LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
Duh, I was thinking MAWP.
OSHA 180.407 required for the FDNY test says it's for "Cargo tanks". To me, saying "cargo" means mobile. I could be interpreting that wrong.
Tommy
Checking Compressor tank
- Thread starter N_Jay
- Start date
Duh, I was thinking MAWP.
OSHA 180.407 required for the FDNY test says it's for "Cargo tanks". To me, saying "cargo" means mobile. I could be interpreting that wrong.
Tommy
Betting that is one of "defined words", maybe "Cargo" is the storage of compressed gas as opposed to a "Process" or "reaction" tank.
Just guessing but I know a lot of the standards I work with have very specific (and not always intuitive) definitions.
Well, I have all the fittings on the tank. Two gauges, and a full flow drain valve.
Well, all but one fitting, back to the hardware store for a 3/8M-1/4F bushing. (It's not a project without one missing piece.
Since I have a lot of new joints, sealing up the tank inlet, outlet, and drain, I figure I better test it before putting in 60 gallons of water and 40 oz of grease only to find a leaky fitting invalidating the test.
Thoughts are to charge it to about 40 PISI with air (The tank is at least THAT good).
I can them check all the fittings with soapy water like checking a tire.
If that looks good, in goes the water and off to the races.
Well, all but one fitting, back to the hardware store for a 3/8M-1/4F bushing. (It's not a project without one missing piece.
Since I have a lot of new joints, sealing up the tank inlet, outlet, and drain, I figure I better test it before putting in 60 gallons of water and 40 oz of grease only to find a leaky fitting invalidating the test.
Thoughts are to charge it to about 40 PISI with air (The tank is at least THAT good).
I can them check all the fittings with soapy water like checking a tire.
If that looks good, in goes the water and off to the races.
sberry
Banned
Mine went 7 years without draining, had several gallons of water in it.
So I have yet to find somebody local that actually tests air compressor tanks. All these guys are a couple hours away:
http://www.nationalboard.org/Index.aspx?pageID=66
A local guy has a NDT business as a sideline to his welding business. He came out and said not to worry about any of my tanks as they are overbuilt and would only leak through pinholes if they rusted out, not explode. They are all 80 gallon vertical tanks with id plates.
I looked inside one of them and it was covered in rust everywhere. at the bottom was a disc of rust scale of undetermined depth. I'm going to buy an ultrasonic tester and see what results I get.
All the exploded tanks I've seen internet pics seem to be horizontal. Anybody come across a certified vertical tank that exploded through the bottom from corrosion and not from explosive gas mixtures being the cause?
http://www.nationalboard.org/Index.aspx?pageID=66
A local guy has a NDT business as a sideline to his welding business. He came out and said not to worry about any of my tanks as they are overbuilt and would only leak through pinholes if they rusted out, not explode. They are all 80 gallon vertical tanks with id plates.
I looked inside one of them and it was covered in rust everywhere. at the bottom was a disc of rust scale of undetermined depth. I'm going to buy an ultrasonic tester and see what results I get.
All the exploded tanks I've seen internet pics seem to be horizontal. Anybody come across a certified vertical tank that exploded through the bottom from corrosion and not from explosive gas mixtures being the cause?
sberry
Banned
How many you figure there is from this internet "research"?
Well, it held the 50 PSI for a few hours, so time to vent and fill with water.
Then the wife says we are going out to dinner.
Then the friends come back for dessert.
Tank is 1/2 full. but have to wait for tomorrow to test.
I did learn a few things.
1) Build a manifold that has a hose connection so you can fill the tank directly and not with a funnel.
2) Get a piece of clear tubing to use as a gauge so you can tell how much water is in the tank.
3) Have an fitting on the drain so you can run the hose out of the garage.
4) Have an airline hookup so you can pressurize the tank to help it drain.
5) Remember 1 through 4 for NEXT time!
Then the wife says we are going out to dinner.
Then the friends come back for dessert.
Tank is 1/2 full. but have to wait for tomorrow to test.
I did learn a few things.
1) Build a manifold that has a hose connection so you can fill the tank directly and not with a funnel.
2) Get a piece of clear tubing to use as a gauge so you can tell how much water is in the tank.
3) Have an fitting on the drain so you can run the hose out of the garage.
4) Have an airline hookup so you can pressurize the tank to help it drain.
5) Remember 1 through 4 for NEXT time!
All done!
So, . . . . (attempt #1)
Got everything together, hooked up the grease gun full of ATF and got to about 50 PSI before the grease gun would not make any more pressure.
AT that point the 50 PSI started pushing water back into the grease gun and the pressure headed downhill from there.
I really did not want to pump grease into the tank.
So, . . . (attempt #2)
Loaded up the grease gun with a cartridge of grease ) and started pumping away. Building pressure was easy, and I got to 175 PSI when I noticed a few drops of water. A quick look showed the water coming form the 200 PSI relief valve. So I played with it a tad figuring I could get it to seal, but no good. So I vent the tank and remove the valve and put in a plug. (Note to self, no relieve valves when pressure testing).
OK, so now there is 14 OZ of grease floating in the tank. Glad I bought three tubes.
So, . . . Attempt #3
Loaded a new tube of grease and start pumping away, back up to 175 almost 200 PSI and run out of grease. Well, I figure with grease in the gun I can now fill it with ATF and the remaining grease will keep the pump in the gun sealed and I can pump in the ATF. No Bueno! The after a few squeezes the ATF has cleaned the pump and the 175+ PSI push water back into the gun. Close the valve fast, pour out the ATF and put in the third and final cartridge. A number of more pumps and I am up to 220 PSI (My target of 10% over the tank label.
All looks good, I do some other things and let it sit checking every once in a while.
Well, not losing any pressure, but the water that went in was cold, and the garage is warming up and now we are pushing 245 PSI, so I decide that is a good enough test.
I have a hose on the bottom drain with a full flow valve so I open it up and get a bit of water out, remove a gauge and get a bit more, so I decide we need to add some pressure.
I figure it already has oil and water and a bit of ATF in the tank, so I figure a put more ATF will float on the ware and maybe surround the grease and help it flow out without sticking to the insides.
I put the gauge back in, hook my pancake compressor to the inlet and set it for 40 PSI.
Now I get a good steam of water bucket after bucket (looking a good bit cleaner than I feared), till all of a sudden I get lumps of grease, ATF and water (pink Milkshake).
I start a new bucket since I won't be dumping that under the deck, and open the valve expecting something greater than 2 tubes of grease. Nope, just something that I guess is about 1/2 a tube.
Maybe as the compressor gets used the rest of the grease will find its way out the drain, or maybe not.
Either way, I know the tank holds 220 PSI for several hours and up to 245 PSI, so I am happy and can now start reassembling and plumbing the pump, and wiring the motor.
Lots of lessons learned.
Would not hesitate to do it again, but would do a lot differently.
So, . . . . (attempt #1)
Got everything together, hooked up the grease gun full of ATF and got to about 50 PSI before the grease gun would not make any more pressure.
AT that point the 50 PSI started pushing water back into the grease gun and the pressure headed downhill from there.
I really did not want to pump grease into the tank.
So, . . . (attempt #2)
Loaded up the grease gun with a cartridge of grease ) and started pumping away. Building pressure was easy, and I got to 175 PSI when I noticed a few drops of water. A quick look showed the water coming form the 200 PSI relief valve. So I played with it a tad figuring I could get it to seal, but no good. So I vent the tank and remove the valve and put in a plug. (Note to self, no relieve valves when pressure testing).
OK, so now there is 14 OZ of grease floating in the tank. Glad I bought three tubes.
So, . . . Attempt #3
Loaded a new tube of grease and start pumping away, back up to 175 almost 200 PSI and run out of grease. Well, I figure with grease in the gun I can now fill it with ATF and the remaining grease will keep the pump in the gun sealed and I can pump in the ATF. No Bueno! The after a few squeezes the ATF has cleaned the pump and the 175+ PSI push water back into the gun. Close the valve fast, pour out the ATF and put in the third and final cartridge. A number of more pumps and I am up to 220 PSI (My target of 10% over the tank label.
All looks good, I do some other things and let it sit checking every once in a while.
Well, not losing any pressure, but the water that went in was cold, and the garage is warming up and now we are pushing 245 PSI, so I decide that is a good enough test.
I have a hose on the bottom drain with a full flow valve so I open it up and get a bit of water out, remove a gauge and get a bit more, so I decide we need to add some pressure.
I figure it already has oil and water and a bit of ATF in the tank, so I figure a put more ATF will float on the ware and maybe surround the grease and help it flow out without sticking to the insides.
I put the gauge back in, hook my pancake compressor to the inlet and set it for 40 PSI.
Now I get a good steam of water bucket after bucket (looking a good bit cleaner than I feared), till all of a sudden I get lumps of grease, ATF and water (pink Milkshake).
I start a new bucket since I won't be dumping that under the deck, and open the valve expecting something greater than 2 tubes of grease. Nope, just something that I guess is about 1/2 a tube.
Maybe as the compressor gets used the rest of the grease will find its way out the drain, or maybe not.
Either way, I know the tank holds 220 PSI for several hours and up to 245 PSI, so I am happy and can now start reassembling and plumbing the pump, and wiring the motor.
Lots of lessons learned.
Would not hesitate to do it again, but would do a lot differently.
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good tips!!
So, Next time, I build a "wet stand-pipe" out of about 2 feet of 2" pipe.
The grease goes into the pipe displacing water into the tank.
At the end all the grease is in the pipe and the tank only gets water.
Although, I think letting the inside of the tank get "washed" with some type of of lubricant / rust preventatives is not a terrible idea?
Thoughts?
The grease goes into the pipe displacing water into the tank.
At the end all the grease is in the pipe and the tank only gets water.
Although, I think letting the inside of the tank get "washed" with some type of of lubricant / rust preventatives is not a terrible idea?
Thoughts?
what about using a porta-power hand pump & hydraulic oil?
like2wheel
Well-known member
A long time ago, I built my own pressure feed sand blaster from a truck air brake chamber.
After it was welded back together, I filled it with water & pressurized it to 200# with oxygen from my welding tanks.
Still use the blaster.
After it was welded back together, I filled it with water & pressurized it to 200# with oxygen from my welding tanks.
Still use the blaster.
sberry
Banned
Now the tank is full of grease and oil?
lakeroadster
Well-known member
Milton Shaw
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2011
- Messages
- 4,836
Like2wheel, don't ever use oxygen to pressurize anything. It will explode from just the slightest bit of oil/grease left in the tank/hoses. CO2 even Aragon would have been a much better choice. OXYGEN UNDER PRESSURE SHOULD NEVER BE USED EXCEPT IN OXYGEN APPROVED CYLINDER/REGULATORS/HOSES. It is self igniting under a lot of occasions.
That is a great idea, if I had one. (Or needed an excuse to buy one)
The grease gun was cheaper.
Probably just a film of ATF, and a few lumps (or strings) of grease.
I really have no way to measure what came out, so maybe there is less in there than I first thought. Either way, it is not a big deal.
I'll just put a catch tray under the drain valve.
Yep, maybe a better grease gun would have pumped the ATF (or water) but mine did not.
I agree about NEVER using O2 for anything not O2 rated.
The O2 itself does not ignite, but a lot of materials become flammable in pure O2 environments and even self-igniting at higher pressures.
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