compressor auto drain, how often?

[infinkc]

i picked up an auto drain for my compressor since i always forget to do it myself. AHow often do you guys have the tank "drain" and for how long? 80gal.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075H8K97T/?tag=atomicindus08-20

also those that run auto drains, where do you drain them too? have a shallow container? pics?

 

[KCarGuy]

the one that I use (IR) can be set for any time and duration...but I have it every 45 minutes for 15 seconds.
it goes out the side of my garage and 90's down toward the grass.

 

[sberry]

I plumbed all to a common hose run thru the wall. Depends on how much the comp is run and how much comes out, lots of these could be weekly for a few seconds, some even longer. I don't mess with auto, kick the valve open a little once in a while if I been running the **** out of it.

 

[teamextreme]

Frequency is going to entirely depend on your situation, with 2 factors coming into play. How much the compressor is running and what the relative humidity is in your shop. How often a fab shop in Mississippi has to drain vs a homeowner/hobby garage in Las Vegas, will be vastly different.

 

[like2wheel]

the one that I use (IR) can be set for any time and duration...but I have it every 45 minutes for 15 seconds.
it goes out the side of my garage and 90's down toward the grass.

15 seconds is a looooong time. Could you possibly have that much water? And every 45 mins?

 

[kaymccampbell]

My mechanical auto drain is triggered by the compressor shutting down. I just let it drip on the floor under the compressor.

 

[KCarGuy]

yes, 15 seconds is a Long time, and in the Chicago summers, it can build up some serious water in the tank...but, that is why this compressor is 10 years old and bone dry.

(when I got my last one, 30 years ago, it was 1/4 full of water when I picked it up, used of course)

 

[MileHighRover]

3-5 seconds is the norm. 15 seconds is crazy talk.

 

[58Yeoman]

Manual ball valve on mine that goes out the back wall of the shop. I drain it every time I use it, for a few seconds.

 

[sberry]

I drain mine religiously,, every month or 2 if I remember.

 

[strutaeng]

If the compressor is used frequently, drain tank:

Daily if you are in Houston, Texas

Monthly if you are in Phoenix, Arizona

 

[atch]

I didn't want to put a hole in an outside wall to drain it outside so mine drains into a 5 gallon bucket, with the water going through a flexible hose attached to the bucket per the photo below.

 

[ronr80]

I have a IR 80 gallon and do mine weekly , last summer after 30 yrs of holding air the tank finally started to leak from
A small hole in the bottom, 5-6 seconds and it's good to go. R

 

[matt_i]

I think it helps enormously to have an "accumulator" that's a lower level than the bottom of the tank. The accumulator is between the tank and the blow-down valve.

That way water stays in a place that's not the actual compressor tank if its not as regular as it should be.

The line could be steel or Cu or brass or poly tubing. Its going to be under tank pressure so good to select tube systems which can accommodate that. And potentially there's a long cantilevered lever arm from the little fitting on the tank bottom if the tube is rigid. So need to plan for solid support or flexible piping. NiCopp brake line would be a good choice in my opinion. Also deserving of consideration is what happens if an automated drain sticks open. If simply hardwired the compressor would run possibly continuously. Good to have a motor interlock setup so its disabled when you are not there.

I have been trying to build a "strategy" in my head for automating the drain valve via PLC controls. Seems like I'd like to drain it, in intervals, 2-3x for each time the compressor cycles and then let it sit. As the air cools and is not used (like the last pump cycle before it shuts off) then its going to release vapor into liquid. Many times there's just one cycle or else I'm running it quite a bit at other times, and those two need different considerations. Not there yet. Thoughts are ping ponging off my skull though

 

[nadogail]

I have a toe operated valve and open it long enough to blow the water out almost every time I use it. I am close enough to the beach that I can hear the surf.

 

[sberry]

I had it one day and rounded up several pieces of old 3/8 copper water line, nuts, flares most of it ready made and had to flare 1 fitting to do it. I have 3 vessels, plumbed to a line thru the wall. A hole in the wall not a deal.
The master is the green one under cover, the blue is the backup/demand, even have the breaker off as my stuff is on 24/7 and so rarely need it but use the tank. It rarely has any water, the master and the receiver get some.
Once I decided to do it took about 30 minutes to fit it all, the line was copper water stuff headed for the scrap. Trying to fuss with catches and jugs really took the sport out of it, added to the neglect.

 

[infinkc]

I didn't want to put a hole in an outside wall to drain it outside so mine drains into a 5 gallon bucket, with the water going through a flexible hose attached to the bucket per the photo below.

so you have the hose higher than the compressor drain outlet? i guess the air pushes the water out? I was was looking for something shallow, but i guess i dont have to if the case.

 

[atch]

so you have the hose higher than the compressor drain outlet? i guess the air pushes the water out? I was was looking for something shallow, but i guess i dont have to if the case.

There's PLENTY of pressure to push the water up and out.

That being said, I'm in the slow/long process of reorganizing my shop and when the compressor gets moved I'm going to build an angle iron stand to raise it up 3-4 feet so the bucket (if I still use a bucket) will be under the compressor. I might also incorporate an "accumulator" as matt_i mentioned. I have several portable air tanks and an inoperable small compressor. I might use one of those for the accumulator between the compressor tank and the bucket below.

Also, although it doesn't show in any of the pix I have of this set-up, the valve for this drain has been replaced and relocated. It now is a 90* ball valve that is outside of the footprint of the compressor tank. I made a 4' long handle to turn the valve handle with so I don't have to get down on the floor to open the valve. I don't even have to bend over to open it. I find that I open it a lot more often than I did when it was that small hard-to-reach valve that came on the compressor in the center of the bottom of the vertical tank.

One more thing; I wouldn't mind putting a hole in the shop wall except that the compressor is in the middle of one long outside wall. Three sides of the shop would not work to put a hole in and drain out; due to what's on the outside of those walls (patios, flower beds, etc.). To get to a place where I would put the hole I'd have to run a pipe up/across the shop at ceiling level/and down to near ground level of the other long side of the shop. The bucket was much easier and made from free materials I had laying around.

 

[sberry]

I look things over once in a while when I read a thread. I see the sun baked the hose off, I gonna fix it.
I thought I had copper all the way thru and the hose as in insulator/bushing but guess it was all hose, needs to be replaced. I went shoved a little thru.

 

[brownbagg]

i stuck a hand valve on mine, about three foot high, so when ever I turn the compressor on, I use the hand valve, to drain tank, couple seconds, when you get old, bending not easy

 

[sberry]

Flower bed sounds like a great place for the drain.

 

[atch]

Flower bed sounds like a great place for the drain.

Normally I would agree, but the water coming out of my tank is dirty and black. Is that not normal?

 

[sberry]

It's been a while since I drained other people's compressors. Mine is clear with a bit of oil froth, just a film.

 

[JOE.G]

I use something like this, I crack it open when I think about it, usually weekly for a few seconds and I let it go on the floor, Not a lot of water comes out. At times Ill let it run for 10 Secs or so but it seems like a waste a not much if any comes out after the intial few seconds. My compressor runs probably 45 Min to an Hr total per week. I would not waste my time or money on an auto unit unless the compressor was not easy to get to and I would worry about it failing.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Extended-Tank-Drain-Valve-Assembly-072-0023H/205183928

 

[sberry]

That is typical and practical.

 

[sberry]

i stuck a hand valve on mine, about three foot high, so when ever I turn the compressor on, I use the hand valve, to drain tank, couple seconds, when you get old, bending not easy

There is a lot of truth to this and one of the ways to make doing this competitive with automatic gadgets is to plumb it for convenience.
If its easy you will do it once in a while, harder it is the more its ignored. Its the whole thing about it as far as tools and garages is concerned. Reason I bought a hoist was to make it easy to r&r and that became easier than the procrastination, took 1 less excuse not to do something out of it.
This is different than making beautiful ****, its about making it work in a physical people sense. It aint cause I got all this **** its because of where its at. If I gotta go to the store for a can or got a free half can left from the last one and some tape got it done before most get to the store if I have to, other times its just old stuff sitting on the shelf.
If I am not worried about equity building might as well sit there. People are building garages based a lot on things not people. I could live in a small house and a big garage and a lot of times with existing homes the addition of nice to above average facility rather than a garage is so much cheaper and easier to customize than old homes without some complete renovation. Put new and additional utilities in a new structure with new floor plan etc. It might not even increase the real load depending on occupancy but shares the use, becomes backup etc. I got a bud just built new house and they lived in aboves deal that was nice but that will be shared as a workshop, bet money the guy continues to use the utility bathroom even after moving the new beautiful house he built.

 

[sberry]

I like that you have the duty estimated. I understand there is a place for an hour meter for service and all that,,, I don't have one on a couple machines I use a lot but depending on your compressor most have life in 1000's, 8000 to 30K and to 50 on some simple recips even. Given modern oil Joe needs to change in the 10 year range if he feels like it, maybe lots more, if he doesn't or doesn't care by then.
Mine probably runs 10 min a day for leaks. Cost 50cents or a dollar a week in losses just to have it on all the time.

 

[sberry]

Back to the valve, could do this with as few as 2, One at the tank and 1 drain. A ball valve that is used on air and turned on occasion last forever. Kick it open once a week and its highly reliable. Nothing to fail in use, no controls, no automatic parts.

 

[sberry]

You can do this without changing any fundamental design changes to the unit not intended etc. Only other consideration is freezing and there is a different method although a couple ways.
Back in the day lots of garages were seasonal and in addition to a petcock had an additional fitting higher up thru another port with a hose that simply dropped in and laid to the bottom of the tank. As the tank or water thawed in the bottom could be blown out and was easy to reach. The petcock system is used because there is no sump to freeze off, water in the shell didn't hurt anything especially if it wasn't deep other than lost volume.
Any time it can be kept above freezing the better all this stuff works.