Need help with my compressor

[Derrell W Sloan]

I have a porter-cable 6hp/30 gallon/135psi compressor that is acting up. When I turn it on it seems to draw a lot of current (lights dim) and sometimes it trips the circuit breaker. I removed the check valve and cleaned it - it appears to be just fine. At first I thought it might not be opening and the compressor was getting a lot of back pressure - this doesn't seem to be the issue. When it does reach full pressure, if I drain some air out and try to turn it on again it immediately trips the circuit breaker. I can rotate the pump by hand, it turns freely. Now I am thinking it must be something electrical. I also noticed that it seems to get much hotter when it runs than it use to. Could this be caused by one of the start capacitors going bad? Any other ideas?

[Rob Will]

I'm not sure what sort of motor that compressor uses but if it is a standard frame size, you might want to replace it with a new name brand (Baldor etc.) motor. Pay little attention to that "6 hp" label.

Also, check all of the connections including the receptacle where it is plugged in. Make sure everything is tight.

I'm guessing that your compressor is running on 220V? If not, change it over to 220. Hopefully, you have a dedicated circuit for the compressor.

Rob