How To Release Air Pressure from a Schrader Valve

This might seem obvious, but better safe than sorry.

All you really have to do to let air out through the Schrader valve is press down on the valve core.

To do this, you can use the back of a barrel style air pressure gauge, or just the tip of something pointy. A key will work just fine.

Now for the slightly-less-easy-but-just-as-effective way.

For a more dramatic approach, you could just remove the Schrader valve core altogether, by using a valve stem core remover tool. The tool comes in varieties for just about anything with tires—bikes, motorcycles, airplanes, segways, you name it. The valve tool unscrews and removes the core from the Schrader valve. Since the core is usually what holds air in, removing it means that all air is released from the system. This solution would likely be used if you needed to replace the core entirely — if it had been leaking, for example.

Some variations of the remover tool can be screwed onto the valve core, and act as an extension to the core itself. The extension, however, makes it easy to start and stop air flow from the valve for easy adjustment.

Why bother?

It’s crucial to always keep the minimum recommended air pressure (5 PSI) in your air springs. Since you are probably not constantly towing and hauling — or, if you are, the weight of your load probably varies — you’ll need to adjust the pressure in the air springs to cope with everything from the lightest to the heaviest load. When you don’t need the extra support, it’s best to let some of that pressure go.

Incidentally, adjusting the air pressure also makes for a more comfortable ride for you…so everybody wins.

If you don’t have an onboard air compressor system installed, you should know how to relieve a Schrader valve because adjusting air pressure will prevent any unnecessary wear and tear on your air springs, allowing them to last the entire lifetime of your vehicle (and beyond).

We push our springs to the limit to ensure longevity and great value for you, the customer, but you have to do your part! Keep an eye on that air pressure so the springs last a lifetime.