Aldi! Airline filter

Steve Maskery · 19 Mar 2017

Has anyone bought one of these?

How do you fill it with oil? The instructions say to unscrew the sump clockwise. Is that right? That would make it a left-hand thread and I don't see why. But whether it is right or not I can't budge it, it's jammed. I even made a wooden ring to go over it to get more grip but to no avail. I'm a bit stuck now. It's supposed to be hand-tight!

Any ideas?

Phil Pascoe · 19 Mar 2017

I did ask for an Aldi filter last time I was in Lidl, but they didn't have any.

by the bye, can't help, sorry.

NazNomad · 19 Mar 2017

All the stories I've heard about these say to ditch the oiler and just use the regulator.

Apparently the plastic bit fails and the compressor blows oil all over the workshop, just put a few drops in the tool each time instead.

Steve Maskery · 19 Mar 2017

I'm pulling my hair out here.

I rang Aldi CS. Very helpful chap. He gave me an email address and freephone number of the manufacturer. He also rang my local store to find out if they had stock. His computer said that they did. Would I like to swap it?

I got there less than 10 minutes later and the Man Wot Knows was there waiting for me with one in his hand, which he had already checked. The first one he tried was stuck just like mine. Staright swap, no problem. And it is not a LH thread (but I had tried both).

So I get it home, connect it up, air leaking all over the place. All the joints are PTFE taped, I can't get them any tighter and I still have leaks. Plus I can't see how this regulator works. It says to pull it up and rotate, but then it just comes off in my hand. Something's not right.

So 10/10 for Aldi Customer Services, the jury is still out on the product itself.

MrTeroo · 19 Mar 2017

I bought one of these eight years ago and the instructions to fill it then were to remove the oil filter plug on top of the regulator and fill.

It was PowerCraft back then not WorkZone, but they look the same.

Steve Maskery · 19 Mar 2017

Thank you Mr Teroo.

Well I think I'm fixed up, sort of. To mount it sensibly I need a short length of hose and a couple more connectors, but I have at least got it working. Still a couple of tiny air leaks, but basically sound. The valve was stuck, but I could see what was supposed to turn and a bit of persuasion with a spanner did the trick.

What palaver.

woodpig · 19 Mar 2017

I bought one of these (regulator only) ages ago but never got round to using it until the regulator started to leak on my air compressor. I had to make a threaded tube to make a permanent connection to the compressor but it works fine.