Shout out for California Air

[Alan Weinberg]

Got my compressor about a month ago and am thrilled. It’s as quiet as advertised. Then a leak developed. I consulted the manual and tightened everything I could but it leaked from an area that I couldn’t solve. I called, left a VM, called back the next day anfter not hearing from them, and Eddie, with a video and a couple phone calls, walked me through taking apart a connection that housed a valve, and fixing it. There was a tiny piece of plastic smaller than a pinhead keeping the valve from seating properly. Works great again. I’m happy.

 

[Phil Hamel]

Nice. Good to hear(ha ha) as I have one coming today.

 

[Tim Dunbar]

Ive had mine for about 3 years runs most every day no, excellent compressor, and...very quiet

 

[John Whitley]

Nice. I have a California Air compressor in my shop as well and it’s been great. A “crunch” period is about to wrap up soon, then I’ll set about installing air plumbing for it throughout my shop.

 

[John K Jordan]

Good to hear.

Good help from Ingersol Rand too. I have a 60 gal 5hp two-stage compressor. The pressure-operated cutoff switch quit after a some years. The motor would have run continuously if I'd let it. Called them and they immediately sent out a replacement module for no charge, not even shipping. 10 minutes to replace, fixed.

Caution, unplug or turn off a compressor when leaving the shop. I have a friend whose shop burned to the ground when the pressure cutoff switch failed when he was not home. The compressor motor ran continuously and overheated. He lost the building, wood, all tools.

I put a manual disconnect switch on the wall on the outside of my compressor/DC closet. Easy to see, easy to turn off when I leave the shop.

JKJ

 

[John Whitley]

Caution, unplug or turn off a compressor when leaving the shop

As I continue to get my shop to 100%, I’ve been planning to add a bit of automation. Originally, this thinking was motivated by blast gate automation, but the opportunity to have a way to “Turn the Whole Shop Off”, or key bits of it anyway, is also appealing. As I’ve found, the compressor is a really easy thing to miss – it’s just quietly minding its business over in the corner…

 

[Chris Lawrence]

As I continue to get my shop to 100%, I’ve been planning to add a bit of automation. Originally, this thinking was motivated by blast gate automation, but the opportunity to have a way to “Turn the Whole Shop Off”, or key bits of it anyway, is also appealing. As I’ve found, the compressor is a really easy thing to miss – it’s just quietly minding its business over in the corner…

I built a voice controlled relay for my air compressor using a 120v 40A contactor and a smart plug to control it. The wiring was pretty simple. I can also use my phone to turn it on and off.

 

[John K Jordan]

As I’ve found, the compressor is a really easy thing to miss – it’s just quietly minding its business over in the corner…

Yes. I have a toggle switch rated for 5HP motors - easy to see, especially with an orange flag easy to see from the shop door.
I personally don't like to rely on automation tech.

Some people turn off certain breakers when they leave. Not always practical, and I wonder if breakers can handle that over time.

JKJ

 

[John Whitley]

Some people turn off certain breakers when they leave. Not always practical, and I wonder if breakers can handle that over time.

FWIW, this was standard operating procedure at one of the larger co-op shops I was a member of. It didn't seem to be a problem there, certainly not on any schedule of a reasonable number of years. (And this was the standard last-person-out, documented in large signage all over the electrical center sort of thing.) I currently have a similar "problem" – I have to hit a breaker to shut off my phase converter. I'd love to have a shutoff between the box and the converter, simply because resetting the breaker is more of a hassle after it's manually tripped. That said, not sure I care to pay an electrician for that minor convenience...

 

[John K Jordan]

That said, not sure I care to pay an electrician for that minor convenience...

That makes sense. I'm my own electrician and I work for free.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

I don't use a lot of air, and generally only run the compressor when I need to refill the tank (pancake).
I bought a countdown timer switch for the compressor and another for the lithium battery charger. It has 6 push buttons ranging from 15 min to 6 hours. I push the button and the compressor refills the tank and a short bit later switches off.