HMT electricians, mount up.
 

So I got this standard ass townhouse, and I need to wire the garage to run a 230v air compressor. I can take pictures of the main box in the garage if needed, but more than anything I need a writeup for idiots. I've done lots of recessed lights and bullshit like that, but adding to the system is a whole new deal.

Parts needed
Wiring
Hand holding

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

It really shouldn't be too bad, you can buy the breaker at homo depot, and all the necessary materials.

The big thing is making sure it's up to spec.

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

If the box is in the garage its going to be very easy. i dont have the time to go over it now but you can find really good write-ups on google. Otherwise i can go over it later.

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Yeah, I'm not worried about finding the parts, I just need a specific on what I need.

I've looked around google and all I hear is gibberish and nanny yelpin. It'd be better if I had someone I could verify things with on HMT.

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Where are the pics of the panel?

Is it a 20a or a 30a compressor? You will need either a 12-2(20a) or a 10-230a) to run it. Post pictures of your panel and a general location of where you want it(the closer to the panel, the easier/cheaper it will be).

Does the compressor have a plug on it so you can just plug it in? Post pics of that, too.
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Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Here's the closest one I can find to it from that manufacturer:
http://www.sanborncompressors.com/
# 3.7 HP w/ thermal overload protection system
# 60 gallon vertical tank ASME rated
# 230 V

Here's the actual compressor:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/tls/572657507.html


http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/4124/boxij1.jpg

http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/4020/openboxnx9.jpg

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

I think he meant the panel with the circuit breakers and what not :P

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Looks like the right one to me. Ninja edit? ???


Steve, either most of the ---- in your house is ran on gas or there is another panel feeding some ---- in your house? I've never wired a building that people live in with as little as 100amps. :l That's ------- crazy. Trailers out here are wired for more than 100amps. :S

My suggestion:

Take the cover off that panel.
Knock out a hole in the bottom of the panel (1/2" hole will work)
Buy a single gang cut-in box.
Cut a hole under the panel big enough to fit the cut-in box in.
Run a piece of 10-2 from hole you knocked out in the panel to the hole you cut in the drywall for the cut-in box
Put a snap-in bushing in the hole in the panel (to keep it up to code)
Connect the bare copper wire to the area in the panel where the rest of the bare copper wires are going.
Connect the black and the white wires to a 2 pole 30amp breaker
Put whatever plug you need in the single gang cut-in box.
Plug in your compressor.


I'm drunk. Did I miss anything? ???

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Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

the breakers max out the main, switch that 100 to a 150 or higher

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Yeah, if you want to burn your house down and void your insurance because you're basically too dumb to live in a modern home. :1

The main breaker most likely is the maximum you can run on the wires that are feeding that panel. DO NOT ---- WITH THAT.

If he's not tripping that 100a breaker, he has nothing to worry about. There is no way he's maxing out that panel on a few 15a circuits and some gas appliances. :1 If he were running EVERYTHING in his house at one time and plugged his 30a compressor in, he probably still wouldn't trip that breaker.
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Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

i wonder if thats a sub box with that 100, you know, an addition or two seperate boxes, i see lots of new ---- like that

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Most breakers always max out the main. ;) FYI it's not as simple as switching to a larger main, it requires larger gauge wire and a rated box and service, and the power company has to upgrade the line to the pole. I can't remember exactly how the breaker size is rated, but for him to draw 100amps at one shot would be a stretch.

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

I'm ASSuming since he lives in a "townhouse" it's definitely a sub-panel and most likely the only one. Everything is ran on gas(water-heater,range, dryer, heater). That doesn't leave a whole lot left to use a large amount of power.

x2.
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Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Yeah, all that ---- is gas.


I talked to a guy today that said I need to run another 100 amp breaker on the main box to a sub box with whatever size amp breakers in the sub box, then wire to the outlet. What's the deal.

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

::) Tell that guy he's a ------- retard. ::) Do you know how much ------- work that would be? I have no idea what you're building structure is like, but it's probably not even possible. Chances are, the main panel is about 3 houses over and you would have to cut the holy hell out of your neighbors house, climb through his attic, cut into your next neighbors attic and feed wires all the ------- way over to your house and cut some more ---- up and feed a wire down into a panel that you don't even ------- need. ::) We're talking about powering an air compressor, not a ------- hospital. :1 Not to mention the main panel probably isn't equiped to handle another 100a sub panel and the wire running to the main panel probably isn't big enough to power that so basically that guy is saying you need to rip everything out of the entire building and start over. ::) I'd like to kick that guy in the nuts if you could please send me his address. I ------- hate people who pull ---- out of their ass like that. :3
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Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Can I have another rollie eyes?

No, he said to put another 100 amp into the box pictured (the one in my garage), then go to a sub box next to it that will hold the whatever amp breakers for just the compressor, then go from that sub box to the outlet. I'm not trying to kill myself here.

I re-read your list. I think I'm hearing that the single gang box will hold the breakers for the compressor, but then you said "plug it in and you're good" or something. Break out the mspaint, jigga man.

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Ok, so now he sounds even dumber. :1 So you have a 100amp panel with some random ---- being powered off it. Now you want to add another 100amp panel off of that 100amp panel?? Nigga, how the ---- are you going to pull more than 100amps out of a 100amp panel?? What good would that even do you?? You're powering a ------- air compressor.

The 30amp 2 pole breaker goes in that same panel next to all the other breakers. The outlet/plug goes in the single gang cut-in box you put below the panel. There is no need for a seperate panel to power a ------- 30amp air compressor. :1

Give me that guys number. I'm going to call him and ask him for some electrical advice and when he tells me how to properly burn my house down I'm going to tell him how ------- stupid he is and that he shouldn't be giving out electrical advice if he doesn't know WTF he's talking about. :1
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Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Ok, so the wire you listed above should be tied into the clusterfuck of wires behind my box. Put one? 30amp two pole breaker in the box I pictured, and then from that new breaker to the gangrape box with the outlet? Any bad ---- happens and the new breaker pops. I'm doing this tomarrow, and you'd probably kill yourself if my wife had to post that I died.

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Correct. My advice to you.....wear gloves and don't let your exposed body parts touch ANYTHING in that panel. :P Turn off the main breaker if you have to. If you died from touching anything in that panel I'll be the first one to laugh at your funeral. :P
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Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Just remember to play "I am Legend" by White Zombie and it'll be fine.

So, this 230v stuff doesn't mean ----? I hear 220 something, and then this thing is 230. Does it make a ---- of a difference? Oh, and is the 30amp breaker the one I'm gonna need foe sho?

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Dr Boost is right on with what he said. You don't need a sub panel at all. Get a 30 amp double pole breaker,10 gauge wire, the romex connectors to clamp the wire into the boxes, a recepticle that matches the air compressor plug, and wire it up.

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

It's been a while, but I've dealt with double pole breakers before. It was a strip club in Texas to be exact.

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

220, 230, 240, all the same ----. :S Some areas have differnet levels and people call it different ----, but it's all the same ----. 110, 120, 130.....all the same ----. :S Strange thing is if I use a lightbulb rated at 120v it will only last a few months. If I use a lightbulb that's rated at 130v it lasts forever. :S Test any circuit in town and it will read ~119.x volts per phase, but a 120v lightbulb only lasts a few months at that rate. :S
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Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

just get a ------verter and be done with it

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

yes. i know im talking out my ass.

http://cgi.ebay.com/110-120-TO-220-2...QQcmdZViewItem

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Ummm.....50watt capacity. That's ALMOST enough to power a ------- lightbulb. :1 We want to power an air compressor. Thanks for trying. :1
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Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

yea i only used em to go 220 to 110 lol

thats why i said im talking out my ass

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

---- all of this. I should mention im drunk as hell before i go any further. So.....find your electric meter and from the inside of your house or garage pinpoint the area that would correspond to the meter on the outside of your building. Your going to need to cut through the drywall, remove the insulation, then the plywood, building exterior, and finally the sheetmetal from the outside of the electrical box. Then tell me how many copper nodes you see. Well go from there. You will need some beastly rubber gloves but the plus is that whatever we tap off of this feed will be of no charge to you since it wont be going through the meter. You might go to jail if you get caught but the point is not to get caught.

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

On a public forum I will recommend to NOT do this, but like the song goes....."it ain't a crime if ya don't get caught". :6
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Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

I don't have a fucken clue what you're talking about, but it sounds like a life ending experience.

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

------- painters...... :3

I suggest staying away from the jobsites and just let the negros do the dirty work. ;)
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Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Just to help clear some ---- up. just because it has a 100 amp main doesnt mean you are limited to 100 amps. for the reason of, The main is the same as any other breaker for the most part,but the hots come in threw the terminal screw and hit the busses inside the panel. and its a two breakers each having 100 amps capable on them. there for meaning two separte 120 volt. 100 amp feeds so you have 200 amps at 240volts total. and when calcultaing you can subtract the non coincidental loads meaning you have a two pole 20 amps breaker for the ac and a 15 amp breaker for the furnace. drop the 15 amp single pole from the math. you wont have both running at the same time. I'd say give it a shot. most of the ---- is dedicated curcuits and rarely push any where near the amperage of the breaker. Last but not least if you decide to go with aluminum wire for any such reason (cheap) remember to use de-ox and up size to the next size wire. 8awg. good luck. be safe

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

People actually use aluminum wire still?

:l

Just add the circuit for your compressor to your existing box. It is doubtful that you will ever max out even the 100 amp. main. That compressor will only draw a max of 30 amps during a start up. Once the motor is running it will draw considerably less amperage.

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

We run it sometimes. :-\ Only in SER cable though. Other than that everything is copper. :l Most of the overhead services out here still uses aluminum. I don't agree with it, but I can't do a damn thing to stop it. :l
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Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

haha post pics when the house burns down :y

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

It actually takes alot to burn down a house(as far as electric goes). There have been some dipshits here that have nearly burnt down houses, but not quite. :l
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Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Steve could do it he is a "Smith" ;)

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

people use aluminum because its cheaper than copper and does nearly the same damn thing. some industrial/commercial stuff require copper to be used instead of aluminum.

No you are not maxing out the main on the panel, ABSOLUTLY nothing on those circuits are running 24/7 besides your fridge, which is on a kitchen appliance circuit.
Everything else is drawing ---- for amps unless you have a nice tv and surround.

As what boost said, buy a chunk of 10-3, knock out one of the k.o's on the bottom of the pannel and make sure to use either a rc50 or a 1/2 2 screw connector to prevent the wire from rubbing on the metal. buy a 30 amp 2 pole breaker and a 30amp receptical. Depending on what the male end of thecord looks like on your air compressor, find a 30 receptical that fits it.

Buy a single/ or two gang Remodel box.(depending on what the compressor plug looks like, it may need a 2 gang)

so knock out that 1/2" knockout on the bottom of the panel, trace your remodel box on the wall, cut out. fish wire into panel from hole that was cut into the wall. place wire inside remodel box and hook up the breaker accordingly. Id use 10-3 in csae you want to run a welder in the future.

your panel is fine, your not maxing the main at all. and the breaker your going to need depends on the panel your working with.... cutler hammer/square d/siemens/GE ..yada yada you get the point

edit: DONT BE A JEW AND USE ALUMINUM, AND FOR GODS SAKE DONT BUY A METAL REMODEL BOX, MAKE SURE ITS PLASTIC

Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

Haha, ---- you. :P



Agreed. :y
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Re: HMT electricians, mount up.
 

3.7hp
230v

hmm.... 1hp= 749~watts
v/w= A

3.7hp X 749w=2771
230/2771

12 AMP

i hope im right ???