Husky Air Compressor is popping circuit

[robert8096]

Are you saying it pops the circuit breaker in the fuse panel of the house or the one on the compressor? If its the house one you may want to check the breaker. My compressor was doing the same thing and it was a bad breaker in the house fuse panel.

 

[hinkv10]

It pops the house circuit breaker. I've tried 3 different outlets which are all on different circuits including 2 brand new circuits. I've ruled out it being the breaker. I use my circular saw on the same outlet and it is 15 amps.

Would your advice be to try replacing the capacitors? They seem cheap enough but I don't want to waste money

 

[robert8096]

The capacitors are cheaper than the motor so I would replace them.

 

[skysurfer]

The capacitors are there to provide an extra jolt to get the motor spinning. Without it the amperage draw goes way up and overloads the circuit. Question is...does your motor draw 20+ amps even with the belt off? I can't answer that. If the price of new capacitors isn't too high I would go that route first, but try to buy them from a store with an easy return policy just in case.

 

[farmerchris]

i did that on a cheap harbor freight compressor i had,would blow the reset on the compressor,changed the capacitors on it and it is still running today,my backup compressor,kept it because it portable too.

 

[HotRodPC]

I was thinking it was the circuit on the motor itself. For sure I'd do the capacitor, sometimes called depending on how rednecktified or what part of the country you're in, aka "hard start" or hard start capacitor.

The only thing that makes me think different would be, he mentioned it started up, then started slowing down. If it's the hard start capacitor, then the motor would blow the breaker before it got up to speed, cuz it wouldn't have the extra charge of juice to zap it into starting, and the additional amperage draw for the hard start is what would trip the breaker.

 

[skysurfer]

I wonder if the breaker would trip if the motor were already spinning when power was applied. If the motor spins freely, meaning it can be easily turned by hand, it would be interesting to use something to get the pulley spinning, maybe a power drill with a wire wheel in the chuck. If you could get the motor spinning fast enough before you hit the power there would be no startup load, so if it didn't trip the breaker it would have to be the capacitors.

 

[hinkv10]

Thanks for all the replies. It started acting up in the fall when I got my truck. It would intermittently trip the breaker on startup. Meaning once it started spinning it was fine. I wouldn't hear anything, just notice the light for the garage door was out. The light draws next to nothing in power and is on the same circuit.

Only recently did it stop working entirely. I made sure I never used it when it was cold or I wheeled it inside to warm up overnight but it still did the same thing. I hooked it up to a brand new 20amp circuit I have inside and it spun for 3 seconds slowly and then died. Same thing when I turned the pulleys by hand and got them moving before turning it on.

When i disconnected the belt, it ran for 3 seconds and seem to be spinning pretty fast before it tripped the breaker. Now this is no load and I can spin the pulley easily by hand. I ordered the capacitors from Graingers. I will pick the other one up tommorrow or Friday and give them a shot.

 

[HotRodPC]

When i disconnected the belt, it ran for 3 seconds and seem to be spinning pretty fast before it tripped the breaker. Now this is no load and I can spin the pulley easily by hand.

This is what makes me think it's NOT the hard start capacitor. It started up and was running fast, so at that point it's past the need for a hard start. Now it could be a delay still. It might have taken the 3 seconds for the draw to be felt at the breaker depending on how long the run is. So I guess it's still possible.

But, if the motor turns easily by hand, then it's not the oiling issue I was thinking it could be either.

Caps are cheap. Just give them a try. Worse case scenario, maybe a new motor, but I'd keep that REAL compressor you have. It's worth a new motor. I don't care for those OILESS Shaft Driven POS compressors. They don't seem to last for crap. If you do need a new motor, try to find a good used AO Smith or GE motor. I'd say rob from a washing machine but those are usually only 1/2 or 1/3 hp motors. I think yours is a 3hp isn't it? If it's a 3hp Spl, that usually means 3hp Special which can be a 1 or 2hp motor with the rpms turned up and then they call it a 3 but it's not a TRUE 3hp if it's a Special. If you got a REAL 3 or 4 hp motor for it, it wouldn't need to work near as hard and probably last much longer. One of my compressors has a 5hp SPL motor. The tech told me it's an actual 3hp with the rpms turned up.

 

[hinkv10]

Update....

I finally had a chance to run up to Grainger and pick up the capacitors for my dead Husky compressor. Fired right up. I then hooked the belt back up and it worked perfectly for the rest of the day.

Of course the oil pan is off as well as the front timing cover and intake. Could have saved me some time but I'm still stoked that I have my compressor again.

 

[skysurfer]

That's great! Thanks for the update.

 

[89Suburban]

Yay.


Posted on my iPod 4th Gen using PUNCTUATION.

 

[HotRodPC]

Awesome !!! Go Grainger. I used to buy alot of **** from them for appliance repair and installs.

 

[MrMarty51]

K00L
When I need My drill press,I have to grab the chuck an give it a spin to get it started,guess I shoulf get a capacitor an fix that toooo.LOL

 

[robert8096]

Great glad to hear you got the compressor running.