Connecting portable air compressor to battery terminals

razrrila99

778 posts · Joined 2015

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#2 · May 5, 2017

I normally try to do anything hot first then ground when connecting; then ground first then hot when disconnecting.

 

NotARubicon!

2,599 posts · Joined 2014

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#3 · May 5, 2017

I would love to see some actual documentation/sources to back up all of the opinions we will no doubt see posted.
I was once told it didn't matter - completing a circuit is completing a circuit, no matter which side touches first or last.. I don't know if this is true or not, but this is the philosophy I've been living my life by ever since..

 

U

USMCmike

335 posts · Joined 2016

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#4 · May 5, 2017

As long as the compressor is off when you connect and disconnect it doesn't matter.

 

bobchase

1,226 posts · Joined 2015

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#6 · May 5, 2017

The 'positive 1st' comes from jump starting a depleted battery. Lead acid batteries outgas hydrogen when they discharge and an arc on the depleted battery's terminal could ignite the hydrogen. Therefore you make the pos 1st and complete the circuit elsewhere on a chassis ground. Of course, once you lift the hood on a Jeep, the chances of a hydrogen cloud being there are pretty much gone.

With my compressor I make the pos 1st only because the positive terminal has so much stuff around it that I want to make sure that it won't drift after I land it and cause problems for me while I'm elsewhere. Once I've got tht one on good I just land the neg any old way. I've been thinking about installing a couple of Neutrik chassis mounts for +12 volt power, one under the hood and one in my existing rear power outlet.