Is anyone familiar with this compressor or company?

[wretched73]

My friend and I are cleaning out an old dry cleaning place in Somerville. Upon further inspection we find a working compressor in the basement. It is quite large (probably 60gallon horizontal tank) and has a nice sized reciprocating pump on it. The tank said GE. General Electric of Newark New Jersey, but doesn't have the well known GE insignia. The electric motor says GE and has the commonly known GE insignia. The pump is a Quincy pump, which I found out is a well known industrial pump.

I am going to try and sell the air compressor as a whole and was wondering if anyone knew anything about GE of Newark NJ or how much I should go about asking for it? I'm not sure where to post this so I figured the lounge was my best bet....


The Cord was attached so I could test the motor to ensure it worked. It was originally hard wired in and the power was shut off to the building when we took it out.




The model number says this is a 212-24 Quincy pump.






This is the label on the back of the tank.

[WildBillyT]

Does the GE stand for General Equipment?

[wretched73]

Originally Posted by WildBillyT

Does the GE stand for General Equipment?

On the front of the tank, on that label, it says General Electrical* Equipment

[BonzoHansen]

that sure looks like the GE symbol on the electric motor. i don't think GE made tanks but you never know. my guess is quincy used whatever brand tank, a ge motor and their pump.

how about a close up of the tag in question on the tank?

if you can't assemble it and make it work i suspect it isn't worth more than scrap value. but you never know I guess. scour CL and see how much others ask for such things.

[wretched73]

It can be assembled, the only reason it was disassembled was because of how incredibly heavy it all is haha, it also had to be brought up a flight of stairs so size and weight was an issue

Note: I still have all the necessary pieces to put it all back together

[donnj]

just a thought, working vs actually creating and holding pressure in a sealed chamber 80-120 psi are two different things

[zraffz]

Assemble it and see if it actually functions as stated. If you can't find out much about it, chances are it isn't worth much because when something breaks it can't be fixed.

[WildBillyT]

If you do keep it, it's probably worth getting pressure tested.

[The_Bishop]

I'd be cautious with that tank; if it's had water sitting in it the bottom may be rusted dangerously thin.

[69RSZ]

make sure you clean your hands very good as the chemicals used for dry cleaning back in the day caused all kinds of health problems!!If there is any liquid in the tank (condensation) it might be contaminated.

[BonzoHansen]

i still say scrap it!

[wretched73]

Thank you for all the advice. I will look into all of it. The tank is extremely thick and weighs a ton. I wish i had the means to actually weigh it.

[wretched73]

Originally Posted by BonzoHansen

i still say scrap it!

Scraping it was my first option and still remains a viable option. I just thought it would be wise to see if any of it held any value before making any hasty decisions. From what I have learned from other reputable resources is that Quincy pumps are completely rebuildable and could be worth a decent sum of money.

Now I still realize that it may only be worth its weight in scrap but there are still a few days to go until I have time to run to the scrap yard again. So until then I will do further research on this subject.

[sweetbmxrider]

Make sure it runs and get up to operating pressure and holds it. Then put it on craigslist and expect $50.

[wretched73]

Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider

Make sure it runs and get up to operating pressure and holds it. Then put it on craigslist and expect $50.

I appreciate your sarcasm and will make sure I ignore every aspect of it.

[BonzoHansen]

I think he's right, not sarcastic.

[LTb1ow]

Fill it with water and pressure check.

Or be ballsy, and straight 1500psi C02 at once.

[HardcoreZ28]

Those old compressors are beasts....I have one in the shop that I think is from the 50's....it weighs a ton! I got it for free from a friend because he moved into a new place and it was there when he moved in and knocked like no tomorrow. I brought it home and found a company that sells a rebuild kit. $300, a few hours of my time, and 5 years later it's still cranking away every single day in my shop. Much better than spending over $2k on a new one of the same size and capacity and having it last half as long.

That being said....I have no idea what market value is on it. But if someone wants one that will last it would be a great candidate.

Can you tell if the compressor is single or dual stage? I can't see in the pic...but does it appear to have one or two cylinders?

[NHRABill]

Other option is to keep the Motor scrap the tank. There is a good secondary market for older electric motors should check into that as well. too big and low on power for my needs good luck

[wretched73]

Originally Posted by HardcoreZ28

Those old compressors are beasts....I have one in the shop that I think is from the 50's....it weighs a ton! I got it for free from a friend because he moved into a new place and it was there when he moved in and knocked like no tomorrow. I brought it home and found a company that sells a rebuild kit. $300, a few hours of my time, and 5 years later it's still cranking away every single day in my shop. Much better than spending over $2k on a new one of the same size and capacity and having it last half as long.

That being said....I have no idea what market value is on it. But if someone wants one that will last it would be a great candidate.

Can you tell if the compressor is single or dual stage? I can't see in the pic...but does it appear to have one or two cylinders?

2 cylinders

[townsend]

i actually have the same compressor. thing is louder than hell but runs great. wish it was in that nice of shape though.

[wretched73]

Originally Posted by townsend

i actually have the same compressor. thing is louder than hell but runs great. wish it was in that nice of shape though.

Do you remember what you paid for it?