Coleman Powermate Premium Blows fuse at 50psi

by Chris Detrick
(San Luis Obispo, CA)

I have a Coleman Powermate Premium air compressor.

I have owned it for about 10 years and have never had a problem with it before.

The other day I turned it on, the compressor filled the 30 gal tank to about 45/50 psi then blew the main breaker on the house.

I have drained the tank of water and air down to zero several times and looked at the electrical connections in the motor to see if they were getting hot or if there were any visible shorts. Nothing!

I am not 100% sure exactly how these compressors work or what would cause them to short out the fuse. Do you have any ideas of what could be causing this problem? If I need to check something can you tell me how to do that also? If you need more info please let me know.

Thanks for your help
Chris
chdetrick@aol.com

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Bill says....

Run it up again and listen to hear if the motor changes sound or anything unusual as the tank pressure approaches the failure point.

If the motor starts to change sound, could indicate an increasing load situation, and that could pull too many amps to pop the breaker.

Or, the run capacitor could be weakening, and unable to keep up with demand as the tank back pressure grows.

Or, you have a pressure switch that's failing and shorting out at the 45/50 PSI, these are my guesses based on what you have posted.

Cheers,

Bill