Compressor switch

[Silvercreek Farmer]

The switch on my compressor quit working. I'm thinking I can sand the contacts a bit to get it working again. Anyone done this?

[kentuckyhippie]

never did it with a compressor but have sanded switches on other things and got them working so it would be worth a try

[fordy]

.............I think you're saying the air pressure switch malfunctioned........IT should be replaced , and they're not that expensive nor hard to install . , fordy

[Fire-Man]

Originally Posted by Silvercreek Farmer

The switch on my compressor quit working. I'm thinking I can sand the contacts a bit to get it working again. Anyone done this?

Is this the pressure switch or a on/off switch?

[Rectifier]

The big question is, does the switch still actuate or is it seized/clogged? Does the head unloader valve still work, does it have one?
These switches can be found for ~$20, true you can sand the points first, but I have found that they rarely die from contact failure. If it did, and it's 120V, you can swap to the "spare" pair of points in the switch that would interrupt the second line at 240V.

Often in higher humidity areas rust and crud in the tank gets up into the diaphragm and it jams up. In this case it must be replaced.

[BFFhiredman]

Emory board (fingernail file) or $bill will clean the points up. If there are other issues making them stick, need to fix. If they are burned too much to clean up, as others have said new are not very expensive.