Conrader RCT-DC Pilot Unloader Valve with Dual Control, 135 to 150 PSI
This is the valve that decides whether your compressor stops and starts or runs continuously and unloads. The lever on the side is the dual control: flip it one way and the pilot signal passes, flip it the other and it is locked out. On an electric motor machine that is the difference between start/stop operation and constant speed running, and being able to change between them without re-piping anything is the whole reason this version exists.
Published specifications
- Inlet 1/4 in. FNPT, outlet 1/8 in. FNPT
- Factory set 135 to 150 PSI, field adjustable within a 40 to 250 PSI range
- Operating temperature minus 15 to 400 degrees F
- Brass body, stainless steel screen, ball and springs, Viton O-ring, aluminum lever
- 3/8 in. to 16 UNC mounting boss opposite the outlet
- Length 4.33 in., weight 0.64 lb
- Replaceable inlet filter screen
RCT, RCB and the suffixes
Conrader's pilot valve family looks confusing on a parts list and is not. RCB is the base valve. RCT is the same valve with the threaded mounting boss cast opposite the outlet, which is what you want if it is bracket mounted rather than hanging off its own piping. The suffix is the stem: DC is the dual control lockout lever described above, HU is a hand unloader intended for gas engine machines where you unload to start the engine. Buying HU when you needed DC is the usual mistake, and they are not interchangeable in service even though they look similar on a shelf.
Switching between start/stop and continuous
Start/stop suits machines that are idle more than they run; you save the power the motor would burn running unloaded. Continuous run suits short cycling duty, because repeated across the line starts are harder on a motor than running it unloaded. The rough rule is that if the compressor is loading more than six to eight times an hour, leave it in continuous and let the pilot unload it. The lever on this valve means you can try both and keep whichever behaves.
Adjustment is the screw under the cap. Turn in to raise the cut out, out to lower it. Do it with a gauge on the tank, in small increments, and let the machine cycle fully between adjustments.
NOTE: Actual product may be different from pictured!
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