do not forget to drain your compessors

[trdtaco]

I always saw it on here with auto drains and al that since my compressor is in a heated garage and sees minimal air tool use I gu3ss I never thought it applied to me but I drained it today and holy ****!!!! Id say a good gallon of water blew out.. I can only imagine what the inside of the tank looks like..so don't be like me. Drain those compressors!

 

[trdtaco]

Whats agood schedual to get on to drain these tanks out. Its a 60 gallon tank..

Inbetween uses is it best to keep it full? Or should I drain it when om done working.. it will go 2 weeks sometimes if I have nothing to work on.. or should I just get in the habit of weekly or monthly drains?

 

[Skandsen]

Our pneumatic AC compressors at work needs to be drained everyday. Got auto bleeds on those. I'm in the same situation as you and guess a weekly bleed is probably plenty since its not pumping too much air. Obviously it depends a bit on what the humidity in the air is

 

[trdtaco]

Im thinking weekly may be best.. 1/4 of the water was brown rest was clear so hopefully inside rank is not to bad.. is there anytjink I can do or am I worried for nothing???

 

[PCO6]

I have a 60 gallon tank too. I use and drain my compressor almost daily. I used to rely on an inexpensive automatic drain but after a year or so of use it wasn't doing the job properly.

A lot of people say that daily draining isn't necessary and they're probably right. When I shut down at night I turn off all of the breakers and that's my reminder to drain the compressor. The valve is foot operated and very accessible so it's easy to do. I have very little water draining every night.

 

[sberry]

I drain it when I read a thread on here on occasion. While mine isn't used long hours its used often and on 24/7 365, building hasn't had pressure off it in 15 yrs. The main comp has been shut off once or twice to change oil and fixed the drain at the same time.
(just heard it come on, am going to ferret out a couple leaks. I got about 200 gallons of tanks)

 

[sberry]

is there anytjink I can do or am I worried for nothing???

I have seen them with gallons of water. I had one it seems had about 5 in it, still works fine.

 

[sberry]

This business is full of little regrets and not much is perfect. We aim for the best and home for less than gross negligence.

I find myself trying to sound like an expert here,,, you should see some of the "fails" I can be pretty careful but there is human error, especially when busy, I am amazed commercial air planes fly despite everyone counting the tools.

I can think of 4,, maybe 6 times in last year or 2 where I almost kill myself or helper, one almost come loose in traffic at hi speed, another found a couple tires that got missed,, well the list is long and we try to keep it to a minimum but we do so much different stuff its a problem.

Your brush with the gallon of water is nothing to lose sleep over, in a week you wont even think about it.

 

[aka Larry]

I drain mine in my home shop after each day of use. It's VERY humid here in NC.

 

[Gary S]

I get some serious humid weather for short periods in the summer, but the rest of the year is usually low humidity. When I drain my compressor after using it, I get less than a teaspoon of water out of it. Water has never been a problem for either of my compressors here.

 

[RobSmith]

Why not just drain it after each use and leave the drain open until next time....it will remind you to close the drain

 

[chadman]

Why not just drain it after each use and leave the drain open until next time....it will remind you to close the drain

Because then you have to wait for the pressure to build back up each time you use it. I can drain my tank with very minimal air loss. No need to evacuate the entire tank.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Why not just drain it after each use and leave the drain open until next time....it will remind you to close the drain

Main reason is the huge waste of electricity that results from having to pump up the tank every day, before you use it. The second reason, related to the first is that you don't want to wait two or three or four minutes to pump up a tank just to air up some tires or blow something off. You want the air sitting there, waiting on you to use it.

Long time friend of mine, his father had a Hertz rental car and truck franchise in the town I grew up in from the early '50's after he got out of the Air Force (B-29 mechanic) until about 1980 when he retired and moved out in the country. I was in his Hertz shop a few times and he (the father/business owner) told me that one day, he realized the shop compressor (typical 5 hp 80 gal horizontal unit) was running rather often and not for very long. Finally he realized, or someone suggested to him, I don't recall which, that he drain the tank. Turns out the tank was very nearly full of water, leaving little space for air. This was back in the day when the franchise owners bought the cars outright and maintained the cars themselves. Our family bought several cars from both the Avis and Hertz franchise owners over the years.

Charles

 

[Aahz]

My company performs compressor PM's for many auto and truck shops in the Chicago area. I recently had a customer call up and he was frantic (quick oil change facility). He told me his compressor was running, but he was only getting water out of his air hoses! The guy that sold him his compressor last year was refusing to come out and warranty the compressor and how quickly could I get someone out there??!! I calmly explained that it sounds like his compressor tank is full of water and the water had probably worked it's way into his pipes. Any pressure the compressor was building was most likely forcing additional water into his lines. Rather than spending our valuable labor time and his valuable money, why not start with draining his compressor and disconnecting his airline to drain his lines? His response? "I drain my compressors at each of my stores at least once every 7 or 8 months...There is no WAY my tank is full of water"
Needless to say, I just about fell out of my chair laughing.

From an IR Brochure: (Q): How much water is generated by my air system?
(A): One 100 CFM compressor operating at 100 PSI will generate 18
gallons per day at 90° F and 50 percent RH. About 60 percent of this
moisture will be removed by the aftercooler. The remainder will pass
into your compressed air system if a dryer is not installed.
http://www.thermokingedmonton.com/air-compressor-division/articles/Compressed Air System FAQ's.pdf

DRAIN THOSE COMPRESSORS DAILY FOLKS!

 

[s_blaylock]

...The valve is foot operated and very accessible so it's easy to do...

PCO6, could you please elaborate on this? I'm interested to see/hear about your setup. Thanks

 

[c39er]

I just drained out a 1/2 gallon out of my 80 gallon today! It's been a been a year since last drain-shame on me!

 

[trdtaco]

Anyone use any kind of creative drain set up to be able to catch the water rather than blowing it all over the floor.. not room to get anything under there to drain it into..

 

[ratdoggy]

90 degree elbow, 1/4 turn valve, and some vinyl tubing . I just run mine to the floor drain in my basement

 

[PCO6]

PCO6, could you please elaborate on this? I'm interested to see/hear about your setup. Thanks

Sorry I don't have a picture but it's simply a ball valve that I can operate with my foot. Using 1/4" threaded pipe and an elbow I ran the pipe from the bottom of the tank to a convenient and accessible place by one of the tank feet and then threaded the ball valve on at the end. Another elbow directs the air to the floor.

 

[laser3kw]

good timing. I moved my Craftsman 7gallon and heard a "slosh slosh".
dragged it outside, pumped up some air and opened the drain. About 2 or 3 gallons of rusty water came out. That's for at least 12 years of indoor, heated use. The drain is tiny and way underneath. Kind of out of site, out of mind. I am going to plumb in a drain line so I can drain it a little more often......
I have also seen a solenoid valve hooked up with a delay off relay. When the compressor fires up, the solenoid opens for the delay interval and allows a quick drain purge, then shuts for rest of the comp cycle.

 

[Sureshot]

Anyone use any kind of creative drain set up to be able to catch the water rather than blowing it all over the floor.. not room to get anything under there to drain it into..

Run it up to a wall mounted outlet. As long as the air/water is coming from the bottom of the tank it will easily carry upward.

My tank is mounted 8' up on the wall and I have a rubber hose running to copper as a water reservoir with a drain on the bottom.

Every time you drain all the air from your tank you will have to refill it with more air which will bring more water. You want the compressor to run as little as possible. If you want to depressure your system install a valve on the outlet.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I'm glad you guys reminded me, I need to set mine up with a ball-valve and piping. The crappy threaded valve way underneath is a PITA, and though I usually purged my tank after every use with the old garage, I now plan to leave it on for expediancy in the new, and therefore I need a better drain system. Think I'll take care of that today.

 

[c_mccann]

I've got my 80 gal vertical with the above mentioned 1/4 turn ball valve setup. $20 in parts max, about 15 min of work. I walk by it about every week to 10 days, arc the valve a bit and watch the vapor come out. Never more than a small squirt, maybe a couple of tablespoons, but the average amount is a teaspoon. My compressor is home use only, nail guns, impacts and air gun.

 

[Falcon67]

I ran a 1/2 plastic run out through the wall do it dumps outside. I open the valve every couple of months.

 

[arrowhead]

I ran a 1/2 plastic run out through the wall do it dumps outside. I open the valve every couple of months.

Reading through this thread this dawned on me. Since I just finished a stick built garage, this is a no brainer! I used to pipe it into a large coffe car, but out the wall is way cleaner.

 

[pepi]

I have seen them with gallons of water. I had one it seems had about 5 in it, still works fine.

I do not think it is about the compressor working, it is more about the tank rusting and rupturing. That could ruin your day, but hey rock on if it works just fine good on ya.

 

[tshetter]

I have a 15gal Porter Cable compressor that runs air through a Campbell Hausfeld dryer/desiccant and then into a 100lb Manchester propane tank, which has a capacity of 23gal.

So, I've got a total of 38gal of air storage, and the propane tank is kept dry by the dryer/desiccant combo. I figured that was a fairly good solution. I purge the dryer every time I use air, which is about once a week, and purge the compressor at the drain **** about once per month. I keep the compressor turned off when I'm not actively using it.

I have one of those Harbor Freight auto drank kits, but I haven't set it up yet. Anyone have one of those in use? Thoughts on them?

And that reminds me, I need to find an air filter for the compressor...

 

[OccupantRJ]

Anyone use any kind of creative drain set up to be able to catch the water rather than blowing it all over the floor.. not room to get anything under there to drain it into..

I use hard pipe to get out from under the compressor tank, then have a valve with a piece of copper tubing attached, pointing upward, then bent back toward the floor. It is at an elevation that allows a container to be kept under the outlet at all times. When I finish my air piping project, both compressor drains will be piped outside.

 

[zmotorsports]

In my old shop I was trying to drain it once a week but the petcock was a pain the *** to get to so what started out as once a week actually turned into once a month, best case scenario.

When I built my shop at home and purchased my new Quincy air compressor I installed a 90 degree elbow and plumbed a ball valve into it before I even put it in position in the shop.

Now the ball valve is an easy foot movement to drain the tank and I do it several times a week. Easy Peazy.

On edit, let me rephraise when I say I drain my compressor several times a week. I just drain the moisture out, not dump all of the air. I open the valve until no more moisture comes out, close it and then give it one more quick blast of air to get any remaining moisture clear of the valve. I don't know if that one last shot of air does anything but it makes me feel better.

Mike.

 

[chris142]

I drain mine every day and it still rusted out

 

[1Garageman]

Do you guys wait till the tank if out of air to drain it, or do you drain it with a little bit of air in it to push the water out??? I've been letting mine get to about 20psi left in the tank and then blow it out. Is that ok?

 

[dustym]

I have a coil air hose with a ball valve and once in awhile open it up and let it out. My tank is in an outhouse on the back side of my house, so I just aim toward the gravel drive way.

 

[bullfrog123]

1/4" ball valve here too. I usually drain it once a week but sometimes maybe a month will go by. Not too religious about it.
As far as catching the water.... I just used one of the wife's old round pie pans under the drain.

 

[JamieK]

Heavy trucks with air brakes use a spring loaded drain valve thats operated by pulling a long cable located in a convenient place. My compressor always ends up with junk next to it, making it a pain to get to the bottom of the tank. I've thought about using something like that and having the cable run up next to the on-off switch . Would something like that work?

 

[JCQuick]

I drain mine about once a month. but it also only sees use on weekends

 

[sberry]

I used old salvaged copper tubing a couple valves and used fittings thru the wall.

I drain mine every day and it still rusted out

This is a good point. Its good to take care of stuff, but obsessive doesn't always make for perfect results.

 

[jayoldschool]

Heavy trucks with air brakes use a spring loaded drain valve thats operated by pulling a long cable located in a convenient place. My compressor always ends up with junk next to it, making it a pain to get to the bottom of the tank. I've thought about using something like that and having the cable run up next to the on-off switch . Would something like that work?

My little rolling compressor has exactly that for a blow off, without the pull cord. Not sure if it would work for a drain, but it would be great on a big 60 that sits in the corner.

 

[Shadowdog500]

I put a pull lanyard valve on mine and I drain it all the time now. The lanyard drain is used on truck air brake systems and work well on the bottom of my tank.

Here is a video I made when I put mine on.

Chris

 

[smokem2020]

I always wanted to run my discharge line outside, then put a whistle on it. Fog horn style

 

[EOC_Jason]

I leave mine full of air, even though it doesn't get used daily.

I will typically check / drain the water before I use it. Then if it has to pump up I'll check / drain it the next day. That way the air inside has time to cool and the condensate to work its way to the bottom of the tank.

It's very humid here in Houston so I always get water. I'm pretty diligent about it and I doubt there is ever more water than what would fill up in the pipe plumbed at the bottom.