compressor question?????

larry merlau

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Delton, Michigan
ok i know i am not the only person who likes to have things in somewhat of an ordely manner here so i am going to ask a possibly foolish question.... we all know that you get rust in the supply tank on compressor's i have a large compressor that had been remved from a factory and it need some rework.. i took the water drain off to get the plumbing back into shape and the drain elbow was full of rust.. so my question is should i attempt to clean out the rust from the inside of the tank and if so any suggestions on how.. i can get at the back end and could use a piece of bent conduit to scrape it inside blindly and then suck out the crude with the shope vac,, i know i wouldbget it tall but i could get alot of it.. so whats the verdict just leave it and filter the air coming out real good:dunno:
 
That is a good question Larry.

I guess if you took the pump off and the drain petcock, then flushed it out, it would NOT hurt, but I do wonder if it would be worth it?

Flush it out with water only, I guess....:huh:

Well, we shall see whom else chimes in on this one? :wave:
 
Larry, it almost sounds like the problem we run into with rusty gas tanks when we restored cars and tractors. Your compressor tank is larger than a gas tank so I can't give you any help as to how we do them, however there is a guy over here who can take care of your rust problem.

He owns a company called Central Michigan stripping. I have used him a couple times and he does great work. What he would do is submerge your tank into his vat of chemicals and let them sit for a period of time. When he pulls them out of the vat you will have zero rust...nada, zip, zilch, nothing inside, outside or in crevices.

If you are interested I will get you his phone number and arrange a visit....while you are there you'll see a "mini" Gilmore car museum, he has some interesting old autos.
 
Please be careful Larry. There is a reason why industry has "pressure vessel" regulations and bad corrosion will undoubtedly weaken the tank. Exploding pressure vessels are one of the less fun things that can happen in a workshop. I hate to be the killjoy but if there is a lot of rust in the elbow then who knows what else is happening. Personally I would want to get the tank checked - look in the yellow pages or google for compressed air engineers.

Steve's solution may be great to get it shiny and bright but the demands on a air tank and the demands on a gas tank are quite different.
 
how rusty?.......scale might be a sign of the tank walls weakening?...if the rust is minor then treating it with a "good" rust conversion product from an auto paint supply house is an option, just dump it in- slosh it around and wait for it to dry.....chemically stripping or cleaning the tank would scare me:eek:.....175# of pressure x 80-120 gal is a big BOOM!....
as a last resort quincy is based out of quincy ill. and will sell loose tanks that are certified solid. (usa made!)
 
plant line closed

was the reason it was eliminated it was deemed to rusty ian,, but thanks for the heads up. its 80 gal tank tod, and just little to big to be dipping and paintin. the outside is good and i dont see the need for 175lbs pressure?????just need around 120 to run anything we normal run unless i missed the boat here somewhere? have been to the site and they are very helpful...
 
Steve's solution may be great to get it shiny and bright but the demands on a air tank and the demands on a gas tank are quite different.


Good points Ian, I have an unfair advantage, I saw his compressor and I didn't think it was bad enough that any dipping in the chemical solution would be that bad since the tank isn't very rusty and therefore it wouldn't weaken it. I guess it is like my scuba tanks though, you can't see what is on the inside unless it is hydro (?) inspected.

Larry, save yourself the hassle and buy a new tank or ask for one for Christmas....that is, if you have been a "good" boy.:rofl:
 
...just need around 120 to run anything ....
That's about what I run mine at but you have to bear in mind that inside that 80 gallon tank the air really wants to occupy 640 gallons of normal pressure air space. If the tank lets it do that in a hurry there is a lot of energy flying around. Compressor tanks are too cheap to take that risk if you are even a little bit uncertain of its integirty. If its bad enough to think about the measures that you are talking about I wouldn't let you fill it with air while I was in the room. If it doesn't need them then the less it is messed around the better as far as I am concerned.
 
if the tank doesn`t look bad? and just has "some" rust that`s to be expected. tanks used by quality manufacturers are tested to exceed all federal specs, often 10x over! i know quincy literally blows tanks to see where and when they fail..
most 2-stage pumps are set to keep tank pressure at 175#ish, that way when you install your regulator set to 120# you`re assured of 120# on the regulated side regardless of where the compressor is in it`s cycle stage.
check the date and place of manufacture posted on the tank itself, that should give you a clue to the tanks condition....if it`s a usa made unit you can probably call the manufacturer and ask their advice....
 
if the tank doesn`t look bad? and just has "some" rust that`s to be expected. tanks used by quality manufacturers are tested to exceed all federal specs, often 10x over! i know quincy literally blows tanks to see where and when they fail..
most 2-stage pumps are set to keep tank pressure at 175#ish, that way when you install your regulator set to 120# you`re assured of 120# on the regulated side regardless of where the compressor is in it`s cycle stage.
check the date and place of manufacture posted on the tank itself, that should give you a clue to the tanks condition....if it`s a usa made unit you can probably call the manufacturer and ask their advice....

its definatly a usa made tank tod but i will look at he date and manufacture origin like you mentioned.. thanks just knew the drain hole was plgged and took out hte back plug cause they broke the nipple of in it so replesed it witha new one and just wanted to do the best for the whole system before i went to using it...
 
How many times do tanks explode? Now, before someone gets upset, I am not discounting the forces involved. I totally grasp what can happen. I am just wondering if most compressor tank failures are not more in line of a pin hole or sightly larger as opposed a true exploding tank? That would still make you soil you pants. Just never have heard to an exploding compressor tank.

Scuba tanks are loaded to 3K PSI, thats a whole different situation!
 
How many times do tanks explode? Now, before someone gets upset, I am not discounting the forces involved. I totally grasp what can happen. I am just wondering if most compressor tank failures are not more in line of a pin hole or sightly larger as opposed a true exploding tank? That would still make you soil you pants. Just never have heard to an exploding compressor tank.

Scuba tanks are loaded to 3K PSI, thats a whole different situation!

I have no data on how many of them explode. The only one I have ever heard of was one that killed an uncle of mine. Once is enough. Not all health and safety rules are overkill (although many are).
 
fer you compressor guru's

here's evrything on the unit
tank is made by: manchester tank and equip. of texas, lubrock texas
model or sn no. 308045 / yr 1980 LMC
7370
W wp 200 650 degrees F
D.R. 2:1 Lq G 80
Shell .152 Head .1345

on the compressor quincy model 240-10
169470-L
Size 4x3

well ther ya have it you know what i know,, and like steve said its clean... came from a drug company.
 
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Not discounting it Ian. Just have my doubts that many actually fail explosively in normal or proper use. Not recommending that any one take a chance either. If there is any doubt it's not something to fool around with.

Just have my doubts that many actually explode. I figure most rust out and a small hole gives way and dumps the air. Scaring the heck out of you but no real damage.

Now if you overpressure one or heat it or something like that... yea I see an explosion.
 
...Just have my doubts that many actually fail explosively in normal or proper use. Not recommending that any one take a chance either. If there is any doubt it's not something to fool around with.

Just have my doubts that many actually explode. I figure most rust out and a small hole gives way and dumps the air. Scaring the heck out of you but no real damage.

Now if you overpressure one or heat it or something like that... yea I see an explosion.

I'd pretty much agree with all that.

Over-pressure would, I think, be the most likely cause of a catastrophic failure. That, or maybe a stress crack along a welded seam - even then, probably aggravated by an over-pressure.
 
My 20 gallon air compressor has some rust on the outside, so I assume the inside is rusty too. Since the pressures involved are relatively low, I am looking around for a used aluminum tank to replace it. That will be the end of water corrosion.

I've used those cleaning and rubber-coating compounds on about 10 antique automobile gas tanks. Though they work, a gas tank doesn't endure the pressures a compressor tank is subjected to.


Gary Curtis
 
Just to clarify. I have never seen larry's tank. My compressor tank has rust. I know that because when I drain it the water is brown. I cannot see that a coating of rust on the steel is any kind of problem but Larry is talking about loose scale by the sound of it and that would give me pause. I have never had a compressor that lasted more than a couple of years before I needed to upgrade. Current one is 15months old. I would budget for a pressure test on that in about two years time and then taking guidance from a grown up after that.

My uncle died in an accident in the 70's which was caused by a pressure vessel exploding. I have no idea if it was an air pressure vessel but I do know that it was gas and there was no flammability involved.

I honestly have no idea how often this sort of thing happens. I am sure that the more common failure results in a sudden loss of air with no "explosion". The reality with assessing any risk is that you have to consider both likelihood and severity. This one may not be very likely but in my own experience can be very severe. To me that wins any pressure vessel in my shop a show of respect and care.
 
Tanks exploding is the main reason I hate, HATE, filling my portable air tank. I prefer to use my 12 volt portable compressor and watch it work for a length of time than use the portable tank. Did I mention I hate using it??

Anyway, an old guy in the neighboring town that is really into conservation and skinning animals and such, used to use air to break the connection between the skin and meat of hard to skin critters like coons. His small portable air compressor/tank combo split due to tank failure, blew through the ceiling/insulation and took off one sheet of metal off of the roof (pole barn). Landed in the backyard!!! Always drained and unplugged his compressor daily. Heated garage so wasn't pulling in a lot of cold air/condensation. He built an attached room and won't have or be in the same room as an air tank.
 
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