Shop air compressor wont put out more than 110 PSI

[perplies_eric]

Ed,

A lot of shop air compressors have a knob on the control panel that controls a
regulator at the outlet of the compressor. Cranking that knob in will increase
the outlet pressure up to the pressure in your accumulator tank, on board the
compressor. There are several potential issues. You should be certain that the
gauge that you are using to set the compressor is good. Make sure that is okay
or get another gauge in your outlet connection. Another issue is the maximum set
point of your compressor control regulator. Yet another issue is the control
pressure range. Most ranges are set at 30 to 40 psi. Your compressor should
start about 30 to 40 pounds below the maximum set point pressur. It sounds to
me, from hundreds of miles away, like the problem may be the maximum set point
of your compressor.

There is a small black box in your compressor that contains the control valve.
Before you do anything else I would encourage you to make sure the pressure
gauge is working properly. IF YOU ARE CERTAIN that the compressor is not coming
up to it's design pressure you can adjust the shut off pressure on your air
compressor. Typically there is a bolt in the pressure control box that controls
the maximum set point pressure. The bolt I am referring to is above a large
spring inside the box. Turning the pressure adjusting screw down (clockwise)
increases the maximum air pressure on the air compressor. Frequently, one turn
equals 10 psi.

Regarding dry air. Nitrogen or CO2 are an alternative. Probably a much less
costly alternative is to use a "desiccate air dryer" with your air compressor.
Because I use compressed air for so many purposes on board using nitrogen just
isn't a good option for me. Harbor Freight has a 2" x 36" desiccate dryer that
cost $40. It's a 2" pipe with 1/2" connections containing 2.2 pounds of
desiccate. If you use a filter to clean up any possible contaminates you can
get nice dry air out of a shop air compressor.

Good luck on your quest.

Eric Perplies
currently in Chicago
96' 42' WBWL