Air compressor question
 

My old one died so I got a HF 8gal 2hp 125psi new one.

It works fine, but when I am done, it does not hold tank pressure - after an overnight sit - power off - it'll bleed down to about 20-30 psi.

I checked all the external fittings with soapy water & found one leak & fixed it.

Still bleeds down overnight.

The question is this. Do these inexpensive compressors bleed pressure backwards past the compressor piston rings? If yes I guess there is nothing wrong with it.


There would need to be some one way valve somewhere to prevent this, but I don't have a lot of knowledge on how these are usually built.

Maybe as it breaks in it'll hold pressure better.


Thanks.

:)

I've got a Porter cable twin tank 4hp and it does the same thing (5 years now) my other compressor has a check valve between the compressor and the tank. It doesn't leak down so maybe they all would do it.

I bleed it intentionally by leaving the drain cracked open (on a 60 gallon monster) at all times...then I never forget to drain it. I see no reason to leave everything under pressure while I am not using it...could just be me.

I've never had a compressor leak down that quickly. To me, the whole point of having a nice permanent compressor is instant air, any time.

While I like the idea of having the petcock leak down to prevent moisture build-up, you are also running it much more, therefor creating more vapor to begin with.

Shouldn't be an issue over the realistic lifespan, but compressing/decompressing also leads to fatigue.

Just some thoughts....if you don't mind waiting for it to build pressure, probably not worth installing any fancy valves or anything. However, I would think the manual would address leak down issues, and I'd return a compressor that could not hold air overnight.

Thanks guys,

It's not worth adding any special valves to prevent leak down, it's just a $100 comp.

I did get used to the old one being ready to go, sort of like having my computer booted up and ready to go in the morning.

:)

I'm pretty good about draining off the h2o once a week(end).

I did hack the shutoff to get a few more psi (just 130) and it is sweet to have the extra to hammer off tough nuts.

:thumbs: