Freebie air compressor rehab

I mentioned a few days ago that I’ve been getting my garage in order in preparation for the eventual day when we have warm weather again in Vermont, and one task that I’ve busied myself with lately is the rehab of an old Speedaire compressor that Lentinello gave me a while back when he bought his big spiffy brand new compressor.

Lemonjello said it worked well for him, but kept blowing breakers whenever it filled to capacity, and a buddy of his tried in vain to rewire it. Which is probably why the Square D cutoff switch on it didn’t come with the power cord. Six bucks at the Home Despot and I solved that issue. Left it wired for 110V, though instructions on the motor provided for a 220V setup. Surprisingly, it’s not nearly as loud as other compressors I’ve worked with, including Lunchandbellow’s shiny new unit.

Once I got it to run, it leaked quite a bit from the manifold/valve combo underneath the cutoff switch. Whatever braniac decided it’d be brilliant to thread metal fittings into a plastic manifold should be shot. I probably could have found a replacement manifold online, but I just cobbed together a few brass fittings and a quick connect.

I filled the tank to 100 psi and didn’t hear any leaks. It drained down to 75 psi overnight, which I can live with. The old hose was dry rotted, so slapped a cheapie on it. I probably didn’t spend more than $20 total rehabbing it, and now I have the convenience of blowing the dust and leaves out of my garage instead of sweeping it all out with a broom.