Bauer compressor

[tlawler]

Found this Bauer compressor while perusing ebay. I was a little skeptical of it being a gutted cabinet with all the rusted parts parts thrown in, so I emailed the guy and he sent me some pics.

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk210/diversolo/42-553-005001.jpg

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk210/diversolo/42-553-005003.jpg

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk210/diversolo/42-553-005004.jpg

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk210/diversolo/42-553-005005.jpg

It looks to be in very good shape and the price is great at $2K or best offer. He even allows a 30 day return if it's complete toast. He quoted me around $800 for freight to SouthWest Florida. Model is 1153-15E3. DOM is 1993. 17CFM 480/60 3 phase. I forgot to ask the hours, but he has a contact number on the auction site.

Man, if only I had about $2500 lying around and 3 phase power...

 

[Jimmer]

Looks nice, but 17CFM seems huge for home use.

 

[crpntr133]

And 3 phase pretty much makes it impossible for home use.

 

[tlawler]

Looks nice, but 17CFM seems huge for home use.

And 3 phase pretty much makes it impossible for home use.

Yeah, it would definitely be a bit of overkill for the home mixer. I was thinking more along the lines of a second compressor or a backup for a shop. Maybe a liveaboard even. To me it seemed like a good price for a compressor of this quality and condition. Are they more common than I think? I figured it was probably a machine that was retired from a firehouse when they all got funds to upgrade.

On a related note, for that price, it would almost be worth it to get a single to three phase converter. For a 15 hp motor the price is probably down to under $2K now. The motor is probably dual voltage (208/230-460), so it would be a simple job of rewiring.

Another possibility would be to pull the pump and couple it up to a gas engine and mount it on a trailer with a cylinder bank.

Well, what the heck...impractical, I know. But I see a deal like that and the tinkerer in me sees a lot of possibilities.

And so the search continues for the "perfect" home/portable rig at a reasonable price.

 

[Surface Tension]

You could also put on a lower HP single phase motor with a smaller pulley. It would turn the compressor slower and output less, but it would seem there would still be plenty of output for your purposes.

 

[Thadmn]

And 3 phase pretty much makes it impossible for home use.

There is a way"fool it" to run it without 3 phase power, but it would cost a bit more.

 

[Surface Tension]

There is a way"fool it" to run it without 3 phase power, but it would cost a bit more.

Are you referring to using an inverter? I looked into that and found it was cheaper to just buy a single phase motor. I was only dealing with a 7.5 HP though. I am imagine an inverter for a compressor that big would be pretty $$$. My 2 cents.

Dave

 

[tlawler]

Are you referring to using an inverter? I looked into that and found it was cheaper to just buy a single phase motor. I was only dealing with a 7.5 HP though. I am imagine an inverter for a compressor that big would be pretty $$$. My 2 cents.

Dave

Actually not that expensive anymore. I hadn't priced one in a while, so I just said probably less than 2K. Here is a brand new one with 12 mo. warranty that retails for around $1500. It also gives you the advantage of soft start and variable speed. That means you'll never hear it start, the lights in the neighborhood won't dim when it does start and you can run that sucker anywhere from about 30% full speed up to 100% full speed and anything in between.
Also almost all standard 3 phase freq drives will produce a 3 phase output with only two phases feeding them as long as the input imbalance option is changed in the menu. Used drives are cheap on ebay and have become almost a throw-away item in the industries that use them.
I just changed out a 25HP Danfoss drive a couple weeks ago that was out of warranty. The new drive was $2400 and change, the old drive would have gone in the dumpster if it wasn't for my old school packrat service manager who likes to keep stuff and see if we can scavenge parts off of it. So it went on a shelf in the shop between a fried ABB drive and another grounded Danfoss drive until he takes a vacation and the techs clean out the shop.

 

[tlawler]

Well somebody thought it was a good deal. I just checked back and it had been bought as a "buy it now". On Ebay, does it go out as a "buy it now" if a lesser offer is accepted or only when the "buy it now" price is ponied up?

 

[tlawler]

Also almost all standard 3 phase freq drives will produce a 3 phase output with only two phases feeding them as long as the input imbalance option is changed in the menu. Used drives are cheap on ebay and have become almost a throw-away item in the industries that use them.

I should qualify that statement a bit. The drive is designedto produce three phase power at 65% to 70% deration of normal output for momentary or intermittant single phase conditions to prevent nuisance diagnostics and trips on equipment. You would have to take that deration into account when choosing a drive. The limitation is on the input bus. You are essentially trying to put the same amount of power through two conductors that three would normally carry and it would soon burn something up if not for the derating factor (in the industry, this is known as "letting the smoke out of the box") . I have seen VFD's run for extended times with only two phases if the drive is set up for it. Usually it is noticed during a routine inspection or the customer places a service call that the speed drive won't go over 70% and the other end of the wing is too hot. It may have been running like that for months if it's not noticed until the first warm day of the year.