I just bought a used 24gal Ingersoll Rand compressor. It is spotless and looks almost new. I got it home and changed the oil and air filter, then cranked it up. Alls well. Then I drained the air (mostly), then opened the drain plug. I got about 2 ounces of brown water.
Any thoughts on what I should do going forward? Just keep up with proper drainage or should I be concerned about rust inside?
Thanks,
That's all?
I wouldn't sweat it.
Keep the drain open when you leave the shop.
Enjoy.
Lew
Sounds as if it's been kept drained, so I wouldn't be too concerned.
One of the neat ideas I came across (here on the wreck?) was to install a short hose with a ball valve at the end in place of the stock drain plug to make regular draining of the tank easier. I keep telling myself that I need to do that "one of these days - real soon now". :-)
Not too much. It sounds like the previous owner didn't drain for a while before selling it to you, but if you do it every evening after use, you should be fine.
In case you don't know, compressors squeeze water out of air (really). This water can rust inside the tank, but usually is not a big deal unless it's an old compressor with a compromised tank.
S.
Hard pipe it with a street ell, a 6" nipple and a ball valve, all 1/2" and you open and close it with your foot.
No bending over req'd.
BTDT
Lew
samson wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.supernews.com:
Thanks, guys. I didn't think it was too bad, but wasn't sure. I have had a little PC pancake and drain it religously. When I was the brown water I was a little concerned.
Boy is the oil-lubed compressor quiet. The pancake would rattle my fillings.
your hands and knees to drain. Got drained, *maybe* once a week. A bit of
1/4 inch copper, some compression fittings and a small ball valve. $12 and 10 min. Drained every day now.Water in the tank is a fact of life. It naturally settles to the bottom when compressed and separated.
If you lok in the Grainger or McMaster Carr catalogs you should be able to find an automatic blowdown device which connects to the drain port and uses a small float valve to keep the tank drained and fairly dry.
I have one of these kits on my compressor, Morris.. Works well and makes a PITA chore easy for an ol' fart with a reluctant lower back..
I've had one of those HF auto drains on my stationary compressor for a couple of years now and it seems to be doing the job quite well. Every so often I'll exercise my lower back and open the manual valve. So far, it's always been dry.
Only problem I've had with mine is a rupture in the cheap plastic pressure hose which was then replaced with a more substantial nylon hose.
Tom Veatch Wichita, KS USA
Mac or Tom, I've been wanting to get one of these for years but never got around to it. The instructions at HF say this kit will not work with switches that have copper "unloader" tubing. I assume this is because of the supplied fittings. Would it be possible/reasonable to make this thing work with copper fittings? I imagine the connection on the valve would have to work with standard NTP copper fittings.
I've just read where a guy bought this HF one and he said he can't find a fitting to match his line, and that the HF one has very non-standard size fittings that he can't find? My compressor has a 1/4" copper unloader line.
I haven't drained my compressor in years, I'm almost afraid to open the c*ck and see what's in there. I'm sure I'm not the only one:-)
Tom Veatch wrote
I'm not Mac or Tom, but I hooked up a HF automatic drain to mine using copper tubing. It worked fine for a few months then started leaking air (not closing completely). I dismantled it a couple of times and cleaned it out but the last time I just took it off. I have a galvanized extension on my drain using street El's and a quarter turn ball valve with a long handle (possibly a gas shut off valve) and it works fine, just not automatic.
"Switches"?
If nothing else, wouldn't a compression fitting work?
Sounds dangerous. Doesn't the possibility of a tank rupture worry you a little?
I tried two HF automatic tank drains, both failed in a short time. Check out Grainger, item number 4KT04. Easier to install than the HF, no signal line, just screw it to the drain hole on the tank, senses change in tank pressure to activate it. I put one on probably 8 years ago and has worked great. Greg
I drained my tank often enough I thought. Stinking thing started hissing recently. Tank was only 15 years old. I need to replace the tank if I can find one but I rarely have the need for that compressor. I suspect that oil type compressors tanks last longer than oil-less compressor tanks for one oily reason. No quantitative or even anecdotal support for that except my dad's oil compressor is more than
30 years old. That Thomas oil-less compressor of mine might be 20 years old.
Also, it more likely the tank will develop pinholes than have a catastrophic failure. Pinholes will mean you won't be able to get it up [to pressure].
This site has good price for many products. I have used it many time.
Yeah, these things work with the pressure switch that turns the compressor on and off.
Not sure what would work since they say it won't work with copper or metal lines. That could mean the kit doesn't work with metal tubing or it could mean the valve itself won't work with standard fittings.
Yeah, a little that's why I've been wanting to get an automatic drain for the past 30 years. Interestingly, after posting this, I went down and drained the tank. It had less than a quart of water in it, but the water was clear as a could be, no rust in it. I think the tank is glass lined to prevent rust failures but when things get old enough, or not made perfect, bad things happen. Now that I saw the water, I'm not too worried any longer. My guess is tanks, even with auto drains, are always wet enough to cause rust, and the main preventive is not draining them but having the glass lining in tact.
Thanks Greg. I was on Grainger for a good while searching for that very thing and it would not come up. I looked for everything I could think of, air drains, automatic drains, and drain valves, and about everything else I could think of and came up with nothing. Anyway, this looks like what I would buy although it is a lot more money at $77 vs $10. I had replaced the pet c*ck on the tank with a piece of tubing and a little brass gas valve years ago so it's not like it's hard to drain the thing.
After draining a few pints of water off after years of neglect, I think I'll just plan on doing it by hand a few more times. I think it will out last me as it is.
I don't think it's the oil in the crank case, I think it is the tank liner. If your tank liner is missing or compromised, then you will get rust. Air tanks will always have water and air in them, two things needed for rust. You need something to keep the air and water off the metal that doesn't rust. Glass is nice.
My compressor is about 30 years old and seems good. My brothers compressor is a good bit older than that and seems good. My neighbor had a big 3 stage compressor he told me he used when he was young and had an auto shop. He was over 90 years old and used it daily in his lawn mower repair shop. He never drained the thing and whomever is lucky enough to have that thing now I'd bet it still is humming along. Interesting story, this old guy had a 2" pipe on his regulator that he said was filled with an oil soaked wool cloth that acted as his filter. He had no other filter on the line. My filter has a water separator on it but I've never seen any water in the bowl, but I don't paint much any more, mostly just use a few air tools now and then.
I agree with you though, my guess is any failure from rust would show up as either pin holes, or, at the worst, a small blow out hole that would be loud as hell for a few minutes but do little damage. Still, if I were buying an auto drain, I'd go with the Grainger one and forget about it.
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