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question for electricians / air compressor 230v installation

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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
question for electricians / air compressor 230v installation

i'm going to be buying a big air compressor soon and will have it installed in my garage. I will need a 230V outlet to support it. in my garage, the breaker box will be right next to the corner it's going in.

question: what would the going fair rate be to have an electrician come over and install an outlet for the air compressor? does it make it cheaper to have the outlet installed right next to the breaker box or is that pretty irrelevant?

thanks guys
 
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#2 ·
Re: question for electricians / air compressor 230v installation

It really isn't that hard. It is only 3 wires and if you do it with the main breaker off it is safe. If you decide to do it yourself I'll walk you thru it. The only difference in cost from one location to another is the length of wire. Put it as far away as possible. Mine is going to be moved into the back room off the shop as soon as the back room is ready.
 
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Re: question for electricians / air compressor 230v installation

bs,
It will be less expensive to have it installed right next to the box, compared to running wire somewhere else. Although I do my own electrical work, if you dont feel 1000% comfortable with doing it, leave it to a professional. An electrician should be able to give you a pretty close price quote over the phone. I figure it should be about an hours worth of actual work, plus the materials. Figure a 30 amp double pole breaker, a few feet of cable and a recepticle. Depending on your area, code might require the wire to be run in conduit, which would add some to the price. I would figure maybe a couple of hundred bucks total, but I may be way off, again depends on your location.
Hope this helps,
 
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Discussion Starter · #5 ·
Re: question for electricians / air compressor 230v installation

when you say 'by the box', i forgot - do i wire it from where all the circuit breakers are or by the big main box outside the house?

one more question - the dryer is also right next to where the compressor will be going. when i'm not doing laundry, could i just make a 10 foot extension cord? the dryer in our house has a 4 prong plug though, dunnoh what's up with that. it's a top pole, with two side blades, and the bottom looks like a 90-degree angle.
 
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#6 ·
Re: question for electricians / air compressor 230v installation

burningsquirrels said:
when you say 'by the box', i forgot - do i wire it from where all the circuit breakers are or by the big main box outside the house?

one more question - the dryer is also right next to where the compressor will be going. when i'm not doing laundry, could i just make a 10 foot extension cord? the dryer in our house has a 4 prong plug though, dunnoh what's up with that. it's a top pole, with two side blades, and the bottom looks like a 90-degree angle.
Click to expand...
Ya most dryers are 220v....the box they mean is the one with the breakers in it NOT the box (meter) outside....You could "wire" it as far as the box but if your unsure as to how to tie it into the main circuit box then have an electrician do that part...that way you are not having to shut anything off or work in the "box" as you called it.....IF you have an electrician run the cable too then the shorter the run the less it will cost in labor and materials...Just my 2 cents
 
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Discussion Starter · #7 ·
Re: question for electricians / air compressor 230v installation

yeah, it'll be right next to the box, literally. if the compressor moves over 2 feet, it will cover the box, lol...
 
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Re: question for electricians / air compressor 230v installation

Do I have this right..the house and garage are connected and the box with the breakers runs both. If so you will have to have a blank spot in the panel cover 2 spaces wide to be able to add another 220 breaker. I'll be back in a bit with some pictures for you to look at.
 
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#9 ·
Re: question for electricians / air compressor 230v installation

Yes he will have to have 2 empty spots available to add another 220 volt breaker...POSSIBLY if none are available and he really wants it an electrician could add a sub panel off the main panel to power his compressor...of course doing that would be more expensive than if a pair were available in the main panel...
 
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#10 ·
Re: question for electricians / air compressor 230v installation

When I moved into this house I had 220 ran to the dryer and to the stove. It took the electrician about 6 hours to do the work and I paid for the parts. It cost me about 350 for all of it. Mine was very labor intensive because of the crawing into the crawl space and drilling holes in the wall and running all the wires under the house. From what you are describing I would think about an hours labor and $50 on parts.
 
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#11 · (Edited)
Re: question for electricians / air compressor 230v installation

Ok look at these photos, this is in my garage, the panel is a subpanel tied into the main service entrance. My compresser is in about the same spot as yours, there is about 3 feet of wire between it and the box. The next photos show the wires in the breaker panel and the pressure switch on the compressor. From the double breaker on the left side of the panel run 1 black and 1 white from the 2 terminals on the double pole breaker. The pressure switch is prewired for the motor so it is just a matter of matching colors. The only other connection needed is to the ground. The bare wire will attach under the green screw in the pressure switch and to the bar in the panel where all the other bare wires are. Your dryer is wired with a neutral connection. It has 1 red wire and 1 black attached to the 2 terminals at the breaker, a bare ground to that bar and a white neutral to the neutral bar.
If you don not feel comfortable doing this by all means hire an electrician or find a friend that knows how, but now you know what the job will entail.
 
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#12 ·
Re: question for electricians / air compressor 230v installation

Hey Phillip... i need some a that kinda work done at my house... when do ya think you'd be available ????


next Tuesday would be Great !!! :D :D :D
 
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#15 ·
Re: question for electricians / air compressor 230v installation

Hey shifty....did you "puke" at me earlier??:eek: I didn't have the msgr on, and we just got home and saw it when I turned this on.

BS
 
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#18 ·
Re: question for electricians / air compressor 230v installation

no, i have one more bed ta make up...

don't bag on my flowers, Bucko !!! sumpin' 'round 'ere needs ta smell good :rolleyes:




i like gardening. :D
 
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