An air compressor isn’t like a one-man army; it takes a village of tools to function properly. But if one gets disturbed or damaged, the complete machine will be unable to function. Concerning so, the belt is nothing less than the main component of an air compressor.
Your air compressor’s belt might need to be tightened if it makes a lot of noise or vibration. In other circumstances, a recipient building pressure slowly or ineffective tension at the point of application may also indicate that the belt requires assistance.
Considering your compressor situation and many others who are in the same boat, here is how to tighten the air compressor belt. So, let’s start with it but before that, let me add one thing the steps written here are from my personal experience of tightening the belt. You can trust and implement!
5 Steps Guide to Tighten an Air Compressor Belt
The guide to tightening the air compressor belt is not so difficult, so you will not need anyone else to do the job with you. A little disclaimer, please make sure you are enough to perform the belt-tightening task s it is a little heavy-load because of bolts and screws. This is a 5-step guide that includes the following steps:
- Take away the Belt Guard.
- Look for damage to the belt.
- Loosen the motor where it is placed
- Move the motor.
- Remove the belt.
Take away the Belt Guard:
First and foremost, make sure that you turn off/ remove the air compressor electric supply or plug, etc., to avoid any hazardous conditions. After that, remove the guard, and typically, these are attached with screws, which may be readily removed to remove the belt guard.
Meanwhile, you may need to look up directions in the instruction booklet for your compressor if you are unable to locate any screws. I don’t think that these are difficult to find on any air compressor.
Look for damage on the belt:
I am sure, and if I didn’t mention this, you would also be ignoring it because that’s what most people do! You must inspect the belt for damage before adjusting the belt’s tension. You might wish to replace it if it is torn, ripped, or sagging very loosely. Meanwhile, belts are available for purchase online or from a local air compressor business.
Loosen the motor where it is placed:
Why I am asking you to lose the motor is because we need to remove the belt, and of course, you can’t do it properly when your motor is placed in a fixed position. Primarily, this lengthens the belt’s swinging distance, which in turn makes the belt appear tighter. Typically, there are four bolts, paired on each side, holding the motor to the deck.
In addition, before starting to know the exact direction, make sure you put the markings rightly. After that, you will need a wrench to loosen the bolts. Also, one more tip is that the bolts don’t need to be removed. Instead, simply make them loose enough to allow them to move freely within the slots. By doing this, you can now move the motor quite easily.
Move the motor:
Once you are done with loosening the motor, now is the time to move it around. One important point that I would also mention is that if your belt is loosened, it can also be the reason for belt tension. Belt loosening doesn’t only mean that you need to replace it.
Now, this might be a two-person game, or you can do it alone too here. I am going to explain it in two separate parts.
So, what you need to do is you should hold the air compressor’s platform on the side that is opposite the motor so that you can effectively stabilize the compressor for the other person. Also, you must take a solid position.
The motor needs to be pulled out from the wheel and pulley by the second person in rotation. The motor doesn’t typically need to be moved very far. When the belt appears to be too tight, one of you must support the motor in place while the other tightens the screws.
In another way, if you are all alone, you can do it alone too. At first, take a strong plank and place it behind the motor. Then, use the force to move the motor ahead by gently pushing on the plank. Once more, the engine doesn’t need to be moved very far. Additionally, after tightening the bolts, take out the board.
Remove the belt:
Now, over to the final step of belt removal. Easily remove it by dragging it off the motor gear system for the air compressor. The motor will operate smoothly once it is gone. After tightening the belt, reinstall the belt guard and restart the air compressor as usual.
Final words:
Air compressor belt-tightening is one of the most common things that owners ask for. But now you know how to tighten the air compressor belt by staying at your home in just 5 steps.
If you have anything more to ask, refer to the comment box. Our experts are always here to help you out!
