As long as you know. It’s a good way to bust a knuckle. And strip the flats off a fitting. I’m an old retired Stationary Engr. Boilers and HVAC and every other system in a Hospital, hi-rise, or ship.
The trick with JB weld and similar epoxies doing that kind of thing is to heat them up- heat thins it out and makes it runnier and also causes it to set faster. I actually keep a few regular old school light bulbs and even a halogen one and a normal light socket in the shop for this, I set the hood of the light fixture over whatever it is like a dome over the part, it warms up and the JB weld spreads out and self-levels.
For the drain I use pull cord drain valves for semi trucks. Phillips 12 820 is the number. Any truck shop will have for like 10 bucks. They come with a 5 foot aluminum pull cord which can be routed easily. I drain my tank and never have to reach down as my pull cord is up top now. As for safety they are dot rated and trusted to hold air brake pressure on an 18 wheeler.
I bought one of these from Kragen (yes Kragen) when I was 16, I used it as my main compressor for somewhere around 17 years. I ran that thing through hell and back and more hot suppers than any tool should suffer. I finally upgraded to a new one after so so much abuse and THEN I broke it back out when I had to refinish my mom's house running an HVLP sprayer and I was not kind to it. I was able to boil water on the head. Once I was done the neighbor kid heard I was going to throw it out and asked for it. We tore open the compressor head, we found slightly warped valves and replaced them, made sure there wasn't any damage to it, buttoned it back up and I can hear it running on Saturday mornings from down the street doing the same thing I purchased it for all those years ago, working on a beater car. That is what you call a workhorse.
I have very nearly the same story with mine. It's always been too small for what I needed, but for the most part it always got it done. For what it cost, I couldn't have done better.
One thing I did with my compressor drain is a street elbow to an 8" (maybe 6"? I forget) copper pipe nipple, then the ball valve. It's at floor level, but it's out from under the tank, so it's easy to get to, and no length of hose to pinch or whatever. From there you can run a hose or whatever. Nice and clean!
You are right about the quality quick connects. I had a Harbor Freight one come apart under pressure and put a nice dent in my G37 fender. That cheap fitting cost me $700. I only use Milton fittings now.
My tips in priority order: 1. Lose the stock regulator as in video. 2. Replace couplers on compressor, main hoses, and air hog tools with Milton V series. They flow a lot more air and your regular fittings will work with them. 3. Use synthetic compressor oil. I got Husky from the homeless despot. My compressor used to struggle to start when it was 40F. I've run it at 20F with synthetic oil. My drain is unfortunately not at the bottom of the tank like the video so I have to tilt the whole thing to get all the water out. I suppose they thought they were making it more accessible. I've got a nice automatic drain valve I could install but it wouldn't drain the tank.
A lot of people have commented about the Milton Vs. I fully intend to take a look at some. 👍 The synthetic oil is a good idea and something I never considered since my current shop rarely gets cold enough to give the compressor fits. My prior shop was an unconditioned detached building, which did upset the compressor, and I never even thought about changing oil types. I wish I had! The only compressor I've ever seen with a drain not at the exact bottom is my little 18V Ryobi, and it makes up for it by being so small it really wouldn't have been practical to put it anywhere but where they did. In your case, I suggest taking the path I just did on my DeWalt (a video from 2 weeks ago) and install an aftercooling and water separation setup between the compressor and the tank. It's better to just never have water in it to begin with if you can. Mine has been remarkably effective.
@hughbrackett343 My 20 gallon air compressor calls for 10w30 synthetic engine oil for the pump. That is what I have always used. I drain the tank completely after each use. The air delivery sucks for certain tools, so I am going to eliminate the restrictions and use Milton high flow couplers. Hopefully it will work out well. 👍
It took me 6 years to figure out that the regulator was the problem on my HF 10 gallon. It ran everything perfectly, except for my impact wrench. One day, I had a hunch and took out the regulator. I tried to blow through it and there was a lot of restriction. I took it apart and found that none of the casting defects were ground out. I cleaned it out and got some improvement, but not enough for my impact. I had no clue which regulator to get and eventually forgot about it. The thought never occurred to me to just yank the thing out completely. I'm going to give it a shot. Thanks!
Removing it will almost certainly fix it. I've had to do it to every cheap China compressor I've been around. As luck would have it, I just bought another compressor with another cheap regulator so I'll probably be able to illustrate the issue on camera soon. If you want to run a regulator, I suggest something that is meant for professional use, most likely with something like 3/4 or 5/8 inlet/outlet. I've had a Parker on my shopping list for a long time now and am hoping to have a bit of compressed air re-fit in my little shop soon-ish.
@@sheepdog3828 No problem. Sometimes I have a hard time keeping up with all of the comments myself and it's my channel. 😆 Also... I did buy that Parker I was talking about and it will likely be on the channel "soon".
Question from an absolute beginner: why _would_ you want or need a regulator? Seems like most tools would benefit from all the air the thing can deliver them.
@@fallingwater Some tools have a maximum pressure rating. In fact, _most_ tools do and its usually 90psi. That said... I've run plenty of my tools far beyond that with no real problems. For me, a regulator is mostly useful when doing something "delicate", like blowing dust off of something that may be sensitive or even inflating a small object. It would be very easy to explode something like a beach ball (maybe even a basketball) at 150psi, but not so easy at 10 or 20 psi.
It is actuality very helpful that your connectors leaked air while making this awesome vid. I'm sure there will be some of us viewers that will have this same air-leaking issue. So seeing you fix yours is wonderful bonus information. Thank you for not editing this out.
I got that harbor freight compressor did the same took off regulator . I put brass union into a filter/water separator then a good fitting. also made a air/dryer with fitting and good regulator with good gauge . great for HVLP painting. I run 3/4 impact on mine. just not long run time. works just fine for me. easy take off big tractor tier . Tractor supply has IR synthetic compressor oil. I get better starts in our cold winter . that air filter 1/2 in NPT Amazon has good filters. and the filter cartridge I replaced with lawnmower foam just cut it to fit. now washable ! this is my back up compressor. .
That's pretty much the exact same experience I've had with mine, except mine has metric threads for the filter body. Not long after this I changed out to a Solberg filter housing (more akin to a motorcycle filter) and then, like you, this also became my backup compressor. 😆 On my new compressor I did my water separation before the air ever hits the tank, so hopefully my tank and such will stay nice and rust-free for a good long time to come.
Thanks for this vid. Many very useful tips and I liked your explanations of them. Thumbs up for sure, I learned a few useful things here. One thing I might have done a bit differently whilst you were dropping that JBW in with the popsicle stick would have been to slip a drinking straw (even if I had to make one to fit) over the threads of your centre post to avoid getting the JBW into the end of those threads. Thanks again!
Thanks. I'm glad you liked it! I don't think I even considered the threads while I was doing that. I might have probably just taped them off if I had even thought about it.
lol, resting your bare arms across those motor capacitors scared me. You weren't all that far away from a Significant Emotional Event. Good video. Cheers!
I just got a pipe adapter and a washable pod filter for the air filter. I think a 1 1/4 to 3/4 threaded pvc adapter was what worked on mine. No messing with glued on stuff that can break due to vibrations. Mine is all fancy with a real k&n filter due to me ordering the wrong size for something and didn't want to hassle returning it.
The threads on mine are M20, but that will vary by unit. I have never had a JB weld failure. I became a convert after I glued a radiator back together with that stuff and it went on to serve for 100,000 miles (about 5 years) until the car was scrapped due to rust. It's the only glue I've ever used that actually works. I've even machined the stuff. The key is to not be shy with it. The more, the merrier. You would break the housing before you'd break the glue. I confess that it took messing around to get it done. 😆 I considered a PVC setup, but I didn't trust it with the heat of the head. Ultimately, I replaced the entire thing with a Solberg unit, which is made of steel, and is made for air compressors. It's a really nice setup. I'm not usually a fan of K&N style filters. That said... I looked in the cylinder of my compressor after 16 years of running it with _no_ filter and its like new in there. I was absolutely shocked. I think pretty much anything you put on one is probably adequate. 👍
@@TheBrokenLife I'm lucky my old unit is NPT threaded. Mine has been this way for about 10 years in a mechanic shop and gets used weekly if not daily. The heat hasn't done anything I can tell. I meant to swap it out with metal. When I'm at the hardware store I just forget to grab the parts. Just happened to have that PVC part in the shop one day and looked at the compressor and the filter I ordered in the wrong size. Guess the planets were aligned and it happened to work. I like K&N on street stuff but only with a prefilter. Off road or really dusty I don't think they filter well enough. The filter was supposed to go on a valve cover so it wasn't like it was doing anything really important anyways.
I stuck a coil from a broken window ac unit and a line dryer between the compressor and the tank. the coil cools the air making the line dryer work better
I thought of a way to drain water from the tank automatically. It works well. I have it on my compressor. Get a solenoid valve that will handle compressors pressure. I used a larger valve because I couldn't find one the size of the drain pipe in the tank. I believe my valve is 1/2 or 3/4 inch. Get a solid state delay switch that you can set for a few seconds. Connect the timer to the pressure switch on the compressor. Then connect the solenoid valve to the timer so the valve opens as soon as the compressor starts. I believe I set the delay to turn off the valve after about 3 seconds. Every time the compressor starts it opens the valve about 3 seconds before closing the valve. A little noisy when it is open but works great.
My compressor is a hand me down, the first thing I did with mine was replace the drain valve. I have access to stainless swagelock fittings and tubing at work so I grabbed a couple fittings and a 1/4 turn valve and brought the drain out just far enough that it wasn’t in the way.
I picked up a nice 29(?) gal. DeWalt Air compressor for $40 off FB Marketplace with the following issues: -One of the brushes sparks like crazy and blows the fuse after a few seconds. -Tank had about 1 qt. water sloshing around in it along with plenty of rust & silt. -The drain valve was plugged with some and rust debris. -Air intake filter was dirty. I've got it apart, rinsed out all the rust with water, dried it, and am ordering/collecting parts to get it back up to spec. I'll be using some of these modifications to do so. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, under what name I can find the 90 degree niple elbow? Just exactly the one you show at 8:27 min on video, and where (store) (e-store) to I can find it? Thanks!
Enjoyed this. Air fittings - glad you tore it down. For the work and time involved I will just buy a new fitting - but it was fun seeing it apart. I love the air filter upgrade. And I will look into the setting up a drain hose. Thank you for this video.
Taking it apart showed what the problem was (collecting junk due to angle) and problem can be fixed permanently, not just a temp fix (new fitting only)
I work on compressors for a fasteners company. Great idea on the mower air filter. Take a Dremel and port the thread end to allow it to breathe easier. Also port or drill the tube portion of the inside of the filter box or else it is only getting the air from around the crushed area of foam. That is restricting. Second, get a pipe to replace the regulator to get your connections to. This allows the air to straighten out and creates a tunnel ram effect like on a race car. Put a 3/8” connector, at least. 1/4” only have about an 1/8” valve. The pipes that you used to attach to your pressure switch can be used for the water drain on the tank also. Run it to a ball valve that you can reach easily with your foot. If you need to bend over, you are probably not going to drain it. Lastly, if you look at all of the fittings on the pressure switch, you can find a pressure switch that will run the same voltage and allow you to run more pressure. 412024-E compatible/replacement Air Compressor Pressure Switch 135 PSI MAC2400 MAC5200 AC700
Thanks! In truth, I never liked that filter housing and traded it for a Solberg housing. It's a bit more like an automotive style filter. I noticed no change in performance, but it looks nicer and is almost certainly more durable. Larger fittings are certainly a great upgrade, but 1/4" seems to be the industry standard for equipment of this size. If I want to be able to use my tools elsewhere, or elsewhere tools be used here, I kind of have to stick with 1/4". In the future I'll be exploring some other options, but not on this compressor and probably not for "normal" tools. My drain hose comes out from the bottom and has a valve on a 3' whip, then another 3' whip attaches to the other side of the valve. I don't have to bend over to do it since it's on 6' of hose (and I do actually drain it). I must not have made this very clear, because a lot of people don't seem to understand it. I think the _extra_ valve on the bottom of the tank might be giving false impressions to some viewers. There are some good thoughts in your comment for sure, but I would *_not recommend_* that anyone increase the tank pressure of their compressor beyond what the manufacturer intended... especially on one of these questionable quality Chinese units. In truth, the switch that is on it right now is adjustable and could be turned up... I was actually more tempted to turn it down given that my tank is 20 years old and has been abused. 😅
The problem with the nice brass connectors is that the small valve plug inside them all is cheap cadmium plated steel, they are all that way, and they quickly rust and don't seal . I made a bunch of stainless replacementa on my lathe from 3/8 round SS and just replace them. you only have to do it once, I will probably replace new ones as I install new air stations. The springs that close them when you disconnect are high quality stainless and will never have to be replaced, just reuse them.
Stainless inserts are exactly what I was hoping to find on the market to replace that plunger with. I never got a around to shopping for any. I was hoping maybe something for corrosive gas might be available commercially?
just guessing but that filter thread looks to be a 3/4 npt roughly and if so that opens your choices for more filters or at least a way to attach them?
It's M20. I was able to obtain an M20 to 3/4 adapter and put a Solberg housing on it a little while after I released this video. 👍 That said... Various reports from the field lead me to believe that not all HFT compressors have metric inlets. You have to check each one before making any plans.
@@TheBrokenLife cool deal man eventually imma set up a UA-cam I do small engine repair tool repair anything and lots and lots of landscaping. Basically I’ll do anything to make money.
If you install a moisture trap before the t-fitting it will help keep your Milton air fittings from getting so corroded. I always drain the water in the tank so that also helps a lot.
Milton V High-Flow fittings i've found are by far the best ones out there. Way better performance out of die grinders, abrasive blasters, etc. I changed out the drain on mine with a 90' street elbow connected to a hose barb where i attached a length of old air hose which runs to a drain. gets rid of the water in the compressor fast. I also run a whip hose from my regulator, up the wall, then back down to a desiccant dryer/filter. for an air filter, i used a K&N Valve Cover Breather filter that attaches first to a lawnmower muffler which greatly reduces the noise.
You have a strange way of doing things. I'll just point out one error you made. For your drain, you made it so the drain valve is still under the tank and a PITA to reach. Why? You should have just attached a short piece of brass pipe to to the "L" long enough to end outside the bottom of the tank. Then add a ball valve to it with a large lever. That's what I did. To drain water, I just open the valve with my foot. No need to get on the floor to open the valve. It literally takes virtually no effort to drain the water and it's so easy that I do it so often that there's no build up of water in the tank. Forget the hose! Just let the moisture blow out. You've made things much more complicated than necessary without solving the real problem - that is access to the valve. Also, why in the world would you even think of running the compressor without an air filter as you said you did? That's an incredibly bad idea. Upgrading the air filter is OK but unnecessary but never run a compressor without an air filter. You made more odd mistakes too.
I don't understand the complaint of putting a ball valve on the end of a 3' foot hose, which is _not_ "under" the compressor, vs. a solid pipe which _is._ The express reason it's on the end of a hose is so I don't have to get on the floor to operate it. There's normally also another hose on the end of the ball valve so I don't shoot water all over the shop when I drain it, making the entire thing about 6' long. If you like one or the other, fine. Whatever works for you. Pretty sure I admitted in the video that I made a mistake when I removed the filter media from the filter housing. If you want me to say I was wrong for doing that, I was. I can say it 100 more times and nothing about it will change. Thanks for watching...
I bought that model air compressor awhile back. The motor shaft is press fitted to the pump. Mine had a key way cut in the shaft but no key. The shaft destroyed the pump. Watch out for this problem.
Also most of the time the heads have bear casting holes for airflow passages. If you can get in there and taper them it'll increase efficiency a little. I've done this to every compressor I've owned. The most recent was a $60 harbor freight 12v compressor, brought it up 0.2-0.35 CFM over stock. Only took 20 minutes to do and another hour to test and retest a few times when hot and cold and graph out the results. Also modified a quick connect to be an always open and installed it so any normal air hose will work on it now.
I've had the head off of mine several times and, to my immense surprise, the casting is actually pretty nice. I don't think I could do much to clean it up that wouldn't be moving in the wrong direction. I've heard of guys cleaning up massive amounts of casting flash out of theirs though. Seems like its the luck of the draw. 🤷♂️
One of my buddies uses an automotive oil filter as the air filter, he found one that had threads close enough to the NPT and it threaded on easily. It cut the noise way down and according to him it didn't lower the compressor's efficiency.
@@DonziGT230 Sure, if you can find a nipple that corresponds to the thread size on the head and an oil filter. I _think_ the thread on that compressor is M20. I have no clue if there are M20 oil filters out there. What I ended up doing in the end is getting a Solberg filter housing that is made for air compressors. They cost a little bit, but it's a nice solution. They also add the capability to add a snorkel to the filter, which some guys claim lowers noise on some compressors. I haven't tried that yet myself.
A guy I used to work with showed me a trick on the air filter. Take a chunk of gas pipe (galvanized, whatever) and screw it into the intake, then get a screw on air filter and boom. This way the intake is away from the compressor so it's not sucking in hot air, if you run the pipe out through the wall and put the air filter on the outside of the building you won't believe how much quieter the compressor is, just make sure it's not in a spot where rain and moisture will be a problem.
Yep, that's certainly another way to go about it. I have since switched off to Solberg housings that have a provision for a snorkel, somewhat like you're describing.
I have this same compressor but it has a terrible problem starting.I have to turn the switch on and off and it tries to start but it’s working to hard and it starts and it blows the inline circuit breaker,either the one on the unit or another inline I use..when it was new I figured after a good break in period it would loosen up but it hasn’t yet.this one hasn’t had that much use but it’s getting old.I put the 2nd line on it but haven’t done anything with the gauge yet.this tank will be going into a compressor build soon.I did increase the filter size.
Mine does that in _cold_ weather. Are you running an appropriate air compressor oil? I run non-detergent straight 30W in mine. Another thought is there could be something wrong with your contractor/pressure switch where it's drawing too much power. I'm not sure if it's this video or another one where I illustrated replacing mine.
Yeah,like I said it’s a couple yrs old but doesn’t have that much use.I was down for a few yrs needing back surgery but yeah I changed it after break in period and now has half and half syn and standard and the right cord.I put WD40 on the shaft next to the fan thinking it was turning by hand too hard and that made a big. difference but still stuck with the same crap.I have a har dryer I some times put on it a while and seems to help but same old crap overall
@@barrykilts4506 There could be a few things causing it, but it doesn't sound like normal behavior. I'd probably pop the cover off of the contactor and see if anything looks burned and maybe disconnect the small line at the check valve to make sure yours isn't leaking.
@@TheBrokenLife have the cover off now and all appears well but since I do a lot of steel cutting,grinding,welding and such I decided to change the oil and glad I did.don’t know for sure yet but alone may be enough of an improvement and if it is I’ll change it once more very soon and more often and improve the air breather/cleaner
It depends where. Even worse, it probably also depends on model. All of the air ports (except the air intake on the cylinder head) I've ever seen on them are NPT. Everything else, I would assume metric, but you'll have to double check.
I doubt it on a compressor of this size. But... I have heard of people finding casting imperfections that were obstructing the outlet on the cylinder head. It might be worth taking a look for something like that?
That will add volume, so it will increase the amount of time before the compressor turns on, but it will not increase pressure. It will also cause the compressor to run long to refill the additional volume.
i bought a goodyear 30 gal from walmart with a digital regulator and it runs a 3/4" husky impact gun enough to remove a honda crank bolt. surprising that it doesnt have the presure drop off
The problem with deleting the regulator is that if you have quick connections, especially if they are half inch like mine, it's very hard to disconnect and even harder to connect when the hose is carrying 130 psi or something. It's kind of a violent situation to do it. Also, you can't depressure the hose without a regulator. Don't you think it would be better to change from the OE quarter inch regulator on the tank to something larger?
@@TheBrokenLife ok so taking off the brass coupler and putting a flexzilla high flow is ok? The directly on the machine itself? Haha I just don't want to F up my unit cause I have no idea what I'm doing 😂
@@David-kg1hc It should be as straight forward as just changing one for the other. Just don't mess with anything to do with the control system or the over-pressure safety valve and you're fine. That said... If you really don't know _anything_ about what you're doing, you may want to try to seek out someone local to double check what you're planning to do. None of this is complicated, but it is dangerous if you really screw up.
I have a little 4gal compressor so in order to run high vol tools I attached a harbor freight 10gal tank($50) and now I have the volume of a 14gal compressor and can run my plasma cutter and die grinder
@@TheBrokenLife with the extra tank I get about 45 seconds of plasmacutting at 35psi before the compressor kicks on, then about a full minute before the psi dropps enough to where I can't keep cutting. I get about 30 seconds of die grinder. Thought about getting a second one
@@autodidacticartisan That's about what I would have guessed. I admire and respect the make-it-work attitude, but that amount of run time would drive me bonkers. Even something like the cheap HFT compressor I showed in this video would be a huge upgrade for you. You won't be running stuff non-stop, but you would easily multiply your productivity by 5 or maybe 10 in the case of the plasma. It looks like the cheapest similar one they have these days is about $250.
@@TheBrokenLife I've been considering getting their 26 gallon ultra quiet compressor. It looks very nice and I've seen some good reviews. Tbh a minute is enough time to cut most things on the plasma cutter. I'd really be wanting it for the die grinder and other high flow tools.
Not even close. Sadly, even much higher end compressors still come with pretty crappy gauges, fittings, etc and all of the stuff I installed here will transfer over to any other compressor in the future. The only real money wasted was on the filter housing, which was more for fun than anything. I ended up abandoning it for a Solberg unit not too long after this video. That said, I did end up retiring this compressor and replacing it with a much higher end model (videos are all linked in the Air Compressors playlist, which is in the description). After waiting for months for a good sale, that compressor was ~$400. Regular price is around $700. So... In regular price dollars, it was probably about a $450 difference between what I did in this video (including the initial purchase price of the compressor) and my new compressor as it came out of the box. My new compressor also received the same treatment and then some.
On compressors of this size, pretty much anything that is physically the size of a can of soda, or larger, at the home improvement store will do. I've had a regulator video simmering on the back burner for awhile now that I really need to get to. 😆
I've moved on to Parker fittings since, as far as I can tell, they don't have any steel parts to corrode. That said, one of the issues with these cheap compressors is that the biggest hole in the tank is 1/4" NPT. So even if I were to run no fittings and just plumb directly to the tank, that's all the better it would ever get. My new compressor (video linked here: ua-cam.com/video/prOpMyOkPK8/v-deo.html) has 1 1/4" bungs in the tank so at some point I'm likely to try much larger plumbing. When I do, it will for sure be on the channel. 👍
That breether plug thing came with it ?, I got a pulsar 15gallon that has a plastic cover that keep flying out whenever the comp is on n the oil would them start flashing through the hole
Yep. Anything you see in the video that I didn't specifically comment on is just regular HFT stuff. You sure your compressor isn't suffering from blow by and pressurizing the crank case and popping that plug out?
The largest restriction I found is the fittings themselves. Replacing them with high flow fittings and 3/8 id hose let my ingersol rand 1/2 impact handle f350 wheel nuts. No problems except trying to find quality high flow fittings that don't leak.
I've been running hot garbage air tools for 30 years and I've never had one blow up. What I would say is that if your tools are working fine for you, then don't mess with anything.
@@TheBrokenLife Thanks I haven't had a compressor in like 18 years but I'm retired now and thought I'd like to have one to do some work on my old Scout
@@vicc6744 Man, I love Scouts. Literally a home town favorite for me! Since you're just looking around and haven't bought yet, I would suggest something larger than these entry level units. Pretty much anything belt-drive will be a much better compressor... especially if you have 240V available in your shop.
Wow, I have the same compressor in red, but I also have the same backpack sprayer. I've owned it for about twenty years! You can put down 5 gallons before you know it.
Has anyone tried using the oiless 6 hp motor on a oil set up using different pump?I’m gonna try putting a belt system on 60 gal.tank with harbor freight 5 hp pump.once all the craps off the motor it should work work with a little coaxing
@@TheBrokenLife I just used it on a bumper Repair...it's great. Used it as a bonder and filler. Sands nice too...I use it with the nozzles... makes it pretty easy to lay.
How old is (was) that tank? I just started using a 2011 tank/compressor that was on my property when I moved here. Not sure if it is safe but seems to be working fine. It is a Husky 60 ga.
2006. The questionable condition of that tank is ultimately why I retired the compressor. On something bigger like a 60, it would be worth your time to send an inspection camera in there and take a look.
Honestly I used to think Milton were the best but something has changed. I have had so many issues with them past couple years I just quit using them. Found another brand that's totally brass and it's smooth push on no issues. Can't remember the brand though, there are some good ones out there.
I'm slowly switching over to Parker after discovering that they have aluminum valve cores. They aren't cheap though... Milton is still a lot better than any of the "China" stuff.
Use your vise grips or channel locks with the lower jaw in the direction that your turning you will get a much better bite they are designed to work that way even the cut of the teeth are designed to work in one direction good luck 👍 I’m a plumber about drove crazy to watch lol
Heh.... Not that I wouldn't have a gray Chevy Celebrity, but that is actually a black '91 Mustang GT that is badly covered in shop dust. It has since been washed. 😂
I know this is old but just putting a 90 degree "pipe" elbow (male on one side female on other, like yours but cheaper since not brass and not needed connecting to steel), then just a pipe long enough to get to the outside of the tank, will withstand the full pressure all the time and you can add your ball valve there instead of underneath, and eliminate the need for a second ball valve. Also, I just use cheap clear vinyl tubing for the output since it's never under any real pressure.
The reason for the brass bar stock 90 is because it's about 1/2 the height of a standard black iron pipe elbow and fits under the tank without hitting the floor. I also prefer brass because it won't rot out like iron will or falsely indicate more rust in the tank than is actually present. It's a couple more bucks, but money well spent, IMO. Sorta the same deal with a pipe to get it out to a leg instead of using hose. A pipe will eventual rot out, and make the discharge water appear rusty, but a hose never will. The purpose of the first ball valve at the tank, which honestly I had forgotten was even there until you mentioned it, is just in case the day ever came that I might damage the discharge hose and want to shut it off at the tank. It's been there for about 10 years and I've ever needed it. It probably wouldn't work anymore if I tried. 😆 This compressor has been retired, but on my new compressor I just put a valve on the hose and omitted it from the tank, using the same bar stock brass 90. I also added a water separator in-line between the compressor and the tank and used vinyl tubing for the water drain there. I confess that I used high pressure vinyl for the job, but that is mostly because it's less likely to kink shut and I prefer the look of it. What all of that said, no matter how someone chooses to do it, a remote tank drain is worth whatever it costs to get done. It transforms a job that is a ridiculous pain into something that is just the flick of a switch. 👍
Use Milton Hi flow V style fittings. They move way more air than M style and the coupler will still accept M style male ends. But I replaced those too for my impact wrenches.
I think extending your air intake with an elbow and short pipe could bring it up in open air.. I hope to get a better compress some day. Thanks for the tips
I think because of the Indiana humidity you should tilt the valve fitting downward slightly and then it will drain better. I have a small tank that I drain weekly and I leave it open during the winter and it does ok.
Since filming this video I have retired the compressor shown and taken water separation a lot more seriously on its replacement. I decided that the best way to keep water out of the fittings was to keep water out of the tank from the start. Check out the Compressors / Air Tools playlist in the description if you want to see where that path has led me.
That's my thought too, but the thing pumps up radically slower now than it did before with no filter. I think if I had to do it over again (which... I might), I'd probably try to adapt a motorcycle air filter or something. Ya know, something with giant skulls or flames or knives or something cool. ;)
My wife uses "Pipettes", tiny glass tubes with a very narrow tip, to apply glue in tight places. Fingertip on the top prevents the glue coming out where you don't want it.
I just started the video, and paused it.. . I've got a few of those cheap HF compressors, 3 of the 20gallon, and 2 10's. The oiled ones, not the rattle traps. . The motor in my big compressor fried.. I needed something to get me through until I could repair. . Started with just one, then a second, fried one, and then a 3rd, and I'm not sure how it all went down at this point, but 3 of them still work.. 2 of them are fried.. I got the little ones because they were $50 cheaper (35%) and essentially the same compressor. . Rule #1 (I still haven't watched the video). Pay attention to the oil.. That's why I fried 2 of them, they ran a LOT!!! Far beyond what they were designed to do.. Make sure you can see the oil in the sight glass every few days.. Every month or so, drain 'em and fill 'em.. I just use straight 30 weight, its basically the same thing as "Compressor" oil, and its a lot cheaper, and it works well. I ran them hard, in a home shop, probably last 5 years without an oil change.. . Some of the fittings going to the pressure switch were bad, and were replaced as needed, just normal copper tube stuff, and the unloader valves were not the greatest and needed some massaging on occasion.. . For the price though.. I was impressed.. I still use 2 of them as accumulator tanks.. Far cheaper than buying a bare air tank, and in the deal you get a bonus powered air compressor head for free. . For the dollars.. I was really impressed with those compressors. I still am.. . One last thing.. You don't need 140psi.. Turn it down a smig, that also helped keep them alive, and cut down on the electricity. Its not in the manual, but its a bog standard pressure switch, just pop the cover off and turn the screws. . I'm going to go watch the video now, and see if my experiences match..
For impacts I don't bother regulating their input pressure since they'll cope easily with the max my various crap compressors put out. In that case a regulator is merely a flow restriction and the compressor would fail before overloading any impact tool.
Thanks for the video. I've got a Ingersoll-Rand air compressor from the mid 90s that needs some TLC and plan on doing a few upgrades to it as well. BTW, make a few videos of that Fox GT! My favorite mustangs of any year.
Haah... The way you fix your compressor air filter, is almost how we made the original legal airfilter box on our Mopeds into a "power Filter", because when giving it a larger cylinder, you need a larger carburetor and more air intake, to mach the increase in CCM and amount of gasoline, to get a perfect combination, but a regular(legal) was unable to deliver that amount, plus the flange would often be larger, so we'd empty out a large regular one, keep the front intact, but skeletonize the rest, and use the front as camouflage and the insides was something totally different, because a dead give away that you have fiddled with it, is the power Filter, sticking out from under the seat :)
@@TheBrokenLife great video BTW... I am in the midst of making one of my own, from scratch. You are almost the only one, that also uses a airfilter!.. I had also ordered one, because It really did stick out too me how nobody really threw one on, and never even mentioned how "important" they actually are, for increasing it's longevity, and the general health of the tank, just like drainage, from humidity, it's like they think the water seperator on the regulator somehow will magicly evaporate the build-up, in the air-container also?!... so your brass coupling is a brilliant idea. that I'm going to steal for myself ;)
@@DreadPirarateAndersen Thanks, I'm glad you found the video helpful! As far as the filter, in the long run I ended up scrapping that one and put a Solberg on it. It was way less effort and not that much more money for what is almost certainly a better filter. Tank health is a big deal for me. Even if not for a rusty tank being a safety risk, it's just not financially realistic to re-tank most consumer level compressors if one ever springs a leak. If you lose the tank, the whole is thing is trash. Speaking of... I'm in the midst of outfitting a new compressor with some other systems to keep that sort of thing to a minimum. Should be a decent set of videos. 🤞
A few reasons. First, they weren't all that common back when I bought my compressor so I just took what I could get at the price I could pay. Second, now that they're more available, I'm not a fan of them because they run so much hotter. Pretty much every oil-less compressor I've ever seen, that has seen any work (and wasn't ultra expensive), has died a young death. I routinely abuse my oiled compressor and it keeps going, and going, and going, and...
Lots of folks have said good things about it. 👍 And... I probably wouldn't do that one again. I replaced that housing with a Solberg unit that cost a couple of bucks, but is much nicer in the end.
The best way to keep those air fittings from ever leaking. Is about every 6 months put three to four drops of pump oil directly in them. Or if you don't have pump oil you can use the same oil that you drip into your air tools. All that is is pump oil.
@@affliction1979 I strongly agree. I have outright separate hoses for that kind of thing which never see oil (other than the garbage the compressor is passing through them).
@@TheBrokenLife, I've been working with air tools at work for approximately 20 years or so, yet I just bought my own, personal compressor. I'm literally in the middle of buying all the extra crap, so I can definitely understand. I really want to T my valve off to 1/4 and 3/8, but I'm not sure if my compressor can handle 3/8".
@@affliction1979 If your tool needs to consume the volume that 3/8" can provide, then that's what it needs. If your compressor can't keep up the demand of the tool, then you'll have to trade the flow rate of the compressor rebuilding the stored volume in the tank for your time. Standing around waiting for the compressor to recharge is a story I know well. In my opinion, there is no such thing as too much volume. You can always take it away by various means, but you can't add it back once the plumbing is maxed out. If you've got something you think you need 3/8" for, then it won't ever hurt to have it. For what it's worth, in all of the various air tool pursuits I've been on in my life, all but industrial applications have been with 1/4" M style fittings and I don't know any home hobbyists using larger. That includes stuff like sandblasting which just murders air. My limitation has always been the flow rate of the compressor itself.
@@TheBrokenLife yeah what I'm getting at is if you don't use channel lock pliers on a fitting not already rounded and instead use a crescent wrench you avoid this entire issue, lol...
@@AWIERD1 I understand your point. My point is there is no hex on those fittings and there never was. The have round bodies with knurling and that's it. Look up a Milton S-715 and you'll see it. The only hex on it is for installation, not for disassembly.
Great vid,thank you! I didn't know the regulator on these small compressors could be so restrictive! I am concerned about using ful pressure on certain tools like finish/brad nailers and pneumatic rivet guns, etc. Did you put a remote regulator in your system for tools like this? If so,what brand do you recommend? Thanks again! (Really clever with the filter!👍)
Thanks! I didn't know they could be that restrictive either until many years of ownership. It wasn't until I attempted to use a 1/2" impact gun with mine that I discovered the problem. Then I ran into the problem twice more in other people's shops... Just to get you by for tools with a relatively low flow rate, like nailers and such, the OEM regulators are fine. Put the one that came with your compressor on quick connectors so you can plug it in and out as you choose. I'll be covering regulators in a future video, but my general preference is to try to find something industrial grade on the surplus market. Even a fairly well used Parker, IR, SMC, etc will be much higher quality than something from the home improvement store. That said, almost anything is an improvement over what comes on these units.
@@TheBrokenLifenot to be a smart-ass, but why not move the regulator to the other side of the tee? That way you have one full-flow and one regulated outlet, leaving you the ability to use more precise tools?
@@avedesco If I had planned it all out from the start I absolutely could have. But, I'm positive the day the regulator came off it went straight into the trash out of frustration, and then the tee came along at some point in the future. In all honesty, I always had the regulator wide-open anyhow so I never mourned the loss. Even to this day many years later, I'm not sure if I have anything that minds the occasional 125psi. My die grinders ran for years and years at 180... not that you should do that yourself. But, I do have a new regulator now and plan to soft-plumb it into the system so it can be selected or bypassed easily. I just haven't gotten around to the video yet.
I'm aware that I was using the various pliars "backward". I have made a video on the topic...
ua-cam.com/video/jsw9seQxq3Y/v-deo.html
Why not use a correct tool
@@randyheinbaugh8238 Did you watch the linked video?
As long as you know. It’s a good way to bust a knuckle. And strip the flats off a fitting. I’m an old retired Stationary Engr. Boilers and HVAC and every other system in a Hospital, hi-rise, or ship.
@@gravitystorm61158 The message was clearly and loudly received. 😆
@@TheBrokenLife 👍👏
Yeah, I can be a pain in the a…ss. Retirement does that to you….
The trick with JB weld and similar epoxies doing that kind of thing is to heat them up- heat thins it out and makes it runnier and also causes it to set faster. I actually keep a few regular old school light bulbs and even a halogen one and a normal light socket in the shop for this, I set the hood of the light fixture over whatever it is like a dome over the part, it warms up and the JB weld spreads out and self-levels.
I'll have to keep that in mind for the future. Thanks!
Brilliant
Heat guns are dirt cheap and the blower makes them much more useful than a mere radiant heater.
@@Comm0ut Yea, but you'll go crazy holding it trying to get the epoxy to flow out completely, it takes a while
For the drain I use pull cord drain valves for semi trucks. Phillips 12 820 is the number. Any truck shop will have for like 10 bucks. They come with a 5 foot aluminum pull cord which can be routed easily. I drain my tank and never have to reach down as my pull cord is up top now. As for safety they are dot rated and trusted to hold air brake pressure on an 18 wheeler.
That sounds like a good approach to it. 👍
Great idea - would love to show that rig drain sits on your compressor. 👍
Just bought one off of the internet. Thanks for the great idea and for the part number.
I bought one of these from Kragen (yes Kragen) when I was 16, I used it as my main compressor for somewhere around 17 years. I ran that thing through hell and back and more hot suppers than any tool should suffer. I finally upgraded to a new one after so so much abuse and THEN I broke it back out when I had to refinish my mom's house running an HVLP sprayer and I was not kind to it. I was able to boil water on the head. Once I was done the neighbor kid heard I was going to throw it out and asked for it. We tore open the compressor head, we found slightly warped valves and replaced them, made sure there wasn't any damage to it, buttoned it back up and I can hear it running on Saturday mornings from down the street doing the same thing I purchased it for all those years ago, working on a beater car. That is what you call a workhorse.
I have very nearly the same story with mine. It's always been too small for what I needed, but for the most part it always got it done. For what it cost, I couldn't have done better.
One thing I did with my compressor drain is a street elbow to an 8" (maybe 6"? I forget) copper pipe nipple, then the ball valve. It's at floor level, but it's out from under the tank, so it's easy to get to, and no length of hose to pinch or whatever. From there you can run a hose or whatever. Nice and clean!
Whatever works! 👍
..
Make sense
Essentially not needing
to turn the compressor on it's side
...
You are right about the quality quick connects. I had a Harbor Freight one come apart under pressure and put a nice dent in my G37 fender. That cheap fitting cost me $700. I only use Milton fittings now.
Oof... I've never had that happen, but I'd be pretty upset if it did.
@@TheBrokenLife Yes, I was so pissed I just closed the garage door and didn't open it for a month (the car got parked in the Winter).
i like how nothing went according to plan man, just like watching myself in the shop... nice video
Indeed... I had a period of about 2 years where if the camera was on, it was not going to go well. 😂
My tips in priority order:
1. Lose the stock regulator as in video.
2. Replace couplers on compressor, main hoses, and air hog tools with Milton V series. They flow a lot more air and your regular fittings will work with them.
3. Use synthetic compressor oil. I got Husky from the homeless despot. My compressor used to struggle to start when it was 40F. I've run it at 20F with synthetic oil.
My drain is unfortunately not at the bottom of the tank like the video so I have to tilt the whole thing to get all the water out. I suppose they thought they were making it more accessible. I've got a nice automatic drain valve I could install but it wouldn't drain the tank.
A lot of people have commented about the Milton Vs. I fully intend to take a look at some. 👍
The synthetic oil is a good idea and something I never considered since my current shop rarely gets cold enough to give the compressor fits. My prior shop was an unconditioned detached building, which did upset the compressor, and I never even thought about changing oil types. I wish I had!
The only compressor I've ever seen with a drain not at the exact bottom is my little 18V Ryobi, and it makes up for it by being so small it really wouldn't have been practical to put it anywhere but where they did. In your case, I suggest taking the path I just did on my DeWalt (a video from 2 weeks ago) and install an aftercooling and water separation setup between the compressor and the tank. It's better to just never have water in it to begin with if you can. Mine has been remarkably effective.
A fellow AVE subscriber I see 😉
@@A6Legit This Old Tony these days, but, yes... 😁
There are other reasons for it though.
@hughbrackett343
My 20 gallon air compressor calls for 10w30 synthetic engine oil for the pump.
That is what I have always used. I drain the tank completely after each use.
The air delivery sucks for certain tools, so I am going to eliminate the restrictions and use Milton high flow couplers.
Hopefully it will work out well. 👍
It took me 6 years to figure out that the regulator was the problem on my HF 10 gallon. It ran everything perfectly, except for my impact wrench. One day, I had a hunch and took out the regulator. I tried to blow through it and there was a lot of restriction. I took it apart and found that none of the casting defects were ground out. I cleaned it out and got some improvement, but not enough for my impact. I had no clue which regulator to get and eventually forgot about it. The thought never occurred to me to just yank the thing out completely. I'm going to give it a shot. Thanks!
Removing it will almost certainly fix it. I've had to do it to every cheap China compressor I've been around.
As luck would have it, I just bought another compressor with another cheap regulator so I'll probably be able to illustrate the issue on camera soon.
If you want to run a regulator, I suggest something that is meant for professional use, most likely with something like 3/4 or 5/8 inlet/outlet. I've had a Parker on my shopping list for a long time now and am hoping to have a bit of compressed air re-fit in my little shop soon-ish.
@@sheepdog3828 No problem. Sometimes I have a hard time keeping up with all of the comments myself and it's my channel. 😆
Also... I did buy that Parker I was talking about and it will likely be on the channel "soon".
Question from an absolute beginner: why _would_ you want or need a regulator? Seems like most tools would benefit from all the air the thing can deliver them.
@@fallingwater Some tools have a maximum pressure rating. In fact, _most_ tools do and its usually 90psi. That said... I've run plenty of my tools far beyond that with no real problems.
For me, a regulator is mostly useful when doing something "delicate", like blowing dust off of something that may be sensitive or even inflating a small object. It would be very easy to explode something like a beach ball (maybe even a basketball) at 150psi, but not so easy at 10 or 20 psi.
It is actuality very helpful that your connectors leaked air while making this awesome vid. I'm sure there will be some of us viewers that will have this same air-leaking issue. So seeing you fix yours is wonderful bonus information. Thank you for not editing this out.
Thanks! I'm glad you found the video helpful! 👍
A/C turned out nicely. Good suggestions. I find myself fabricating often as well. Thank you!
Can u paint a car bumper with that small air compressor???
I've known guys who have painted entire cars with compressors this size. I don't feel that gives you much margin for error, but... they do it.
Ok brother u recommend just getting a bigger compressor 👍
@@bensonporter1384 That's what I ultimately did. These really cheap, small, compressors are _just_ enough to barely get you working. 😅
🤣🤣 them little compressor are trash....what big compressor did u buy??
@@bensonporter1384 A slightly larger DeWalt. It's the most I have the electricity to run.
There are several videos of it on the channel.
Very informative video, especially with the fitting repair. Thanks for including that.
Thanks! I'm glad you found it helpful! 👍
I got that harbor freight compressor did the same took off regulator . I put brass union into a filter/water separator then a good fitting. also made a air/dryer with fitting and good regulator with good gauge . great for HVLP painting. I run 3/4 impact on mine. just not long run time. works just fine for me. easy take off big tractor tier . Tractor supply has IR synthetic compressor oil. I get better starts in our cold winter . that air filter 1/2 in NPT Amazon has good filters. and the filter cartridge I replaced with lawnmower foam just cut it to fit. now washable ! this is my back up compressor. .
That's pretty much the exact same experience I've had with mine, except mine has metric threads for the filter body. Not long after this I changed out to a Solberg filter housing (more akin to a motorcycle filter) and then, like you, this also became my backup compressor. 😆
On my new compressor I did my water separation before the air ever hits the tank, so hopefully my tank and such will stay nice and rust-free for a good long time to come.
Thanks for this vid. Many very useful tips and I liked your explanations of them.
Thumbs up for sure, I learned a few useful things here.
One thing I might have done a bit differently whilst you were dropping that JBW in with the popsicle stick would have been to slip a drinking straw (even if I had to make one to fit) over the threads of your centre post to avoid getting the JBW into the end of those threads.
Thanks again!
Thanks. I'm glad you liked it!
I don't think I even considered the threads while I was doing that. I might have probably just taped them off if I had even thought about it.
lol, resting your bare arms across those motor capacitors scared me. You weren't all that far away from a Significant Emotional Event. Good video. Cheers!
I confess I didn't think a single thing about it at the time. A good safety PSA for sure. 😁👍
Thanks for watching!
significant emotional event thats hilarious. might be emotional and physical
Great upgrades on your Air Compreasor!
Well done!
Thanks! 👍
I just got a pipe adapter and a washable pod filter for the air filter. I think a 1 1/4 to 3/4 threaded pvc adapter was what worked on mine. No messing with glued on stuff that can break due to vibrations.
Mine is all fancy with a real k&n filter due to me ordering the wrong size for something and didn't want to hassle returning it.
The threads on mine are M20, but that will vary by unit.
I have never had a JB weld failure. I became a convert after I glued a radiator back together with that stuff and it went on to serve for 100,000 miles (about 5 years) until the car was scrapped due to rust. It's the only glue I've ever used that actually works. I've even machined the stuff. The key is to not be shy with it. The more, the merrier. You would break the housing before you'd break the glue. I confess that it took messing around to get it done. 😆
I considered a PVC setup, but I didn't trust it with the heat of the head. Ultimately, I replaced the entire thing with a Solberg unit, which is made of steel, and is made for air compressors. It's a really nice setup.
I'm not usually a fan of K&N style filters. That said... I looked in the cylinder of my compressor after 16 years of running it with _no_ filter and its like new in there. I was absolutely shocked. I think pretty much anything you put on one is probably adequate. 👍
@@TheBrokenLife I'm lucky my old unit is NPT threaded. Mine has been this way for about 10 years in a mechanic shop and gets used weekly if not daily. The heat hasn't done anything I can tell. I meant to swap it out with metal. When I'm at the hardware store I just forget to grab the parts. Just happened to have that PVC part in the shop one day and looked at the compressor and the filter I ordered in the wrong size. Guess the planets were aligned and it happened to work.
I like K&N on street stuff but only with a prefilter. Off road or really dusty I don't think they filter well enough. The filter was supposed to go on a valve cover so it wasn't like it was doing anything really important anyways.
@@user-neo71665 Whatever works, works. In all things, it's always better to be lucky than good. 😁
Usually I get neither. 😞
@@TheBrokenLife It's rare but run with it when it happens.
Indeed!
I stuck a coil from a broken window ac unit and a line dryer between the compressor and the tank. the coil cools the air making the line dryer work better
That's almost exactly what I just did on my new compressor, featured in last Sunday's video. 👍
I thought of a way to drain water from the tank automatically. It works well. I have it on my compressor. Get a solenoid valve that will handle compressors pressure. I used a larger valve because I couldn't find one the size of the drain pipe in the tank. I believe my valve is 1/2 or 3/4 inch. Get a solid state delay switch that you can set for a few seconds. Connect the timer to the pressure switch on the compressor. Then connect the solenoid valve to the timer so the valve opens as soon as the compressor starts. I believe I set the delay to turn off the valve after about 3 seconds. Every time the compressor starts it opens the valve about 3 seconds before closing the valve. A little noisy when it is open but works great.
I'm way ahead of you, but our control systems will be a little different. 😁
My compressor is a hand me down, the first thing I did with mine was replace the drain valve. I have access to stainless swagelock fittings and tubing at work so I grabbed a couple fittings and a 1/4 turn valve and brought the drain out just far enough that it wasn’t in the way.
An excellent upgrade!
Make sure use your pliers and vice grips in the correct direction!
:)
You smoking crack or what
noticed that too...
Just like a pipe wrench, they inly effectively grip in specific directions
This is why he was cleaning the brass. But what’s so bad about an adjustable wrench? Which also have to be used the right way around.
I picked up a nice 29(?) gal. DeWalt Air compressor for $40 off FB Marketplace with the following issues:
-One of the brushes sparks like crazy and blows the fuse after a few seconds.
-Tank had about 1 qt. water sloshing around in it along with plenty of rust & silt.
-The drain valve was plugged with some and rust debris.
-Air intake filter was dirty.
I've got it apart, rinsed out all the rust with water, dried it, and am ordering/collecting parts to get it back up to spec.
I'll be using some of these modifications to do so.
Thanks for sharing!
Good luck with it! It sounds like a very close cousin of the compressor I have these days.
@@TheBrokenLife Thanks! I think it's 15 gal. Probably the same one rebranded.
Hi, under what name I can find the 90 degree niple elbow? Just exactly the one you show at 8:27 min on video, and where (store) (e-store) to I can find it? Thanks!
All of the links are in the video description. 👍
This video was amazing, definitely earned a subscription from me, can't wait to watch your other videos. Well done and thank you!
That's very kind of you to say. Thank you!
Enjoyed this. Air fittings - glad you tore it down. For the work and time involved I will just buy a new fitting - but it was fun seeing it apart. I love the air filter upgrade. And I will look into the setting up a drain hose. Thank you for this video.
Thanks! I'm glad you found it helpful! 👍
Taking it apart showed what the problem was (collecting junk due to angle) and problem can be fixed permanently, not just a temp fix (new fitting only)
I work on compressors for a fasteners company. Great idea on the mower air filter. Take a Dremel and port the thread end to allow it to breathe easier. Also port or drill the tube portion of the inside of the filter box or else it is only getting the air from around the crushed area of foam. That is restricting. Second, get a pipe to replace the regulator to get your connections to. This allows the air to straighten out and creates a tunnel ram effect like on a race car. Put a 3/8” connector, at least. 1/4” only have about an 1/8” valve. The pipes that you used to attach to your pressure switch can be used for the water drain on the tank also. Run it to a ball valve that you can reach easily with your foot. If you need to bend over, you are probably not going to drain it. Lastly, if you look at all of the fittings on the pressure switch, you can find a pressure switch that will run the same voltage and allow you to run more pressure. 412024-E compatible/replacement Air Compressor Pressure Switch 135 PSI MAC2400 MAC5200 AC700
Thanks!
In truth, I never liked that filter housing and traded it for a Solberg housing. It's a bit more like an automotive style filter. I noticed no change in performance, but it looks nicer and is almost certainly more durable.
Larger fittings are certainly a great upgrade, but 1/4" seems to be the industry standard for equipment of this size. If I want to be able to use my tools elsewhere, or elsewhere tools be used here, I kind of have to stick with 1/4". In the future I'll be exploring some other options, but not on this compressor and probably not for "normal" tools.
My drain hose comes out from the bottom and has a valve on a 3' whip, then another 3' whip attaches to the other side of the valve. I don't have to bend over to do it since it's on 6' of hose (and I do actually drain it). I must not have made this very clear, because a lot of people don't seem to understand it. I think the _extra_ valve on the bottom of the tank might be giving false impressions to some viewers.
There are some good thoughts in your comment for sure, but I would *_not recommend_* that anyone increase the tank pressure of their compressor beyond what the manufacturer intended... especially on one of these questionable quality Chinese units. In truth, the switch that is on it right now is adjustable and could be turned up... I was actually more tempted to turn it down given that my tank is 20 years old and has been abused. 😅
The problem with the nice brass connectors is that the small valve plug inside them all is cheap cadmium plated steel, they are all that way, and they quickly rust and don't seal . I made a bunch of stainless replacementa on my lathe from 3/8 round SS and just replace them. you only have to do it once, I will probably replace new ones as I install new air stations. The springs that close them when you disconnect are high quality stainless and will never have to be replaced, just reuse them.
Stainless inserts are exactly what I was hoping to find on the market to replace that plunger with. I never got a around to shopping for any. I was hoping maybe something for corrosive gas might be available commercially?
Sounds like a product that would sell!
THANK YOU FOR SHARING THE VIDEO
FROM AUSTRALIA
Thanks for watching it! 👍
just guessing but that filter thread looks to be a 3/4 npt roughly and if so that opens your choices for more filters or at least a way to attach them?
It's M20. I was able to obtain an M20 to 3/4 adapter and put a Solberg housing on it a little while after I released this video. 👍
That said... Various reports from the field lead me to believe that not all HFT compressors have metric inlets. You have to check each one before making any plans.
@@TheBrokenLife good to know since i have the same compressor.
Picked one of these up for free compressor is bad your videos are wonderful especially since no one talks about older tools u earned a sub
Thanks! I appreciate it! Was just working on another old tool review today.
@@TheBrokenLife cool deal man eventually imma set up a UA-cam I do small engine repair tool repair anything and lots and lots of landscaping. Basically I’ll do anything to make money.
@@P3ndulumSw1ng Cool! Good luck with it!
This was surprisingly entertaining! Looking forward to see more!
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
If you install a moisture trap before the t-fitting it will help keep your Milton air fittings from getting so corroded. I always drain the water in the tank so that also helps a lot.
On the compressor that replaced this one I installed a separator before the tank which should help keep the entire system rust free.
Hi it may be worth fitting a moisture filter before your fittings to stop corrosion.
That's absolutely in the long term plan. I honestly didn't expect to have the corrosion troubles you saw in the video, or at least not that extreme.
This was my thought also. I’m building a copper pipe radiator type like everyone else has.
I have the Harbor Freight compressor and I've had it for almost 10 years. I just wish it was bigger and quieter! It has ran great!!
Mine was in regular operation for nearly 20 years until I replaced it with something bigger and quieter! 😁
Milton V High-Flow fittings i've found are by far the best ones out there. Way better performance out of die grinders, abrasive blasters, etc. I changed out the drain on mine with a 90' street elbow connected to a hose barb where i attached a length of old air hose which runs to a drain. gets rid of the water in the compressor fast. I also run a whip hose from my regulator, up the wall, then back down to a desiccant dryer/filter. for an air filter, i used a K&N Valve Cover Breather filter that attaches first to a lawnmower muffler which greatly reduces the noise.
Many folks have mentioned the milton V series and I do plan to take a look at them. 👍
You have a strange way of doing things. I'll just point out one error you made. For your drain, you made it so the drain valve is still under the tank and a PITA to reach. Why? You should have just attached a short piece of brass pipe to to the "L" long enough to end outside the bottom of the tank. Then add a ball valve to it with a large lever. That's what I did. To drain water, I just open the valve with my foot. No need to get on the floor to open the valve. It literally takes virtually no effort to drain the water and it's so easy that I do it so often that there's no build up of water in the tank. Forget the hose! Just let the moisture blow out. You've made things much more complicated than necessary without solving the real problem - that is access to the valve. Also, why in the world would you even think of running the compressor without an air filter as you said you did? That's an incredibly bad idea. Upgrading the air filter is OK but unnecessary but never run a compressor without an air filter. You made more odd mistakes too.
I don't understand the complaint of putting a ball valve on the end of a 3' foot hose, which is _not_ "under" the compressor, vs. a solid pipe which _is._ The express reason it's on the end of a hose is so I don't have to get on the floor to operate it. There's normally also another hose on the end of the ball valve so I don't shoot water all over the shop when I drain it, making the entire thing about 6' long. If you like one or the other, fine. Whatever works for you.
Pretty sure I admitted in the video that I made a mistake when I removed the filter media from the filter housing. If you want me to say I was wrong for doing that, I was. I can say it 100 more times and nothing about it will change.
Thanks for watching...
I bought that model air compressor awhile back. The motor shaft is press fitted to the pump. Mine had a key way cut in the shaft but no key. The shaft destroyed the pump. Watch out for this problem.
Ouch... These cheap guys always seem to find a creative way to die.
Also most of the time the heads have bear casting holes for airflow passages. If you can get in there and taper them it'll increase efficiency a little. I've done this to every compressor I've owned. The most recent was a $60 harbor freight 12v compressor, brought it up 0.2-0.35 CFM over stock. Only took 20 minutes to do and another hour to test and retest a few times when hot and cold and graph out the results. Also modified a quick connect to be an always open and installed it so any normal air hose will work on it now.
I've had the head off of mine several times and, to my immense surprise, the casting is actually pretty nice. I don't think I could do much to clean it up that wouldn't be moving in the wrong direction.
I've heard of guys cleaning up massive amounts of casting flash out of theirs though. Seems like its the luck of the draw. 🤷♂️
I’ve got a HF compressor. Bought it in ‘98. Still in use today. Your not using channel locks right. You had them backwards
That's quite a good run out of one! And... See the pinned comment. 👍
One of my buddies uses an automotive oil filter as the air filter, he found one that had threads close enough to the NPT and it threaded on easily. It cut the noise way down and according to him it didn't lower the compressor's efficiency.
Something like that might work, but all of the compressors I've seen have female threads.
@@TheBrokenLifeA pipe nipple solves that.
@@DonziGT230 Sure, if you can find a nipple that corresponds to the thread size on the head and an oil filter. I _think_ the thread on that compressor is M20. I have no clue if there are M20 oil filters out there.
What I ended up doing in the end is getting a Solberg filter housing that is made for air compressors. They cost a little bit, but it's a nice solution. They also add the capability to add a snorkel to the filter, which some guys claim lowers noise on some compressors. I haven't tried that yet myself.
A guy I used to work with showed me a trick on the air filter. Take a chunk of gas pipe (galvanized, whatever) and screw it into the intake, then get a screw on air filter and boom. This way the intake is away from the compressor so it's not sucking in hot air, if you run the pipe out through the wall and put the air filter on the outside of the building you won't believe how much quieter the compressor is, just make sure it's not in a spot where rain and moisture will be a problem.
Yep, that's certainly another way to go about it. I have since switched off to Solberg housings that have a provision for a snorkel, somewhat like you're describing.
i put a length of steel pipe between my elbow and the shut off on the drain so the valve is right beside the front leg
Whatever works! 👍
How do I take off a air compressor regulator mine is not like to it's connected in one can make a video like how to take it off please
What compressor?
Mccraw
Please
I really want it off
Ok
I have this same compressor but it has a terrible problem starting.I have to turn the switch on and off and it tries to start but it’s working to hard and it starts and it blows the inline circuit breaker,either the one on the unit or another inline I use..when it was new I figured after a good break in period it would loosen up but it hasn’t yet.this one hasn’t had that much use but it’s getting old.I put the 2nd line on it but haven’t done anything with the gauge yet.this tank will be going into a compressor build soon.I did increase the filter size.
Mine does that in _cold_ weather. Are you running an appropriate air compressor oil? I run non-detergent straight 30W in mine.
Another thought is there could be something wrong with your contractor/pressure switch where it's drawing too much power. I'm not sure if it's this video or another one where I illustrated replacing mine.
Yeah,like I said it’s a couple yrs old but doesn’t have that much use.I was down for a few yrs needing back surgery but yeah I changed it after break in period and now has half and half syn and standard and the right cord.I put WD40 on the shaft next to the fan thinking it was turning by hand too hard and that made a big. difference but still stuck with the same crap.I have a har dryer I some times put on it a while and seems to help but same old crap overall
@@barrykilts4506 There could be a few things causing it, but it doesn't sound like normal behavior. I'd probably pop the cover off of the contactor and see if anything looks burned and maybe disconnect the small line at the check valve to make sure yours isn't leaking.
@@TheBrokenLife have the cover off now and all appears well but since I do a lot of steel cutting,grinding,welding and such I decided to change the oil and glad I did.don’t know for sure yet but alone may be enough of an improvement and if it is I’ll change it once more very soon and more often and improve the air breather/cleaner
@@barrykilts4506 Awesome! Hopefully it really was that easy!
Do harbor Freight compressors ha US threaded fittings or metric?
It depends where. Even worse, it probably also depends on model.
All of the air ports (except the air intake on the cylinder head) I've ever seen on them are NPT. Everything else, I would assume metric, but you'll have to double check.
What about increasing the diameter of the charge tube from the head to tank? Is there any improvement to be had there by going bigger?
I doubt it on a compressor of this size. But... I have heard of people finding casting imperfections that were obstructing the outlet on the cylinder head. It might be worth taking a look for something like that?
So if you install a reservoir attached to the compressor want that take care of lack of pressure ?
That will add volume, so it will increase the amount of time before the compressor turns on, but it will not increase pressure. It will also cause the compressor to run long to refill the additional volume.
i bought a goodyear 30 gal from walmart with a digital regulator and it runs a 3/4" husky impact gun enough to remove a honda crank bolt. surprising that it doesnt have the presure drop off
I'm surprised by that too. A crank bolt is exactly what caused me to find this error the first time on mine.
The problem with deleting the regulator is that if you have quick connections, especially if they are half inch like mine, it's very hard to disconnect and even harder to connect when the hose is carrying 130 psi or something. It's kind of a violent situation to do it. Also, you can't depressure the hose without a regulator. Don't you think it would be better to change from the OE quarter inch regulator on the tank to something larger?
I've never really had that problem, but, yes, the better long term solution is a regulator upgrade.
Can you put the high flow couplers directly on your compressor? I have some from flexzilla there not brass though?
Sure. You can put couplers on anywhere there's a fitting on the tank.
@@TheBrokenLife ok so taking off the brass coupler and putting a flexzilla high flow is ok? The directly on the machine itself? Haha I just don't want to F up my unit cause I have no idea what I'm doing 😂
@@David-kg1hc It should be as straight forward as just changing one for the other. Just don't mess with anything to do with the control system or the over-pressure safety valve and you're fine.
That said... If you really don't know _anything_ about what you're doing, you may want to try to seek out someone local to double check what you're planning to do. None of this is complicated, but it is dangerous if you really screw up.
@@TheBrokenLife ok man thank you for your time!
@@David-kg1hc I'm happy to help. Good luck with it! 👍
Another option is to install a truck DV-2 auto-drain at the bottom of the tank. You can still keep your whip hose attached to side inlet.
I have a little 4gal compressor so in order to run high vol tools I attached a harbor freight 10gal tank($50) and now I have the volume of a 14gal compressor and can run my plasma cutter and die grinder
I would suspect you're not running your plasma and die grinder for very long..?
@@TheBrokenLife with the extra tank I get about 45 seconds of plasmacutting at 35psi before the compressor kicks on, then about a full minute before the psi dropps enough to where I can't keep cutting. I get about 30 seconds of die grinder. Thought about getting a second one
@@autodidacticartisan That's about what I would have guessed. I admire and respect the make-it-work attitude, but that amount of run time would drive me bonkers. Even something like the cheap HFT compressor I showed in this video would be a huge upgrade for you. You won't be running stuff non-stop, but you would easily multiply your productivity by 5 or maybe 10 in the case of the plasma.
It looks like the cheapest similar one they have these days is about $250.
@@TheBrokenLife I've been considering getting their 26 gallon ultra quiet compressor. It looks very nice and I've seen some good reviews. Tbh a minute is enough time to cut most things on the plasma cutter. I'd really be wanting it for the die grinder and other high flow tools.
@@autodidacticartisan Die grinders are pigs for sure. You just can't have enough air to run one.
So by the time you make all these upgrades, how does the cost compare to just buying a higher end compressor?
Not even close. Sadly, even much higher end compressors still come with pretty crappy gauges, fittings, etc and all of the stuff I installed here will transfer over to any other compressor in the future.
The only real money wasted was on the filter housing, which was more for fun than anything. I ended up abandoning it for a Solberg unit not too long after this video.
That said, I did end up retiring this compressor and replacing it with a much higher end model (videos are all linked in the Air Compressors playlist, which is in the description). After waiting for months for a good sale, that compressor was ~$400. Regular price is around $700. So... In regular price dollars, it was probably about a $450 difference between what I did in this video (including the initial purchase price of the compressor) and my new compressor as it came out of the box. My new compressor also received the same treatment and then some.
What regulator do you recommend to buy if we want to replace the crappy one?
On compressors of this size, pretty much anything that is physically the size of a can of soda, or larger, at the home improvement store will do.
I've had a regulator video simmering on the back burner for awhile now that I really need to get to. 😆
Turn pliers the proper direction so they will grip.. thanks for the video!
I made a video addressing this...
ua-cam.com/video/jsw9seQxq3Y/v-deo.html
I see a foxbody in the background. Hell yeah!!
Indeed you do... ;) It will be on the channel in good time. Sadly it's a low priority at the moment, but it's a pretty nice car under all the dust.
I use a N95 mask as a input air filter. It works great for me~
also try high flow milton fittings, makes a difference on impact guns, sand blaster and hvlp spray guns
I've moved on to Parker fittings since, as far as I can tell, they don't have any steel parts to corrode.
That said, one of the issues with these cheap compressors is that the biggest hole in the tank is 1/4" NPT. So even if I were to run no fittings and just plumb directly to the tank, that's all the better it would ever get. My new compressor (video linked here: ua-cam.com/video/prOpMyOkPK8/v-deo.html) has 1 1/4" bungs in the tank so at some point I'm likely to try much larger plumbing. When I do, it will for sure be on the channel. 👍
That breether plug thing came with it ?, I got a pulsar 15gallon that has a plastic cover that keep flying out whenever the comp is on n the oil would them start flashing through the hole
Yep. Anything you see in the video that I didn't specifically comment on is just regular HFT stuff.
You sure your compressor isn't suffering from blow by and pressurizing the crank case and popping that plug out?
The largest restriction I found is the fittings themselves. Replacing them with high flow fittings and 3/8 id hose let my ingersol rand 1/2 impact handle f350 wheel nuts. No problems except trying to find quality high flow fittings that don't leak.
I keep hearing good things about the Milton V fittings. I plan to take a look at them in the future.
Fill the comp with air it will come out LOL Thanks for the cool video You gave me some ideas
I'm glad you found it useful!
If I remove the regulator how will I know my tools won't blow up from too much air? If it puts out 150 and the tool only req 90 psi?
I've been running hot garbage air tools for 30 years and I've never had one blow up.
What I would say is that if your tools are working fine for you, then don't mess with anything.
@@TheBrokenLife Thanks-
@@vicc6744 Good luck! 👍
@@TheBrokenLife Thanks I haven't had a compressor in like 18 years but I'm retired now and thought I'd like to have one to do some work on my old Scout
@@vicc6744 Man, I love Scouts. Literally a home town favorite for me!
Since you're just looking around and haven't bought yet, I would suggest something larger than these entry level units. Pretty much anything belt-drive will be a much better compressor... especially if you have 240V available in your shop.
Wow, I have the same compressor in red, but I also have the same backpack sprayer. I've owned it for about twenty years! You can put down 5 gallons before you know it.
Heh... That backpack is a beast. Just has a crappy wand.
you still have that foxbody?
Yessir! It's a little cleaner now. 🤣
ua-cam.com/video/6zTYHy1Rihs/v-deo.html
Has anyone tried using the oiless 6 hp motor on a oil set up using different pump?I’m gonna try putting a belt system on 60 gal.tank with harbor freight 5 hp pump.once all the craps off the motor it should work work with a little coaxing
With enough effort I imagine anything is possible. If you have all of that stuff just sitting around there's no harm in trying to repurpose it.
JB plastic bonder flows perfectly for this application and has a strong bond.
I don't doubt it. I've been meaning to try some out! 👍
@@TheBrokenLife I just used it on a bumper Repair...it's great. Used it as a bonder and filler. Sands nice too...I use it with the nozzles... makes it pretty easy to lay.
@@DJDOUBLE077 Interestingly one of my upcoming projects is to fill some holes in a plastic bumper. I'll definitely give it a shot.
Putting vice grips on backwards. Grips much stronger and safer the other way around
See the pinned comment...
JB Weld is your friend. Enjoyed the video. I want a better air compressor.
That makes two of us... That one has let me down 2 more times since this video. C'mon black Friday!
How old is (was) that tank? I just started using a 2011 tank/compressor that was on my property when I moved here. Not sure if it is safe but seems to be working fine. It is a Husky 60 ga.
2006. The questionable condition of that tank is ultimately why I retired the compressor.
On something bigger like a 60, it would be worth your time to send an inspection camera in there and take a look.
Honestly I used to think Milton were the best but something has changed. I have had so many issues with them past couple years I just quit using them. Found another brand that's totally brass and it's smooth push on no issues. Can't remember the brand though, there are some good ones out there.
I'm slowly switching over to Parker after discovering that they have aluminum valve cores. They aren't cheap though...
Milton is still a lot better than any of the "China" stuff.
Use your vise grips or channel locks with the lower jaw in the direction that your turning you will get a much better bite they are designed to work that way even the cut of the teeth are designed to work in one direction good luck 👍 I’m a plumber about drove crazy to watch lol
See the pinned comment. 👍
What kind of oil do you use?😊
Non-detergent 30W Valvoline.
10:51 Is that gray car in the background a Chevy Celebrity?
Heh.... Not that I wouldn't have a gray Chevy Celebrity, but that is actually a black '91 Mustang GT that is badly covered in shop dust. It has since been washed. 😂
I know this is old but just putting a 90 degree "pipe" elbow (male on one side female on other, like yours but cheaper since not brass and not needed connecting to steel), then just a pipe long enough to get to the outside of the tank, will withstand the full pressure all the time and you can add your ball valve there instead of underneath, and eliminate the need for a second ball valve. Also, I just use cheap clear vinyl tubing for the output since it's never under any real pressure.
The reason for the brass bar stock 90 is because it's about 1/2 the height of a standard black iron pipe elbow and fits under the tank without hitting the floor. I also prefer brass because it won't rot out like iron will or falsely indicate more rust in the tank than is actually present. It's a couple more bucks, but money well spent, IMO.
Sorta the same deal with a pipe to get it out to a leg instead of using hose. A pipe will eventual rot out, and make the discharge water appear rusty, but a hose never will. The purpose of the first ball valve at the tank, which honestly I had forgotten was even there until you mentioned it, is just in case the day ever came that I might damage the discharge hose and want to shut it off at the tank. It's been there for about 10 years and I've ever needed it. It probably wouldn't work anymore if I tried. 😆
This compressor has been retired, but on my new compressor I just put a valve on the hose and omitted it from the tank, using the same bar stock brass 90. I also added a water separator in-line between the compressor and the tank and used vinyl tubing for the water drain there. I confess that I used high pressure vinyl for the job, but that is mostly because it's less likely to kink shut and I prefer the look of it.
What all of that said, no matter how someone chooses to do it, a remote tank drain is worth whatever it costs to get done. It transforms a job that is a ridiculous pain into something that is just the flick of a switch. 👍
Use Milton Hi flow V style fittings. They move way more air than M style and the coupler will still accept M style male ends. But I replaced those too for my impact wrenches.
I've heard good things about those and plan to take a look at them. 👍
I think extending your air intake with an elbow and short pipe could bring it up in open air.. I hope to get a better compress some day. Thanks for the tips
Indeed, it would. I ended up switching filter housings not too long after this video to one that allows for a remote intake. It's made by Solberg.
I think because of the Indiana humidity you should tilt the valve fitting downward slightly and then it will drain better. I have a small tank that I drain weekly and I leave it open during the winter and it does ok.
Since filming this video I have retired the compressor shown and taken water separation a lot more seriously on its replacement. I decided that the best way to keep water out of the fittings was to keep water out of the tank from the start.
Check out the Compressors / Air Tools playlist in the description if you want to see where that path has led me.
Neat video, the cover probably doesn't affect airflow to the filter too bad since the cover has a decent amount of holes in it.
That's my thought too, but the thing pumps up radically slower now than it did before with no filter. I think if I had to do it over again (which... I might), I'd probably try to adapt a motorcycle air filter or something. Ya know, something with giant skulls or flames or knives or something cool. ;)
My wife uses "Pipettes", tiny glass tubes with a very narrow tip, to apply glue in tight places. Fingertip on the top prevents the glue coming out where you don't want it.
Great tip! 👍
@@TheBrokenLife pun intended?
@@cm1133 heh... I wish! 😆
My check valve blew and I cant find a replacement on my model...so Ill have to toss it.
Will this one work?: amzn.to/3UROffH
I just started the video, and paused it..
.
I've got a few of those cheap HF compressors, 3 of the 20gallon, and 2 10's. The oiled ones, not the rattle traps.
.
The motor in my big compressor fried.. I needed something to get me through until I could repair.
.
Started with just one, then a second, fried one, and then a 3rd, and I'm not sure how it all went down at this point, but 3 of them
still work.. 2 of them are fried.. I got the little ones because they were $50 cheaper (35%) and essentially the same compressor.
.
Rule #1 (I still haven't watched the video). Pay attention to the oil.. That's why I fried 2 of them, they ran a LOT!!! Far beyond what they
were designed to do.. Make sure you can see the oil in the sight glass every few days.. Every month or so, drain 'em and fill 'em.. I just
use straight 30 weight, its basically the same thing as "Compressor" oil, and its a lot cheaper, and it works well. I ran them hard, in a home
shop, probably last 5 years without an oil change..
.
Some of the fittings going to the pressure switch were bad, and were replaced as needed, just normal copper tube stuff,
and the unloader valves were not the greatest and needed some massaging on occasion..
.
For the price though.. I was impressed.. I still use 2 of them as accumulator tanks.. Far cheaper than buying a bare air tank, and in the deal
you get a bonus powered air compressor head for free.
.
For the dollars.. I was really impressed with those compressors. I still am..
.
One last thing.. You don't need 140psi.. Turn it down a smig, that also helped keep them alive, and cut down on the electricity. Its not in the manual, but its a bog standard pressure switch, just pop the cover off and turn the screws.
.
I'm going to go watch the video now, and see if my experiences match..
Strong "This Old Tony" vibes.
Wow... Any comparison to the master himself is way too generous. 🤣👍
For impacts I don't bother regulating their input pressure since they'll cope easily with the max my various crap compressors put out. In that case a regulator is merely a flow restriction and the compressor would fail before overloading any impact tool.
The comments are full of people disagreeing (some pretty intensely) with both of us for doing that. 😂
Thanks for the video. I've got a Ingersoll-Rand air compressor from the mid 90s that needs some TLC and plan on doing a few upgrades to it as well. BTW, make a few videos of that Fox GT! My favorite mustangs of any year.
The 5.0 is on the list, but it's way down on the priorities, unfortunately. ;)
Use DOT rated plastic air line for your air tank drain remote .
I imagine you certainly could do that. It's more difficult for me to get that than it is to use regular air hose.
Thanks in a million. Great content. Awesome imagination. Grade: A++💥
Thanks for watching! 🍻
Haah... The way you fix your compressor air filter, is almost how we made the original legal airfilter box on our Mopeds into a "power Filter", because when giving it a larger cylinder, you need a larger carburetor and more air intake, to mach the increase in CCM and amount of gasoline, to get a perfect combination, but a regular(legal) was unable to deliver that amount, plus the flange would often be larger, so we'd empty out a large regular one, keep the front intact, but skeletonize the rest, and use the front as camouflage and the insides was something totally different, because a dead give away that you have fiddled with it, is the power Filter, sticking out from under the seat :)
Yep. That's pretty much exactly what I did. 😆
@@TheBrokenLife great video BTW... I am in the midst of making one of my own, from scratch. You are almost the only one, that also uses a airfilter!.. I had also ordered one, because It really did stick out too me how nobody really threw one on, and never even mentioned how "important" they actually are, for increasing it's longevity, and the general health of the tank, just like drainage, from humidity, it's like they think the water seperator on the regulator somehow will magicly evaporate the build-up, in the air-container also?!... so your brass coupling is a brilliant idea. that I'm going to steal for myself ;)
@@DreadPirarateAndersen Thanks, I'm glad you found the video helpful!
As far as the filter, in the long run I ended up scrapping that one and put a Solberg on it. It was way less effort and not that much more money for what is almost certainly a better filter.
Tank health is a big deal for me. Even if not for a rusty tank being a safety risk, it's just not financially realistic to re-tank most consumer level compressors if one ever springs a leak. If you lose the tank, the whole is thing is trash.
Speaking of... I'm in the midst of outfitting a new compressor with some other systems to keep that sort of thing to a minimum. Should be a decent set of videos. 🤞
Love that fox gt
Me too! We'll get to it in time.
Why don't you have an oilless compressor motor?
A few reasons. First, they weren't all that common back when I bought my compressor so I just took what I could get at the price I could pay. Second, now that they're more available, I'm not a fan of them because they run so much hotter. Pretty much every oil-less compressor I've ever seen, that has seen any work (and wasn't ultra expensive), has died a young death. I routinely abuse my oiled compressor and it keeps going, and going, and going, and...
2 years ago I know, but if anyone wants to try this, jb plastic weld is great for the air filter mod.
Lots of folks have said good things about it. 👍
And... I probably wouldn't do that one again. I replaced that housing with a Solberg unit that cost a couple of bucks, but is much nicer in the end.
I was never told to oil my for my framing nailer when I built my recording studio. Strange.
THANK YOU FOR VIDEO
Thanks for watching it! 👍
The best way to keep those air fittings from ever leaking. Is about every 6 months put three to four drops of pump oil directly in them. Or if you don't have pump oil you can use the same oil that you drip into your air tools. All that is is pump oil.
That works unless you want to use your compressor for running a paint gun. Getting oil in a paint gun would be bad for your paint job.
@@TheBrokenLife, have separate fittings for your paint guns. It's FAR cheaper than the frustration involved.
@@affliction1979 I strongly agree. I have outright separate hoses for that kind of thing which never see oil (other than the garbage the compressor is passing through them).
@@TheBrokenLife, I've been working with air tools at work for approximately 20 years or so, yet I just bought my own, personal compressor. I'm literally in the middle of buying all the extra crap, so I can definitely understand. I really want to T my valve off to 1/4 and 3/8, but I'm not sure if my compressor can handle 3/8".
@@affliction1979 If your tool needs to consume the volume that 3/8" can provide, then that's what it needs. If your compressor can't keep up the demand of the tool, then you'll have to trade the flow rate of the compressor rebuilding the stored volume in the tank for your time. Standing around waiting for the compressor to recharge is a story I know well.
In my opinion, there is no such thing as too much volume. You can always take it away by various means, but you can't add it back once the plumbing is maxed out. If you've got something you think you need 3/8" for, then it won't ever hurt to have it.
For what it's worth, in all of the various air tool pursuits I've been on in my life, all but industrial applications have been with 1/4" M style fittings and I don't know any home hobbyists using larger. That includes stuff like sandblasting which just murders air. My limitation has always been the flow rate of the compressor itself.
Hey, I also have a foxbody gathering dust in my shop. :-) Great vid. Subscribed.
Mine is excellent at that! ;)
Thanks! Happy to have you!
Me too!
This was helpful. Thanks.
I'm glad to hear it! 👍
Use a crescent wrench on fittings and lay off the channel locks(tongue and groove) and other wrenches! They don't mar and round fittings...
The fittings themselves, where I was using the channel locks, are round.
@@TheBrokenLife yeah what I'm getting at is if you don't use channel lock pliers on a fitting not already rounded and instead use a crescent wrench you avoid this entire issue, lol...
@@AWIERD1 I understand your point. My point is there is no hex on those fittings and there never was. The have round bodies with knurling and that's it.
Look up a Milton S-715 and you'll see it. The only hex on it is for installation, not for disassembly.
The next life for that compressor tank would be to make a nice smoker. Just a thought.
Ribs lightly flavored with compressor oil... 🤤😆
Drill some one inch holes on outside face of air filter 🎉 it will work better .
I thought about that, but I ended up replacing that entire housing not too long after this video.
Great vid,thank you! I didn't know the regulator on these small compressors could be so restrictive!
I am concerned about using ful pressure on certain tools like finish/brad nailers and pneumatic rivet guns, etc. Did you put a remote regulator in your system for tools like this? If so,what brand do you recommend?
Thanks again! (Really clever with the filter!👍)
Thanks!
I didn't know they could be that restrictive either until many years of ownership. It wasn't until I attempted to use a 1/2" impact gun with mine that I discovered the problem. Then I ran into the problem twice more in other people's shops...
Just to get you by for tools with a relatively low flow rate, like nailers and such, the OEM regulators are fine. Put the one that came with your compressor on quick connectors so you can plug it in and out as you choose.
I'll be covering regulators in a future video, but my general preference is to try to find something industrial grade on the surplus market. Even a fairly well used Parker, IR, SMC, etc will be much higher quality than something from the home improvement store. That said, almost anything is an improvement over what comes on these units.
@@TheBrokenLifenot to be a smart-ass, but why not move the regulator to the other side of the tee? That way you have one full-flow and one regulated outlet, leaving you the ability to use more precise tools?
@@avedesco If I had planned it all out from the start I absolutely could have. But, I'm positive the day the regulator came off it went straight into the trash out of frustration, and then the tee came along at some point in the future. In all honesty, I always had the regulator wide-open anyhow so I never mourned the loss. Even to this day many years later, I'm not sure if I have anything that minds the occasional 125psi. My die grinders ran for years and years at 180... not that you should do that yourself.
But, I do have a new regulator now and plan to soft-plumb it into the system so it can be selected or bypassed easily. I just haven't gotten around to the video yet.