Extending Air Compressor Intake

[Grrrmachine]

I've got a twin-pump compressor, nothing special, but it's stuck in the corner of the garage and noisy. I'd like to run two hoses for it to outside, so that it can suck in clean air.

But I'm having trouble finding fittings that will screw into the intake on the pumps. It came with cheap plastic filters which are apparently 1/2" BSP, so I bought some brass fittings of the same thread and they wouldn't go in. I don't want to fork out for a tap and die set only to find they won't work either, so what else are my options?

 

[brightspark]

I've got a twin-pump compressor, nothing special, but it's stuck in the corner of the garage and noisy. I'd like to run two hoses for it to outside, so that it can suck in clean air.

But I'm having trouble finding fittings that will screw into the intake on the pumps. It came with cheap plastic filters which are apparently 1/2" BSP, so I bought some brass fittings of the same thread and they wouldn't go in. I don't want to fork out for a tap and die set only to find they won't work either, so what else are my options?

theres the possibility your brass fittings are bsp strait thread and the comp might be bsp taper try getting a couple of taper nipples

 

[rtbcomp]

Have a look here http://www.duncanrogers.com/tools/thread.php to see if you can identify the thread.

On my Clarke compressor I used a rubber adaptor (the type used to connect 110mm plastic underground soil pipe to clay pipe) to fit over the existing filter and then used 110mm plastic pipe to go outside.

http://www.wickes.co.uk/clay-to-pvcu-drain-adaptor/invt/430042/

I don't know if you can get these in Poland though.

I have also used a BSP fitting to connect a length of vacuum cleaner hose to my compressor.

 

[Grrrmachine]

The plastic filter screws straight into a standard half-inch pipe fitting, so I presume it's nothing special, but the other way round a pipe fitting won't even get in the hole, let alone bite into the threads.

I'll have a look at the rubber adaptors, but it's certainly a bulky alternative...

 

[rtbcomp]

Maybe you have 1/2 and 3/8 threads, for example a 3/8 male will be a loose fit in a 1/2 female thread.

 

[tigler]

Does the fitting you're attempted to screw into the compressor also screw into a standard female pipe fitting ?

 

[Grrrmachine]

Does the fitting you're attempted to screw into the compressor also screw into a standard female pipe fitting ?

Yep. I grabbed an oddment of fittings from the local toolshop and spent an afternoon seeing what would go in what. As I said, the filter that goes into the pump head is definitely 1/2", it has it stamped on it and it screws straight into a female 1/2" fitting no problem. But no male 1/2" coupling that I've found will go into the head.

What it DOES look like is that the theads on the filter are really deep, so the actual pipe is quite narrow with the threads standing very proud out of it. For that reason, I imagine standard brass fittings won't go in.

I also found some PVC fittings, and using a female brass fitting as a die, I forced it round until a thread had been cut onto the outer face. That wouldn't fit into the compressor either, so it seems I either need to find something of a much softer plastic, or bodge something like rtbcomp suggested.

Doesn't help being in metric europe

 

[Mikey D]

Sounds like you need a couple of 1/2" galv barrel nipples , they are steel with a tapered thread . you would need some 3/4" bore hose to push onto one end to exit outside .

cheers Mike

 

[Grrrmachine]

Got it solved in the end. This new breed of cheap compressor use an M16x1.5 thread for their filters; this is a finer thread than the standard coarse M16 bolts, and only slightly different to a 1/2" - small enough for these plastic filters to screw into a 1/2" fitting, but not for a metal 1/2" to fit into the compressor.

But I bought some thick plastic pipe fittings and an M16 x 1.5 thread die, and put my own thread on the outside of the pipes to screw them into the compressor. From there I can fit any sort of plastic or rubber pipe over these new inlets, and stick car oil filters at the other end