Compressor's internal breaker keeps tripping after about 45 seconds or +/-40lbs

by Chad
(Canton, GA)

I have a Cambell-Hausfield oil-less compressor, which has barely been used. (Model# WL651400AJ, S.N. L5/20/05, 135lb.

The compressor's internal breaker keeps tripping after about 45 seconds or +/-40psi.

I can then switch it too OFF, give it a few minutes & start the same process over.

This happens while being directly plugged in & at different receptacles & locations.
any advice is appreciated

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Bill says...

Chad, the compressor breaker is likely a thermally related breaker, meaning that if the motor overheats, it trips it.

If that's the type you have, then you have a load issue on the motor, or the motor itself is failing.

If you increase the load on the motor to the point that it has to struggle to run, this rapidly heats it up, and trips the thermal overload.

Could be a motor, could be a check valve into the tank, could be a mechanical problem as the pressure in the tank builds, could be valves... I don't have enough info to narrow it down.

Cheers,

Bill






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Compressor's internal breaker keeps tripping after about 45 seconds or +/-40lbs

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Jan 05, 2012
 Good advice
by: Chris

Thanks for the reply, I read a few other forums and websites after I posted this and it sounds like you are right on. I will take more care in setting up the proper conditions instead of expecting top performance out of a freezing cold compressor engine... Hopefully I haven't damaged valves or anything!

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Good luck!
Jan 03, 2012
 Same Issue
by: Chris

I'm experiencing the same issue, except that it's on an oil-based compressor. I'm trying to run my compressor in a freezing cold garage and at first it wouldn't even "turn over" because it was so cold, then I set it a safe distance from a heater and after a few minutes it would start up just fine.

Problem is, now it does just what you explained on yours and trips it's internal breaker after about 45 seconds, just around 40psi.

I'm curious if the compressor oil is just too thick in this cold weather and the engine is working way too hard. Would it be worth trying a thinner oil?

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"I'm trying to run my compressor in a freezing cold garage" Don't. Warm the compressor before trying to start it, as you are overloading it unnecessarily. I can't tell you if a lighter oil will lubricate sufficiently, but a lighter oil might make a cold start easier. Better to warm the compressors.

You may have internal pump damage (valve I think) that is affecting the flow of air, and increasing the load on the motor to the point where it goes off on thermal.

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