New motor on a old compressor

by Brian Mc

I have a old compressor that the motor went out on and I want to replace it.

It is a 1/2 hp 1750 rpm 1 stage it has a large tank I think its around 20 gal or so it's oiled, it lays down and its belt driven.

Can I replace it with a higher hp and rpm motor or will that hurt the compressor? If I can what would I have to put on it so I could run auto body tools DA's, grinders, paint guns etc.

______________________
Bill says...

Hey Brian. Good to hear from you.

Couple of good questions, both of which are covered on a number of pages on my site.

When the engineers designed your compressor, it was to be run at a specific speed.

So, when you change the motor to a higher HP and RPM, also change the sheaves so that the pump is seeing the same rotation speed. It may not hurt your pump to be sped up, but I wouldn't do it myself since many (most?) DIY type air compressors are coming from a country not well renowned for their quality and over engineering.

As to the HP of the motor, check out the Sizing page for a lot of info about that issue.

Know that each HP of motor gives you about 4 CFM of compressed air at 90 PSI.

Cheers,

Bill