Under the category "What do you have to lose?, you might try disassembling the regulator wiping away any dirt, and lubing O-rings and pistons. I had a similar situation with a more generic regulator, and just before ordering a replacement, I tore it apart. I found nothing obviously wrong, but after reassembly it's worked fine for over a year. I suspect that I just repositioned a balky piston. FWIW, once you've gone down the Frankenstein path, finding part alternatives becomes a lot easier. Good luck!

 

Are you within the return window? What's the warranty? I'd be talking to Lowe's about some customer satisfaction you have the documentation of the issue, right?

IMO if you want a good air compressor, you need to buy one from an air compressor company-CH, Ingersoll, etc.

 

I have already asked LOWES No they will not take it back Its got a 3 year Kobalt warranty and I have only had it a year. But does me no good if the replacement part fail faster than the ones it came with!

Are you within the return window? What s the warranty? I d be talking to Lowe s about some customer satisfaction you have the documentation of the issue, right?

IMO if you want a good air compressor, you need to buy one from an air compressor company-CH, Ingersoll, etc.

- Robert

 

Funny you should ask. When they called and told me they were sending me a NEW PART they told me to send them the old part back. Something told me to Keep it. Today I took the old one apart and there are 2 O-Rings that could be the issue, I went to Menards and got 2 that look like they will work. But the TOP one has a special shape. Sort of like an upside down "U". I think it is suppose to Fit up against the Body when it has a load pushing on it to tightly seal. The O-Ring I got is a simple O-ring. I thought the parts were PRESS FIT but as luck would have it they are screwed together. I buggered up the old one but think its still usable. I plan the take the Replacement part off and swap out the O-rings see if I get Joy. Exactly what do I have to loose. If that dont work I will have to part together a Regulator valve set up.PITTY! Its a great working and looking machine other than that. FUNNY to it does not have a serial number anywhere on it

Under the category "What do you have to lose?, you might try disassembling the regulator wiping away any dirt, and lubing O-rings and pistons. I had a similar situation with a more generic regulator, and just before ordering a replacement, I tore it apart. I found nothing obviously wrong, but after reassembly it s worked fine for over a year. I suspect that I just repositioned a balky piston. FWIW, once you ve gone down the Frankenstein path, finding part alternatives becomes a lot easier. Good luck!

- JohnDon

 

MY GAWD does ANYONE make ANYTHING that works any longer?

- stevejack

quincy
champion
eaton

 

Lots of junk today, becoming the norm.

 

Sounds a lot like the ending of ROME

Lots of junk today, becoming the norm.

- Richard Lee

 

This is an 'off the wall' comment but might work. I had something similar with a CH water collector the other month. The seal went bad and like everything else, you can't just buy the O ring. While at HF I found they had a box of different size O Rings and on a lark I bought a set. One was almost the right size, but the OD was the slightest bit big. I took a red scotchbrite pad and put the O ring on my thumb like I was going to wear it and pressed it down on the scotchbrite pad. I pulled on the O ring so it rotated against the pad a couple of turns and it looked like it roughed up the outside a little. Stuck it into the groove with a touch of lube and it worked perfectly.
It might be worth a try and see if you can get the unit to seal. I suspect if you get the right thickness seal, with or without the groove it might seal and work for you.
Good luck.

 

ive had o rings blow on different things. never went to the maufacturer for replacement.
i have a local hardware store that can make o rings.
some auto parts stores can make o rings, too.

both typically stock pre made o rings, too.

 

Annoying when you make a purchase and there is limited to no support when there are issues.

Can you share a few pictures of your issue? If it's a seal issue most times the seals are available, finding them can be challenge. But the internet makes it a lot easier to find things. Might also be able to find the regulator from another source or find one that is more reliable.

For seals (o-rings, u cup, etc) if you can measure the bore and shaft it fits in, it's not to difficult to find a replacement. Most seals specify what size the bore and shaft need to be for it to function properly. O-ring's have fair bit of wiggle room in the size bores and shafts they can accommodate since they can be used on high pressure and low pressure stuff and stuff that move and doesn't move. Realize most products that are consumer orientated are made of value leading (cheapest) components. Generally the cheapest parts are the one that mass produced in the millions. Having a custom component is generally more expensive than industry standard component.

McMaster-Carr is a good starting point for finding the common o-rings and other seals. Not the cheapest place to shop, but great for getting stuff quickly.

 

nobody makes anything worth a crap anymore. I spend about 25 percent of my life fixing or replacing things.

heres how my weekend went, try to clean car. Car wash down, I will use my pressire washer. pull start breaks. I will just do it by hand, hose fails, I will fix the hose. fittings strip. buy new hose is deffective, doesnt fit spiggot.

 

I feel your pain, if it stuff not breaking, it's things going missing. Or a simple project of replacing a light fixture migrating into a rewiring half a room, fixing drywall, repainting and then trying to find right color and lumen bulbs for the new light fixture.

nobody makes anything worth a crap anymore. I spend about 25 percent of my life fixing or replacing things.

heres how my weekend went, try to clean car. Car wash down, I will use my pressire washer. pull start breaks. I will just do it by hand, hose fails, I will fix the hose. fittings strip. buy new hose is deffective, doesnt fit spiggot.

- squazo

 

Use to be a time when you bought a TOOL. say a drill or a Circular saw you could count on that/those tool to out live you. Once you bought a tool you had bought it to do a specific JOB and never ever think you would have to replace it in 6 months

I feel your pain, if it stuff not breaking, it s things going missing. Or a simple project of replacing a light fixture migrating into a rewiring half a room, fixing drywall, repainting and then trying to find right color and lumen bulbs for the new light fixture.

nobody makes anything worth a crap anymore. I spend about 25 percent of my life fixing or replacing things.

heres how my weekend went, try to clean car. Car wash down, I will use my pressire washer. pull start breaks. I will just do it by hand, hose fails, I will fix the hose. fittings strip. buy new hose is deffective, doesnt fit spiggot.

- squazo

- Bill1974

 

Why not just replace with an aftermarket regulator if the OEM one is junk? Home Depot has a variety of Husky regulators, the Regulators at Harbor Freight are pretty decent etc…

 

Part of my job both as shop owner and homeowner is fixing stuff. It just goes with the territory. So nice when everything works. But then there's the reality. If you correctly identified the problem with your compressor, then it should be relatively easy to fix per the above suggestions. Don't wait on Kobalt, they seem to be incompetent on the support end of their business.

I'm rather fond of plumbers pipe joint compound with teflon that is designed for high pressure gas fittings. I'd slather it on the o-ring all the way around, and the o-ring grooves, reinstall the o-ring, screw the regulator back down and then see if that didn't fix the problem. Can't count the number of times I've fixed gas lines, water lines and pneumatic fittings with this stuff.

 

Well yes. I am going to try to replace the O-ring on the original part then screw it all back together and see if it works if not I will have to Jury Rig a Regulator hookup. I just have a bad taste in my mouth about buying a machine for X amount and to make it even work plug in amount X amount PLUS SOME to make it do what it was suppsoe to do in the first place. IN retrospect its IRONIC that what I thought was the cheaper alternative a HARBOR FREIGHT COMPRESSOR was the smarter choice.

Part of my job both as shop owner and homeowner is fixing stuff. It just goes with the territory. So nice when everything works. But then there's the reality. If you correctly identified the problem with your compressor, then it should be relatively easy to fix per the above suggestions. Don't wait on Kobalt, they seem to be incompetent on the support end of their business.

I'm rather fond of plumbers pipe joint compound with teflon that is designed for high pressure gas fittings. I'd slather it on the o-ring all the way around, and the o-ring grooves, reinstall the o-ring, screw the regulator back down and then see if that didn't fix the problem. Can't count the number of times I've fixed gas lines, water lines and pneumatic fittings with this stuff.

- Sark

 

Well yes. I am going to try to replace the O-ring on the original part then screw it all back together and see if it works if not I will have to Jury Rig a Regulator hookup. I just have a bad taste in my mouth about buying a machine for X amount and to make it even work plug in amount X amount PLUS SOME to make it do what it was suppsoe to do in the first place. IN retrospect its IRONIC that what I thought was the cheaper alternative a HARBOR FREIGHT COMPRESSOR was the smarter choice.

Part of my job both as shop owner and homeowner is fixing stuff. It just goes with the territory. So nice when everything works. But then there's the reality. If you correctly identified the problem with your compressor, then it should be relatively easy to fix per the above suggestions. Don't wait on Kobalt, they seem to be incompetent on the support end of their business.

I'm rather fond of plumbers pipe joint compound with teflon that is designed for high pressure gas fittings. I'd slather it on the o-ring all the way around, and the o-ring grooves, reinstall the o-ring, screw the regulator back down and then see if that didn't fix the problem. Can't count the number of times I've fixed gas lines, water lines and pneumatic fittings with this stuff.

- Sark

- stevejack

I didn't catch that this is a new compressor under warranty.

It took 4 years and me being am imbecile and dropping a nail gun on the regulator for my HF 29 gallon compressor to need a replacement regulator. I would be considerably unhappy with the MFG and the retailer that sold it to be with the amount of run around they are giving you.

If you can't get them to budge, don't hesitate to call in the BBB. If they are a US based company the BBB tends to help get things done.

 

The BBB idea might work. I've filed complaints specifically against Lowe's twice and it gets the attention of someone in Charlotte, then it's a back and forth until they're not happy and you're not happy.

 

I'm rather fond of plumbers pipe joint compound with teflon that is designed for high pressure gas fittings. I'd slather it on the o-ring all the way around, and the o-ring grooves, reinstall the o-ring, screw the regulator back down and then see if that didn't fix the problem. Can't count the number of times I've fixed gas lines, water lines and pneumatic fittings with this stuff.

- Sark

I like that stuff too. I mainly use it for steam fitting. But I thought you should know they don't recommend it for gas. Great White is recommended for water, steam, caustics or diluted acid lines. For gas lines, they recommend Great Blue, Hercules Block, Hercules Grrip, Hercules Megaloc, Hercules Pipe Joint Compound, Hercules Pro Dope or Hercules Real-Tuff. More info at https://www.oatey.com/products/thread-sealants/thread-sealant-paste

Also, I don't recommend it for brass or aluminum fittings because it lubricates the threads too well, making overtightening more likely. To avoid cracking brass and aluminum fittings, use a threadlocker like Permatex blue.

 

It is still under the factory warranty Had it less than a year LOWES will not take it back. They sent me a replacement Regulator It filed with int a day

Well yes. I am going to try to replace the O-ring on the original part then screw it all back together and see if it works if not I will have to Jury Rig a Regulator hookup. I just have a bad taste in my mouth about buying a machine for X amount and to make it even work plug in amount X amount PLUS SOME to make it do what it was suppsoe to do in the first place. IN retrospect its IRONIC that what I thought was the cheaper alternative a HARBOR FREIGHT COMPRESSOR was the smarter choice.

Part of my job both as shop owner and homeowner is fixing stuff. It just goes with the territory. So nice when everything works. But then there's the reality. If you correctly identified the problem with your compressor, then it should be relatively easy to fix per the above suggestions. Don't wait on Kobalt, they seem to be incompetent on the support end of their business.

I'm rather fond of plumbers pipe joint compound with teflon that is designed for high pressure gas fittings. I'd slather it on the o-ring all the way around, and the o-ring grooves, reinstall the o-ring, screw the regulator back down and then see if that didn't fix the problem. Can't count the number of times I've fixed gas lines, water lines and pneumatic fittings with this stuff.

- Sark

- stevejack

I didn t catch that this is a new compressor under warranty.

It took 4 years and me being am imbecile and dropping a nail gun on the regulator for my HF 29 gallon compressor to need a replacement regulator. I would be considerably unhappy with the MFG and the retailer that sold it to be with the amount of run around they are giving you.

If you can t get them to budge, don t hesitate to call in the BBB. If they are a US based company the BBB tends to help get things done.

- dbhost

 

HapHazzard thanks for the better information on what compounds to use on air fittings. Many's the time I've used Oatey thread compound on pipes where for some reason Teflon tape just didn't work. But can't say that I've actually used it on air lines.

 

The plumbers and pipe fitters at work would use Teflon tape with a coat of Teflon paste over the tape. So that is my go to solution. Both belt and suspenders.

 

The plumbers and pipe fitters at work would use Teflon tape with a coat of Teflon paste over the tape. So that is my go to solution. Both belt and suspenders.

- ibewjon

thats what we do with troublesome high pressure oil lines.

 

I know this is an old post, but I think I have the same issue. I thought it was the O rings that were leaking. I pulled the manifold apart and the O rings appeared to be in good condition. I took them out, put grease on them, and reinstalled. Same deal. Can't set tool pressure. So, here's what the problem really is....... The knob that you turn to control the tool pressure has the bolt that the "nut/receiver" is stripped out. That's where the hissing is coming from. When the compressor tool pressure gets up to almost 100 PSI, the knob just backs out because of the stripped bolt and or nut. And....pissssssss. is all I hear and can't use the compressor for anything. All over a ten cent, made out of pot metal nut and bolt. Can't find any parts to repair this minor issue (but major enough to keep me from working) and should be cheap to fix part.

 

It's probably not the O rings. It is likely the knob to control the tool pressure. The "nut" end of the knob is stripped out. So, when pressure starts to build, the knob just backs out due to the pressure on the stripped out nut/receiver and air leaks out.....Pisssss...... Can't adjust tool pressure and compressor runs all the time..... Can't find parts to fix this cheap pot metal knob control.