Regulator for garage sale air compressor

by EJ
(Washington State)

I just got an old belt driven Sears 100 PSI, 7.5 gallon air compressor (model 106.171142) at a garage sale. I'm putting a new regulator on it. My question is regarding the shut-off switch. How will the air compressor know to shut off at 100 PSI? I can't find any mechanism that seems to make it do that. I'm used to seeing those safety pressure valves with the ring on the end. This unit doesn't have anything like that. Is that normal?
Thanks, ej





Bill says...

Howdy EJ.

The regulator doesn't have anything to do (normally) with starting and stopping the compressor. Here is what regulators do.

What starts and stops your air compressor is the pressure switch. You need a pressure switch to ensure that your compressor starts at the low pressure setting, and shuts off at the high pressure set point, in your case 100 PSI. If you unit doesn't have one, get one, and get the high pressure setting adjusted to 100 PSI.

The valve with the ring in it is normally a pressure relief valve. If your compressor doesn't have one, I wouldn't use it until I had one installed. It's a critical piece of safety equipment.

Cheers,

Bill




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Regulator for garage sale air compressor

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May 24, 2011
 safety valve
by: Anonymous

I used to own this model. It came with a safety valve, a tank pressure regulator (70-100 psi), but no output air regulator. After I owned it awhile, I installed an output air regulator. The safety valve is an older type, without a pull-ring. The manual, which I still have, says the safety valve "will 'pop off' automatically, should the tank pressure accidnetally go beyond the maximum.

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