Fixed My ARB Twin Compressor

[Ridge Runner]

Well I got the Beast up and running again and it works like a Charm, :inlove: :inlove: :inlove:

You Guys out there that own one of these beit the Twin or the Single If yours ever plays up and the the Fuses are still good there is a Good chance it will be the pressure switch, I got 2 from America and then the problems began, Because of where they have fitted the pressure switch on the Twin, NO Socket or Spanner is going to fit the old switch, But thats an easy fix,

Warning Make sure you Drain the Air Tank or Manifold first.

First you need to remove the TWO 10mm Bolts that hold the On/Off Switch Panel in Place and unplug the 2 white Motor Plugs then you can move the ON/OFF Panel out of the way, Once you done that there is another 10mm bolt on each motor when you have got them out then you can jiggle the Black Panel that houses the Fan out of the way Exposing the pressure switch, Then unplug the 2 wires from the top of the switch and thats that,

Now comes the tricky bit You are going to have to buy a 27mm Plumbers /etc Box Spanner and where the corners of the Hex are on the outside of it you are going to have to Grind the Corners down to make them slimmer so you get some clearance because if you don't the corners of the Hex will Jam against the housing it fits in to. ARB have either Locktighted the pressure switch in there so be prepared to give it the old heave hoe,

With the New switch give it 5 raps of PTFE Tape NO MORE before screwing it in this will make it a bugga to start the thread biting but once it bites it's all good, Once you have done that just reverse the above and put it back together and Jobs a goodun, :Y:

I tested the Twin by hooking up it's hose with the inflator attached and powered it up As you would use it in real life and let it shut it's self off and then left it all hooked up for an hour or so just to make sure it does not have any leaks because it will power up if there are any, In many YT video's you will hear peoples compressors keep starting up every couple of minutes or so and that is because they have got a leak or two somewhere.

Don't buy the pressure switch from ARB because you can buy a pair of them for less than 20 bucks,

The process is a little less of a PIA for the Single but you will have to unmount the On/Off Switch panel from the Box to access the pressure switch just the same, :Y:

When I tested the original switch I just made up a 100mm piece of wire with 2 spade crimp connectors one on each end and poked them in to the pressure switch wires and the compressor fired right up so that is what told me what the problem was. That piece of wire and a spare switch and the 27mm socket now live in the ARB Twins Case,

Anyway I hope that helps,

 

[Ridge Runner]

Well The Plot Thickens, after 2 hours of letting the compressor sit powered up it never started up so there were no leaks, Then I tried to use it and Nothing happened, I rechecked everything and still nothing, Then I noticed that the Over Pressure Valves were letting out Air So then I Removed the Braided hose that comes from the compressor to the Tank and without checking it to see if it would work I removed the Tank and tried to blow down the Hose and nothing came out even giving my self ear ache from trying to blow down it,

Then I roughly hooked up the power leads to the Motors and the thing was blowing like crazy and started working normally So I tried to poke a wire down the braided hose to the Tank and nothing again,

Thing is I have used this Once when it was brand New and it was that fast it Aired up one of my truck tyres in 20 seconds, So some how the Tank has got Blocked up as in Blocked Solid, Having the Tank is Impressive and it helps to run Air Tools But apart from that it ain't $hit,

IF any of you want one of these Buy the hard mounted model and buy one of those Peli Type Cases from Ebay or Amazon for 30 or 40 bucks and you will end up with the same portable compressor minus the Tank and you will save your self 2 or 300 bucks, According to YT Video's I've seen there is no differance when it comes down to speed between the Hard mount version and the Portable version in the case with the Tank,

Oh and by the way, I replaced the pressure Switch for nothing so I put the Original One back In, ] ] ]

 

[Ridge Runner]

I left the Compressor over night and it began to bug me about removing the tank so I did a couple of tests and without the Tank using the supplied Blow Gun, the compressor shut off fast within 8 to 10 seconds of releasing the trigger but the Air pressure from the Nozzle soon dropped to it's average pressure,

With that after cleaning out the Braided hose I refitted the Tank and powered up the compressor with the 6m Airline connected and the Blow Gun and it ran for 37 seconds and shut off, One thing I noticed is with the Tank fitted when you pull the Trigger you get a very strong Air Blast that lasts for a lot longer than without the Tank which is why they say it can run Air Tools and like I said If you are not going to run Air Tools/Blow Guns etc the Tank does not make much of a dent if you use it just for inflating Tyres,

I worked out why it stopped working and that is because the tank is mounted in the case when you stand the case up on it's back edge like you would with any Case or Port etc the moisture in the Tank goes to the end of the Tank which is now at the bottom which is the outlet hose from the Tank to the Coupling and the Pink Junk ARB used to seal the Tank Connectors and the moisture got in and blocked up the output Braided Line, The Lesson from that is If anyone owns the ARB Twin Portable Store the case Flat or On it's end but never on the Hinge side of the Case.

 

[Reeks]

I have this compressor with the tank and after each use it is important to let all the air out of the tank to prevent moisture building up inside.
I keep mine flat in the back of the fourby. I purchased mine second hand and it has been a good unit, the quality is leagues ahead of anything else hence the price and is one of the only 12v compressors you will find with 100% duty cycle. :Y:

 

[Ridge Runner]

I have this compressor with the tank and after each use it is important to let all the air out of the tank to prevent moisture building up inside.
I keep mine flat in the back of the fourby. I purchased mine second hand and it has been a good unit, the quality is leagues ahead of anything else hence the price and is one of the only 12v compressors you will find with 100% duty cycle. :Y:

Yeah it is impressive thats why I just had to fix it,

I only used it for 20 Seconds that was when I first bought it back in September 2018 and then I went to use it about a month ago and it started and then stopped about 10 seconds later, The annoying part was I had just let all the Air out of one of my Tyres to see how fast it was, Lucky for me I also have the ARB Portable Single compressor or I would of been stuffed,

Anyway I now have the Twin store Flat and I have cleaned out the Braided hoses and it works like a Charm, Love that Speed, LOL :inlove: :inlove: :inlove:

 

[condor22]

Aaah ya gotta luv "redundancy" I only got one compressor, touch wood it has never stopped in 10 years. But, then I don't usually drop tyres to flat, 15 PSI for the beach, lol. If the worst happened to not re-air, a slow drive hopefully will, lol.

You must have a lot more space than me RR, I barely have room in the 4x4 drawer for the one I do have, lol.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Aaah ya gotta luv "redundancy" I only got one compressor, touch wood it has never stopped in 10 years. But, then I don't usually drop tyres to flat, 15 PSI for the beach, lol. If the worst happened to not re-air, a slow drive hopefully will, lol.

You must have a lot more space than me RR, I barely have room in the 4x4 drawer for the one I do have, lol.

Yes the Twin is Impressively fast BUT ???

If I have to go and do my Tyres put me in a room with both compressors and I would grab the Portable Single 9/10,

I just prefer it and after that Hose issue with the Twin confirms what I have always believed and that is either the Single Hard Mount or the Portable is just more reliable and unless you are in a Race or run 35" Tyres then stick with the Single, I have seen it inflate 35's from 18psi to 35psi in 2m 10s,

The portable Single is nicer to carry at around 6.6 - 7kgs where as the Portable Twin weighs just over 15kgs,

The Inside of the Van is about 200mm longer inside than a Troopy from the back of the Drivers seat to the rear Tailgate/Back door. With the Draw system/camper conversion I still have 3 seats in the back and if I fold their backs down I end up with a Double Bed thats over 2.2 metres long or I can set up the dinning table and have a single Bed Plus the Table and a Dinning Chair/Seating for 2 people all at the same time and I have under bed storage plus the Kitchen Slideout which has the works in it,

As the Troopy is the perfect over landing Vehicle/Off Road but My Van is better for normal driving and Dirt roads etc, Not only that I can get about 1160ks on 60 Litres of Diesel, Not only that I still have well over 729 to 750kgs of load capacity and If I tow a trailer I only loose a maximum of 75kgs to Ball/Hitch weight, Going by the Sales broucher According to it I have 803kgs of load weight going spare, :inlove: :inlove: :inlove:

Lololol If my van had the same 2x 90litre tanks the Troopy has then thats enough to get me 4084ks, I am seriously thinking about adding another bigger Tank.

 

[Ridge Runner]

I just gave the ARB Twin a run on the Van Tyres, LOL Talk about OverKill, :lol: :lol:

It Airs up faster than a Workshop Compressor, 0 to 40 psi in under 52 seconds and 20psi to 40psi in under 23 seconds, A one second blast on the Inflator adds 1.5 to 2 psi to the tyre when the pressure is at 36psi, It has some crazy speed.

It would Air Up my 4b tyres from 14psi to 26psi in under 20 seconds. I am so glad it is working, :inlove: :inlove: :inlove:

 

[David-Karratha]

I just gave the ARB Twin a run on the Van Tyres, LOL Talk about OverKill, :lol: :lol:

It Airs up faster than a Workshop Compressor, 0 to 40 psi in under 52 seconds and 20psi to 40psi in under 23 seconds, A one second blast on the Inflator adds 1.5 to 2 psi to the tyre when the pressure is at 36psi, It has some crazy speed.

It would Air Up my 4b tyres from 14psi to 26psi in under 20 seconds. I am so glad it is working, :inlove: :inlove: :inlove:

Wonder what I’m doing wrong? I use the arb twin (portable), and while it’s quick, it’s certainly not this quick. I re-inflated my four standard Hilux 17” tyres today back up to 40 from approx 15-16psi and it probably took at least a couple of minutes for each tyre.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Wonder what I’m doing wrong? I use the arb twin (portable), and while it’s quick, it’s certainly not this quick. I re-inflated my four standard Hilux 17” tyres today back up to 40 from approx 15-16psi and it probably took at least a couple of minutes for each tyre.

On your standard 4x4 Tyres it should take about 40 seconds to around 1min 10secs, It will take a 37" X 12.5" around 90 seconds from 12psi to 36psi which is a pretty big Tyre,

I'd say it either has a blockage or part blockage in the Output Hose from the Tank or the output Hole of the Tank, which is If you Open the Case and Look at the Tank Nearest the Hinge of the Case that is the output Hose and you need to unbolt the Tank and removes the Hose and get A Length of single Core Copper Wire and poke it down the hose remembering to remove the Hose from the Switch Body,

Theres about 4 screws that holds the Black Plate to the Back of the Two Pumps and then you can remove the Hose and clean it properly, Ok,

This happens because they are Tested at the Factory and Not Drained out afterwards and then the Stand the Cases up as You would Normally on the Back Hinge and all the water drains down in to the Hose and just sits there untill it crystalizes and then either blocks or restricts the out put, Mine was that bad that the Tank would pressurize and nothing would come out,

TIP,,,,, Unbolt the Tank and release the Air by loosening the output hose before taking it off completely to avoid you getting Hurt,

Hopefully this will fix it, And after that always store the Case Flat so no water can build up in the Hose ever again,

2) Which Air Inflater are you using because that will make all the differance and with the right one the compresser won't have to work so hard, If you are using the ARB Blue one , The ARB Twin Compressor will Kill The Gauge because the Twins Back pressure is almost twice as much as the Gauge can read, Although ARB will tell you it is fine to use with the Twin, FACT the gauges being used must always have a higher capacity than what the Air Supply can Achieve, Same with Tyre Gauges,, If you use 40psi as your normal tyre pressure then your Tyre Gauge needs to be able to read between 80 to 100psi because ALL Tyre Gauges are most Accurate around the 50% mark of their full scale,

Also try replacing your Valve cores as well because they can become blocked or clogged up over time and it does not take much to slow them down, Also Try another Tyre Inflator in non ot the above works,,

In reality The Twin should take about 30 to 60 seconds depending on the size of your Tyres Per Tyre,

EDIT, Note that there are 4 Screws that Hold the Tank in place which you undo from the outside underneath of the Case. Ok.

ALSO remember to Add between 5 Wraps of Plumbers PTFE Tape to the Treads when refitting the Hose "BEFORE" you Bolt the Tank back in place to both ends of the Hose.

Hope that helps,

J.

 

[David-Karratha]

On your standard 4x4 Tyres it should take about 40 seconds to around 1min 10secs, It will take a 37" X 12.5" around 90 seconds from 12psi to 36psi which is a pretty big Tyre,

I'd say it either has a blockage or part blockage in the Output Hose from the Tank or the output Hole of the Tank, which is If you Open the Case and Look at the Tank Nearest the Hinge of the Case that is the output Hose and you need to unbolt the Tank and removes the Hose and get A Length of single Core Copper Wire and poke it down the hose remembering to remove the Hose from the Switch Body,

Theres about 4 screws that holds the Black Plate to the Back of the Two Pumps and then you can remove the Hose and clean it properly, Ok,

This happens because they are Tested at the Factory and Not Drained out afterwards and then the Stand the Cases up as You would Normally on the Back Hinge and all the water drains down in to the Hose and just sits there untill it crystalizes and then either blocks or restricts the out put, Mine was that bad that the Tank would pressurize and nothing would come out,

TIP,,,,, Unbolt the Tank and release the Air by loosening the output hose before taking it off completely to avoid you getting Hurt,

Hopefully this will fix it, And after that always store the Case Flat so no water can build up in the Hose ever again,

2) Which Air Inflater are you using because that will make all the differance and with the right one the compresser won't have to work so hard, If you are using the ARB Blue one , The ARB Twin Compressor will Kill The Gauge because the Twins Back pressure is almost twice as much as the Gauge can read, Although ARB will tell you it is fine to use with the Twin, FACT the gauges being used must always have a higher capacity than what the Air Supply can Achieve, Same with Tyre Gauges,, If you use 40psi as your normal tyre pressure then your Tyre Gauge needs to be able to read between 80 to 100psi because ALL Tyre Gauges are most Accurate around the 50% mark of their full scale,

Also try replacing your Valve cores as well because they can become blocked or clogged up over time and it does not take much to slow them down, Also Try another Tyre Inflator in non ot the above works,,

In reality The Twin should take about 30 to 60 seconds depending on the size of your Tyres Per Tyre,

EDIT, Note that there are 4 Screws that Hold the Tank in place which you undo from the outside underneath of the Case. Ok.

ALSO remember to Add between 5 Wraps of Plumbers PTFE Tape to the Treads when refitting the Hose "BEFORE" you Bolt the Tank back in place to both ends of the Hose.

Hope that helps,

J.

I’ll have a look-see and see what I can find. Thanks RR for taking the time to explain your findings, and adding a few cautionary notes. Much appreciated.
In a past life, I worked on air brake systems (railway) for a living so I’m ok with working on stored energy systems, but I’ve seen some truly terrible injuries, so I’d caution anyone who is trying to fault find on these systems - particularly versions that have a reservoir. Compressed air (indeed, any compressed gas) is effing dangerous. It’ll damage your ears, send stuff through your eyes, and inject air into places that shouldn’t have air in them (which will then kill you or cause a stroke).