COMPRESSOR QUESTION

[WARRENRN1]

i have a pc 6 gallon pancake compressor.....new... after reading the instruction manual.... before anyone starts flaming me.... i know... *real men don't read the instructions*.... but i needed something to read while on the throne.... no where does it tell me that i should de-pressurize the tank after using it..... admittedly, when i do empty the tank (which has been every time i am finished using it), there are ice crystals that pop out.... does it *hurt* the tank to remained pressurized ?? lots of times i have wanted to fire a nail or two into something to hold for a little while, but then realize that i have to start up the compressor....

and advice? thanx in advance........

ps.... i think alot of projects may get completed.... i just started a 2.5 week vacation......

[Jim Mc Namara]

More info than we needed Warren! :-)

I left mine pressurized all the time (except once every few days for draining) but left it pressured up with no problems.

One of the reasons I left mine pressurized. Also - having a nozzle to blow the sawdust off the clothes, boots, and hair was nice as well.

One thing I did was once every 3 months or so, I would put about 8-10 drops of compressor oil into the tank. I would pressure it up and blow it out to where the pressure dropped to about 20# (I usually kept it at about 90#) I never drained any rusty water out of the system by doing this. I also had an HVLP spray rig but I also had a filter that caught any residue (rarely) prior to the gun.

Jums

[Tom]

How do you empty the tank? Do you use a drain plug in the bottom or just the air line. The only way to remove the moisture is by draining from the bottom and it is not necessary to do it more than infrequently. I had a 25 hp with an 80 gal tank that we rigged a ball valve and tubing arrangement and most Friday afternoons we would blow down the tank. This unit was over 25 years old and ran 8 hours per day

5 days a week and we never had a problem. I have two small units at home - one is a 2 hp / 20 gal (almost 30 years old) and I probably don't drain it more than once or twice a year. Same with my little pancake which is only a year or so old.