Someone is selling it locally and I would like to make an educated
offer. It would be for myself and a replacement for my POS pancake
compressor. NOT for resale. Any idea how much [cash] to offer? The
seller wants $400. I will see the unit tomorrow.
He says it has not been used much and is a recent model. Any idea how
I can check that?
i
I did some math on how big a 80 gal compressor must be. 4 ft diameter
by 6+ ft tank. It is probably a real monster and will not fit into my
garage's free space. I promised to look at it tomorrow, so I will
report my findings, but it is unlikely that I will buy it.
i
sorry for typos, I am drunk at the moment.
Now you're talking. Jeez, when I see the guys talking about spending $500
to get some Husky unit from Homo Depo it drives me nuts.
Hopefully it's under power. Check it when you get there -- if it has air
in the tank, crack the drain valve. If a whole lot of rusty water comes out,
that's *not* good. However, that's what happened to me with my Quincy, and
that sucker's been humming along for years now, so it isn't a showstopper.
But definitely a bargaining point.
Look closely at the air cleaner. It should look pretty good. If it has big
gaping holes in it and is all black, that means you can pretty much count
on having to rebuild the pump.
Pull the dipstick and look closely at the oil. Get it in the light -- any
floating metal specks? Smell it -- does it smell clean?
Run the machine. Listen for knocking. Let it pump all the way up and shut
off by itself. Note the pressure. For a good 2-stage unit it could be as high
as 175 psi. If it's way down at 90 ask the guy why. If he is ignorant, that's
a bad sign. When it's fully stopped pumping, listen for air leaks.
It will almost certainly be a 3 phase motor. I used to have the impression
that air compressors weren't suitable for running from a phase converter,
but recently that has been pooh-poohed so you may be able to. Just be
aware of the input power requirement, and consider how you will meet it.
If you buy it, be careful moving it. Air compressors, whether horizontal
or vertical, are very top-heavy. Don't move the truck even one inch without
the unit secured. If it falls over it can do $400 damage to itself in the
blink of an eye. (Happened to me just moving my truck in my driveway after
making it home 30 miles -- I was lucky and was able to cheaply fix mine!)
GWE
He says it is 2 phase. What he means is 240VAC single phase service.
There is any 2 phase power in the US. Ok, there is some but it very
limited and very obscure. Some sections of the "old" parts of the
country still have some 2 phase installations. I think around Philly
mostly.
JW
I saw a (true)7.5 HP, 80 gallon cast iron Husky at HD that actually looked
pretty robust. But they want $1,650, which will buy you an IR T-30, at least
a 5 HP, IIRC.
If the tank is U.S. made, it will most likely have an ASME type
certification tag welded to the tank. That tag will show the volume capacity
(gallons), maximum working pressure and the date it was manufactured.
MAWP 150 PSI @ 650F, for example on a 125 PSI compressor.
My 60 gal tank is about 20" x 46"
http://www.curtistoledo.com/hvyduty.html#specs
Scroll down the page to the section SIMPLEX TANK MOUNTED ELECTRIC - SINGLE
STAGE 95-125 PSI
See the 3 HP Model CVM-808A 80 Gal unit. The dimensions aren't shown, but
it's weight is listed as 565 lbs.
I suppose the V in the model indicates that it's a vertical tank model. That
would probably be about 2' wide x 6' overall height.
$400 doesn't buy a quality new compressor. If you can't hear it run, it
could be a risky purchase, but you buy govt surplus, so offer what you're
comfortable with.
If it's a good running, good looking, late model unit, it will very likely
get sold quickly.
You'll need to have/wire a 240V circuit with maybe 35A capacity.
WB
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