Regulators...what's the trick?

[Brent Harral]

I have two Speedaire (300psi) regulators that have failed (broke?) in the past 6 months. There is only 125psi coming off my compressor and the whole shop system is pressurized most of the time. I have released the spring tension whenever I have ran the lines dry, but both regulators don't seem to hold the pressure past 100 psi without doing the "needle dance" of sorts. When they DO get down to my 90 working pressure they usually hiss at me..and it's becoming a real pain.

Both are Grainger items and I would be surprised that I got two bum ones in a row. Boy, and the little ones in a couple of my portable compressors have lasted forever....so I don't get it.

Any thoughts??

Thanks.

[Steve Clardy]

Tried speedair several times. They all leaked.
I still have one dual system. It gets cranky once in a while. Have to remove, clean and oil up the orings, feed it breakfast, then it will go another few months again. One of these days I'll pitch it.

[Bob Reeve]

Without see the actual units you purchased, I cannot say for sure but there are 2 styles of regulators. The first is a non-relieving. It will not hiss at you regardless of the system pressure or how far cranked down you have the downline pressure. The other is a relieving and when you crank down the pressure it will bleed off system pressure once it hits a certain level. Most people believe this style is broken. It sounds like you might have gotten this style. There is nothing wrong with it if you did, it is just annoying.

[Brent Harral]

Geez, didn't even know about the non-relieving type...thanks.

<img src="http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL563/2750473/5750826/133925842.jpg">

Any recommendations on a good replacement?

[Steve Clardy]

Can't remember the name offhand now, but I have another dual unit that the car body shops use. Pricey unit, over a #100.00, but a good unit. If you know someone in the bodyshop business, give them a buzz.

[Steve Ash]

Brent, this is what I have and we used this for painting a bunch of cars and motorcycles for about 5 years. Quit painting muscle cars and crotch rockets and started using it for spraying finishes recently. Never gave me any trouble in the years I've used it. Bought it from a automotive paint supply company.

Ingersoll Rand R-10-02-60D F92
Max pressure 300 p.s.i.
Range 0-125 p.s.i.

[Larry Cooke]

Brent,

I work for a hose distributor and can tell you that basically there are three domestic manufacturers of FRL's (Filter, Regulator, and Lubricators) in the US. Norgren, Wilkerson, and Parker. The unit you have is (I'm 99% sure) actually a Norgren unit. BTW, Norgren in my opinion is one of the best brands.

One question I'd ask you is do you have a filter ahead of your regulator? If not, rust particles from the tank and possibly the air line will cause you a lot of grief. BTW, mount the filter directly to the regulator. Don't be tempted to mount the filter near the compressor and then further down the line mount your regulator. You want to be sure the regulator is getting air that is as clean as possible.

If you have a filter then you could possibly try another brand, but honestly I suspect there is something in your setup that could be causing the premature failure. Perhaps a more detailed description of your setup could lend us a hand in determining the problem.

A close second would be a Wilkerson brand. You can see these at:

http://www.wilkersoncorp.com/product/regulators.html

These are also sold by Dixon Valve and Coupling Co. They, like Grainger, contract out to Wilkerson. Here's their site:

http://www.dixonvalve.com/pdf/literature/wilkerson2004.pdf

Look in your yellow pages under "Hose and Fittings" for a local distributor.

HTH,

Larry

[tod evans]

i`ll second the norgren recomendation.....02 tod