Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
Home Repair (alt.home.repair) For all homeowners and DIYers with many experienced tradesmen. Solve your toughest home fix-it problems. |
Reply |
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
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 |
#2
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
Get a 20 amp switch and you'll be fine
wrote in message ... 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 |
#3
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
|
#4
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
wrote in message ... 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. You can get a switch rated for a half horse motor, which should be easy enough. Or you can use anything, and replace it when it fails. |
#5
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
|
#6
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
wrote in message ... 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. Your air compressor doesn't have an on-off switch mounted on it? Every portable I have ever used has had one. For what you are describing, I would go to a real electrical supply, and get a commercial-rated machine switch, the kind with the green and red buttons, and put that upstream from a 20A outlet. Yeah, a typical light switch would probably work under light-duty use, but the real thing is a lot safer, and usable for other stuff like table saws if you or the next owner want to run one of those. And it Looks Cool. aem sends... |
#8
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
|
#9
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
wrote in message ... 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. snip 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. Absolutely. I've been runnin my large air compresser that way for years, as well as my drill press, bench grinder, bench sander, and other outlets that I use for such things as table saws. I do it for safety reasons so if someone trys to turn on a tool, it won't come on because the switch if off and is hidden under the bench. Bob-tx |
#10
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
On Thu, 06 Sep 2007 03:21:14 GMT, "aemeijers"
wrote: wrote in message .. . 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. Your air compressor doesn't have an on-off switch mounted on it? Every portable I have ever used has had one. For what you are describing, I would go to a real electrical supply, and get a commercial-rated machine switch, the kind with the green and red buttons, and put that upstream from a 20A outlet. Yeah, a typical light switch would probably work under light-duty use, but the real thing is a lot safer, and usable for other stuff like table saws if you or the next owner want to run one of those. And it Looks Cool. aem sends... No switch on the compressor except the pressure switch. It's an old compressor, not one of these oilless things that die in a few years. I replaced the tank once, but the rest of it lasts forever. I also keep the compressor under a bench so it's not the easiest to get to. Thats why I rarely move it. I have 300 feet of hose so I can get to almost any tire anywhere in my yard. Air tools dont work as well when I use that much hose though. I like the idea of a pilot light, and will use a 20A switch. If I leave it plugged in, it refills several times a day. I guess they all leak a little. That just wastes power, so i want it shut off when I am not using it. Thanks to all Marv |
#11
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
|
#12
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
On Thu, 6 Sep 2007 08:06:14 -0400, "Mortimer Schnerd, RN"
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com wrote: wrote: I like the idea of a pilot light, and will use a 20A switch. If I leave it plugged in, it refills several times a day. I guess they all leak a little. That just wastes power, so i want it shut off when I am not using it. The tank heats up with compression. Then pressure drops as the tank cools down over a period of time. That, combined with leaking valves, probably accounts for your restarts. One other good reason not to leave a compressor on all the time: if any pressure component fails, the compressor will turn on and pump its brains out trying to restore the pressure. If you're away for the weekend at the time, it'll run until it runs out of oil or overheats. Not good. And in winter when it's really cold, it may not start from super thick oil, and it will trip the breaker. The hose couplers all seem to leak a tad bit too. Marv |
#13
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
wrote:
On Thu, 06 Sep 2007 03:21:14 GMT, "aemeijers" wrote: wrote in message ... I have an air compressor and it's portable but I pretty much keep it in the same place in the garage. snip I like the idea of a pilot light, and will use a 20A switch. If I leave it plugged in, it refills several times a day. I guess they all leak a little. That just wastes power, so i want it shut off when I am not using it. Thanks to all Marv This either is or is very similiar to the model I use for my compressor except mine is rated at 20A. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=110164899082 |
#14
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
on 9/5/2007 10:30 PM said the following:
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 I have a switch on my compressor to turn it on and off. Why is the wire falling behind the bench? Is the plug loose in the outlet? How about a power strip to expand the number of outlets? It has a on-off switch. http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thu...ower_strip.jpg http://tinyurl.com/2337vx -- Bill In Hamptonburgh, NY To email, remove the double zeroes after @ |
#15
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
|
#16
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
Switches may be rated for different loads. Look at the amp rating
on the switch. Most compressors have a shut off switch built into the pressure switch. here is an example from Leviton: http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/xxlcfbuibeCSrdSrchResults.jsp?cg=&kw=switch&ds=0&d r=20&st=kw&cpg=0 scroll towards the bottom of the page. Some are rated for 15, some for 20. -- ______________________________ Keep the whole world singing . . . . DanG (remove the sevens) wrote in message ... 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 |
#17
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Using a light switch on an air compressor
|
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Turning 3 way light switch into 1 motion sensor switch | Home Repair | |||
Need help with blowing fuses in light or light switch | Home Repair | |||
adding a new switch/light on to an existing 3-way switch | Home Repair | |||
Adding a single light to a dual switch light system | Home Repair | |||
how to rewire bathroom pull switch to regular light switch | UK diy |