Craftsman Air Compressor

[battleborne]

I have an old Craftsman air compressor my dad gave me and I think it needs a pressure switch. You plug it in and it automatically turns on, no way to shut it off without unplugging it and it continues to build pressure. From the manual I see that the pressure switch part no. is Z-D26613 but it looks like it's not available any longer. When I search for that part on Amazon, the following item comes up but it doesn't list my compressor as a compatible unit. Amazon Link

Are these fairly universal? How can I tell if it's the right unit for my compressor?

 

[micromind]

There's about a hundred of them out there but here's what you'll need in order to get the right one;

1) Cut-in and Cut-out pressure. This doesn't need to be exact since most are adjustable. Lower than existing os ok, higher is not ok.

2) It needs to be rated for the HP of the motor at the voltage you're using (110, 115 and 120 are all the same, as are 220, 230 and 240).

3) Most of them mount on a 1/4" pipe, usually the switch will have female threads so it screws onto a pipe. There are different ones though, just look at how the existing one mounts.

4) If there's a small tube going to a small valve on the side of the switch, you'll need to get one with an automatic unloader. This valve will de-pressurize the pipe from the pump to the check valve (often an in-tank model) when the switch turns the motor off and close the unloader valve when the motor turns on. This will allow the motor to start with no pressure.

Even though there are lots of different models, choosing the right one is not hard.

 

[The Cobbler]

above poster has it nailed .
they are fairly universal , but he noted points to consider.
and, most are adjustable as noted, just be sure to get one with an unloader valve in it too, and you may have to get a bit creative with plumbing on a new switch .
I see your tank is rated for 175 PSI , but I would probably be more comfortable seeing 150 PSI for a max pressure .

 

[RTM]

1) Cut-in and Cut-out pressure. This doesn't need to be exact since most are adjustable. Lower than existing os ok, higher is not ok

I bought one that was supposed to be “for” my Calif Air Tools compressor. All the plumbing and wiring was right, but the pressures were wrong. A few minutes with an eye in the gauge, turning a screw, and all was good. I had to adjust the low and high settings.


Important thing to look at was to make sure the switch has the same number of air inlet. A few "matches" were only three ports, I needed 4.

The grommet for the electrical connector was the only thing that did not match otherwise.