Adjusting Air Pressure

Have a Ingersoll-Rand 4000 air compressor that I can't adjust the air pressure using the Knob. Is there another way to adjust air pressure?





Bill wonders...?

Howdy, and thanks for writing in.

What knob?

I'm assuming you mean the knob on the regulator, yes? :-)

Here is the page about compressed air regulators, complete with photo and drawing showing the regulators adjusting knob.

If you are turning this adjusting knob, and the air pressure is not increasing or decreasing, here are some things to look at:

    ~is there air in the tank?
    ~has the knob been turned all the way and now can't turn further?
    ~what happens when you pull up or push down on the adjusting knob?

If you are turning the knob, if there's air, and nothing is happening, I suspect that the knob has been disconnected from the actual internal adjusting nut. By pushing down or pulling up on the knob, it may then intersect with the internal nut, and then work.

Or, the inside of the adjusting knob has been stripped, and now even though it's turning, the internal nut is not.

Or, the regulator has failed. (Unlikely).

How about a "heads up"? Did any of this help?

Cheers,

Bill




Comments for
Adjusting Air Pressure

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Aug 01, 2010
 Regulator leaks, doesn't regulate
by: Anonymous

If your unit is running only to the max cutoff and the regulator does the same and will leak at the adjustment knob unless it is completely closed, the other side, a sort of check valve is sticking. Took me a while to figure it out but on my PC pancake once I saw how gunked up the check valve was it was obvious. Hopefully your o-ring is ok (very tiny) and clean the bore with 600 paper, a tiny swab of w/d 40 and back in business.
Nov 21, 2009
 Controlling the air flow.
by: Anonymous

There are also two types of "Knobs" used on air lines.

1) Regulator valve knobs

2) Shutoff valve knobs

Both can reduce the air flow, but there is a big difference. The regulator is a special device that you set to a specific air pressure. The regulator will then open or close the valve from fully open to fully close as is needed to keep the output pressure at the setting you set.

The second is just an on/off valve that controls the size of the hole between the two sides. When there is air flowing through a tool, this type of valve will restrict that flow, but when the tool stops, air can still flow because the size of the valve hole does not change. So the air will continue to flow till the PSI at the tool is the same as the PSI at the compressor.

So the regulator limits the max pressure exiting the valve, while the shutoff valve limits the max air flow through the valve.

The question is do you have a a regulator valve or a shutoff valve.
___________
Good point!

B.

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