My air compressor has a heavy duty steel and rubber braided hose on it from the pump to the tank. The hose has a crack in it and leaks and im afraid it will just rupture soon. The hose was on there when i got the compressor and im not super fond of it. I see air compressors at the store all have metal hard line going from the pump to the tank. What do i need to get to make a replacement line?
What do i need to fix my air compressor input line?
- Thread starter joegreen
- Start date
The air coming out of the compressor is very hot. You need a metal line there. Not rubber.
If you have access to a threader and cutter, you could hard pipe it. Use a union to make it up, and you'll never worry about the hose blowing.,,,
Looks like pipe thread. I take a picture and then take the line off and either make a new hard line or have someone make you a new hard line. I’d use steel lines if possible. You might get lucky and find a large brake line that will work.
If you put a hose on I’d consider a braided steel hose.
Just my $0.02
If you put a hose on I’d consider a braided steel hose.
Just my $0.02
Don't use hard NPT pipe. There needs to be some flex or something will crack, like the tapping on the tank. Use copper, steel, or nicop tubing.
The guy with a compressor with an electrical problem looked like someone had replaced the line with a yellow natural gas connector. I didn't think they'd stand the pressure, but certainly flexible.
The guy with a compressor with an electrical problem looked like someone had replaced the line with a yellow natural gas connector. I didn't think they'd stand the pressure, but certainly flexible.
That's what they use on most air compressors. But the pump does vibrate so metal fatigue can be a problem. However for home use it's probably not a significant one. But I do notice that the hose on the one in the picture was made by Areoquip so it's not the original either. Depending on the size of the air compressor, the tank pressure is frequently 80 to 120+ PSI and the outlet pressure could be higher so I don't recommend anything involving hose clamps or hose that is not steel reinforced and that is made to handle those kinds of pressures.
I would probably just do down to the local auto parts store and buy some steel tubing and a couple of the correct fittings and make a new one. But look and see if the ends need to be flared or not first or if you can use a compression fitting. You may need a flaring tool and the knowhow to use it. You may also need to get a tubing bender so that you can bend the steel turbing to shape without collapsing it. The old fashioned was of bending tubing was to pack it full of sand before bending it. But tubing benders are cheap so I would just buy one. Another thing that I have done in cases like this is to find a longer tubing assembly of the right size and fitting type and just cut off one end and add the second fitting where it's needed. That's sometimes cheaper than buying all of the individual parts and sometimes I can reuse a tube that I already have so then there's little cost involved. Bending the tubing to shape will be necessary in either case.
Threaded connections, flared fittings just to name a couple.
LOL. I spent two+ years working in the maintenance department in a large food processing plant for McCormick and I've worked in a number of other maintenance departments including in a hospital. But none of the places that I worked would allow you to risk the safety of others by half-assed measures or to risk possible food contamination or the health and safety of their patients. You did the jobs right or they found someone else who would PERIOD.
OTOH I have made some pretty half-azzed repairs just for myself.
We once tied (with a manila rope) the front end back onto a car so that we could finish an off road rally that we were on. Just as we crossed the finish line, the whole front end tore lose and slid back under the car.
Last edited:
It's true the hose is probably toasted. But those ferules don't hold any better than a hose clamp. I've cut them off car cooling hoses to reuse the metal pipe and barb under them.
And I've worked for food processors too, more than one. Safety is second to liability if they are worth a lot of money (Kraft). if they are foreign owned and employ the lowest class worker they don't care one bit (Chiquita, DelMonte). Enjoy your fresh cut fruit trays....
And I've worked for food processors too, more than one. Safety is second to liability if they are worth a lot of money (Kraft). if they are foreign owned and employ the lowest class worker they don't care one bit (Chiquita, DelMonte). Enjoy your fresh cut fruit trays....
The air compressors I have owned all used metal tube from pump to the tank. They were usually copper.
Its a small cfm 12 gallon air compressor so it often ends up running for extended periods of time and that hose can get very hot. The one thing i didnt think of was metal fatigue if i hard line it. I will have to take it apart and see what the various connections look like.
I got the old hose off. I would like to use copper hardline and maybe put a loop in it to help with work hardening from vibration. Im having a tough time finding what I need to buy for pipe and fittings. The fitting coming out of the compressor is 1/4 npt and the fitting going into the tank is 1/2 npt. Ive been looking on mcmaster carr but cannot seem to find what I need but im no expert on that site.
Similar threads
