On Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:54:26 -0600, Tim Wescott
wrote:

On Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:15:28 -0600, Tim Wescott wrote:

On Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:55:44 -0600, Ignoramus12217 wrote:

On 2011-12-06, Tim Wescott wrote:

Yup. It looks like the check valve is even made to be maintained, so
I may be able to fix it without either total disassembly or buying
replacement parts -- this is a good thing, because the compressor
purchase has inspired purchase of spray guns, hoses, etc. -- I just
need a regulator and to clean up the nice used guns I bought, and I'm
ready to paint.

I do not think that it is the check valve that is the culprit.

On disassembly, the check valve revealed a nice little spring, a nicely
polished seat where the ball goes -- and no ball.

Methinks it's the check valve...

... and with a ball _in_ the check valve, it works just fine, even though
it keeps leaking from the compressor head (the ball came from a toy, so
while it's steel and shiny, it's probably far -- or far enough -- from
being a perfectly round ball bearing).

Sounds like two different problems. One, the check valve (now that
you have one...) still isn't sealing. Hence the leak-back and
hissing, and the hard starting.

Most of those valves either have a hard poppet with a soft seat, or a
hard seat and a poppet like a little torpedo with a soft sealing face
washer on it. Hard seat and hard ball isn't going to do it.

Look up the generic compressor check valves on McMaster or Grainger,
they're cheap and easy to replace - the hard part is finding the right
combination of NPT threads on the tank end and Flare or Compression or
NPT on the compressor end.

Two, there should be a mechanical unloader valve on the pressure
switch, with some 1/4" tubing between the unloader and the output
tubing before the tank check valve.

You might even be able to fix yours on the cheap. It's a Schraeder
tire core for the valve.

-- Bruce --