Spent $80 on a compressor unloader valve rebuild kit and saved my whole Thursday

I had this old 60 gallon Ingersoll Rand compressor at my shop in Columbus that kept tripping the breaker on startup. I was ready to drop $400 on a whole new pressure switch assembly. A guy at the parts counter told me to try the unloader valve rebuild kit for $80 first. Took me 20 minutes to swap the gaskets and check valve, and now it fires up smooth every time. Has anyone else wasted money on full replacements when a cheap kit would have fixed it?

2 comments

2 Comments

mitchell.shane10d ago

I read something similar in a compressor forum about how those IR unloader valves are almost always the issue, not the pressure switch. For $80 it beats throwing parts at it blind, Margaret.

margaret_lane10d agoMost Upvoted

Really think an $80 kit saved you that much more money? That sounds like a lot for a few gaskets. Most of those rebuilds are hit or miss in my experience.