Craftsman 33gal Upright has a leak :(

[vdotmatrix]

Howdy!
I have my garage plumbed for air and for a while I noticed a very gradual loss of air pressure.
The loss of pressure was making me crazy.
I started at the hose reel, and every connection back to the compressor using the red leak detector and applicator.
I was surprised to see a leak here.
I drain the tank after every compression and the water comes out clear every time.
Here is the leak…
So: dismantle, clean, redope, tighten? Is where the leak is require any special consideration?
Any torque settings for these fasteners?

 

[danielbuck]

yeah, I'd remove the fitting, clean the threads on the fitting and the tank, then use whatever you like using on tapered threads. me personally, I like the "mega" tape, thicker grey tape.

As for how tight, they generally don't need to be SUPER tight, but it looks like you have a line that needs to lineup with a port on the side of that fitting, so I would tighten it a few turns until it's getting snug and the port lines up, if it's still fairly easy to turn, do 1 more turn.

 

[vdotmatrix]

yeah, I'd remove the fitting, clean the threads on the fitting and the tank, then use whatever you like using on tapered threads. me personally, I like the "mega" tape, thicker grey tape.

As for how tight, they generally don't need to be SUPER tight, but it looks like you have a line that needs to lineup with a port on the side of that fitting, so I would tighten it a few turns until it's getting snug and the port lines up, if it's still fairly easy to turn, do 1 more turn.

Thanks….oh ye, it is the brass fittings that are leaking……my bad. I thought i was looking at the red nut. I plumbed the drain valve out to the front of the tank to make draining easy.

I have some oatey black pipe compound. I don’t have the thick monster teflon tape.

 

[vdotmatrix]

I took everything apart . The aluminum tubing was not very tight. Most of the stuff appears to be compression fittings. Then I removed this thing……it has RED Craftsman secret sauce on it. Any ideas on how to proceed past this secret sauce revelation?

 

[The Cobbler]

the secret sauce is simply thread dope . any good quality thread sealant will work there .and don't overtighten the stuff .

 

[vdotmatrix]

the secret sauce is simply thread dope . any good quality thread sealant will work there .and don't overtighten the stuff .

What is this thing? I found it…it is a check valve. I am going to clean and reassemble.

 

[The Cobbler]

yes, it's a check valve

 

[vdotmatrix]

yes, it's a check valve

Is there any kind of maintenance to do on the check valve?.

 

[The Cobbler]

not really . unless it's leaking back I would just put it back in . they are fairly dependable I find

 

[vdotmatrix]

not really . unless it's leaking back I would just put it back in . they are fairly dependable I find

We good?

 

[The Cobbler]

^^^ that'll work just fine

 

[BrandonV]

We good?

T2 should work but maybe buy a new bottle. Pipe dope does have a shelf life. That bottle looks ancient.

 

[vdotmatrix]

Good as new! I cleaned it up well and sprayed everything with that 303 protectant! THANK YOU.

 

[The Cobbler]

great news

 

[The Cobbler]

Pipe dope does have a shelf life

I suppose it does, but I have never paid attention to it .

 

[BrandonV]

I suppose it does, but I have never paid attention to it .

In Arizona an open can seems to dry out real quick in the garage (120+). I suppose if you're in a milder climate a can might last you a lot longer.

 

[vdotmatrix]

T2 should work but maybe buy a new bottle. Pipe dope does have a shelf life. That bottle looks ancient.

Terrific. See it is still leaking but very little. I will repeat this process again. When I reinstalled this check valve it didn’t get really tight until it just pasted the original position. I didn’t want or didn’t think I could crank on this fitting to make nearly and entire revolution again. The dope seems to be as goey as day one.

So I dismantled the thing again….getting pretty good at it. I put a pipe on the end of the wrench to spin this thing….back to what i thought was the original position. I have about less than a quarterish turn to go. CAN I BREAK SOMETHING?

 

[The Cobbler]

I have about less than a quarterish turn to go. CAN I BREAK SOMETHING?

probably not.

 

[BrandonV]

Terrific. See it is still leaking but very little. I will repeat this process again. When I reinstalled this check valve it didn’t get really tight until it just pasted the original position. I didn’t want or didn’t think I could crank on this fitting to make nearly and entire revolution again. The dope seems to be as goey as day one.

So I dismantled the thing again….getting pretty good at it. I put a pipe on the end of the wrench to spin this thing….back to what i thought was the original position. I have about less than a quarterish turn to go. CAN I BREAK SOMETHING?

You might want to try PTFE tape + dope. Another option is to use something like Loctite 565. After it cures it is good up to 3000 psi.

 

[rlitman]

For fittings where you need a tighter thread fit, because you don't want to take another full turn, a combination of dope and tape can get you there. Heavier type teflon tapes (the pink, or yellow, or gray come to mind) would work better than the white stuff, and feel free to go for more turns than you think you need. This is a case of brass into steel, where too much tape isn't going to hurt anything. Steel into brass, and you could crack the brass, but that's not going to happen here.

As for expiring dope, I don't buy it. All that happens to dope over time is the oil can separate out. My very favorite pipe dope comes in crayon form. And if you had used one of those, you probably wouldn't have the issue you're seeing.

 

[The Cobbler]

I've actually had good luck with crazy glue on stubborn leaks too