On Wed, 07 Sep 2005 17:52:27 +0000, Ignoramus11916 wrote:

On Wed, 7 Sep 2005 17:43:31 +0000 (UTC), Alden Hackmann
wrote:
Hey, folks:


1) I'd like to have it drain automatically. This description of
installing an automatic drain seems fairly straightforward:
http://www.paragoncode.com/shop/compressor/ Is there a better product?
Comments on this product or the procedure he describes?

I am waiting for the same product, I ordered it a week or so ago. I will
report on it.



I have the HF auto drain valve, and a compressor very similar to the one
on the web page referenced above (mine's red, not black). The drain was on
my compressor for 3 days, and is now sitting in a drawer.

The auto drain valve itself seems to work perfectly, but the associated
plumbing has given me nothing but grief. I needed my compressor back, and
it was easier to go back to the manual drain than to get the auto drain
working.

The polyurethane hose that comes with the HF auto drain valve cannot
withstand any heat at all. Unfortunately, the unloader line gets pretty
hot during heavy use, and causes the hose to burst.

The second time the hose burst, I went out and bought some 1/4" copper
tube. However, the fitting on the drain valve body is made specifically
for soft plastic hoses. It cannot be replaced with a standard compression
to male thread fitting, because the threads in the valve body are not the
usual 1/8 NPT that one would expect (probably metric). I need to find or
fabricate a fitting.

Also, like the web page author, I found that the included drain cock was a
piece of trash. I replaced it with a better one, but it is a fraction of
an inch longer and it hits the floor. It would probably break off while
rolling the compressor around. I need to find or fabricate a shorter tee
or something to gain some ground clearance.

I've spent twice the purchase price and a bunch of time on this kit, and
it sits in a drawer doing nothing.

--
Ron DeBlock N2JSO
If God had meant for Man to see the sunrise,
He would have scheduled it later in the day.