Help with air compressor

[gimpy]

Good day folks. The manifold on my 20 year old air compressor gave up the ghost
I purchased a new manifold was able to piece it together
The issue I'm having is the is a small hole on the bottom of the pressure switch and
a tube connected to the tank just laying there
Any assistance would be a big help

 

[sorcerertd]

I'm guessing you don't have a "before" pic?
That tube should be how the air gets from the actual compressor to the tank. The hole on the pressure switch should connect to that somehow also to tell it when to cut off. Many that I've seen hook into a union of some type where they all come together at the tank inlet. Yours may connect to the tank differently somehow, but I think that's going to be kinda important to connect either way.

 

[Jim Campbell]

 

[sorcerertd]

What I'm not seeing there is a check valve/inlet for the tank. This is a generic pic I found of what I'm talking about. Most of the time this would be at the base of the manifold where you just have a straight pipe.

 

[gimpy]

Ok, I'm at a loss here. I thought I had it figured out, as I made all the connections attempted to run it, ran and for right away. So there is a spring and ball that the small tubing is attached to. I took the the spring out and turned it around as is is a tampered spring. Now the compressor runs, however, it doesn't build up any pressure
Any ideas......looking at the the second post is identical to mine, it even has the same pressure switch. As you can see in my retrofit I have a different pressure switch
Thanks in advance

 

[Sylvanite]

I suspect it's part of the pressure unloader. When the tank reaches pressure, the pressure switch both:

1. shuts off power to the motor and
2. triggers the pressure unloader, which releases the built up pressure from the compressor.

That way, when the tank pressure drops and the switch turns back on, the motor starts the compressor empty, rather than at full pressure. Once running, the motor can drive the compressor at pressure, but trying to start under pressure can damage things.

If the unloader is not connected, then (as you observe) the compressor will not build pressure. The tube should somehow connect back to the pressure switch.

I hope that helps,
Eric

 

[sorcerertd]

Pressure unloader... hmm. Makes sense. I was thinking that the ball/spring was the check valve to keep the pressure in. I don't claim to be a compressor authority, but I'm sure it's supposed to control the pressure one way or another.

 

[gimpy]

I took the tube from under the motor and turned the unit on, I was getting air, so when I put piece with the ball and spring unit back on, and i still don't have any pressure......

 

[sorcerertd]

That's the end of my ideas. I defer to someone with more working knowledge of compressors. I get the theory, but maybe someone else will still chime in.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[gimpy]

Thank You all for your assistance, if, when, I get it figured out
Ill post the results

 

[Sylvanite]

Your pressure switch probably has a flared brass fitting on the underside. My guess is that this tube is supposed to connect there (although from your photo, it might not reach).

I hope that helps,
Eric