Could running a air compressor pump the wrong direction cause a motor to fail prematurely? I got a call from a shop and am being told that 2 motors have failed recently on their air compressor. The motors are 3HP 230V single phase. The guy says he noticed that the motors are not running in the direction that the arrow shows on the unit. I don't know much about air compressor pumps but would have to question if they would even produce air going the wrong way. Something tells me I'm not getting the straight scoop as to what is or has happened. Will find out in the AM I guess.
Air Compressor pump
- Thread starter nizak
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McArthur
Member
- Location
- Jefferson City, MO, USA
It is possible that they could still produce air depending on the type of compressor.
sandking
Member
- Location
- Southern California
A single phase pump running reverse rotation? I doubt it....
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sandking
Member
- Location
- Southern California
But, I would assume the air compressor is just an internal diaphram that produces the air. That diaphram will produce regardless of the rotation of the pump
hillbilly1
Senior Member
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- North Georgia mountains
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- Owner/electrical contractor
Since their single phase, that would be an ut-oh from the factory, unless you installed the motors. If I remember correctly most use reed valves, so it should compress air either direction, but if it is a multi-stage it may make a difference. If this is an air screw compressor, it should not produce air pressure. The overloads should have tripped protecting the motor though, unless they just kept resetting them.
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kwired
Electron manager
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- NE Nebraska
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- EC
Agree ... any damage to the driving motor should have been minimized by a properly designed overload protection system for the motor. If anything the compressor may be damaged by running wrong direction, it may or may not produce same load for the motor, but the lubrication system within compressor may not function properly if the wrong rotation is applied. I could possibly see a cooling problem for the driving motor if reverse rotation effects the flow of cooling air over the motor, if that happens it could shorten the life of the motor, but this possibility may not be the same from one model to the next and more specifics are needed to determine what caused motor failure.
masterinbama
Senior Member
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- Huntsville Alabama
There is a reason the manufacturer went to the trouble of putting the arrow on the compressor.
kwired
Electron manager
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- NE Nebraska
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- EC
Going back to the OP, does that reason have anything to do with the driving motor or just the compressor, he asked if running the wrong direction would cause motor failure?
masterinbama
Senior Member
- Location
- Huntsville Alabama
Could turning the compressor the wrong way demand more horsepower than the motor is rated for? Even though it still produced compressed air?
hillbilly1
Senior Member
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- North Georgia mountains
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- Owner/electrical contractor
There is were the overloads should have picked up. Motor rotation should have been checked at the factory since it is a single phase unit. I would say undervoltage with constant resetting of the overloads would be a possibility if rotation is correct. More info will have to be ascertained before the problem can be solved. The OP is going on the assumption that the compressor was actually running backwards. I have had customers tell me that an outlet used to work, when it never did because there was no wire in the unfinished conduit run!
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
Switch 5 and 8 and it will.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
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- EC
We need to know more about the compressor to really know the answer to that. The motor should have overload protection so if the compressor does demand more horsepower the overload should protect the motor. Constant reseting of overload will still cause motor damage, we have not been informed if this is what has happened in the situation with the OP.
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