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View Full Version : Compressor's drain valve is leaking


Dan Mages
11-20-2009, 11:13 AM
Just what I need... another expense.

I shut off the compressor last night and noticed that the drain valve on the bottom of my 25 gallon PC compressor is leaking. Obvously, this is a safety issue that needs to be addressed. Is this something I can fix at home, or do I need to find a repair shop for it?

thanks,

Dan
Daniel Kennedy
11-20-2009, 11:20 AM
I suspect that you can do it yourself. Disconnect from power, release all air pressure, and see if you can remove the current drain. Your local hardware store probably has a replacement with the same type of thread. I know the Aubuchons I went to last week has petcocks in their air line fittings.
Dan Friedrichs
11-20-2009, 11:24 AM
It's no big deal. Home Depot sells sells little replacement drain valves that will fit it (just unscrew the old one and screw the new one in). Or - those cheap little valves fail so often (and are hard to open and close), so many people just get some pipe fittings and a 1/4-turn ball valve and connect it to the tank. The hole in the tank is probably tapped 1/4" NPT.
Chip Lindley
11-20-2009, 12:11 PM
As long as its the valve leaking, and NOT your tank, you are ok! A rusted tank IS a serious safety issue!

Perhaps your drain cock is much more conveniently located than mine, but if not, do a little plumbing to make yours more accessible. Screw a 1/4" npt elbow Into your tank and add a short length of 1/4" pipe to run the drain line horizontally beyond the end of your tank. Install a nice little brass ball valve instead of another *finger-getter* petcock! You'll be glad you did!!!
Josiah Bartlett
11-20-2009, 1:10 PM
The other good thing about adding an elbow and a ball valve is that the water collects in the elbow instead of the bottom of the tank. This means the replaceable part is the one that rusts, not the tank.
Dan Mages
11-20-2009, 3:59 PM
Its all fixed. There is a Porter Cable/Delta/Dewalt factory repair shop near me that had the part in stock for $1.80. It took 2 minutes to fix and is now completely air tight and I have a spair in case it fails again.

Thanks everyone.

Dan