Shop Compressor Possibly Fried LEDs in House. Related? Is this wired correctly?

[Oildudeny]

From you’re electrical panel you want minimum of a 10/2 wire with ground for a 30amp circuit you need a two pole 30 amp breaker. When you say “starter” do you mean a disconnect box such as what would be used to disconnect power to the compressor. How many phase is that compressor single or 3phase? the sticker has a reflection I can’t make out. Also have a qualified electrician check all your breakers and neutral connections that they’re good and tight. But yes you could definitely have emf’s that are backfeeding and harming equipment with sensitive circuitry.

 

[Oildudeny]

Honestly from the looks of the disconnect/contactor setup and lack of proper strain reliefs. Get a qualified electrician to wire that compressor for you.

 

[ABN_CBT_ENGR]

I believe he wrote his main breaker is 100A

That's open to speculation based on his drawing and the fact he says he is not an electrician ( which this needs to be seriously looked at if that drawing is correct)

That says the main ( house too) is 125 and the shop is 60 ( on a sub panel) and this is a 30 amp load all from the same buss.

That aint good depending on what other loads are there

 

[ABN_CBT_ENGR]

How many phase is that compressor single or 3phase?

single based on the WWG number

 

[brianl703]

Another thing I just thought of--you have subpanels. Are they fed with 4-wire cable, with a separate neutral and ground wire, and is the neutral/ground jumper removed from the subpanels? Per code they must be and the jumper must be removed.

 

[Oildudeny]

*I'm not asking for professional electrical help, just asking if something seems obviously incorrect/correct. I will be seeking professional advice either way*

I recently had a professional electrical contractor install [among many things] a new 220 outlet (it's a 30A receptacle that looks similar to the image below and new wiring to an existing 30A breaker (which was used at some point, but they ripped the outlet out, capped it, and left the breaker empty. I just wanted to clarify the 30A breaker is not being shared).
View attachment 36267
More recently, a friend came over and installed this compressor for me in my shop. He's not a licensed electrician to my knowledge, but he's a professional diesel mechanic who is required to diagnose and fix literally any [electrical] problem on first responders' vehicles. I consider that mostly qualified. I do understand that does not mean fully qualified, hence why I'm here asking about it. He installed the box (starter?) for the compressor and wired it up with a new cord and had it running fairly quickly. When the compressor runs, it seems to run perfectly fine. But while it's running, the lights in the shop aren't too happy. They surge the entire time it runs. The best description I can give is a very minor strobe effect, or as if someone is rapidly alternating a dimmer switch between 90% and 100% brightness over and over. I didn't really give it much thought, because I need to upgrade the shop breaker box anyway considering some of the breakers are double tapped and it's at capacity (it can only hold 6 single or 3 double breakers). I already purchased a new breaker box & breakers, and plan on dividing up some existing circuits and making new ones to prevent any possible overloading. It just hasn't been installed yet.

Well, the compressor has only run about 5 times since installation, and tonight while it was running (and the lights were surging as usual), apparently the lights in the house were surging also. I guess they always have and I just never noticed. Before anyone asks, I have no idea if they share a main breaker. I'd guess they'd have to if it affects the other. But when the compressor ran tonight, one of my recessed LEDs in my kitchen (also installed by a different licensed electrician 6 years ago) fried, and almost caught on fire. I didn't know it until about 20 minutes later when I went in and noticed the light was out. When I pulled it down to unclip the harness, I instantly smelled that horrible burning electrical smell and quickly unplugged it, unhinged it, ran it outside and set it on concrete, then grabbed the fire extinguisher as a precaution. The odor was strong enough to make my whole house stink. Pic below.
View attachment 36268

Long story short, I think it was way too coincidental for these not to not be related. So my question is this: is my compressor on the proper receptacle & breaker amp rating? In other words, is this compressor designed to run on a 30A circuit? 40A? 50A? Here's every bit of info I could find on the compressor. Pic of the entire compressor:
View attachment 36269

Pic of the model number:
View attachment 36270


More info:
View attachment 36272

This is located physically on the tank:View attachment 36271

This is located on the grey cylinder-shaped piece on the top, which I'm assuming is the electric motor...?:
View attachment 36273

Last, here's the starter:
View attachment 36274

What are your thoughts? Does this appear to be wired correctly? Do I have the correct breaker/circuit @30A? Thanks in advance for your help.

That Dayton motor starter has a magnetic coil.. that's possibly your biggest issue.. most likely its causing a spike in voltage.

 

[Oildudeny]

https://lselectric.com/basics-industrial-motor-surge-suppression/

Get that machine properly installed wired and grounded before there's bigger problems

 

[OilMagnate]

I believe he wrote his main breaker is 100A

Close. It was all jumbled together. For clarity:

The compressor does have it's own 30A 2-pole breaker inside the shop's main lug box. That box (unknown amperage capacity) is fed by the main box out on the pole which I think ironically is another 125A lug (no true main breaker, instead there are multiple individual "mains" in the box). Within the "main" box is a 100A 2-pole that serves the entire house, a 60A 2-pole that serves the entire shop, and a 30A 2-pole that appears to do absolutely nothing.

 

[OilMagnate]

From you’re electrical panel you want minimum of a 10/2 wire with ground for a 30amp circuit you need a two pole 30 amp breaker. When you say “starter” do you mean a disconnect box such as what would be used to disconnect power to the compressor. How many phase is that compressor single or 3phase? the sticker has a reflection I can’t make out. Also have a qualified electrician check all your breakers and neutral connections that they’re good and tight. But yes you could definitely have emf’s that are backfeeding and harming equipment with sensitive circuitry.

10/2 and 30A 2-pole is what it has. The 30A breaker is not shared. The panel is, along with the 125A main. And no, it's a magnetic starter. The compressor is single phase, the phase box is blank, indicating it's not 3-phase.

 

[spasm3]

I'm not an Electrician, but that's what I noticed right away.
Also, blow the dirt out of the Box and install a Cover if you don't have one.

Once you get this all figured out, I would also look into some type of Surge Protection.
Point-of-Use for your sensitive electronics and a Whole House Protector.
Most people don't run 5 H.P. motors at home.
View attachment 36375

Also look at the lug marked 3, wires appear to close together or even touching. I don't know how to draw red circles on the image. But the whole thing is wired terrible.

 

[OilMagnate]

That's open to speculation based on his drawing and the fact he says he is not an electrician ( which this needs to be seriously looked at if that drawing is correct)

That says the main ( house too) is 125 and the shop is 60 ( on a sub panel) and this is a 30 amp load all from the same buss.

That aint good depending on what other loads are there

To further clarify after my post above, yes, the entire property is run from a 125A main lug box acting as a main breaker box. There is no "main" breaker in the classic sense. There are only breakers within the lug acting as mains, which are the 100A (house), 60A (shop), and the 30A (unknown). The house truly is a minimal load. The most power hungry device in the whole house is an electric stove. Second to that is the toaster, and third is probably the vacuum. All are rarely used. The most common large draw is the A/C & furnace blower. Speaking of which, I'm not sure how the condenser is wired, but that's somewhere in the mix also. Aside from those items, it's just petty stuff like TVs and phones charging. But agreed, it seemed like a weak point.

 

[OilMagnate]

Another thing I just thought of--you have subpanels. Are they fed with 4-wire cable, with a separate neutral and ground wire, and is the neutral/ground jumper removed from the subpanels? Per code they must be and the jumper must be removed.

I wouldn't have a clue. I wish I could answer this. I'll try looking tomorrow, but don't get your hopes up.

 

[OilMagnate]

https://lselectric.com/basics-industrial-motor-surge-suppression/

Get that machine properly installed wired and grounded before there's bigger problems

Bad link. But that ball is already rolling.

 

[Oildudeny]

Bad link. But that ball is already rolling.

Sorry bout the bad link..

A power surge occurs when there is a sudden change in the electrical conditions within the circuit. This change leads to larger amounts of energy released to the electrical system.

The following are two common causes of power surges within an industrial facility.

Internal power surges
Internal power surges occur from the day-to-day operation of many devices within the facility.

Those devices include:

Variable speed drives
Generators
Air conditioners
Electric motors
Elevators
Other electrical equipment.
Power surges also result from internal circuit breakers and fuses from within the equipment or at the electrical panel.

External power surges
Weather events cause external power surges, such as lightning. That is by no means the only reason why they take place.

Other possibilities include:

Electrostatic discharge
Switching on or off capacitor banks
Power line disconnection and reconnection
Utility load switching
Turning transformers on and off
Poor quality within the distribution grid.
Protecting electrical equipment against power surges

Addressing the possibility of a power surge requires the necessary measures to reduce the risk. Even if unable to stop the surge itself, it is important to protect the electrical equipment from damage.

The following are some of the options for protecting against a power surge.

Separating cables: Avoid running low-voltage lines or communication lines parallel with power cables. Try to have them cross at a right angle if they must cross each other.
Grounding: A common ground should enter the building for all electrical systems. Those grounds should enter the building in proximity to each other.
Power surge protection: Various options are available for surge protection. Install these options at the distribution panels. Connect surge protection to some of the larger electronic devices, such as large electric motors.
Power surge arresters: Install surge arresters for any voltage application. Surge arresters protect electrical systems from large surges, such as those that occur from a lightning strike.

 

[Wolf359]

If you're drawing 25-26 amps on a 30 amp circuit, that's probably too high, it's dragging the power down when it first kicks in. Normally you're only suppose to have a 75% load on the circuit anyway and you're way too close to the max. Should probably be a 40 or 50 amp. The longer the run, the less you're suppose to draw on the circuit. Basically that 30 amp breaker might be far enough from the main house to not even be able to supply 30. That's why you probably need a real electrician to look at it and have the whole system designed correctly.

 

[ABN_CBT_ENGR]

To further clarify after my post above, yes, the entire property is run from a 125A main lug box acting as a main breaker box. There is no "main" breaker in the classic sense.

This is important. First there is no such thing as a "lug" ( connection device) "acting" like a breaker ( circuit interrupter)

An MLO panel IS a "sub panel" so what is the breaker size of what feeds this? ( it may be rated for 125 amps but that's not a certainty that its being FED 125 amps so it could be being starved on the front end)

I do presume this is 240 (220) VAC coming in at this MLO panel?

That MLO panel should be fed by probably #2 conductors and neutral (220/240) with a ground rod

Is there a fused disconnect?

Where exactly is the actual power meter?

Using your picture as a guideline and presuming it is accurately represented

At a minimum I would have #4 feeding the house and shop panels and break into 120 at those panels (I would put a main in each panel) This would be G&B all the way through.

Then rewire that death/fire trap starter/compressor.

Again, this is an indierct commentary based on an observation of your posts and actual decisions should be made by a licensed electrician under the authority having jurisdiction for your particular code.

 

[OilMagnate]

Also look at the lug marked 3, wires appear to close together or even touching. I don't know how to draw red circles on the image. But the whole thing is wired terrible.

Bad camera angle. I took some better photos last night. Agreed on the whole thing being wired terrible. Here you go:

 

[Oildudeny]

I don't see a ground... your friend did you no favor wiring that compressor. He never should have that connection.

 

[OilMagnate]

If you're drawing 25-26 amps on a 30 amp circuit, that's probably too high, it's dragging the power down when it first kicks in. Normally you're only suppose to have a 75% load on the circuit anyway and you're way too close to the max. Should probably be a 40 or 50 amp. The longer the run, the less you're suppose to draw on the circuit. Basically that 30 amp breaker might be far enough from the main house to not even be able to supply 30. That's why you probably need a real electrician to look at it and have the whole system designed correctly.

I'm drawing 25-26 on a 30A circuit/breaker that is a 20-foot run between breaker and compressor. The 30A breaker is a sub-panel (lug) that has less than a 50-foot run to the "main" 125A box (also a lug). Length isn't the issue, but there are plenty of other ones. Regarding the near-capacity circuit, if I step it up to a 40A breaker, is the existing (newly installed) 10-gauge cable sufficient, or do I need to install 8-gauge?

 

[ABN_CBT_ENGR]

I'm drawing 25-26 on a 30A circuit/breaker that is a 20-foot run between breaker and compressor. The 30A breaker is a sub-panel (lug) that has less than a 50-foot run to the "main" 125A box (also a lug).

You are perfectly fine with a 30 amp breaker and #10 conductor for a 220V 5 hp. motor ( makes no difference what its turning) for that length circuit provided it is wired and terminated correctly.

It wont hurt anything to bump up one size both ways but it wont help anything or give you any real benefit.

Make certain you are grounded and bonded all the way through

You need to find out what the upstream conductors are and what is feeding your MLO