How To: Build a Pop Off/Leak Tester From Home Depot

[advacomp]

So I ventured off to Home Depot today to gather the parts I would need to build a Pop Off/Leak Tester so I could continue with my carb rebuild. Using this guide Build your pop off/leak tester I was able to find everything I needed and wanted to share with others since the guide has dead pictures and was for a Lowes.

This first picture is all the parts I gathered and the receipt for reference (ignore the $2.99 barb on the receipt this was for something else). I found the pressure gauge with the hot water heaters, the T and the barbs in plumbing, and the Teflon tape, ball valve in with air tools.



The second picture is the final product. You will see that I still have a 1/4" female hole left, I will be attaching my air hose from my compressor here. If you have a Bike pump or something else you can get a second 1/4" barb 1/4" MIP adapter to put here and just lock the bike pump hose right onto the end of it (worked for me with an old bike pump I had, may not work for all) or use whatever hose/connection necessary to make an air tight connection to your pump. Also I paid $8 for the ball valve (got it in the air tools section) but I remember seeing some other valves for cheaper in the plumbing section. I will be going back tomorrow to check it out. I will be using some of my left over 1/4 ID fuel line(from my fuel line replacement) for the connection from my barb adapter to the carb.



Don't forget to Teflon tape your threads!

 

[holorinhal]

I have been to home depot twice and looked n the hot water heater section and cannot find a valve any where . When You as about ont the people lookat you like You are stupid and say we dont have any thing like that. The only valve tat i could find there that was similar is an air gauge 0-300 psi that reads incriments of 10 for the first 30 psi and incriments of 6psi after 30. The home depots here in vegas are retated....h

 

[advacomp]

I know that "deer in the headlights" look. I get it all the time there right before I find the part/tool they claim they don't have (like when I went to go find an impact driver the other day). It should definitely be there though, around the hot water heaters/plumbing. They are in a very small box and usually tucked away with other small parts (I only found it by browsing each and every row on the shelves). It's made for water pressure if that helps at all, but can be used for a pop-off tester. the SKU is on the receipt in my first picture. Try having them pull it up by that.

Also you said "valve", then got talking about PSI so I believe you mean the pressure gauge (water pressure gauge to be exact). If they cant locate it by SKU perhaps they will have something similar if you ask them for "water pressure gauge". You will be looking for one that has a max of anywhere from 60 to 100 PSI and has a 1/4 male adapter on the end.

 

[russssellcrow]

I have a portable tire pump that worked really well for Pop Off testing. I put the inflatable toy fitting in the hose, stuffed it into the fuel intake, and ran the compressor in short intervals (this compressor will top 100lbs quickly, so I kept my finger on the switch for quick power off). The gauge passes Pop Off, I kill the power, and the gauge settles once the "float pin" closes. It appears very repeatable, thus precise. It was easy to balance both carbs at about 31 lbs +/- 1 lbs.

Also, this is a great tool for blowing out the fuel paths. I squirted some lighter fluid (naphtha) down the passages, then blasted them with the compressor. Also good for cleaning those micro fuel filters.

Caution, do not run one of these compressors against the Pulsed Fuel Pump! The diaphragm can rupture before you ever get a chance to switch it off!