I recall that I’m not the only one running their one gallon trim compressor on a regular basis.
Friday morning, I brought it to the jobsite to finish running the last few tid bits that are left on the condo reno that I’m trimming out. Plugged it in, let it charge up, ran it through one cycle and then, NOTHING… it’s dead. I figured electrical at first, tried a few different outlets, switching it on/off, checked the cord connection, all seem fine. Can’t find a reset switch either unless it’s well-hidden.
Any thoughts before I send it off into the unknown territories of DeWalt service? It’s only a skosh over a year old and, although it’s been run a lot, hasn’t been run hard in the least. I wouldn’t entirely mind replacing it with something slightly larger, but then again, this thing has already paid for itself and doesn’t owe me anything either and I absolutely love it’s size and weight.
Thanks in advance.
Nick
Replies
Nick,
I've been running mine pretty hard for a couple years or so... no problems so far... don't even know if it has a reset. Guess I'm not much help.
Let us know what you find out.
All the best,
Bass
Edited 4/19/2009 10:05 pm ET by basswood
Squash,
I would guess it is the capacitor, may even be a loose connection on the capacitor. Got a volt meter? Check volts on load side of pressure switch first. Contacts in the switch tend to arc and quit making a circuit. The easy way to check the capacitor is to replace it. Be careful since it can bite you even when disconnected.
KK
Well, I've decided to park the DeWalt for now. Made up my mind earlier today and picked up a 2 gallon Makita compressor. It's quite a bit heavier, but it's a bit quieter and puts out about twice as much air. Figured the cost of repairing the DeWalt was going to push a bit too close to its initial $100 cost than I would like. Refurbed Makita was $129 and highly recommended.Time will tell.Nick
How'd you find it for $100? Everywhere I've seen it, it's closer to about $159 or so.JT
Julian,
The DeWalt or the Makita?
The DeWalt was a late winter/early spring markdown on Amazon... figured I couldn't go wrong for $100. All in all it did indeed pay for itself, and eventually I'll find the time to figure it out and use it as a backup or for really small jobs. I do have to admit that I like the weight and size, but the air output was getting a bit small for anything but trim work.
The Makita I got locally from the tool shop that I deal with - Adam's Tool and Nail in Leominster, MA - GREAT guys to deal with for anyone local that reads this. They had them in stock refurbished for $129 plus tax out the door. Can't complain about that.
Anyways, hope that helps a bit.
Nick
If it was the cap it would not be "dead". There would be a definite hum as it tried to start.Most likely the pressure swtich, either hanging mechanically or the contacts burned. Or the manual On/Off switch.Next would be the thermal overload. On that compressor I suspect that it is self reseting. I could not find one on mine. One has to open the shroud around the motor pump. Also need to do that to access the manual switch..
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
Bill,The little quick connects on the cap are a very weak link. I fixed one recently that had broken, still gotta check the cap.I use to start an old table saw with a pull rope while waiting on a new cap.KK
In case you take a run at fixing it...
What Coonass said...the most simple possibility is the pressure switch. If you're handy with a multimeter see if voltage is getting through the switch.
Scott.
Edited 4/24/2009 11:10 am by Scott