Viair 350C suddenly ... no pressure to tank

Hi Guys,

Any thoughts on this one?

I had it working great on a 2 gallon tank. I just replaced the 2 gallon tank for a 5 gallon tank, plumbed it all together - and let it the compressor run for 9 minutes - and nothing. No pressure in the tank at all.

I checked the air filter and it's clean / like-new. It sounded perfectly normal as it was running. I disconnected the leader hose from the tank, ran the pump and I could barely feel any air coming out - ever so slight. I put my finger over the end for a split second and I didn't get "kicked off".

Any idea what in the world is going on here? I didn't change any electrical wiring at all. I've got the same 110-145 pressure switch, same aux-tire line, same drain cock, same plugs on unused ports. This is very strange to me.

I know the instruction manual says that I shouldn't remove the leader hose at the pump side ... what can I do next?

Thanks in advance,
Rick

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Bill says...

Rick, sounds to me as though you've got a failed internal gasket, or the intake valve(s) has jammed.

When you put your hand over the intake port, is 1) it pulling air in 2) air puffing out?

If not pulling in or air puffing out, you've got a valve issue.

Hard to check for a gasket failure, except, if air is getting pulled in, and it's not coming out of the discharge to the tank, and assuming that the piston seals are OK, then where else is it going?

Cheers,

Bill





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Viair 350C suddenly ... no pressure to tank

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Aug 07, 2010
 Still losing about 50 psi overnight ... ???
by: Rick

Ok - rattle is gone. Turns out that the 1" siwng check-valve reduced down to 1/4" was a bad idea. I got a 1/4" check valve and the noise is gone.

Stil need to locate where in the heck I'm losing all of this air from. I would almost expect to hear a "hiss" at that rate. Every connection at air horns are absolutely bubble free - including the solonoid in and out. The hose running to them is brand new and very heavy duty.

So - (working backwards) that leaves the tank, vacant port plug, pressure siwtch, T - with Gauge and coil hose, drain cock, main line out, Check valve and leader hose to compressor.

I'm about ready build a bathtub and dunk everything. At this point, I've sprayed every area mentioned with soapy water and no bubbles.

This is getting stranger by the minute. It sounds like an easy fix ... but I'm still not finding the leak. Have not totally bathed every inch of the tank yet. I guess that's my final step?

Bill - any other thoughts? Thanks! Rick

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If air is bleeding out when the compressor is stopped, it's often a small passage of air past the check valve and out the unloader valve. So small, you may not hear it, but over time, it continuously bleeds down the reservoir.

With the compressor tank full of air, get up close and personal to the unloader valve, maybe a smoke test of some sort, to see if you are bleeding air there.

Bill
Aug 04, 2010
 Where's the air leaking from?
by: Rick

Bill,

This is crazy. I've replaced the check valve (with 2 different styles: 1 swing and 1 pressure) and I'm losing pressure in the tank. It will fill to 145, but it will drop to 110 within a few hours and go down to 40 or 50 overnight. I've tried the soapy water trick on all of the connections and no bubbles. Yes, I'm in a better place than before since I'm now filling the tank ... but there's a substantial leak that I'm not seeing.

And, now I've also got a nasty rattle that sounds like something is inside the tank. I'm reasonably certain that nothing got in there.

Any suggestions on the rattle?
Any other obvious leak check points?

Thanks,
Rick

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Bathe the entire tank in soapy water, as well as all items in the air discharge line; regulator, gauge etc.

If the air is not leaking out of the unloader valve (a symptom of a leaking check valve) then you either have a perforated tank, or their is a joint / fitting that is leaking. Has to be!

B.
Jul 29, 2010
 Huh?
by: Anonymous

Yes, I caused the issue? Or, yes it was the check valve's time to die? :)

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Could be either. Doesn't much matter as long as it's fixed.

Cheers,

B.
Jul 26, 2010
 Bill - you are correct ... AGAIN!
by: Rick

Bill,

You're right again. Upon further examination (and discussions with professional) it looks like the check valve is bad. Somehow (not sure how) when I moved the leader hose/check valve from the 2 gallon tank over to the 5 gallon tank ... I messed up the check valve. I was extremely careful not to torque anything and I was conscious of the swivel fitting.

Did I cause the issue - or was it just the check valve's time to die?

Thanks,
Rick

_________________

Yes! :-)

B.

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