Are you noticing that your air compressor is losing a lot of air? The problem may not be with your compressor itself, but rather an issue with your crimp hose clamps.
Crimp hose clamps are used in many different areas of the compressed air unit. If they were to break, there are steps you can take to resolve the issue at home.
BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING
Before you even begin to replace the faulty clamp, you need to depressurize the tank. If you don’t, then you’re putting yourself in harm’s way. To depressurize the tank, open the drain valve and wait until all of the pressure and air have left the unit.
Step One: Remove the Connector Clamp
Now that you’ve safely depressurized the tank, it’s time to get to work. Your first step is to remove the connector clamp from the hose. To do this, use heavy-duty wire cutters to twist and cut the tabs of the connector until it breaks off. Crimp-style hose connectors are made for a one-time-only use. So, you’ll need to have additional hose connectors on hand to replace the broken one.
After the tabs have been cut off, use your hands to get rid of any old clamp fragments.
Step Two: Remove the Hose
Take hose-puller pliers and remove the hose from the valve or inlet. You may even be able to remove it with your hands instead of pliers.
Step Three: Install the New Clamp
After you’ve taken the hose off of the compressor, you can slice the new clamp onto the end of it. Then, take the hose and reinstall it back onto the valve or inlet. Take end-nip pliers to squeeze the sides of the connector together and secure the hose.
You can also take this time to install an air receiver tank. If your compressed air system does not have an air receiver tank, add one to buffer short-term demand changes and reduce on/off cycling of the compressor. The tank is sized to fit the power of the compressor. For example, a 50 hp air compressor needs approximately a 50-gallon air receiver tank.
That’s it. It’s really that simple. This is a project that can be done right at home without having to take it into a machine shop. Just follow the three steps listed to successfully, and safely, remove the old clamp and replace it with a new one.