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compressor tank repair.

Torque1st

MEMBER EMERITUS
Joined
Sep 14, 2008
Messages
5,668
Location
KC Metro, Kansas
We are talking a 60 gallon tank, probably about 24" in diameter.
At 100PSI there is 7,540 pounds of stress on each 1" wide strip (hoop stress) on that tank.
 
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nissan_crawler

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 12, 2008
Messages
9,638
Location
Wichita, KS
First, I have no problem welding on an air tank, I've done it several times. No, I'm not rated to, they were my own. On my current one, I added 3 bungs to it.

However, once it gets a rust hole through it, game over. Welding to a good tank doesn't bug me. Once it's rusted out, welding it could make a nice stressed part to blow out. The area around that pinhole could be darn near as bad. Go weld a 3" diameter patch around it, and you might have just connected all the "dots".

Do I believe it's likely it will blow up explosively? No. Would I chance becoming the next statistic? No. I bought my 30 gallon tank for $86 shipped brand new, it's just not worth playing russian roulette.

I'm sure there's a 99.9% chance you could get away with it. However, if you happen to be #1000...
 

shovel

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 26, 2008
Messages
477
Location
Port Neches, Texas
There are more knowledgeable folks on this board than me, but I will tell you my experience. I had a Sears 25 gal air compressor , the tank built by Devilbiss. I got a pinhole leak in the bottom and brought it to a welding shop. They said under no circumstances would the weld on this tank, but for $10.00 they would braze it for me. I said sure, that would hold until I got a new tank. It got another pinhole about 8" from the other so I brazed it myself. I gave the compressor away to a friend that had a brand new tank from a scrapped water well project. He never has swapped tanks and still uses the compressor today. 5+ years with no more pinholes! I guess that brazing does not stress the metal like welding would. Regardless, I would err on the side of safety.
 
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Wow

Banned
Joined
Dec 12, 2009
Messages
80
so if a tank blows, its not because of the weld but the rest of the tank is bad, so how can welding hurt the tank, it cant, but like the last guy said, JB weld it or even solder or braze it, I still believe 150 pounds not going blow a tank, more like 400 or greater. so since I am allowed an opinion, I feel nothing wrong with welding pinholes

You seem to lack the understanding that you cannot simply weld on top of rusted out metal! Your advice just keeps getting worse and worse...now JB weld? Seriously? You have NO IDEA how many PSI it takes to blow a tank, you're completely guessing! You are entitled to your opinion (even though everybody thinks you're nuts) but you are not entitled to make up fake facts.

Seriously, stop digging yourself into a hole. Whack yourself with that shovel and put us all out of the misery.
 

Three Window Coupe

New member
Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Messages
1
Location
Illinois & Missouri
First, I have no problem welding on an air tank, I've done it several times. No, I'm not rated to, they were my own. On my current one, I added 3 bungs to it.

However, once it gets a rust hole through it, game over. Welding to a good tank doesn't bug me. Once it's rusted out, welding it could make a nice stressed part to blow out. The area around that pinhole could be darn near as bad. Go weld a 3" diameter patch around it, and you might have just connected all the "dots".

Do I believe it's likely it will blow up explosively? No. Would I chance becoming the next statistic? No. I bought my 30 gallon tank for $86 shipped brand new, it's just not worth playing russian roulette.

I'm sure there's a 99.9% chance you could get away with it. However, if you happen to be #1000...

Nissan...Where can a guy purchase a new tank? My sears compressor from way back in the 60's has finally sprung a leak in the tank, so I'm looking to buy a replacement....Thanks in advance!
 
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