Any air compressor whisperers here?

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My air compressor is driving me crazy. It only works 1 season out of 4. It works like a charm in warm weather. It does not work "near" cold weather. In other words, even if its been in the unheated garage when temperatures should have been above freezing for days, it does not go. It acts as if some instrumentation interlock is preventing it from starting. It's not oil. It's not a big compressor: 8 gallon tank.

Does someone have some experience with this? Is it some temperature sensor with a setpoint above 0 C, like 5 or 10 C? Could it be an oil temp sensor? Is there something inside insulated so that it is quick to freeze and slow to thaw?
 
Does someone have some experience with this? Is it some temperature sensor with a setpoint above 0 C, like 5 or 10 C?...

I have some experience and have never seen any such setup.
The connections are quite simple - power in, a pressure switch, a motor.
The better units have an unloader connected to the pressure switch .
This vents the output line to make it easier for the motor when it cuts back in.
But that's about it for a typical small unit.
If you have a multimeter and the experience to use it safely then it should be easy to follow the power.
This is mains, potentially lethal, so the usual disclaimers, don't do it unless you are qualified.

Best wishes
David
 
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Maybe this is a dumb question...Is the unit you are talking about gas powered and the motor won’t start?...or does it run on an electric motor? If it is gas operated it may have something to do with how the carb was tuned at the factory. You will have similar problems with most gas equipment that is tuned to run efficiently in warmer weather.
 
Based on your limited description if it is not doing anything, as in no hum or noise at all when plugged into the wall. I would suspect that the pressure switch is for some reason adversely affected by colder weather.

I would pull the cover off the pressure switch and check to see if the contacts in there are closed. It should go without saying, but make sure the lever switch is in the "ON" position while doing this. If you're comfortable checking it with a DMM with the power applied that's how I would do it.

If its the pressure switch you can get one of these dirt cheap. I've replaced a couple of them in the past on some old compressors I've refurbed for people.

You might want to add a picture or two, they are worth at least a thousand words.
 
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