BogMonster Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 I have a 3hp industrial compressor made by Air Industrial Equipment that is about 3 years old. Yesterday I was using it and it suddenly started making a funny chuffing noise. It has 3 cylinders and the middle one started blowing hot compressed air out the intake - the other two were still sucking air. It still charges but only slowly now. I have pulled the offending cylinder to bits and the valve block that sits on top of the piston seems to be a flat plate with two mobile/sprung flat plates inside it, can't exactly see how they work but they appear to function as I would think they should - one operating in one direction, the other operating in the other. However on Googling for compressor faults it seems that a generic compressor problem can be that the cylinder head above the valve block is in two parts, one side inlet and one side outlet/pressure, and it seems that the 'head gasket' between the inlet and outlet can be a failure point. It's hard to tell on this as the gasket broke up on disassembly anyway, but do folks think that this is the most likely cause before I look deeper? It would fit with the warm air exhausting as it would not be creating its own pressure but probably leaking pressure being generated by the other two cylinders. I've never seen such a problem and have flogged cheap compressors half to death in the past, so to find it on a fairly heavy duty bit of kit that is only 3 years old and hasn't really had much use seems a bit odd. I don't have a spare valve block anyway, so if that is needed I will have to order parts from the UK which will take a few weeks. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally V8 Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 Just been through this with my Clarke compressor which has done 28 years of hard work. Mine was a combination of the shim type valves breaking and the gasket failing too. Its all simple stuff to repair if you can get the bits.The construction was the cyl head then a flat plate,(Which had the shim type valves recessed into it) with a gasket either side of the flat plate. I managed to score a 200ltr unit sold by Snap On which needed new motor caps to get it running,so now back on line... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted November 14, 2016 Author Share Posted November 14, 2016 Fortunately I was looking in the box of bits they thoughtfully supplied with it (AIE is an old school company - it came with a spare set of motor capacitors, spare control box, spare air filter and non return valve, and spares for each of the switches all included, don't get that from Machine Mart!) and I wondered what was in the plastic bag in the bottom of the box. Turned out to be a full set of gaskets for the pump as well, so I changed the gaskets on that cylinder and we're back in business Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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