DIYbanter - View Single Post - Using a light switch on an air compressor

tom

wrote:
I have an air compressor and it's portable but I pretty much keep it
in the same place in the garage. The outlet is on top of my bench but
the cord always falls down behind the bench and is a royal pain to
fish it out. I have considered clamping it with a romex staple to the
wall or something like that, but then I cant move it without removing
the staple or some sort of screw clamp. Rather than doing that, I
thought about installing a double box with an outlet and a switch to
turn off that outlet. That way it will remain plugged in unless I
move it, and all I need to do is flip the switch on or off. My
question is whether a standard light switch will handle the motor
load. It's a 1/2 HP motor on a 20A circuit. I did also consider
adding another breaker and just turning on and off the breaker but
that box is not the easiest to get to since there are shelves in the
way.

Thanks

Marv

I dont read email - reply by newsgroup

That's pretty much the setup I use except I installed a 20A combination
outlet and switch with a pilot light that lets me know when the circuit's
on. That nice to have on a compressor being it shuts off after reaching a
certain pressure and is easy to forget and leave on. I find the same setup
(15A) also works well for my stationary shop vac. Both are very easy to
switch on and off.