Air compressor problem

The reed valves are very easy to make, use metal pallet banding strap works great. I fixed a friends compressor that is used daily for bodywork, 2 hp motor....
Yup- I fixed a friend's pump with a slightly modified feeler gauge, chosen for the "carefully measured:cautious:" flex. Many older units I have seen run a disc shaped reed, which might complicate the fix.
If your even thinking about using a compressor that has been sitting for 'at least 10 years" . And it ran fine my first thing to do would be check out that tank carefully. Compressor tanks don't like sitting with water in them that long.
I was very fortunate- my uncle found my compressor for me. A "Westinghouse" 2 horse 220v single phase, dual stage, 80 gallon horizontal manufactured in 1949 by the tag on the tank. It lived it's entire life in a service station run by a very fussy owner with strict rules for his employees. My cousin was one, mid seventies. Draining the tank at the end of shift was NOT optional. You oughta see this motor. Big as a 5 gallon bucket, 100 lbs of AMERICAN horses. The tag says 2 horse. It draws about 27 amps! Runs cool, dead quiet, original bearings. The tank has been drained very religiously since I have owned it, I have run a hammer over the bottom of it more than once, and I trust it completely.
 
Try dropping the transfer pipe and the second stage to tank pipe and squirting some WD-40 or similar into the intake on both cylinders when running and listen for a change in sound also check the check valve,( one-way valve into the tank), as sometimes they stick and it will take forever to get any sort of pressure rise. Check the motor power and the drive ratio to see if the motor is powerful enough,(may have been swopped), and that the drive ratio is in the ball park for operating speed.
With the pipes off you may be able to look at the outlet valve on each cylinder at least.
 
If your even thinking about using a compressor that has been sitting for 'at least 10 years" . And it ran fine my first thing to do would be check out that tank carefully. Compressor tanks don't like sitting with water in them that long. I agree on the possibility of the valves being crudded up. Another is stuck rings Even one would affect the pumping.

Yep check the tank. Here is what happened to mine.


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jdedmon91,
That is scary, good thing it was outside. Pretty light gauge steel though.
I've got a new much larger than my Ingersoll Rand type 30 compressor awaiting a new dedicated home. I'm going to be coating the inside of the tank with some of that U.S. Tank Sealer that is made for fuel tanks as I think it will stand up to time better than PA 10 in the application before using though as wall thickness is only 6 mm.
Present use tank is locally made 30 Gallon 1/2" HT steel that has lasted 40 + years so far but it does get drained regularly and was coated with PA 10 before use.
 
jdedmon91,
That is scary, good thing it was outside. Pretty light gauge steel though.
I've got a new much larger than my Ingersoll Rand type 30 compressor awaiting a new dedicated home. I'm going to be coating the inside of the tank with some of that U.S. Tank Sealer that is made for fuel tanks as I think it will stand up to time better than PA 10 in the application before using though as wall thickness is only 6 mm.
Present use tank is locally made 30 Gallon 1/2" HT steel that has lasted 40 + years so far but it does get drained regularly and was coated with PA 10 before use.

It was a light duty oil less compressor that was 25 years old. I don’t run air tools very seldom, just inflate tires and blow things off


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Yup- I fixed a friend's pump with a slightly modified feeler gauge, chosen for the "carefully measured:cautious:" flex. Many older units I have seen run a disc shaped reed, which might complicate the fix.

I was very fortunate- my uncle found my compressor for me. A "Westinghouse" 2 horse 220v single phase, dual stage, 80 gallon horizontal manufactured in 1949 by the tag on the tank. It lived it's entire life in a service station run by a very fussy owner with strict rules for his employees. My cousin was one, mid seventies. Draining the tank at the end of shift was NOT optional. You oughta see this motor. Big as a 5 gallon bucket, 100 lbs of AMERICAN horses. The tag says 2 horse. It draws about 27 amps! Runs cool, dead quiet, original bearings. The tank has been drained very religiously since I have owned it, I have run a hammer over the bottom of it more than once, and I trust it completely.
 
Westerner- I had one of those Westinghouse Air Brake compressors in my shop back in the day. I think my tag said something like 1946. That was one beautiful beast of an air compressor. I had the cut off pressure set at 175psi...And with a body man, 2 mechanics... In ground air over hydraulic lifts, and air tools running ....It would maintain 150 psi all day long. That was just an incredible old air compressor. You just couldn't overwork it and the pressure was always maintained. I loved that air compressor.
By the way...Its fairly easy to do a redneck hydro test of an air tank. Fill it with water, and pressurize it with nitrogen. I know that's not truly how they test tanks, but if you fill it to the brim with water, you can give it a test pressure of 1.5 times the working pressure and at least have some confidence that it won't explode on you. That said, I kind of think those older tanks were very over built compared to the Chinese crap we now have which isn't even ASME certified.
( I think ASME tests at 2 times or 2.5 times the working pressure)
 
By the way...Its fairly easy to do a redneck hydro test of an air tank. Fill it with water, and pressurize it with nitrogen.

Why Nitrogen? I would think that when the vessel is filled with water you could use any gas (non-flammable) such are Air from another air compressor. This is not advise, just wanting to understand.
 
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