, I was thinking, today, that there was another benefit in that I won't have to run a giant compressor 24-7.

I can run a medium-size compressor for day-to-day stuff, blowing dust around, airing up tires, and so on. And then when I need to do some sandblasting, I can fire up the other medium-size compressor, and away I go.

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:48 am

But you get more man-points for having a bigger compressor.

pierredekat · Post by **pierredekat** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 9:13 am

KurtHuhn wrote:But you get more man-points for having a bigger compressor.

It's not the size of your compressor that matters, it's knowing how to use what you have.

kkendall · Post by **kkendall** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 10:36 am

pierredekat wrote: It's not the size of your compressor that matters, it's knowing how to use what you have.

You know who says that, don't you?

JBW · Post by **JBW** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 12:10 pm

kkendall wrote:
pierredekat wrote: It's not the size of your compressor that matters, it's knowing how to use what you have.
You know who says that, don't you?

Those who are "challenged" in the compressor department?

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 7:09 pm

JBW wrote:
kkendall wrote:
pierredekat wrote: It's not the size of your compressor that matters, it's knowing how to use what you have.
You know who says that, don't you?
Those who are "challenged" in the compressor department?

Compressorially challenged!? Jeez, talk about politically correct. Nobody's allowed to mention midget compressor?

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 7:20 am

BAH! Real men rusticate! With their teeth!

Yea, sandblasting is for sissy nancy-boys.

Uhhmmm, so can I come over and use your blaster some time?