Is this compressor worth anything?

This is what I am thinking, unloader not working mechanically or electrically.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus12217
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... and with a ball _in_ the check valve, it works just fine, even though it keeps leaking from the compressor head (the ball came from a toy, so while it's steel and shiny, it's probably far -- or far enough -- from being a perfectly round ball bearing).

Reply to
Tim Wescott

Reply to
Ignoramus12217

On my home brew set up, the unloader is incorporated in the pressure switch - 1/4" tube runs from the input side of the check valve to the side of the switch where a tire valve is pressed open when the switch turns the motor off. At this point there is a hiss as air is released from the plumbing between the compressor and the check valve. I can press the little lever down to release pressure if I switch the motor off before the tank is up to pressure. Some pressure switches manually shut off the power by mechanically opening the contacts independent of pressure. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Reply to
Gerald Miller

My friendly mechanic donated a 1/2" ball from a dismantled bearing to replace the corroded ball which serves as the outlet valve on my little Gardner Denver. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Reply to
Gerald Miller

Sounds like two different problems. One, the check valve (now that you have one...) still isn't sealing. Hence the leak-back and hissing, and the hard starting.

Most of those valves either have a hard poppet with a soft seat, or a hard seat and a poppet like a little torpedo with a soft sealing face washer on it. Hard seat and hard ball isn't going to do it.

Look up the generic compressor check valves on McMaster or Grainger, they're cheap and easy to replace - the hard part is finding the right combination of NPT threads on the tank end and Flare or Compression or NPT on the compressor end.

Two, there should be a mechanical unloader valve on the pressure switch, with some 1/4" tubing between the unloader and the output tubing before the tank check valve.

You might even be able to fix yours on the cheap. It's a Schraeder tire core for the valve.

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman (munged human

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