EDIT - OOPS, My comments got buried inside the quote. STOP! That is a dangerous oversimplification. There is 220 Volts between two (2) side-by-side circuit breakers. Some pictures of a simple circuit breaker box to help explain. This is the circuit breaker on my laundry shed. 4 wires coming in from the main circuit breaker box (Left side of the picture). These wires are 4 gauge, rated for 85 Amps in this application. The 4 wires going out the bottom of this box continue on to the work shop. Wire with the GREEN tape is GROUND Wire with the WHITE tape is NEUTRAL Wire with the RED tape is 110 Volts to NEUTRAL Wire with the BLUE tape is 110 Volts to NEUTRAL NOTE - There is 220 Volts between the RED wire and the BLUE wire The 15 Amp circuit breaker is for the lights. It is connected to the BLUE tape supply wire and has a 14 gauge wire to the 110 Volt light circuit. The double 20 Amp circuit breaker feeds 2 separate 110 GFCI outlet circuits. It is connected to the Red tape supply wire. The GFCI wires are 12 gauge. NOTE: The shed has concrete floors, so GFCI is used for protection. The 30 Amp circuit breaker is 2 pole, it is connected to both the RED and BLUE supply, supplying 220 Volts to the clothes dryer through 10 gauge wire. With the 30 amp circuit breaker pulled away, you can see the silver colored contacts, connected to the RED and BLUE supply wires. NOTE: Your air compressor has a 3 wire plug (110 Volts, 110 Volts (it adds up to 220 Volts) and a NEUTRAL). I personally believe that the 4 wire plug (4th wire is GROUND) is safer. Russ
Is that an old style or is it a Euro plug we used to send x-ray equipment to European hospitals they had a plug like that we had DIN plugs for here then the Euro plug in 1980
your lucky the fire dept would have had to fire hose you to the gutter and down the drain not much would have been left . Real lucky I light a candle for the trusty Craftsman toolbox
I actually understand what you are saying, find a female mate to the plug on the compressor cord. There is some unknown to me feature that corrects the electricity inside my house that then allows the compressor to run, but what prevents the overload and possible fire?
Craftsman warrantied that, didn't they? It would take someone from Kentucky or maybe Indiana to come up with the " pig " analogy. Terrible thing is, I'm from neither and I understand it. Well done, well done!
Well, you need the proper wire for your code in your state, but something like 12/2 with ground, and 20A, 220V breaker for your breaker panel.
If you have someone in your area that can help out with the electrical, it's not hard to connect at all. Advice for proper gauge wire, depending on length of run, breaker size for motor, etc is best suited from your state codes.
Lots of room in that panel, it looks official so I would guess it has 2 110 leads into it, lets see it with the cover off
NOT IN MY LIFETIME! Time to thank everyone, and start looking for $200.00 or more to pay an election. I'll replace the never used plug on the compressor to mate with new 2022 style twist plugs Steve mentioned. I really wanted to sandblast and prime parts this Summer, but there is always Spring time in 2023.
umm, you are afraid to even take the cover off? does it have one of those "no user serviceable parts inside " stickers ? if so, tear it off and learn something. knowledge is good.
Yes it is the larger yellow 12 gauge and most 220 conversions are like a shops440 conversions you actually wire a fresh box and place that box in the work station area
... forgot out here in L.A. we need a permit from the utility and they come out and it's a big thing and with the new meters of you convert yourself they know . That is for our residential in the shop it's more lenient . Lots of liability and if your house burns cause you did the work the fire Marshall can predd criminal charges plus a fine and who knows what the utility will do . This seems to be a shop compressor not for normal garage use . But after you get it all converted to 220 or 440 please let me know I'll bring my welding equip over we have some real fun !
That was a close call. I'm curious about what type of furnace it was (as in "oil burner?") and whatever else you want to say.
You have to buy breakers that fit your panel. I would take a picture of the breakers in your panel and save it in your phone. Then search on line for that brand or something that interchanges. Here is a picture of a 110 and a 220 breaker. The 220 is simply twice as wide as the 110 and has screws to attach two wires instead of one. You simply attach a wire to each of the terminals and snap it in place. The other end of those two wires will go out of the electric panel and run to your outlet plug. The "female"outlet plug has a vertical and a horizontal slot. Attach one of these wires to the horizontal slot with the setscrew. Attach the other wire to the vertical slot with the set screw. It does not matter which wire goes to which slot. Now, the third wire will attach to the silver looking bar in the electric panel and the opposite end of it will hook to the roundish center terminal in the outlet. Just be sure to turn the power off before doing any work. Your panel should have a main disconnect at the top/bottom of the box AND/OR a disconnect outside the building that you pull out. Turn some lights on before switching the breaker off or pulling the disconnect........the lights should go off. Plug something into a few outlets and see if there is any power to them. Never do any work until the power is disconnected. Here is the inside of a typical panel. Might want to click on it and make it as large as possible so you can read the notes. The main thing is to be sure you have disconnected all power before working on the wiring.
Thank you for trying to help, but it is time for me to end this adventure, I can check the oil and see if the thing turns over, but the wiring deal is for a trained professional. I know it will be costly with the trips back and forth for parts from the supply house in the next town, but I won't get killed in the process. The cellphone with a camera is another mystery that is not for HAMB discussion. Thank you to everyone that posted. Reliving my past as a painter will just take a bit longer.
Restorations, Best one I did got a Second place in class at Pebble Beach, only one made a book cover. It was a fun time 1970 -1983. Bob
the37kid, didn't you say that the shop had been wired for a welder? If so, you have 220V at the panel. It looks like you already have s spare receptacle box on your panel. A 20Amp 220 breaker, a small amount of wire and a female 20amp 220v plug (to match your plug on the compressor) and box cover and it's done. Oh, plus a 20amp 220v extension cord. (if need be) (Don't you know anyone on your area with electrical knowledge?) DO NOT GET RID OF THAT COMPRESSOR it will work circles around a lot of the newer ones!
I'm about burnt out over this thing, when I find an extra $200.00 I'll call someone to look at things. I'll need a second setup to run off the main box if I want to paint in the back yard out of sight of neighbors.
Don't want to belabor the point, but the wiring is really very simple to do and you will save yourself a lot of money for very little effort if you just try. You mention also wanting another plug out back at a later date. It can get pretty expensive to hire it done by a pro. What I don't understand is how you will get good paint jobs with a compressor like the one you have. Since you are a very experienced painter, maybe you have some way to get it done with a small compressor, but it just seems like it will be difficult at best with such a small tank and possible moisture issues that may arise. I've tried to help, and I wish you well however you go about doing this. So I'll get off my soapbox and move along............
Thank you! I sent you a PM just a few minutes ago. Found an 80 pound bag of # II cement in the garage, think I'll spend some time on the stone wall, masonry is a bit like body work, get to use a hammer, and as little mud as needed. Gets your mind off things you don't understand. Bob
if your not comfortable doing electrical then don’t . last thing you want is “something” to happen and your either hurt , dead or outta a house and screwed by insurance cause you did something wrong. I rewired the house I’m in now complete top to bottom inside and out with the help of my uncle who is a retired master electrician. this was 2 years ago at the start of Covid . 1300 sqft bungalow with a 200 amp service that was full and a 50 amp panel in the laundry room hiding in the wall . There where literally band aids ! Literal fucking band aides holding wires together , mismatched breakers , junction boxes everywhere . I called my uncle every night and he would walk me through in the phone what do and not do . It took me 3 week after work every night and on week ends to replace every single wire , receptical , switch , light etc in the house . what I found was down right scary and a potential fire waiting to happen . my uncle came 1 day to do the final connections into the panel and look over my work . Said it all passed and looked great . pretty dang proud of myself and the money I saved , but if I didn’t have that resource ( my uncle) to walk me through it all and make sure I was doing it correctly I would of farmed it out to a pro .
My fear of all things electrical must date back to my 8 years of Parochial school, the nuns never mentioned it. I do remember the smell of a Lionel train smoldering, I just can't understand how it works. I've given up on the compressor connection and asked about brush painting results until I can afford the cost of materials and labor to have it safely done. I'll clean out the area around the panel, roll the compressor over close by and ask if they can be connected to work. IF a 100 foot extension cord could be added between the two I could use it in the back yard, or is that asking for a 100 foot fuse?
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