Air compressor tank drain idea

[md21722]

When the tank is under pressure and you open the drain valve, water and air shoot pretty far. I would like a more controlled way to collect the water. If I just put a hose on there into a bucket, it's going to spray all over the place.

I am thinking of keeping the elbow and 3-1/2" ****** with a valve, and adding a couple of feet of high pressure hose with a second valve at the end. Hopefully this extra length of hose can act as a reservoir for the condensate that drains. Then I can close the first valve at the tank, and open the one at the end of the hose to drain the condensate in a more controlled way.

Anybody try something like this? Or is there another approach I should be looking at? Basically I don't want the air and water blowing at the wall ;-)

 

[md21722]

I had also thought of using a filter with an float bowl drain but that seemed kind of expensive. Then I found Midwest Controls makes some:

http://www.midwest-control.com/subcategorybrowseI2.aspx?catid=Drains&subcatid=ZA

They say the AFD-50 requires 9" of clearance below the receiver. It costs $129 at Northern Tool. They also have the ACT series. I'm not quite sure about the difference, except the ACT series is rated up to 1000HP!

Maybe I can buy cheap filter/water separator and go that way. All it needs to do is drain water.

 

[coljar]

Whether you open the first valve off the tank and close it and open one at the end of a hose, you're still going to have pressure and will just be blowing it all over something else. I have a fitting through the wall and I blow the condensate outside. Mind you, I have a timed solenoid blow off that's hooked to a wall switch that I can turn off when I'm not in the garage, but just having a valve off the tank piped to the outdoors will work.

 

[alpinewhite]

I have a solenoid valve on my drain. Controlling it is a relay with a timer delay with NO and NC contacts. I connected the solenoid valve to the NC contacts. Once the compressor motor turns on, the valve opens for however many seconds I set up the delay for. I have it set up for 2 seconds. As the compressor motor turns on, water is purged. Has been working flawlessly for me for over 20 years. It was my dad's idea, really.

 

[md21722]

Whether you open the first valve off the tank and close it and open one at the end of a hose, you're still going to have pressure and will just be blowing it all over something else. I have a fitting through the wall and I blow the condensate outside. Mind you, I have a timed solenoid blow off that's hooked to a wall switch that I can turn off when I'm not in the garage, but just having a valve off the tank piped to the outdoors will work.

Duh. I didn't think of the pressure in the short piece of hose. If it was clear high pressure hose and filled up, the water would displace the air pressure though? At this time I don't have the option of blowing it outside.

 

[planecrazy]

I just built such a contraption last week. I had a piece of 4" PCV that I glued adapers and bushings to on one end to reduce it down to a 1/2" PVC valve. On the other end, I have a threaded cleanout cap. In the center of the cleanout cap, I drilled a 1.25" hole and used some scotchbrite to "seal" the hole. The intent was to allow air to escape but contain any splashing.

This pipe is mounted vertically to the wall using unistrut.

About a foot from the top of the pipe, I installed a 90 degree barbed fitting. I used 5/16 poly tubing to run from that fitting to the drain valve on the bottom of my compressor tank.

A turn of the tank drain valve handle blows all the condensate water into my containment tank. I can then drain it into a bucket for disposal at my lesiure. An automatic drain valve is in my future.

I'm out of the country till the weekend but I can post a picture when I get home.

 

[Brad J.]

I run a silencer from Mcmaster Carr that is similar to what Ducksface built. It's quites the process and doesn't spray all over.

3/8 pipe thread that screws into the electric tank drain.

 

[maxpower_hd]

The valve I have on mine has a little bit of control so I just don't open it all the way and the water just flows right out. It will spray if you open too much but it works pretty well. Maybe my valve is different than most? Couldn't you just drain the tank down to say 10 lbs and then drain it?

 

[HAP]

I have mine plumed to my shop sink down stream of the trap.

 

[930dreamer]

My tank drains into a (1) gallon water jug next to the compressor through a piece of tubing.

 

[RedF]

Use an orificed fitting and a short hose into a container. It's not really the pressure that's making the mess, but the volume.

 

[machine_punk]

I just put a 90-degree elbow on mine, so it blows at the floor, instead of the wall.

KDub

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I let it spray, the more it spreads out the faster it dries up.
I've never thought about collecting it to see how much there is but I'm guessing it's only a few oz.

 

[alpinewhite]

For my portable hotdog compressor, I simply let the drain valve leak very slowly. I can barely hear it leak. Because of the slow leak, water never gets a chance to accumulate.

 

[KCarGuy]

Mine is also set up with an auto drain system.
opens for 2 seconds every 45 minutes.
But...
My 80 gallon compressor is in a small room (so it is quite)
and I have it hard piped out the wall and it 90's toward the ground outside.

Very Quite and very efficient. (except for a stray cat that may be wondering by at the time)