Broken Air Compressor

[Peter Stahl]

My Brother-in-Law has a 60 gal oil type air compressor from Farm & Family that he bought used about 5 years ago (he has no manual for it). Couple questions:

1. Does anyone know who makes them, it looks like a CH compressor?

2. It stopped pumping air into the tank, what could be the cause? Sound like it normally does but the tank won't fill up.

3. Are these compressors fixable? He put a new motor on it about 3 years ago.

thanks, Pete

[Todd Burch]

Pete, worst case, you could get a replacement pump through someone like Grainger. You could take your pump & plop it on their counter and they would fix you up with a replacement (most likely a Dayton, which is a good brand).

It could be the check/reed valves that keeps the air from going out of the cylinder head the way it entered, or, it could be a piston/rod/ring problem. Maybe even a crankshaft.

Since it's not working, you've not much to lose by taking the head off the pump for a quick visual.

Pumps are fairly universal, so if the motor is good, the tank is sound and the controls still work, you still have something worth value, especially at 60 gallons with a 3 year old motor.

Todd

[Dennis Peacock]

Pete,

Check around and get you a Dayton or Ingersol-Rand pump to put on that thing and you will have YEARS of use out of what you have. Don't EVEN get me started on CH brand compressors..!!!!! THAT was a thread several weeks ago here on SMC and many here will tell you WHAT I think about CH brand compressors. They've had the same problems with thier compressors for over 2 years now and the warranty service centers I called all told me the same thing....get an IR compressor and be done with it. I went to the local TSC and bought the "real" 3HP 60 Gal for $499 and have NEVER looked back. Quieter running, smoother running and a WORLD of difference in quality of every single component. I'd better stop here before I get my own blood pressure elevated.!!!