air compressor motor upgrade

From what I know Baldor is one of the biggest names in motors. I have seen many of them in my travels through mechanical rooms in a variety of buildings (I am a communications technician).

Look at Grainger, as they are a national supplier, but a quick look at their site will show you how much you can expect to pay: $350 and up!

mnemonic76

Ebay, local surplus dealers, industrial junk yards.

One option is to get a 3 phase motor from a local scrapyard (you'll pay slightly over the scrap metal price) and a VFD from eBay. You'll get soft-start with the VFD, as well as the phase conversion.

Especially if your compressor has an unloader, you can rig some timing circuits or a micro to control the unload/start sequence. I used an early AVR processor to run a small Quincy compressor with "automatic dual-mode control", ie. it unloads for motor start, when it reaches the set pressure it unloads and leaves the motor running for a minute, then shuts the motor off. It also kills everything if the compressor fails to maintain oil pressure or the demand for air lasts for 15 minutes.

Jon

Baldor is a very well-known and well-regarded brand.

Greetings Jack, I don't know how old your Speedaire is but they used to come with good motors. The only thing I've had to do to mine in 30 years is replace the bearings. What exactly is your motor doing that makes you think it needs replacing? Eric