The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest 220v timer for air compressor?

So at 3am this morning I got kicked out of bed by Katie, saying "the air compressor's on". D'oh!

I'm thinking the solution here is a timer, ideally one that I can turn the compressor on for 1-2 hours and have it disconnected from the power automatically after that.

Anybody seen such a thing for 220V? I looked briefly at "Le Depot du Chateau*" and found only the type you set to turn on/off at certain times, like for water heaters.

I was thinking more of a springwound type, like they have for 110V lights. But obviously capable of 220V and higher amperage. Anybody used or seen this? Thanks!

-Boyo

*Home Depot

You need a contactor from a central air conditioner compressor unit. The pull-in coil on these is 24 volts, which is the same voltage as many yard sprinkler solenoid controls. If you have underground sprinklers and have an extra circuit, just set that circuit for when you want the compressor on. This way you could program the compressor to be all pumped up and ready to go when you set foot in the shop.

If you looked around a little bit, you might be able to find a contactor that ran on 110 volts, and then you could use the bathroom fan timer. Some of our center pivot irrigation machines use 110 volt pull in coils, but they are for 3 phase, but would work in your case (you just would't use one set of terminals).

Hope this helps: Tony would have some ideas, also.

It is very simple. Wire the compressor through a switch, put this switch right next to your ilght switch. When you leave the shop for the night you flick both switches and you are done. No annoying timer to turn off at the wrong time and making you crawl from under the truck to turn it back on.

Usually the simplest ways are best.

Boyo,there are various timers you can buy at electrical supply houses and rig up something similar to what Racecarl says.Or you could use a motor starter and a switch like Tony M says.Maybe take a proper sized starter with a 120 volt pull in coil, wire it to the feed on the compressor.Use the 120 volt switch leg that controls your garage lights to energize the starter coil.So you turn off the overhead lights and the compressor is disconnected.One switch does it all.

Rube Golburg (?) must have been your favorite! :rolleyes: Always gotta make something simple much harder than what it is or has to be. Why not just "discipline" Yourself to turn it on when coming in to shop, and off when leaving. Mine is by my door and I turn off and drain it for water and sometimes a few of the valves in shop as my "routine" for closing up, MOST of the time anyway. So you forget once in awhile, SO what? Start now on "routine" part or as you get older you'll be forgettin' lots more stuff!
More seriously.... they make store display sign electrical boxes with timers and think they can be in 220 volt too. An old hardware store I worked at for years had one, he had to adjust it often to allow for season change. Looks like one of those add-on elect boxes for dryers or such and had the big pull-down switch on side too. Seems like Overkill, just use "routine"! :p

Yup, Rube's da man...

My compressor is going to be situated in a different room from the garage, under the stairs in a locked cabinet - going to at least need a switch to make it convenient. I didn't think a timer would be much of a stretch beyond that...

Discipline!? Heard of it... I've already been "trained" to turn off all the lights in the house when I leave a room. Don't have enough brain power to remember to turn all that stuff off...

-Boyo

All of you are working too hard on this solution. The reason the compressor kicked on in the first place is because the pressure in the compressor tank dropped below what the pressure switch needed to stay off. You already have a 220 volt switch on the compressor - it's hooked to the low pressure switch.

Hook a timer or other device into the pressure switch circuit. The manner in which you do it will depend on what the design of your compressor is. Your pressure switch may be electrical - in that case your job is easy. Just interrupt the signal from the switch with some kind of timer. If you have a mechanical low pressure switch, you might have to devise some way of holding pressure on the switch while the tank drains down, or a way of interrupting the mechnical signal to the electrical switch that turns on the motor when the pressure is low.

Vaughn! You da man...

That does sound like the simplest way to go, cheapest too. I'll pull out the voltmeter and see what I can find out about the switch.

Thanks again, this is a really good idea.

-Boyo

Gaaaaaaaads

Find the leak.
It's turning on because of a air leak. More than likely it's one of the couplers on the supply line. Use good ones there and save the cheap Home Depot taiwan cast, unfinished couplers for tools you don't use very often or hoses you use as extentions.

Gaaaads yerself...

If I were a shop, I'd have the compressor on all the time. Since its home, there's some comfort in knowing it's not on unless it's being used. If we were to go away for a day and a leak sprung up, I'd hate to think the compressor would be running continuously for that time.

I suspect the leak is in the compressor itself, so if you want to pony up the $600 for me to buy the one I reaaaaly wanted...many thanks!

-Boyo

Yes, that is one of the reasons (but not the only one) that can make a compressor cycle a lot. You can do what I did - get a cheap ball valve (harbor freight has them really cheap) and plumb it into the line before the FRL. Most lines and connectors leak some anyway, no matter what you do to seal them. When you know you'll be out of the shop for awhile, just turn the valve.

Try this. Stop by your local Ace and pick up an electric water heater timer. If that costs too much try looking for a used timer at the pool repair/supply shop or any of the sign companies. U can look for any two pole 110 timer -- run the timer off of one leg and then run each leg through one of the poles. If you decide to use a switch, make sure you get a two pole and switch both legs. Remember that if you have to run wires very far to get to your switch/timer and back, be sure and run larger wire to avoid unnecessary strain on your compressor motor.(e.g., upgrade from 12 to 10 if your compressor draws over 10 amps). cheers