Air compressor short?


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Old 07-02-17, 06:49 PM
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Air compressor short?

I have an old Craftsman upright model 919.167311, 30 gallon, 6 hp,
oilless air compressor.



Recently I had it plugged into a heavy extension cord
(maybe a bad idea) and it caught on fire between the
extension outlet and the machine plug.



I don’t really know where to start. Could this be some
kind of short? Is it worth trying to repair?
 
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Old 07-02-17, 07:16 PM
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Did it trip a breaker ?

It sounds like the female end of the extension cord is worn out. A big compressor like that needs a #12 extension cord or to be plugged directly into a 20A circuit.
 
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Old 07-02-17, 07:27 PM
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No, it didn't trip the breaker. It just flashed out fire from between the
connection and I unplugged it immediately.

The cord seems to still work fine with my tools. I've used it since with an
electric impact wrench but I guess that might not draw as much power.

Should I try it again plugged into a wall outlet directly? 20 amp outlet that
is (if we even have one)?
 
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Old 07-02-17, 07:29 PM
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Make sure the compressor is off. Plug it into a tight receptacle and then turn it on.
Inspect the plug too to make sure it's not all black and corroded.
 
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Old 07-03-17, 03:11 AM
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I consider replacing the plug on the end of the cord. I'd inspect the extension cord closely also.
 
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Old 07-04-17, 01:07 PM
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There was carbon on the plug, especially on the negative prong, so I filed it off
and filed the positive shiny too, plugged it in to a wall outlet, and it worked just
fine. Thanks!

The metal of the plug seems to still be fairly thick but the very tip of the
negative wire was blown off where it had a circle in the end. Is this a hazard?

I'm not sure which would be worse, a plug in wired by me, or the plug as it
is--I'm paranoid about using electrical tape. I suppose I can get some heat
shrink or something to insulate my wiring job. What would you recommend?
 
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Old 07-04-17, 01:25 PM
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Best way is as Mark suggested, replace the plug. Cut the cord off maybe two inches from the plug so they can see what size cord you are dealing with, take it to your local independent hardware store, and they can fix you up with the right type of replacement. (Or you can get it at a big box, but I am biased toward plain ol' hardware stores.) The black hot wire attaches to the brass screw, the white neutral wire attaches to the silver screw, and the green ground wire attaches to the green screw. I find cord ends to sometimes be a bit more of a chore than they first appear, getting the outer sheathing to the right length, not too short so that it won't clamp in right and not too long so that you can't get the individual wires connected, but a little patience and you can do it. No tape or heat shrink required.
 
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Old 07-06-17, 04:23 PM
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Thanks aka_pedro, et al, I'm sure I can find the patience to do exactly that!

We were just gonna buy a new compressor but this'll save money and the
pollution of wasting a perfectly fine old machine
 
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Old 07-07-17, 03:31 AM
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Replacing the plug is an easy job. Used to be something everyone did before the advent of throwaway electronics.
 
 

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