Re-using the compressor from a broken 8000 btu/hr window air conditioner. Nice and quiet, took it up to 250 PSI, but can probably go much higher. 1 CFM throughput.
These kind of pressures don't do much on small area like that. If we assume a 1/4 inch dia x 1.0 inch deep hole its only 10 lbs of axial force (shooting) and 50 lbs or radial force (splitting). Different Story If you were to build a pressure vessel of considerate diameter.
This is a rotary compressor, usually stationary vane and orbiting “piston”. Cooling is done by the cool refrigerant returning to the compressor. Biggest issue with utilising refrigeration compressors for other tasks is rusting due to moisture contamination and loss of oil.
Recommendation: Get a short self drilling/tapping screw, drill a hole in the bottom of the compressor and dump all the Freon oil (it's hygroscopic = absorbs moisture and turns to acid), then get regular compressor oil (synthetic) and suck approx 1/4cup (2oz) in the intake tube, then put the short screw in the hole in the bottom to seal up the compressor I got some of those Access/Service Valve 1/4'' from amazon...soldered on both sides of the inlet and outlet...then had a compressor and vacuum pump...but it did get VERY hot (my compressor came from an old refrigerator
I restored Corvettes for 30+ years and from 1968 to 1982 the headlight doors and from 1968 to 1972 the windshield wipers door was controlled by a vacuum system. The biggest problem was finding leaks with the vehicle running, the way I solved this problem was to run a vacuum hose from an old a/c compressor pump that I placed in another room into my shop, I could then listen for leaks without starting and running the engine, it made it so much easier to find leaks and I was so proud of my ingenuity, (I was 17 at the time), it cut repair time in half overall and saved me and my customer's money. So like you, sometimes you get the feeling you should keep an odd part or two, you never know you just might have a need later on. My brother also took a compressor pump from a refrigerator and made a setup for bleeding brakes and changing the oil in rear ends. One thing I didn’t mention above is, that you keep it oiled, use a reservoir, a check valve, and a limit switch if you decide to build yourself a vacuum system.
I had a customer with a cracked intake manifold a few months back that had already spent thousands at other shops getting throttle bodies replaced repeatedly. A sketchy way to check for vacuum leaks is to spray starting fluid lightly around the vacuum lines/intake/etc. Wd40 works too and isn't as flammable. But recently I built a smoke machine that I use for leaks. Took an old Mason jar, a couple 1/4" hoses and an old soldering iron. Popped some holes in the jar and hot glued the iron and hoses in place. Put a couple rags and some used oil and trans fluid in the jar. Then just pull a line off the intake and pump smoke in. You can blow pressure yourself, but because there's no check valves, I just run a separate air gun turned down to 3-4psi.
@@MrGregsRnR You’re an absolute legend, we had a smoke machine for the same purpose, we didn’t make our own though. We used a smoke machine that was originally for stage plays, we just boosted the horsepower so to speak, if we had a leaking gasket, a bad brake booster, or an a/c duct control valve leaking, you would find it in a matter of seconds. I sort of miss those days, some people can’t wait to retire but if I didn’t have my car collection to work on I’d go crazy.
@@Sandy.J.Lloyd.Sr. appreciate it. I looked at buying one or repurposing one of my Halloween foggers, but those leave so much residue and I like building things vs spending money.
@@1987FX16 I did just that before I built my vacuum pump system. If you work on a lot of vehicles with vacuum systems, (something that all vehicles have) I can’t recommend building your own vacuum testing system enough. Even modern cars and trucks use a vacuum to control the emissions, the HVAC system, and the brake booster just to name a few. But you do have a great suggestion, I would only add that you separate the cars enough so the exhaust noise from the donor car doesn’t interfere with the leaking noise you’re looking for.
Please be careful. The compressor uses a case ground. It also uses the refrigerant to cool the motor and move the oil back into the compressor. You made a system designed to short the motor windings to the case with no safe path to ground. I use to teach refrigeration classes for a company and to force a compressor failure I would do exactly what your doing except I’d also bypass the temp limit (if it was external as larger compressors put them internally). I would always tap one of the compressor feet to ground though so it would safely throw a breaker.
Ditto this. The fan wasn’t the only thing cooling the compressor while it ran, the cold gaseous refrigerant plays a huge factor in keeping them cool. I can imagine at 200w, this compressor would only be good for maybe a 5 or 10% duty cycle pumping air.
I was In horror watching this. When he ran the motor backwards and when he puts the start winding on and off the capacitor. This guy is asking to get seriously injured by messing with stuff he doesn’t understand. I’m not done with the video but whatever he tries to use the compressor for will not last and when it goes out it won’t be pretty. At least he’s teaching his kids his brilliance.
A lot of interesting comments. All I know is that about 55 years ago my Dad got a compressor a guy built from a refrigerator. It was used for years, at least 15. I scrapped it (saved the tank) when I bought my Dad a “real” compressor. Nice flash back to my youth with Dad. Thanks!
The problem with ac compressors is that they rust when used to compress open air (As they typically contain a closed loop with self-contained oil). So they're great to use for a while... until they rust.
Recommendation: Get a short self drilling/tapping screw, drill a hole in the bottom of the compressor and dump all the Freon oil (it's hygroscopic = absorbs moisture and turns to acid), then get regular compressor oil (synthetic) and suck approx 1/4cup (2oz) in the intake tube, then put the short screw in the hole in the bottom to seal up the compressor
On balloon volume at 3:49, fill for 10 seconds. Tie off the ballon, and see how much water the baloon displaces in container where you can better determin volume vs trying to calculate fron an irregular shaped balloon.
@@1kreature Good point, but given a little extra math, that could be accounted for. But an even better process would be to time how long it takes to bubble air into a 2 liter bottle letting the bottle rise under it's own buoyancy untill there is no more water inside while you steady it from falling over. There's so little pressure from the weight of the bottle adding pressure compared to atmospheric pressure that it is practically negligible.
@@1kreature A ballon has about 0,15bar of pressure, it doesnt effect the messurment much, maybe 10% Usely you dont need to be rocket sience specific, it is just a compressor. If it does 1,0cfm or 1,1cfm doesnt matter. The ballon methode is quick and easy without getting the shop wet.
My grandfather used an old and giant refrigeration conpressor as an air compressor in his garage for 50 years until he passed. The family sold it and is still being used today.
Refrigerant compressors are designed to start under pressure since it would probably be a bad idea to bleed off the excess refrigerant pressure lol. I regularly see R410a compressors start with 150 psi inside of them. So if you wanted to go through all the trouble of building a janky air compressor you wouldn't need a bleed valve haha.
I've always been facinated by guys that can reverse engineer something with simple logic to work out how it works, and then run it. I have done this multiple times, and having convinced myself that I know what I'm doing with total confidence, I have applied the mains supply. This is the bit where there is a bright flash that permanently reduces my eyesight by another 15%, a high pitched ringing in my ears and the charred ghost of the component on my desk where it used to be. Nothing humbles like 240vAC
You deliver excellent content to your audience. It's very interesting material. All of your effort put into creating this video is much appreciated. I'm truly grateful for your help!
I saw that gage and wood and went… oh no high side pressure on that ac compressor is going to be over 400psi normal operating. Pretty amazing that stuff didn’t seem to mind.
It’s crazy because I’m in hvac and understand the implementing and basics, and you REALLY understand the finer goings on This helped me understand a few things, so thanks
R410A compressors use POE lubricating oil. It might degrade and become acidic due to moisture in the air. I would use the compressor as a vacuum pump only because it might discharge some oil in use. The older R22 compressors use mineral oil and is less of a problem when using it open like this, although it may still absorb water and other contaminates so would have to be changed every so often (not that easy).
Very nice demonstration and data. I recently built a compressor using that exact same unit and an old fire extinguisher as the air tank, not that complicated at all. It's perfect for airbrushing, running a brad nail gun or staple gun. Thank you.
As a kid my friend and I were tasked to remove and retrieve a refrigerator compressor from a dumped unit behind a building. We brought it home and my friend’s father made it into his tire pump compressor. It was slow but never went bad.
I've made a shop air compressor from a fridge compressor! Yes, it's got a check valve, unloader valve, pressure switch, and coalescing filter. It may be slow, but it's silent which is important for an apartment shop. Lubrication is a concern with these compressors, their original oil was designed to circulate with the refrigerant and doesn't work well for air-compressor duty. I drained the oil from mine and filled it with 30W air compressor oil. Three years of moderate use and two oil changes later, it's still going strong (and silent), and the air that comes out is pretty much oil-free.
Very handy to have in the shop. I have two refrigerator compressors adapted to run, one as a compressor for an airbrush, and the other as a vacuum source for a powerful desoldering iron. They are small and extremely silent.
@@mharlha Hola! La traducción es una función de CZcams que se activa en el botón CC (leyendas). Quizás buscar en la web como activar el Auto-Translate (traducción automática) de un vídeo de CZcams. Lo siento, pero no creo que pueda ayudarle más que esto. Un saludo, desde Portugal 🙂
Earned a sub. I was given a dehumidifier that was running but not collecting humidity. I have suspected that the coolant was gone as the rest of it is fine. This sort of project would be fun with my kids, as I do some odd projects like this with them. We used to take apart many devices such as printers, and scanners (great place to get small, good quality motors). This might just be what we do tomorrow. Thank you for sharing this bit of fun.
The coolant has oil which seals the compressor and lubricates it. The commercial one I have that has that type of pump has a sight glass. The one I built has an oil trap on the output that drains back to the pump when it turns off. Kind of convoluted plumbing but super quiet.
I've seen you make a lot of things from wood that aren't normally made from wood but that air fitting still surprised me. It's not stupid if it works lol
I had a compressor from an AC unit, and I recorded maximum pressure at 880 PSI. It was awesome for pressurizing my Air cannon. Unlike yours mine was made from cast iron pipe, and could handle substantially more pressure. 3 inch PVC has a recommended working load of 180 psi with a burst rating of 840 (although I have seen them break long before that.. Cast Iron pipe: A 2-inch pipe is rated for 920 PSI of continuous service pressure and will burst at 7,340 PSI.
6:15 If you buy a "pressostat" (pressure on/off switch) , when the set pressure is reached and the electric switch turns off the power, there is a small release valve inside that release the pressure between the compressor and the check valve, so that the compressor can start without backpressure. Also, if you want to use a refrigerator / airco compressor as a normal air compressor, it's recommended to swap the oil with normal air compressor oil, the original oil is very aggressive for rubber tires/footballs etc.... if you don't use a oil separator. Such a compressor new can reach easily 50 to 60Bar of pressure, used ones depending on the age will reach 25 to 30Bar minimum. Back in the 90's, i have build many air compressors with compressors of refrigators / freezers, and used a propane bottle as tank, with a safety pressure valve that opens if the pressure switch don't shut off, otherwise you create a bomb.
I know this has been said already but, refrigerant compressors use the refrigerant to cool and lubricate the motor. Most Copeland compressors aren't rated for return gas temperature above 65°. Also, the lubricant used for R410a is POE oil. A dehydrated acid, so having air enter that compressor will mix with the left over oil and start to cause more damage. I do wanna say, as a technician I told it was really interesting watch you walk through the wiring of the capacitor and the compressor.
I used a couple ac compressors in an oxygen generator system I built, used a double swing adsorption element from a oxygen pump you’d find being used at hospitals/retirement homes for elderly, and an exercise ball as a diaphragm to collect the oxygen as it’s produced at a small pressure/volume then some switches to kick on the compressors to suck the oxygen out of the diaphragm and compress it into an oxygen tank and an arduino micro controller to control it all, the molecular sieves separate the oxygen from the nitrogen and moisture so it’s almost completely dry oxygen being compressed so no internal rust issues, a moisture trap to separate any oil from the compressors, the line is positioned vertical as to keep as much oil in the compressors as possible, and I use the oxygen as a means to oxygenate my oil burner jet for my foundry to help reach temps high enough to melt steel and cast iron, all using old junk and recycled vegetable oil for a budget foundry, needless to say, it’s all pretty dangerous and wouldn’t recommend anyone else try it lol, dangerous on so many levels
On my 1989 chevy Silverado. I used my factory ac compressor as an air compressor. I put 30w oil into the suction side every few uses. Also used an oil water separator as well as a check valve. Could also use 10w 30 oil.
back in a day, when I was a teenager my father out of curiosity hooked up a monometer with his bear hands cold to a refrigerator pump it showed 240 ish psi and after pressure was too high he let it go, it was showing 17 atmospheres I still remember it and will never forget
Great video, but yes as other commentators say the metal of the compressor has to be grounded at minimum . If you see other CZcams videos of AC's, the compressor can and does short to the metal can it is in, so in this case a person might be electric shocked if the ground is NOT connected.
I have been using an AC comp on an old compressor tank/pressure controller for years. I periodically squirt left over vacuum pump oil into the air cleaner inlet and so far, so good. It's not fast, but quiet.
A lot of older compressors used a clickson to turn off the starting cap (and I thought I saw it inline with the capacitor) and when the motor gets warmer, it turns the capacitor off.
I’ve had a few of these that I used for different things. I wanted to try making a solder vacuum so I could desolder components from a PCB, but the solder kept solidifying in the pipe and clogging it. Eventually I get bored with them and just cut them open and put the armature on display.
If the compressor stops running, it may be just the thermal overload. There is typically a thermistor on the common terminal. If you measure normal resistance from start to run, and open from both start and run to common, just wait for it to cool down
An R410a compressor can reach 800-1000psi easilly. you have to be very careful not to burst the air storage tank by using pressure relief valve and pressure set cutoff of the compressor. The oil inside also needs to be changed cause most if not all 410a compressors use POE oil which absorbs moisture from the air and will destroy the compressor over time. Volume wise an r410a compressor doesnt provide big flow rate because its designed for high pressure and also high backpressure(suction pressure). You can check the cc of the compressor if you have the part number of it. Multiplying the cc with the rpm will give you the flowrate.
@@km4hr Glad you aren't him then as he is a good parent knowing the limits. You are what is so wrong with the world today and why our children have grown into adult children wrapped in bubble wrap.
@@km4hr And you should, because you don't have enough knowledge to guide your children safely thru minor dangers. Like you, they are doomed to live (?) as chicken and trust the foxes saying "Come hide in my cave and be safe from the FALLING SKY" (Don't use the compressor you already have, buy one from me)
The comparison with the cheap shop compressor is usually because they only have negligible oil mist on the outside, i.e. all the seals are running dry, and will eventually need replacing. If you want a shop compressor that is silent and doesn't break the bank, look out for three-cylinder compressors. 10 bar, 300 liters per minute at reasonable noise level, around 700 bucks.
S - Start R - Run C - Common Love your vids btw, over the years i think sometimes why i keep this sub active, but you never fail to deliver. keep it goin boss
When I did HHO testing I used the following method to determ production rate. 1) id mark a 2 liter bottle with 1 and 2 liters of fluid inside 2) then id connect a section of hose to the hho generator and put the other end inside the bottle. 3) Then I'd put a second hose in and turn the 2 liter bottle upside down over water and use the second hose to suck the air out of the 2 liter bottle to the point where there's maybe 0.5 liters of air left, And then pulled the second hose out. all the while I'd keep the HHO hose just above the water line. 4) Then when I started the test, I'd hold the bottle so that the water level inside and outside were even so that there was never any pressure or suction. I'd also keep the position the end of the hose just above water level so that I didnt have to factor how much volume it consumed. 5) Then i'd start the timer when the water level was at the one liter mark, and at the 2 liter mark. Then I'd know how many seconds it took to displace 1 liter without any pressure to influence it.
that looks plenty powerful enough to do resin infusions through fibreglass or carbon fibre if you add a vacuum reservoir :) good for degassing stuff too i bet that thing will find plenty of uses
I use three refrigerator compressors in parallel with a small tank and a chinese regulator/pressure switch combo in my garage. It is enough for tyres, blowing out debris and other low pressure uses. I don't push it too much though.
I believe the cap is always there for the phase shift the only reason they are switched on at start and off is a hard start that allows more current for the start winding for a second or 2
One more thing to add - that compressor seems to be a rotary one, which are generally less suitable for running with air as the case is on the discharge side - any amount of humidity in the air will condense here and mix with the oil, which is obviously bad and potentially dangerous if terminals are exposed to humid oil. For an air compressor better use a piston type and this one would be OK for a vacuum pump.
@@matthiasrandomstuff2221 Veery unlikely. You can guess by overall shape and presence of an accumulator (that cylinder at its side, to protect from flooding with refrigerant) as suction is directly at the inlet pipe. That's also why it quiets down dramatically when you block the inlet.
@@matthiasrandomstuff2221 don't mean to be rude, but it's a scroll compressor, and will bleed air back out the inlet on shutdown. If your tank has a check valve, no need to get any fancier. Piston hermetics have internal suction and discharge check valves (reeds). I never stand near mine in operation and when it stops gurgling after shutdown I add a bit of 30 weight. It also does not operate below freezing, hypothesis still moisture in the housing. Beware of rust.
There are pressure switches that integrate the bleed valve, used to bleed the head pressure off the compressor pump in some models. That one way valve is odd; never encountered that in my decade as a repairer. Most compressors integrate reed valves in the head assembly, so are one way by default. May be specific to this repurposing, or a national difference; but we see equipment from everywhere here in Oz.
the one way valve is probably integrated with the bleed valve - if you didn't have it, you'd bleed all the pressure out of the tank too, not just the compressor head pressure.
Heads up, don't need a bleed valve on a scroll compressor. If the tank has a check valve, as most do, the oil is the only thing creating the seal. Oil alone will not hold back 10 psi. When the unit shuts down, the oil will gurgle and air backflows thru intake. Beware of rust, light duty only, as moisture prevents operation below freezing. Hope this helps.
A common problem we have where I am is momentarily loosing a phase for a split second. It's just long enough that if the compressor is running it will flip direction and run backwards till you turn it off or it shuts itself off. Happened twice the other day actually... Hasn't happened since last year. My neighbors was on and was also running backwards so I ran over and pulled the disconnect and restarted it. Unfortunately There isn't anything in the compressor or the relay to prevent this from happening and I don't know of an aftermarket module that will protect it that is affordable. For cooling the compressor it relies on the cold refrigerant on the suction side to cool it. But they are still good for short run time uses in the shop.
All you need is a "delay on make" timer for the compressor. Any time the condenser unit loses power, the timer will engage. It will then force the compressor to fully stop, wait 5 minutes (or any other setting) for the head to equalize, and then it will allow the compressor to start back up.
@@mannys9130 Have one. It only works if the air handler looses power long enough and it happens to be on the leg that drops out as it's on the contactor leads not monitoring the incoming AC phases. I used to do commercial refrigeration way back. We had commercial units on the three phase power that if it noticed any drop at all it would kick out the power. But for ones that work on residential they are around $400 last time I checked.
Phase loss relays are a thing, not sure whether they'd react quickly enough. I'm surprised there isn't enough inertia in the compressor to keep running.
Phone your power company - if you're loosing one of your hot legs (and it's a leg, not a phase, unless you actually have 3 phase power which in residential is highly unlikely), there's a loose connection, failing cable, or failing transformer. Probably a lot easier for them to fix when it's a small problem, not after it melts down into a molten blob (or if the problem is in your breakers or wiring, after your house burns down). Also check the contactor in the AC condensing unit for burned contacts - contactors are cheap to replace.
That is a run capacitor that stays in the circuit. Start capacitors are usually plastic and wired in parellel with the run capacitor and will have a potential relay ran in series wjth the compressor circuit to remove the start capacitor from the circuit after startup. Also, the compressor is usually cooled by the leftover cooling capacity of the refrigerant. Typically, if these compressors try to compress liquid they will short, but if the liquid refrigerant was evaporated too soon in the evaporator it will also have mechanical failures from overheating.
Either I missed the video or there is no video of the making of this marvellous marble launcher. I would definitely be interested and hope theres evil laughter involved in the video.
My very first compressor was from a refrigerator on the side of the road and an old oxygen cylinder. I had no pressure control and found that if left for long enough it would make about 750 psi. No problem for a pressure vessel like that. Regulated to 125 psi it would run air tools ok. Later I had a three ton ac compressor and hooked up a pressure control to about 250 psi. just squirter a little transmission fluid in the inlet while it's running about every ten hours or so for lubrication.
I always thought that those needed the R-14 for lubricating the compressor. I don't know anything about window ac but I remember that you can't use a car ac pump as a air compressor unless you set up a oiler on the intake side.
I still have a car A/C compressor I was going to use as an onboard air compressor, lubrication was always going to be an issue so the project was abandoned.
@@OtherDalfite Yeah it's possible, I found a filter that could be stacked above an oiler so the oil was re-circulated but I couldn't find a good way to mount those. I'd also like to see it done well. Mine was going to be in a Discovery.
@@MattTester yeah pretty much same. I was going to use copper piping and fittings for mine but lost motivation after realizing that compression fittings kinda suck
never been this early for a Matthias video... fun and entertaining as per usual! Lotta cool stuff you could do with the air compressor... any plans for implementing it into a machine of some sorts..? or turning it into a shop compressor?
Take a piece of advice from an old farming magazine: don't build your own compressor. Sadly homemade compressors have been attributed to several tragedies, sometimes due to rust from condensation, and other issues.
Yeah, the old split rim thing. Keep it caged and duck during operation. Family friends kid died from that years ago. I personally have one rigged for a year, caged, in the corner, and I do not go near it during very light duty use. It also will not start below freezing, highly suspect moisture in the oil.
Many many years a go as a young teen my neighbors had this refrigerator compressor their dad set up and they were using it to fill up their bicycle tires. What I wonder and still do it that these were designed to have some kind of fluid in them, and without that fluid the unit would soon no longer work. Also I don't know if the built in valve system was meant to complacently seal off any backward air or fluid when the unit was not running, or the lack of the proper fluid has already caused the problem of leaky valve.
Honestly impressive that the piece of wood held 200+ psi without trying to exit the workshop. My safety squints were engaged just watching lol
Yeah, I was definitely worried it would explode 😱 (I know it probably wouldn't) Incredibly impressive performance though
Not really, wood is strong
Skookum safety squints
These kind of pressures don't do much on small area like that. If we assume a 1/4 inch dia x 1.0 inch deep hole its only 10 lbs of axial force (shooting) and 50 lbs or radial force (splitting). Different Story If you were to build a pressure vessel of considerate diameter.
@@BritishEngineer I think they were alluding to the wood block becoming a missile LOL
This is a rotary compressor, usually stationary vane and orbiting “piston”. Cooling is done by the cool refrigerant returning to the compressor. Biggest issue with utilising refrigeration compressors for other tasks is rusting due to moisture contamination and loss of oil.
They also tend to overheat quite badly - maybe that's why the power draw dropped
Recommendation: Get a short self drilling/tapping screw, drill a hole in the bottom of the compressor and dump all the Freon oil (it's hygroscopic = absorbs moisture and turns to acid), then get regular compressor oil (synthetic) and suck approx 1/4cup (2oz) in the intake tube, then put the short screw in the hole in the bottom to seal up the compressor
I got some of those Access/Service Valve 1/4'' from amazon...soldered on both sides of the inlet and outlet...then had a compressor and vacuum pump...but it did get VERY hot (my compressor came from an old refrigerator
yes ayoud have to put the line oiling system on the intake side of the compressor
Scroll* compressor
I have three of these hooked up in parallel for my I filled them with mineral oil and let him go to work they work fine no issues at all
I restored Corvettes for 30+ years and from 1968 to 1982 the headlight doors and from 1968 to 1972 the windshield wipers door was controlled by a vacuum system. The biggest problem was finding leaks with the vehicle running, the way I solved this problem was to run a vacuum hose from an old a/c compressor pump that I placed in another room into my shop, I could then listen for leaks without starting and running the engine, it made it so much easier to find leaks and I was so proud of my ingenuity, (I was 17 at the time), it cut repair time in half overall and saved me and my customer's money. So like you, sometimes you get the feeling you should keep an odd part or two, you never know you just might have a need later on.
My brother also took a compressor pump from a refrigerator and made a setup for bleeding brakes and changing the oil in rear ends. One thing I didn’t mention above is, that you keep it oiled, use a reservoir, a check valve, and a limit switch if you decide to build yourself a vacuum system.
I had a customer with a cracked intake manifold a few months back that had already spent thousands at other shops getting throttle bodies replaced repeatedly.
A sketchy way to check for vacuum leaks is to spray starting fluid lightly around the vacuum lines/intake/etc. Wd40 works too and isn't as flammable.
But recently I built a smoke machine that I use for leaks. Took an old Mason jar, a couple 1/4" hoses and an old soldering iron. Popped some holes in the jar and hot glued the iron and hoses in place. Put a couple rags and some used oil and trans fluid in the jar. Then just pull a line off the intake and pump smoke in.
You can blow pressure yourself, but because there's no check valves, I just run a separate air gun turned down to 3-4psi.
@@MrGregsRnR You’re an absolute legend, we had a smoke machine for the same purpose, we didn’t make our own though. We used a smoke machine that was originally for stage plays, we just boosted the horsepower so to speak, if we had a leaking gasket, a bad brake booster, or an a/c duct control valve leaking, you would find it in a matter of seconds. I sort of miss those days, some people can’t wait to retire but if I didn’t have my car collection to work on I’d go crazy.
@@Sandy.J.Lloyd.Sr. appreciate it. I looked at buying one or repurposing one of my Halloween foggers, but those leave so much residue and I like building things vs spending money.
Could have used another vehicle idling and used it as a vacuum source. I've done this before finding a vacuum leak.
@@1987FX16 I did just that before I built my vacuum pump system. If you work on a lot of vehicles with vacuum systems, (something that all vehicles have) I can’t recommend building your own vacuum testing system enough. Even modern cars and trucks use a vacuum to control the emissions, the HVAC system, and the brake booster just to name a few. But you do have a great suggestion, I would only add that you separate the cars enough so the exhaust noise from the donor car doesn’t interfere with the leaking noise you’re looking for.
Please be careful. The compressor uses a case ground. It also uses the refrigerant to cool the motor and move the oil back into the compressor. You made a system designed to short the motor windings to the case with no safe path to ground.
I use to teach refrigeration classes for a company and to force a compressor failure I would do exactly what your doing except I’d also bypass the temp limit (if it was external as larger compressors put them internally). I would always tap one of the compressor feet to ground though so it would safely throw a breaker.
Ditto this. The fan wasn’t the only thing cooling the compressor while it ran, the cold gaseous refrigerant plays a huge factor in keeping them cool. I can imagine at 200w, this compressor would only be good for maybe a 5 or 10% duty cycle pumping air.
I was In horror watching this. When he ran the motor backwards and when he puts the start winding on and off the capacitor. This guy is asking to get seriously injured by messing with stuff he doesn’t understand. I’m not done with the video but whatever he tries to use the compressor for will not last and when it goes out it won’t be pretty. At least he’s teaching his kids his brilliance.
Jesus Christ I just watched him hold that wood on there. I can’t watch the rest.
@@Augdogfrogslog He's an engineer and designed a key component of the first Blackberry phone. He can handle himself.
safety police woop woop
I didn't anticipate that little wooden doolie staying attached. I thought it was bound for the horizon, very surprised.
A lot of interesting comments. All I know is that about 55 years ago my Dad got a compressor a guy built from a refrigerator. It was used for years, at least 15. I scrapped it (saved the tank) when I bought my Dad a “real” compressor. Nice flash back to my youth with Dad. Thanks!
The problem with ac compressors is that they rust when used to compress open air (As they typically contain a closed loop with self-contained oil). So they're great to use for a while... until they rust.
Recommendation: Get a short self drilling/tapping screw, drill a hole in the bottom of the compressor and dump all the Freon oil (it's hygroscopic = absorbs moisture and turns to acid), then get regular compressor oil (synthetic) and suck approx 1/4cup (2oz) in the intake tube, then put the short screw in the hole in the bottom to seal up the compressor
That's true, the oil inside compressor can deteriorate under open air.
On balloon volume at 3:49, fill for 10 seconds. Tie off the ballon, and see how much water the baloon displaces in container where you can better determin volume vs trying to calculate fron an irregular shaped balloon.
The baloon excerts pressure on the gas...
@@1kreature Good point, but given a little extra math, that could be accounted for. But an even better process would be to time how long it takes to bubble air into a 2 liter bottle letting the bottle rise under it's own buoyancy untill there is no more water inside while you steady it from falling over. There's so little pressure from the weight of the bottle adding pressure compared to atmospheric pressure that it is practically negligible.
@@1kreature A ballon has about 0,15bar of pressure, it doesnt effect the messurment much, maybe 10%
Usely you dont need to be rocket sience specific, it is just a compressor.
If it does 1,0cfm or 1,1cfm doesnt matter.
The ballon methode is quick and easy without getting the shop wet.
My grandfather used an old and giant refrigeration conpressor as an air compressor in his garage for 50 years until he passed. The family sold it and is still being used today.
Refrigerant compressors are designed to start under pressure since it would probably be a bad idea to bleed off the excess refrigerant pressure lol. I regularly see R410a compressors start with 150 psi inside of them. So if you wanted to go through all the trouble of building a janky air compressor you wouldn't need a bleed valve haha.
they dont. pressure in the system is one thing, difference in pressure between discharge and suction is another thing
I've always been facinated by guys that can reverse engineer something with simple logic to work out how it works, and then run it.
I have done this multiple times, and having convinced myself that I know what I'm doing with total confidence, I have applied the mains supply.
This is the bit where there is a bright flash that permanently reduces my eyesight by another 15%, a high pitched ringing in my ears and the charred ghost of the component on my desk where it used to be.
Nothing humbles like 240vAC
Always impressive, as are your calculations! Your children are truly lucky to have such an Amazing Dad!
That wooden manifold deserves a award or something I have store bought aluminum ones fail at 150psi
You deliver excellent content to your audience. It's very interesting material. All of your effort put into creating this video is much appreciated. I'm truly grateful for your help!
Looks like a nearly perfect ready made airbrush compressor to me. Drier, filter, and regulator and you're ready to airbrush.
A project I've always wanted to try... also great to see you exposing your kids, that's how I got into engineering!
I really appreciate the way you explained the start and run windings.
I saw that gage and wood and went… oh no high side pressure on that ac compressor is going to be over 400psi normal operating. Pretty amazing that stuff didn’t seem to mind.
It’s crazy because I’m in hvac and understand the implementing and basics, and you REALLY understand the finer goings on
This helped me understand a few things, so thanks
If you go to tech school, you’ll learn way more and safety too.
R410A compressors use POE lubricating oil. It might degrade and become acidic due to moisture in the air. I would use the compressor as a vacuum pump only because it might discharge some oil in use. The older R22 compressors use mineral oil and is less of a problem when using it open like this, although it may still absorb water and other contaminates so would have to be changed every so often (not that easy).
Good point. I just swapped it for mineral oil as best as I could.
sitting here on my lunch break, smiling like a dope because of how fun and clever this video was. Thanks Matias!
Very nice demonstration and data. I recently built a compressor using that exact same unit and an old fire extinguisher as the air tank, not that complicated at all. It's perfect for airbrushing, running a brad nail gun or staple gun. Thank you.
i saw the air gun at 7:29 and instantly thought "You'll shoot your eye out". embedding the marble into a piece of pine is rather impressive.
Pretty interesting indeed, Matthias! 😃
I'm sure you're going to find some use for it!
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
As a kid my friend and I were tasked to remove and retrieve a refrigerator compressor from a dumped unit behind a building. We brought it home and my friend’s father made it into his tire pump compressor. It was slow but never went bad.
I've made a shop air compressor from a fridge compressor! Yes, it's got a check valve, unloader valve, pressure switch, and coalescing filter. It may be slow, but it's silent which is important for an apartment shop. Lubrication is a concern with these compressors, their original oil was designed to circulate with the refrigerant and doesn't work well for air-compressor duty. I drained the oil from mine and filled it with 30W air compressor oil. Three years of moderate use and two oil changes later, it's still going strong (and silent), and the air that comes out is pretty much oil-free.
Very handy to have in the shop. I have two refrigerator compressors adapted to run, one as a compressor for an airbrush, and the other as a vacuum source for a powerful desoldering iron. They are small and extremely silent.
José Silveira.
Porque no lo podían traducir, yo tengo casi 70 años y no entiendo el inglés , solo el castellano.
Gracias señor José.
@@mharlha Hola! La traducción es una función de CZcams que se activa en el botón CC (leyendas). Quizás buscar en la web como activar el Auto-Translate (traducción automática) de un vídeo de CZcams. Lo siento, pero no creo que pueda ayudarle más que esto. Un saludo, desde Portugal 🙂
@@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT
Obrigada.
Muitas gracias, somos vecinos!!!!!!.
Que Dios le de salud.
@@mharlha Gracias a ti 🙂
Earned a sub. I was given a dehumidifier that was running but not collecting humidity.
I have suspected that the coolant was gone as the rest of it is fine. This sort of project would be fun with my kids, as I do some odd projects like this with them.
We used to take apart many devices such as printers, and scanners (great place to get small, good quality motors).
This might just be what we do tomorrow. Thank you for sharing this bit of fun.
I love that you take stuff apart with your kids!!
I used my old dehumidifier's compressor as a vacuum pump for fiberglass work.
Worked like a charm.
Me uses ac comp to vaccum another ac lol 😂
I know that's actually a bad idea.
The coolant has oil which seals the compressor and lubricates it. The commercial one I have that has that type of pump has a sight glass. The one I built has an oil trap on the output that drains back to the pump when it turns off. Kind of convoluted plumbing but super quiet.
I've seen you make a lot of things from wood that aren't normally made from wood but that air fitting still surprised me. It's not stupid if it works lol
I had a compressor from an AC unit, and I recorded maximum pressure at 880 PSI. It was awesome for pressurizing my Air cannon. Unlike yours mine was made from cast iron pipe, and could handle substantially more pressure. 3 inch PVC has a recommended working load of 180 psi with a burst rating of 840 (although I have seen them break long before that..
Cast Iron pipe: A 2-inch pipe is rated for 920 PSI of continuous service pressure and will burst at 7,340 PSI.
6:15 If you buy a "pressostat" (pressure on/off switch) , when the set pressure is reached and the electric switch turns off the power, there is a small release valve inside that release the pressure between the compressor and the check valve, so that the compressor can start without backpressure.
Also, if you want to use a refrigerator / airco compressor as a normal air compressor, it's recommended to swap the oil with normal air compressor oil, the original oil is very aggressive for rubber tires/footballs etc.... if you don't use a oil separator.
Such a compressor new can reach easily 50 to 60Bar of pressure, used ones depending on the age will reach 25 to 30Bar minimum.
Back in the 90's, i have build many air compressors with compressors of refrigators / freezers, and used a propane bottle as tank, with a safety pressure valve that opens if the pressure switch don't shut off, otherwise you create a bomb.
I know this has been said already but, refrigerant compressors use the refrigerant to cool and lubricate the motor. Most Copeland compressors aren't rated for return gas temperature above 65°. Also, the lubricant used for R410a is POE oil. A dehydrated acid, so having air enter that compressor will mix with the left over oil and start to cause more damage.
I do wanna say, as a technician I told it was really interesting watch you walk through the wiring of the capacitor and the compressor.
It's always good to get your marbles back.
I used a couple ac compressors in an oxygen generator system I built, used a double swing adsorption element from a oxygen pump you’d find being used at hospitals/retirement homes for elderly, and an exercise ball as a diaphragm to collect the oxygen as it’s produced at a small pressure/volume then some switches to kick on the compressors to suck the oxygen out of the diaphragm and compress it into an oxygen tank and an arduino micro controller to control it all, the molecular sieves separate the oxygen from the nitrogen and moisture so it’s almost completely dry oxygen being compressed so no internal rust issues, a moisture trap to separate any oil from the compressors, the line is positioned vertical as to keep as much oil in the compressors as possible, and I use the oxygen as a means to oxygenate my oil burner jet for my foundry to help reach temps high enough to melt steel and cast iron, all using old junk and recycled vegetable oil for a budget foundry, needless to say, it’s all pretty dangerous and wouldn’t recommend anyone else try it lol, dangerous on so many levels
where i live, the most common and simple pressure switches come with a pressure relief integrated. I used one of those make my compressor
I just enjoy your ingenuity, it always gives me plesssure and thoughts about just do it THANKS
On my 1989 chevy Silverado. I used my factory ac compressor as an air compressor. I put 30w oil into the suction side every few uses. Also used an oil water separator as well as a check valve. Could also use 10w 30 oil.
back in a day, when I was a teenager my father out of curiosity hooked up a monometer with his bear hands cold to a refrigerator pump it showed 240 ish psi and after pressure was too high he let it go, it was showing 17 atmospheres I still remember it and will never forget
Reminds me of browsing spudfiles back in the day and watching people make silent 700 PSI air compressors from refrigerators.
I'm glad you were able to get your marble back, you don't want to lose those, trust me!
Did anyone else flinch as that gauge pegged out? Very impressive for some wood.
Great video, but yes as other commentators say the metal of the compressor has to be grounded at minimum . If you see other CZcams videos of AC's, the compressor can and does short to the metal can it is in, so in this case a person might be electric shocked if the ground is NOT connected.
Good to see you found your marble.
impressive performance by the wooden adapter.
When you said you would make an adapter silly me assumed you would get a chunk of Al. When I saw the wood I smiled. :)
I have been using an AC comp on an old compressor tank/pressure controller for years.
I periodically squirt left over vacuum pump oil into the air cleaner inlet and so far, so good.
It's not fast, but quiet.
Have no idea what you said describing the technical aspects of the compressor; but it sure is entertaining !!
I am so glad you didn't loose your marble.
old man wandel bringing the 'video played during a coroners inquiry' vibes
Good to see you haven’t lost your marbles.
A lot of older compressors used a clickson to turn off the starting cap (and I thought I saw it inline with the capacitor) and when the motor gets warmer, it turns the capacitor off.
I’ve had a few of these that I used for different things. I wanted to try making a solder vacuum so I could desolder components from a PCB, but the solder kept solidifying in the pipe and clogging it. Eventually I get bored with them and just cut them open and put the armature on display.
If the compressor stops running, it may be just the thermal overload. There is typically a thermistor on the common terminal. If you measure normal resistance from start to run, and open from both start and run to common, just wait for it to cool down
Iv been using an old fridge compressor for airbrushing models, and the vacuum side is great for bleeding the brakes on my cars
I'm glad that you're not losing your marble :)
An R410a compressor can reach 800-1000psi easilly. you have to be very careful not to burst the air storage tank by using pressure relief valve and pressure set cutoff of the compressor. The oil inside also needs to be changed cause most if not all 410a compressors use POE oil which absorbs moisture from the air and will destroy the compressor over time. Volume wise an r410a compressor doesnt provide big flow rate because its designed for high pressure and also high backpressure(suction pressure). You can check the cc of the compressor if you have the part number of it. Multiplying the cc with the rpm will give you the flowrate.
Lovely that your children love taking the stuff apart. That may lead into something later on directing them into a STEM based field.
I would keep them away. There are dangerous electrical and pressure hazards here.
@@km4hr Glad you aren't him then as he is a good parent knowing the limits. You are what is so wrong with the world today and why our children have grown into adult children wrapped in bubble wrap.
@@km4hr And you should, because you don't have enough knowledge to guide your children safely thru minor dangers. Like you, they are doomed to live (?) as chicken and trust the foxes saying "Come hide in my cave and be safe from the FALLING SKY" (Don't use the compressor you already have, buy one from me)
The comparison with the cheap shop compressor is usually because they only have negligible oil mist on the outside, i.e. all the seals are running dry, and will eventually need replacing.
If you want a shop compressor that is silent and doesn't break the bank, look out for three-cylinder compressors. 10 bar, 300 liters per minute at reasonable noise level, around 700 bucks.
Nice! I'd recommend a filter on the input to keep the nasties out the pump.
S - Start
R - Run
C - Common
Love your vids btw, over the years i think sometimes why i keep this sub active, but you never fail to deliver. keep it goin boss
Definite Mad Scientist vibes, as usual. I love this channel 😄
Sitting here eating lunch and heard Mathias "I need a kind of fitting here" and I was like "use a block of wood, right?" -> he did
What else:)
Many air compressor pressure switches have integrated bleeders that unload the line between the compressor and tank.
When I did HHO testing I used the following method to determ production rate.
1) id mark a 2 liter bottle with 1 and 2 liters of fluid inside
2) then id connect a section of hose to the hho generator and put the other end inside the bottle.
3) Then I'd put a second hose in and turn the 2 liter bottle upside down over water and use the second hose to suck the air out of the 2 liter bottle to the point where there's maybe 0.5 liters of air left, And then pulled the second hose out. all the while I'd keep the HHO hose just above the water line.
4) Then when I started the test, I'd hold the bottle so that the water level inside and outside were even so that there was never any pressure or suction. I'd also keep the position the end of the hose just above water level so that I didnt have to factor how much volume it consumed.
5) Then i'd start the timer when the water level was at the one liter mark, and at the 2 liter mark. Then I'd know how many seconds it took to displace 1 liter without any pressure to influence it.
that looks plenty powerful enough to do resin infusions through fibreglass or carbon fibre if you add a vacuum reservoir :)
good for degassing stuff too
i bet that thing will find plenty of uses
I use three refrigerator compressors in parallel with a small tank and a chinese regulator/pressure switch combo in my garage. It is enough for tyres, blowing out debris and other low pressure uses. I don't push it too much though.
Lol now that’s some high flow
thank you for the marble retrieval guide
The ending reminded of a classic Steve Urkel incident involving the Winslow's kitchen, a window cleaning gun, and too much pressure.
I believe the cap is always there for the phase shift the only reason they are switched on at start and off is a hard start that allows more current for the start winding for a second or 2
I'm glad you didn't lose your marble!
Love the inclusion of the air musket.
Good that you got the marble back. You don't want to lose your marbles.
One more thing to add - that compressor seems to be a rotary one, which are generally less suitable for running with air as the case is on the discharge side - any amount of humidity in the air will condense here and mix with the oil, which is obviously bad and potentially dangerous if terminals are exposed to humid oil. For an air compressor better use a piston type and this one would be OK for a vacuum pump.
its a piston type inside, I can tell from the sound and intermittent air flow
@@matthiasrandomstuff2221 Veery unlikely. You can guess by overall shape and presence of an accumulator (that cylinder at its side, to protect from flooding with refrigerant) as suction is directly at the inlet pipe. That's also why it quiets down dramatically when you block the inlet.
@@matthiasrandomstuff2221 don't mean to be rude, but it's a scroll compressor, and will bleed air back out the inlet on shutdown. If your tank has a check valve, no need to get any fancier. Piston hermetics have internal suction and discharge check valves (reeds). I never stand near mine in operation and when it stops gurgling after shutdown I add a bit of 30 weight. It also does not operate below freezing, hypothesis still moisture in the housing. Beware of rust.
3:24 I absolutely love how you taunt the clipboard warriors
favorite channel
There are pressure switches that integrate the bleed valve, used to bleed the head pressure off the compressor pump in some models.
That one way valve is odd; never encountered that in my decade as a repairer. Most compressors integrate reed valves in the head assembly, so are one way by default.
May be specific to this repurposing, or a national difference; but we see equipment from everywhere here in Oz.
the one way valve is probably integrated with the bleed valve - if you didn't have it, you'd bleed all the pressure out of the tank too, not just the compressor head pressure.
All you need for the bleed valve is a simple 220v normally open solenoid
Heads up, don't need a bleed valve on a scroll compressor. If the tank has a check valve, as most do, the oil is the only thing creating the seal. Oil alone will not hold back 10 psi. When the unit shuts down, the oil will gurgle and air backflows thru intake. Beware of rust, light duty only, as moisture prevents operation below freezing. Hope this helps.
A common problem we have where I am is momentarily loosing a phase for a split second. It's just long enough that if the compressor is running it will flip direction and run backwards till you turn it off or it shuts itself off. Happened twice the other day actually... Hasn't happened since last year. My neighbors was on and was also running backwards so I ran over and pulled the disconnect and restarted it.
Unfortunately There isn't anything in the compressor or the relay to prevent this from happening and I don't know of an aftermarket module that will protect it that is affordable.
For cooling the compressor it relies on the cold refrigerant on the suction side to cool it. But they are still good for short run time uses in the shop.
All you need is a "delay on make" timer for the compressor. Any time the condenser unit loses power, the timer will engage. It will then force the compressor to fully stop, wait 5 minutes (or any other setting) for the head to equalize, and then it will allow the compressor to start back up.
@@mannys9130 Have one. It only works if the air handler looses power long enough and it happens to be on the leg that drops out as it's on the contactor leads not monitoring the incoming AC phases. I used to do commercial refrigeration way back. We had commercial units on the three phase power that if it noticed any drop at all it would kick out the power. But for ones that work on residential they are around $400 last time I checked.
Phase loss relays are a thing, not sure whether they'd react quickly enough.
I'm surprised there isn't enough inertia in the compressor to keep running.
Phone your power company - if you're loosing one of your hot legs (and it's a leg, not a phase, unless you actually have 3 phase power which in residential is highly unlikely), there's a loose connection, failing cable, or failing transformer. Probably a lot easier for them to fix when it's a small problem, not after it melts down into a molten blob (or if the problem is in your breakers or wiring, after your house burns down). Also check the contactor in the AC condensing unit for burned contacts - contactors are cheap to replace.
"loses" :-p
"Got my marble back"
What about the rest of them? lol
Thanks for the video, always enjoy watching!
The mad scientist………. As always a very entertaining video.
Just impressed as usual.
That is a run capacitor that stays in the circuit. Start capacitors are usually plastic and wired in parellel with the run capacitor and will have a potential relay ran in series wjth the compressor circuit to remove the start capacitor from the circuit after startup. Also, the compressor is usually cooled by the leftover cooling capacity of the refrigerant. Typically, if these compressors try to compress liquid they will short, but if the liquid refrigerant was evaporated too soon in the evaporator it will also have mechanical failures from overheating.
Keep all of the fan blade parts from the air conditioner because the blower wheel could be used for a really good dust collector
Either I missed the video or there is no video of the making of this marvellous marble launcher. I would definitely be interested and hope theres evil laughter involved in the video.
My very first compressor was from a refrigerator on the side of the road and an old oxygen cylinder. I had no pressure control and found that if left for long enough it would make about 750 psi. No problem for a pressure vessel like that. Regulated to 125 psi it would run air tools ok. Later I had a three ton ac compressor and hooked up a pressure control to about 250 psi. just squirter a little transmission fluid in the inlet while it's running about every ten hours or so for lubrication.
I remember Aussie50 making something similar for his shop back in the days with a large rotary compressor.
You knew this would trigger the safety police... Didn't you lol.
I'm glad it got the engineers attention as well. 👍🏻
I would love to see you make a project with that compressor pump
Can imagine the madness you'll be up to once the kids start school 🙂
Cheers
I always thought that those needed the R-14 for lubricating the compressor. I don't know anything about window ac but I remember that you can't use a car ac pump as a air compressor unless you set up a oiler on the intake side.
I don't know. Works fine so far. If it goes, it goes, no big loss.
I still have a car A/C compressor I was going to use as an onboard air compressor, lubrication was always going to be an issue so the project was abandoned.
@@MattTester same reason I abandoned onboard air on my ranger. kinda wish I'd done it though because it would have been so cool.
@@OtherDalfite Yeah it's possible, I found a filter that could be stacked above an oiler so the oil was re-circulated but I couldn't find a good way to mount those. I'd also like to see it done well. Mine was going to be in a Discovery.
@@MattTester yeah pretty much same. I was going to use copper piping and fittings for mine but lost motivation after realizing that compression fittings kinda suck
never been this early for a Matthias video... fun and entertaining as per usual! Lotta cool stuff you could do with the air compressor... any plans for implementing it into a machine of some sorts..? or turning it into a shop compressor?
Glad you didn't lose your marble!
Air conditioner compressor run in a close loop with lubricant/oil mixed with the refrigerant.
Using it to pump air will cause it to die very quickly.
Take a piece of advice from an old farming magazine: don't build your own compressor. Sadly homemade compressors have been attributed to several tragedies, sometimes due to rust from condensation, and other issues.
Pressure test before use, with liquid instead of gas.
If you use glass bottles for storing the compressed air they won’t rust and you can see if any foreign particles ……… do not use glass or PVC
@@dorhocyn3 😂💀
Yeah, the old split rim thing. Keep it caged and duck during operation. Family friends kid died from that years ago.
I personally have one rigged for a year, caged, in the corner, and I do not go near it during very light duty use. It also will not start below freezing, highly suspect moisture in the oil.
What tragedies are you talking about. Please be more specific.
Be careful sloppily handling those capacitor terminals!! If you measure across terminals, you will see 300-400VAC of back EMF. It will light you up.
Proper air compressors also has oil separator on the output.
Many many years a go as a young teen my neighbors had this refrigerator compressor their dad set up and they were using it to fill up their bicycle tires. What I wonder and still do it that these were designed to have some kind of fluid in them, and without that fluid the unit would soon no longer work. Also I don't know if the built in valve system was meant to complacently seal off any backward air or fluid when the unit was not running, or the lack of the proper fluid has already caused the problem of leaky valve.
After that last demonstration, good to know you have all your marbles again.😉