Male or Female End on Compressor Hose?

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EOsteam
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Re: Male or Female End on Compressor Hose?

Post by EOsteam »

With regard to the pipe dope comment, an old aircraft mechanic friend of mine was always adamant that when I applied pipe dope to threads that I leave the first 2 threads bare and clean. I assume this was to prevent the compound from finding it's way into the line and fouling things up. I do the same thing with Teflon tape.

I don't know if this is standard practice or not but it has always served me well.
Carm
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Re: Male or Female End on Compressor Hose?

Post by Carm »

SteveHGraham wrote: Also, a compression fitting on the end of the copper line going into the pressure switch on my big compressor is hissing. Is there a better cure than opening it up, applying Teflon, and closing it? I have some pipe dope here somewhere.
IMO a thread leak is unlikely. The copper tie line tends to work harden from vibration and cracks at the restraint, which is a variable due to quality of fitting manufacture.
There can be value in Pacific rim goods but scrupulously avoid anything having to do with pipe threads. Repeat that.
If that line doesn't have a loop in it, put one in the new one along with the new American made fitting.
EOsteam's comment about leaving the start threads clean is a good one unless you're using an anaerobic sealer.
hammermill
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Re: Male or Female End on Compressor Hose?

Post by hammermill »

well advised practice along with be carefull with Teflon tape. every solenoid in the system will get gamed up if you don't.
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SteveHGraham
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Re: Male or Female End on Compressor Hose?

Post by SteveHGraham »

Replacing the line does not look like a fun job. One end is out in the open, but the other is under the exact middle of the heavy steel plate the motor sits on. I can get one hand in there with an ignition wrench, but that's about it.
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BadDog
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Re: Male or Female End on Compressor Hose?

Post by BadDog »

And this is the compressor that is like mine? It should have a big bung on the side of the tank out in the open. The only thing up there in the middle is the 1" diameter copper main charge hose. And there is enough room I can reach in and wrap my fist around it easily.

Ahh, never mind, I looked back and see you are also talking about that main charge line leaking. You may well just need to tighten it. They use pretty good quality parts on these things.
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SteveHGraham
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Re: Male or Female End on Compressor Hose?

Post by SteveHGraham »

To replace the line that goes to the switch, I have to remove the other end, which is under the plate.
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
Carm
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Re: Male or Female End on Compressor Hose?

Post by Carm »

Steve
A suggestion. Keep in mind I can't see what you have.
You could splice that line, cut it where it's convenient to work on and either put a quality compression coupling or solder in a coupling. If you solder be careful about cleanliness and fit. Put at least one turn in the new section, a generous diameter loop before you get to the switch.
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SteveHGraham
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Re: Male or Female End on Compressor Hose?

Post by SteveHGraham »

I may try the pipe dope first. If it works, I can go back to sleep.
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david5605
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Re: Male or Female End on Compressor Hose?

Post by david5605 »

Keep in mind that if you are talking flare fittings then trying to seal the threads doesn't help. It's the flare itself that is doing the sealing. The flare nut is just a clamping device.
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SteveHGraham
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Re: Male or Female End on Compressor Hose?

Post by SteveHGraham »

Having received a lot of instruction, I finally decided to take it apart. Why is it that nothing simple is ever simple? I saw someone on the web say it could be fixed with a little grease on the flare fitting, presumably to allow me to tighten it more without damaging anything. I decided to try it.

The fitting is on the underside of the pressure switch. There is a copper tube, and there is a nut around it behind the flare. It screws onto a brass-looking thing on the switch. I turned the nut behind the flare about 3,000 times and realized I was getting nowhere. I saw that the fitting it screwed onto was turning. I figured I had to screw that fitting back into the switch. I used two wrenches and backed the nut on the copper line off of the fitting on the switch.

I turned it about 3,000 times and saw that it, too, was spinning. I took the switch cover off. There was a THIRD nut in there, and because it was loose, the fitting the line attaches to was going around and around. I tightened that one up, and then I greased the fitting the line goes onto with beeswax and mineral oil because I could not find my lithium grease.

I tried to screw the line fitting onto the switch fitting, and the pressure gauge was in the way. The gauge was not in the way when it came off. Oh, no. It cooperated just fine. But once it was off, the pressure gauge magically moved into the place where the line needed to be.

So I had to take the pressure gauge off.

I applied Teflon pipe paste to it, put everything back together, and turned the compressor on. When it turned off, it was hissing WORSE.

Then I walked over to it to start over, and the hissing stopped for no reason whatsoever. It's holding 175 psi, and I can't even guess why. I assume there is something about that fitting I don't understand. Maybe there is some doodad in there that releases excess pressure?

Anyhow, it's not hissing right now. That could change if I look at it or even think about it the wrong way.
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SteveHGraham
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Re: Male or Female End on Compressor Hose?

Post by SteveHGraham »

Now I am reading that Campbell-Hausfield compressors (not mine) make a hissing noise right after they fill up, and then it stops. I assume they would use the same kind of pressure switch I have, since I have seen this exact same type of switch on lots of machines.

If this is true, then my compressor is just fine, but I don't recall hearing that noise in the past.

Something else: the banging noise is gone. I guess something noisy was loose, and it was banging when the motor started, and I tightened it up and forgot about it.
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
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SteveHGraham
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Re: Male or Female End on Compressor Hose?

Post by SteveHGraham »

Now no air is going through my refrigerated dryer. That's new. It's not turned on. I had the lines hooked up because I used it the other day. The manual doesn't say anything about this. Wonder what's happening.
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
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