Catastrophic air compressor explosion *warning*
- Thread starter wazzabie
- Start date
nadogail
Well-known member
Compressor tanks would last longer if they were fitted with Automatic Drain Valves; that probably will never happen for the majority of the home shop compressors sold becuse it would raise the cost of production and purchase price.
And worse... if tanks don't rot out, it's harder to sell another one.
Commercial or industrial duty compressors do not come with auto drains either so it is not just the residential market.
But as a manufacturer you are not going to add a $100 auto tank drain to all your compressors and price yourself out of the market.
I think Champion includes them on at least some models.
lakeroadster
Well-known member
It failed at the seem, not at the repair (crappy or not).
I think it was just run past its lifetime.
During the failure, the crack propogated to the seam. But where the crack started, that's the real question.
WordMan
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I think it started on the seam from fatigue, then propagated away from it. Weakened by rust, and fatigued by too many expansion cycles, it finally let loose.
I'm no engineer, though.
I agree, it's not clear the failure started at the seam vs that was the weak point/the weld bead forced the failure to follow vs cross the seam. In looking at the video there was another area where I would have guess the failure to have started but I personally can't make even a 50/50 claim absent looking at the thing. It doesn't appear that the seam is on the bottom where rust thinning is most likely. Rather the seam is about 1" vertically up from the bottom.
Krash Kadillak
Well-known member
Looks like it's time to buy a new air compressor, after seeing that video, and then reading all your comments. My compressor is very much like the one that exploded. It's a Campbell-Hausfeld 20 gallon 'hot dog' type I purchased new around 1995.... so it's at least 26 years old.
I have drained water from the tank very infrequently. Just did it yesterday. Got around 2-3 ounces out. first came out rusty. then cleared up at the end. I can't trust this thing anymore. I don't use a compressor all that much. I'll be getting a small pancake or small twin-tank to replace it.
Also decided that I'm NOT going to sell it. It will be dismantled. I might try to sell the motor and pump, W/O the tank.
I have drained water from the tank very infrequently. Just did it yesterday. Got around 2-3 ounces out. first came out rusty. then cleared up at the end. I can't trust this thing anymore. I don't use a compressor all that much. I'll be getting a small pancake or small twin-tank to replace it.
Also decided that I'm NOT going to sell it. It will be dismantled. I might try to sell the motor and pump, W/O the tank.
Are you going to cut the tank open to see what inside looks like?
laser3kw
Well-known member
as long as you got it dismantled, drop a bore scope inside and see what's there. Might change your mind.
U
If you do insist on scraping the thing, sell of the motor and pump. That might get you enough money to buy a smaller replacement compressor. I also suggest getting one of the quiet compressors. They are so much nicer to be around vs the more traditional pumps.
Have you been welding up holes in the bottom of your tank? If no then don't worry. I had a similar CH vertical tank compressor. I was kind of pissed when it sprang a leak. At that point I scraped the tank. Luckily I was able to find a similar tank so I transferred the pump and motor over to the other tank.
If you do insist on scraping the thing, sell of the motor and pump. That might get you enough money to buy a smaller replacement compressor. I also suggest getting one of the quiet compressors. They are so much nicer to be around vs the more traditional pumps.
Terra Nova
Well-known member
I have the vertical version of that compressor. It's probably 12-ish years old, it's actually a pretty decent compressor (made by Campbell Hausfeld). Not a ton of hours on it but I do drain it regularly, the water is typically clear and not rust colored so I'm not too worried about it's condition or longevity. 
The factory drain petcock was a major PITA, which I suspect leads to a lot of homeowners never draining them. Ended up replaced it with a proper ball-valve and copper drain tube.
Definitely not a good idea to repair the tank once it starts leaking....
Edit: Just went and checked, tank was manufactured and certified in 2011 to 175 psi (135 psi compressor). Drained it and what little bit of water did come out was clear and oily. Figure I'll keep using it for the foreseeable future.
The factory drain petcock was a major PITA, which I suspect leads to a lot of homeowners never draining them. Ended up replaced it with a proper ball-valve and copper drain tube.
Definitely not a good idea to repair the tank once it starts leaking....
Edit: Just went and checked, tank was manufactured and certified in 2011 to 175 psi (135 psi compressor). Drained it and what little bit of water did come out was clear and oily. Figure I'll keep using it for the foreseeable future.
Last edited:
ever notice those portable air tanks have DO NOT USE AFTER THIS DATE stamping on them?
They will also fill with water ( the byproduct of compressing air) but there is no provision for draining them.
My upright compressor has the drain slightly open so it is always draining when on.... I don't use it often so it is not constantly running.
I suspect in the case of this video, the blow off valve or pressure shut off switch (or both) failed too.
They will also fill with water ( the byproduct of compressing air) but there is no provision for draining them.
My upright compressor has the drain slightly open so it is always draining when on.... I don't use it often so it is not constantly running.
I suspect in the case of this video, the blow off valve or pressure shut off switch (or both) failed too.
One of my 2 shop tanks been in use over 20 years .
If you got no signs of serious rust and do some common sense maintenance such as draining in visual inspections and replace at first sign of any suspected bad corrosion and without fail at first pin hole leak you highly unlikely have an issue .
Worst I ever seen in over 30 years around compressors daily is pin hole break outs, very rare it going fracture and grenade without some previous negligence being involved .
If you got no signs of serious rust and do some common sense maintenance such as draining in visual inspections and replace at first sign of any suspected bad corrosion and without fail at first pin hole leak you highly unlikely have an issue .
Worst I ever seen in over 30 years around compressors daily is pin hole break outs, very rare it going fracture and grenade without some previous negligence being involved .
This have been posted here before, and probably before that as well..... looks like the same compressor?
Probably old news: compressor explosion
Be safe out there friends. If you're getting a rusty bung (hehe) is time to start shopping for a new one.
www.garagejournal.com
Krash Kadillak
Well-known member
I'm not a welder.....
Thanks for the tip on the 'quiet' compressor. I'll be looking for one. This old one is the noisiest thing in the neighborhood.........