Air Compressor Gauge Leaking

You know the compressor is always leaking air as when you shut it down with a full charge of air in the tank after a short while you can see that the tank pressure gauge display is showing that the tank pressure is dropping.

Air compressor gauge leaking.

This video goes over a few main reasons why your air compressor pressure switch or unloader is leaking while the compressor is running or when it shuts off. Record the time it takes to load and unload the compressor. What you need to do in this situation is pinpoint the source of the leak. Unloader valve is leaking air.

To do this operate the compressor in a load no load or start stop mode. The scenario that concerns us is one where air can be felt blowing out of the air regulator and this leaking air continues whether the air compressor is running or has reached cut out pressure and stopped. In other words air leaks out of some part of the regulator all the time there is air in the tank. Compressor is constantly leaking.

It will load or unload based on the demand of. It doesn t typically matter if the gauge is a 1 1 2 diameter face a 2 face diameter or a different size gauge face entirely yet buying the replacement gauge that is the same size as the one that you are replacing on your air compressor helps ensure that it will fit in the same space on that compressor. If you shut off the air compressor on full charge yet the gauge drops while the compressor is deactivated you definitely have an air leak. If you plug in the compressor the pressure switch response to the air leak and dropping compressor pressure will be to start the compressor again.

If air is leaking from the unloader valve when the air compressor is stopped that points to a problem with the compressor tank check valve not seating properly or its failure. If you shut down the compressor when the tank is filled with air and then find that the pressure gauge is showing a drop in pressure you know that the compressor is leaking air. The compressor might even automatically restart just to counter the situation. If your air compressor is leaking water it could be due to a bad drain.

If the air is leaking from the unloader valve then see the page under fixing compressor problems about air continuously leaking from the unloader valve for. The valve on the outside of the pressure switch may look something like the one in the image. To gauge the effect of an air compressor leak you can measure your plant s leak load.