Posting this in case anyone in the future ever has a problem with their compressor due to a likely bad pressure switch. I just finished a multi-month saga of dealing with mine, mainly due to waiting for parts and then breaking the new switch and trying to fix it, and I hopefully have some resident knowledge that might make someone else’s life easier in the future. Mine is a Lefoo type switch with a 4 port baseplate. They make these sized in all kinds of pressures, and they all operate the same way.
It was a frustrating task, (1) because I had never messed with one, and (2) there ain’t a whole lot of info online. Especially for trying to re-assemble a pressure switch after realizing you probably shouldn’t have disassembled the one you have. I was not able to diagnose what was wrong with mine, because I mistakenly took it apart before really looking at it.
Here’s a few quick hit items to be aware of:
1. The first replacement switch I bought was from an online parts dealer. Direct replacement, same part number. $44.99 plus shipping. 120-150psia Lefoo switch. Amazon had a 140-175psi switch for $17. I adjusted the settings , and it now runs at 120-150psi.
2. Take pics of the wiring before disconnecting. This will be worth its weight in cuss words later on.
3. Do NOT take the pressure switch off the baseplate. Your chances of getting it back together are basically $17 and ordering another one from Amazon.
4. You will probably need a new stem and stem nut, go ahead and order those when you order the new switch.
5. All of the other fittings can be reused. I had to clamp the broken switch down to get enough torque to the fittings to unscrew them, but I reused every other part successfully.
6. The baseplate metal is crap. I seated the emergency valve on my first attempt, and it cracked the baseplate. For my second attempt, I just wrapped the threads in way too much Teflon tape and screwed the emergency valve in most of the way. I left about two full rotations out of the threads. If you do crack the baseplate, just order another switch. It is theoretically possible to disassemble and reassemble the switch, but $17 is a much better use of your sanity.
When it comes to reassembling the fittings to the switch, you’ll figure it out but I recommend installing the switch on the stem, and then the stem onto the tank, as this will give you something to hold the switch in place as you screw in the gauges and other fittings. The wiring is going to cause colorful language, but it isn’t too bad. You will thank yourself for taking pictures of the old one, or you will kick your own *** for wishing you had.
I spent a number of hours on this project, way more than I should have and most of them trying to piece together a working switch from two broken ones. By the time I got the $17 switch from Amazon, I had messed with it enough that I got it installed, adjusted, and the compressor back running in about 30 minutes.
Glad to help if anyone ever needs it. It ain’t rocket science,but it’s the type of thing that a decent set of instructions sure woulda been nice to have.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
It was a frustrating task, (1) because I had never messed with one, and (2) there ain’t a whole lot of info online. Especially for trying to re-assemble a pressure switch after realizing you probably shouldn’t have disassembled the one you have. I was not able to diagnose what was wrong with mine, because I mistakenly took it apart before really looking at it.
Here’s a few quick hit items to be aware of:
1. The first replacement switch I bought was from an online parts dealer. Direct replacement, same part number. $44.99 plus shipping. 120-150psia Lefoo switch. Amazon had a 140-175psi switch for $17. I adjusted the settings , and it now runs at 120-150psi.
2. Take pics of the wiring before disconnecting. This will be worth its weight in cuss words later on.
3. Do NOT take the pressure switch off the baseplate. Your chances of getting it back together are basically $17 and ordering another one from Amazon.
4. You will probably need a new stem and stem nut, go ahead and order those when you order the new switch.
5. All of the other fittings can be reused. I had to clamp the broken switch down to get enough torque to the fittings to unscrew them, but I reused every other part successfully.
6. The baseplate metal is crap. I seated the emergency valve on my first attempt, and it cracked the baseplate. For my second attempt, I just wrapped the threads in way too much Teflon tape and screwed the emergency valve in most of the way. I left about two full rotations out of the threads. If you do crack the baseplate, just order another switch. It is theoretically possible to disassemble and reassemble the switch, but $17 is a much better use of your sanity.
When it comes to reassembling the fittings to the switch, you’ll figure it out but I recommend installing the switch on the stem, and then the stem onto the tank, as this will give you something to hold the switch in place as you screw in the gauges and other fittings. The wiring is going to cause colorful language, but it isn’t too bad. You will thank yourself for taking pictures of the old one, or you will kick your own *** for wishing you had.
I spent a number of hours on this project, way more than I should have and most of them trying to piece together a working switch from two broken ones. By the time I got the $17 switch from Amazon, I had messed with it enough that I got it installed, adjusted, and the compressor back running in about 30 minutes.
Glad to help if anyone ever needs it. It ain’t rocket science,but it’s the type of thing that a decent set of instructions sure woulda been nice to have.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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