Broomwade ac10

[M1JWR]

Hi, new to the forum, dont have a welding problem as i just do basic stuff like fixing exhausts of motorbike etc, however as this is the place to ask about air compressors and as i have a problem with one, possibly of my own lack of understanding this is the place to be.
i recently bought a broomwade/compair 120l ac10 with a gec 2.2kw motor, it wasent a lot of money and as with the case it does have one or two problems, i must stress it does work just not correctly.
as i bought it, one of the head unloader valves was broken and i have sourced another and fitted it,
the comp also needed a new pressure switch as the old one was broken, the only one that would fit the outlet pipe was a condor mdr3/11 which is the correct spec as the old switch was 9 amp.
now down to what i am either a lack of knowlege/ confused with.
The wiring connections on mdr 3 is not good and i had help from a sparky friend, the instructions tell you where wires go not which ones,(single phase) so as we understand the live direct to motor live, and neutral goes from 3 to 4 looped to 6 and then to 5 and then to motor, earths are self explanatory, though with live and neutral i have never been 100% percent shure of this.
there is an unloader valve on rear of switch which is not connected as the old one wasent and i have no idea where to connect it to anyway.
you can turn on comp at switch and it will run and build up air fairly slowly until it gets to about 4 bar and the switch will cut out, the comp takes about 3 minutes to do this, if you wait a minute or so you can turn it on again it wont let you if you do it too soon and it will run about 3 minutes and repeat only done this 3 times in total, at that time it will read about 110psi, i have adjusted the pressure switch a little and that made no difference, also the switch does not cut in.
the compressor is connected to a 30 amp fuse on the fuse board with 32 amp connectors and an isolator switch inbetween.
the compressor also has what looks like a govenor which is connected between the tank and then to one of the head unloader valves, i have not touched this,any ideas appreciated i only want it to work correctly,many thanks, can do pics if needed

 

[frank horton]

on something like this a few photo's would be great.....
for a start I'd buy the unloader valve new, this is for the switch (this goes in the tank and then with a small tube to the base of the auto switch), just a few quid of the bay.....spose some compressors have an auto unloader like ur's on the heads..but not come across those on something that runs of single phase........
when I've done the wiring if I have only enough switch terminals to use with one wire I always switch the live cos if anything goes wrong doing it ur way the machine will be LIVE as I understand it.....
I always switch the live and neutral so thats a double contactor......
as for ur new switch when ever u buy a new 1, I always go bigger amps...yes the switches last a long time but the few copper the extra is worth it, for me anyway...for next time....
now, some of the new switches are pre-set to turn on- turn off BUT some are set very low....but every 1 is adjustable....
I select a switch that does it thing at around 120psi cos I don't like messing with stuff really.
I will always crank mine up a bit if needed, cos I like higher press for the air guns......

so once u've got an unloader valve and the wiring sorted I'd say u only need to get the air press adjustment to how u want it.....

of course there will be somebody else along to add their thoughts...
good luck with ur new comp........it's all sortable as long as the basics are correct.......

just 1 thing, prob not in ur case but very occasionally the flap valves in the head break or crack giving similar symptoms as low press and getting no higher but u need to get it running properly first....
hope this help a little...

 

[500e]

E: highpressure@gardnerdenver.com

They mite be able to help with info or circuit

 

[M1JWR]

the mdr 3 wiring is i think point 1 is live from mains to point 2 live to motor, point 3 is neutral ? goes through to point 4 then looped to point 6 through to point 5 then on to motor, why cant they say thats live etc, this is how ive wired it anyway, there are a lot of instructions on the net and they are all the same and easily found, there are 3 diagrams like this one is 3 phase, this one and another ,which are for varients of single phase, thanks for responces so far though im afaid 500e your link is bad, well on this pc anyway

 

[brightspark]

the 2 valves on top of cylinders are de compressors. when the tank reaches pressure the unloader valve in the line opens and keeps the valves open . the motor is continuous running . when drop in pressure the inline valve closes and the valves shut and compressor starts pumping again

 

[frank horton]

perhaps I'm just a nutter but I think for normal garage / home use I'd dump all those original decompressor bits and peices and just instal the normal unloader valve...think about £8, used on practically everything these days.....very simple to fit.....u've already got a new switch........remember if u go this route u'll need to bung the holes up...
to my eyes there's too much to go wrong with the original kit.....plus all the dirt and debris these things attract .....
u have all the correct connections for the conversion.....
I always go the simple route...everybody else has....
with the newer idea u gain control of the machine and not relying on old worn out valves....
if u can look at somebody else modern compressor (even 20 years old) or visit somewhere like machine mart....
take some photos .......
my compressor is a huge direct drive V twin (3 phase) (on me HOL's) but think it's Atlas Copco or Broom wade and this uses the same simple system as I tried to describe.....
happy to send photos ifs want.....

 

[M1JWR]

So what i get from this is that the two de compression valves and the thing on the side of the block are whats causing the switch to cut out at 50psi and making adjustments in switch has no effect
also that it has no cut in, and if i simply pipe the unloader valve on switch to where ? the small connection on the tank ? will make it all work correctly ?

 

[M1JWR]

mdr 3 switch has an unloader valve built in so if i go from that to where the small pipe goes into tank at front just below where it says broomwade and run another from there to the de compressors, as i know there is nothing wrong with them, i take it the thing in the other pic is the original unloader valve

 

[48Spokes]

Hi, new to the forum, dont have a welding problem as i just do basic stuff like fixing exhausts of motorbike etc, however as this is the place to ask about air compressors and as i have a problem with one, possibly of my own lack of understanding this is the place to be.
i recently bought a broomwade/compair 120l ac10 with a gec 2.2kw motor, it wasent a lot of money and as with the case it does have one or two problems, i must stress it does work just not correctly.
as i bought it, one of the head unloader valves was broken and i have sourced another and fitted it,
the comp also needed a new pressure switch as the old one was broken, the only one that would fit the outlet pipe was a condor mdr3/11 which is the correct spec as the old switch was 9 amp.
now down to what i am either a lack of knowlege/ confused with.
The wiring connections on mdr 3 is not good and i had help from a sparky friend, the instructions tell you where wires go not which ones,(single phase) so as we understand the live direct to motor live, and neutral goes from 3 to 4 looped to 6 and then to 5 and then to motor, earths are self explanatory, though with live and neutral i have never been 100% percent shure of this.
there is an unloader valve on rear of switch which is not connected as the old one wasent and i have no idea where to connect it to anyway.
you can turn on comp at switch and it will run and build up air fairly slowly until it gets to about 4 bar and the switch will cut out, the comp takes about 3 minutes to do this, if you wait a minute or so you can turn it on again it wont let you if you do it too soon and it will run about 3 minutes and repeat only done this 3 times in total, at that time it will read about 110psi, i have adjusted the pressure switch a little and that made no difference, also the switch does not cut in.
the compressor is connected to a 30 amp fuse on the fuse board with 32 amp connectors and an isolator switch inbetween.
the compressor also has what looks like a govenor which is connected between the tank and then to one of the head unloader valves, i have not touched this,any ideas appreciated i only want it to work correctly,many thanks, can do pics if needed

Hi I too am new to this forum. I have just brought a Broomwade AC10 and am trying to figure it out. I am really surprised at how quiet it is (57db) when running. It must be running the pump real slow. The pump feels good and it isn't making any strange noises, so that is a good start. The Unloader Valves look to be in goog condition and the chap I got it from told me that it gets up to pressure in a few minutes then cuts out. It then restarts when the pressure drops. We managed to crack the elbow on the drain cock which was like cheese and has broken off flush with the welded/threaded boss in the bottom of the tank so I need to fix that before I can run it properly. The whole unit looks to be standard. It is a 1978 vintage although the wiring looks like it has had a change to it.
I am happy to upload ant photos that will be helpful to other AC10 owners. I may also be interested in bringing it up to a more modern spec by doing away with the unloader valves as this will reduce the height enough to get it under my bench. But for now i just want to get it running and see if it will keep up with my modified 220ltr blasting cabinet.
Kind regards Paul

 

[500e]

Sorry about that @M1JWR usually check after posting, put it down to old age or scotch @M1