compressors water release valve wont shut

by jon
(oregon )

my father recently gave me his sears craftsman 25 gal 5Hp air compressor. i used it a fiew times and it worked great, i opened the valve on the bottom to drain any built up fluid and drained the tank but now when i try to tighten the valve again it will not tighten and now it just leaks a ton of air

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Bill says...

Yup, and it will continue to leak a ton of air unless you close it.

These items are not normally susceptible to mechanical failure. Compressor tank drain valves are pretty simple devices.

As I think about your problem I wonder, could it be possible that you are trying to turn the valve the wrong way? Try turning it the other way and see what happens.

If that doesn't work, you will have to replace the drain. If you can thread it out, consider installing a 90 degree elbow in the drain port, use a short length of poly tubing for air to extend the drain line out to the edge of the tank (easier to get at) and then install a valve there.

Cheers,

Bill