New to Me 30HP Rotary Compressor - Some questions

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Capstone
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New to Me 30HP Rotary Compressor - Some questions

Post by Capstone »

So a snagged what I think is the deal of a lifetime on a Ingersoll Rand SSR-EP30SE 30HP Rotary Compressor with a matching IR DXR150 Dryer for less than $2K for both. I'm setting up the riggers for pick-up next week, but I already visited the site and the compressor at least was still under power and did turn on. My latest Instagram post has all the pics, so I'll just share this link for you to look at instead of me uploading a bunch of photos.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTZantSBl8e/

So I have a few questions that hopefully the "collective" will be able to help out.

1. This bad boy is supposed to be able to push 122 CFM at 125psi, all day, without skipping a beat; so in my one man shop running lets say a PM85 and some air tools at the same time or maybe even a sandblaster, do I even need a receiving tank?

2. The id plate says it 230/460v, does that mean the building has to have 480v service?

If anyone has any suggestions on how best to take care of it, I'd appreciate the advice.
Phil
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Simko
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Re: New to Me 30HP Rotary Compressor - Some questions

Post by Simko »

Capstone wrote: 2. The id plate says it 230/460v, does that mean the building has to have 480v service?
Need more nameplate info. I looks like you can run it on 230v, but single phase vs three phase is the biggest question.

Do you have three phase service?
Steve

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Capstone
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Re: New to Me 30HP Rotary Compressor - Some questions

Post by Capstone »

Simko wrote:
Capstone wrote: 2. The id plate says it 230/460v, does that mean the building has to have 480v service?
Need more nameplate info. I looks like you can run it on 230v, but single phase vs three phase is the biggest question.

Do you have three phase service?
Yes... I'm finally moving into a commercial space within a month or so. 3ph power is onsite, but I'm told it's not 460voltage
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Re: New to Me 30HP Rotary Compressor - Some questions

Post by Simko »

You will have to find out what type of three phase it has. It is most likely 208v or 240v three phase.
Steve

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Re: New to Me 30HP Rotary Compressor - Some questions

Post by Bigrhamr »

You will want a receiver tank to keep it from cycling on and off constantly.
You should be able to get a manual from IR, I would get that and assuming the current maintenance schedule is unknown change the compressor oil, separator element and any other filters so you have a fresh start. You will drop several hundred bucks in oil and filters, don't let anybody tell you to run hydraulic oil or other substitute in place of the rotary compressor oil.
They put out a lot of heat, make sure to place it where that heat can vent out easily and the machine has a good supply of fresh intake air.
The manual or motor tag should tell you acceptable voltages. Most (not all) modern 3 ph motors that can be wired 230/460 will also run on 208 3 ph since it is one of the more common 3 ph voltages in the U.S. If it won't run on 208 and that is what your building has then your option would be a boost transformer to raise supply voltage.
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Re: New to Me 30HP Rotary Compressor - Some questions

Post by Capstone »

Bigrhamr wrote:You will want a receiver tank to keep it from cycling on and off constantly.
You should be able to get a manual from IR, I would get that and assuming the current maintenance schedule is unknown change the compressor oil, separator element and any other filters so you have a fresh start. You will drop several hundred bucks in oil and filters, don't let anybody tell you to run hydraulic oil or other substitute in place of the rotary compressor oil.
They put out a lot of heat, make sure to place it where that heat can vent out easily and the machine has a good supply of fresh intake air.
The manual or motor tag should tell you acceptable voltages. Most (not all) modern 3 ph motors that can be wired 230/460 will also run on 208 3 ph since it is one of the more common 3 ph voltages in the U.S. If it won't run on 208 and that is what your building has then your option would be a boost transformer to raise supply voltage.
Thanks for the advice. I was able to determine that the space I'm moving into was upgraded to run 460v, which is going to be a really nice feature as far as my energy efficiency. That said, I am actually strongly considering just selling this locally. The more I think about it, the more I think this unit is overkill and I could buy a brand new smaller unit using mostly the profit from selling this one.
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Re: New to Me 30HP Rotary Compressor - Some questions

Post by Bigrhamr »

Yup, for a one man shop it would be overkill for most things except blasting. If you ever get serious about blasting it's hard to have too much air. I've got a 40hp screw compressor, with a pressure pot and big nozzle it gets used to capacity and more air wouldn't hurt.
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Re: New to Me 30HP Rotary Compressor - Some questions

Post by Capstone »

Yeah... the big thing is just having a good balance between realistic air needs (with headroom for growth) , the amount of space it gobbles up and finally the operating and maintenance costs. If I get my asking price, I could step into a brand new 5HP Rotary for about $2200 installed. If you don't mind, I would really appreciate someone helping me punch holes in that logic.
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Dana gear
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Re: New to Me 30HP Rotary Compressor - Some questions

Post by Dana gear »

I know I may take some heat over this, but for what its worth, dump the thing for as much as you can and purchase a air compressor piston or rotary that wont eat out the bottom of your wallet, just cycling a 30 hp even if wired for 460 volt is going to cost a bunch for a one man shop.
You would have to add a large storage tank or the dam thing would cycle constantly .
A good name brand 5 hp, 3 phase two stage compressor or 5 hp rotary wound be all you need to run your shop.
One of the guys that works for me has his own cnc cutting table in his home shop, runs it along with his bead blaster at the same time with air to spare.
He runs an old Kellogg American 5 hp 3 phase from the 1960s
Disclaimer: I am not a fan of I/R rotary compressors.
I had a couple of I/R rotary's that were nothing but trouble, purchased them new nothing but headaches from the start.
Try getting tech support out of I/R, they forward you to your nearest dealer , and you can only hope that they have a tech that can find there way out of a paper bag, I have been down this road , not pretty.
There air driers are just as bad.
Ripped out the I/R s and slid Keasers rotary's into there place and have been very happy since.
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Re: New to Me 30HP Rotary Compressor - Some questions

Post by Capstone »

Dana gear wrote:I know I may take some heat over this, but for what its worth, dump the thing for as much as you can and purchase a air compressor piston or rotary that wont eat out the bottom of your wallet, just cycling a 30 hp even if wired for 460 volt is going to cost a bunch for a one man shop.
You would have to add a large storage tank or the dam thing would cycle constantly .
A good name brand 5 hp, 3 phase two stage compressor or 5 hp rotary wound be all you need to run your shop.
One of the guys that works for me has his own cnc cutting table in his home shop, runs it along with his bead blaster at the same time with air to spare.
He runs an old Kellogg American 5 hp 3 phase from the 1960s
Disclaimer: I am not a fan of I/R rotary compressors.
I had a couple of I/R rotary's that were nothing but trouble, purchased them new nothing but headaches from the start.
Try getting tech support out of I/R, they forward you to your nearest dealer , and you can only hope that they have a tech that can find there way out of a paper bag, I have been down this road , not pretty.
There air driers are just as bad.
Ripped out the I/R s and slid Keasers rotary's into there place and have been very happy since.
Thanks Great advice. I really appreciate that. I'm on board with the idea of selling it. There's a large scale auto-body shop and I already approached the owner with a heck of a deal relative to buying a similar spec'd out model and he'll make good use of it.
Phil
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