Reminder: Air Compressor Maintenance

[DanStokes]

I'm not good about draining the compressor tank and today it caught up with me. This saga started because my pressure regulator was leaking and I was starting to replace it with a quality HF unit. Of course, to do this you have to discharge the air in the tank. I shut off the compressor and plugged a connector into one of the female quick connects and started discharging it that way. Then I decided that I might as well drain the tank while I'm at it so I reached under the tank and found the drain which I opened but nothing came out. The bottom of the tank is pretty close to the floor so there wasn't much room to work. After fiddling and fettling I decided that I was going to have to pick the whole deal up. After disconnecting everything it was easier to pull it out of its corner so I had better access.


And so it is in the position seen in the pic. After trying to get the big pipe plug out of the bottom (that's going to take heat and plenty of it) I got frustrated and drove a punch thru the hole that the drain goes in. Sure enough, Niagara Falls! I'm guessing there was somewhere between 3 and 5 gallons of water in the tank. It had formed a layer of rust over the drain hole which is why nothing came out using normal means but once punctured it was a rusty mess. I swept it out the door and rinsed away the rust so I'm hoping the floor won't look too bad. I considered an automatic tank drain but online reviews are not positive so I'll just remote the drain tomorrow. I trust myself to drain it more regularly if I don't have to crawl on the floor and reach under the tank to do the job.


Yes, it's still peeing when I took the pic and that was at least 15 minutes after I opened up the drain with a punch.

[Captain]

WOW.......

I put drip legs and ball valves on all the Air Line Plumbing in my shop. I do a quick blow down when I start using a air tool and open them about once a week to drain overnight.
Then I drain the compressor whenever I need to get something out of the Boiler Room.
Not much water during the winter, summer
There is a lot.

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

That concoction of a compressor system that I built, has aluminum tanks. So corrosion is not a problem, but it still needs to be drained. The only real problem is the reservoir tank, also aluminum. However it does not have a drain, so I have to remove it from the system, and turn it over to drain. I think my setup minimizes the water in that tank, but it is still an issue. The parts are smaller however so it doesn’t require the hoist…

[silver_bullet]

By force of habit, and the fact that I live on the northern plains region, no heated garage.... I drain my tank daily.... compressor is in the loft of the shop and drain is hard piped outside.... big stainless valve with a yellow quarter turn lever so I can see that it's open....note: I only run the compressor on days that I use it, and when condensate freezes in the line, I just leave the valve open as the warmth of the compressed air thaws it out.....

[Russell]

I have drained mine once, and changed the oil once. Maybe I will drain it this afternoon. Do you are drain the air before opening the drain valve.

[cstmwgn]

my hy-tek solution is to start draining the tank with some air left it it. That way the pressure will clear the sediment clog and you're on the way to draining away.

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

See what Dan started! Now we’re all hyperventilating about draining our air compressor tanks!

[SuperBuickGuy]

I drain mine but not regularly (whenever I paint). With that said, if I ever saw rust coming out with the water; I'd be very concerned. My compressor leaks enough oil that I don't get any rust - honestly, I'd slosh some rust mort in the bottom of that tank 'just in case' ....

[DanStokes]

SBC is, no doubt, right on the RustMort suggestion but I've forged past that now - opportunity lost.

Anyhow, it's back on line and here's the current status:

The remote drain. MUCH easier to use and I know I'll be draining it out regularly now that it's easy. I also let the tank air pressure blow out the gunk which seems to work well. I'm still getting some rusty muck out of it but I assume that'll settle out as I continue to drain it. Note the support for the drain. I used SS pipe along with brass fittings - I didn't want brass pipe as it tends to be brittle and there will be vibration. Also note the nifty support for the pipe. A little steel scrap and an Adel clamp and things are supported.





And the new regulator. So far it's working nicely. I have it set at 100 PSI but probably ought to measure it at the end of the hoses to determine what the working pressure is. Also note the other nifty bracket holding up the pipe coming off the regulator. I worry about pipe cracking thru the threads which I have seen happen - stress risers and all that.

[DanStokes]

Yes Dave, That's one of the hammers you gave me. They continue to work wonderfully and have pounded many things into submission. Thanks. Folks - Dave was over working in my shop many moons ago and didn't like my hammer selection (he was right) and so bought me small and large Craftsman hammers. I guess he didn't like that the rawhide kept loosening between the stick and the rock.

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

You all wouldn’t believe the collection of rocks, scrap metal and other alleged implements of hammering destruction Dan had… it just had to end!

[silver_bullet]

[DanStokes]

It was pretty bad. My "best" hammer at the time was from Kitt's Industrial Tool Sales (note that the initials are "KITS) near Detroit. It was like Harbor Freight only cheaper and with a lot of stuff from India which was probably worse than the Chinese stuff. Maybe they do better now? Anyhow, my "best" hammer actually had chips knocked off the face where I'd hit stuff with it so I'm guessing it was cast iron. The hammer supply went downhill from there.

[Captain]

"A Cutting Torch Head Is NOT A HAMMER"
to knock a semi molten pieces off !!!

So I've been told ........

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

"A Cutting Torch Head Is NOT A HAMMER"
to knock a semi molten pieces off !!!

So I've been told ........

Done there, been that… wait, what? I’m so confused