A reciprocating air distribution system includes a valve housing, having a cylinder therein. A valve element is slidably mounted within the cylinder. Also provided is an inlet to the cylinder, an exhaust from the cylinder and air distribution passages which are controlled by the valve element to be connected either with the intake or the exhaust. A nonmetallic gasket of thermally insulative material and thickness is between the inlet and air distribution passages on one side and the valve element and exhaust on the other. The buna elastomer has carbon black filer to make the gasket statically dissipative. The nonmetallic gasket provides channels which are part of valve control passages which are associated with a pilot valve. The valve control passages are from the inlet to both ends of the cylinder with at least one passage controlled by the pilot valve. These channels are closed by one of the components between which the gasket is located. The reciprocating air distribution system includes a restricted inlet such that the air inlet ports are of a combined area of approximately 0.057 square inches and of a ratio of exhaust port area to inlet port area of approximately 8.0 for models achieving up to 180 gallons per minutes, and the air inlet ports are of a combined area of approximately 0.083 square inches and of a ratio of exhaust port area to inlet port area of approximately 5.4 for models achieving between 180 and 275 gallons per minutes. A muffler is in communication with the exhaust. The muffler includes a cavity open to the housing of the valve and separated by an exhaust gasket. The exhaust gasket includes a locking flange extending into the cavity of the muffler to resist the pressure within the cavity.