Rust coating inside Quincy compressors?

[BenKlesc]

What kind of rust protection is built into Quincy tanks?

I have had a few people tell me that the Quincy compressors were built with real thick gauge steel so the tanks will last a long time. That the company also coated the inside.

My model was built in 2006. Would anyone know if the Quincy factory had any coating on the inside of the tanks to prevent rust? Or if I wanted to, would I have to coat inside myself?

It seems like it would not have been too difficult for the factory to have done it. For the money you were originally paying for these anyways, they should have done it like a gas tank.

 

[MileHighRover]

I've never heard of a company that coats the inside of the tanks. This is why every manufacturer wants you to drain the condensation from the tank AFTER EVERY USE to prevent catastrophic tank failure due to rust.

I do wonder, though, why at least some manufacturers don't coat the tanks. Maybe it's that built in fear of tank failure. I've seen a number of places that recommend tank replacement after 10 years or so. Probably a way of keeping a customer buying again and again. Not much money to be made if they only sell one to a customer in their entire lifetime.

 

[Steve_P]

Mine is 15 years old and seems to be bare inside- the water has a rust color when I drain it. The bottom line is if you drain it often enough it'll outlast you. I've seen vertical compressors that were built in the 1940s and are still in service.

 

[nomad69]

Got a Quincy 1972 60 gal tank and a 325 compressor that was rebuilt in 2014. The tank is bare but there is an antirust coating on the oil reservoir of the pump. Not sure if Quincy ever coated their tanks since they recommend draining after each use.

 

[ZRX61]

I guess if you had a brand new tank with the pump & motor dismounted it might be worth pouring some diluted Glyptal in it & rolling it around to coat the inside.

 

[American Locomotive]

Almost no air compressor manufacturers that I know of coat the inside of their tanks.

The problem is you'd need to clean and etch the inside of the tank for any kind of coating to really stick. That's difficult for most air compressor tanks. You'd have to chemically clean/etch or build some kind of giant tumbler and fill the tank with abrasive beads. Then you'd need another setup to somehow evenly distribute a coating all over the inside of a tank you can't get into.

It's a lot of extra cost, and I think most manufacturers just aren't willing to do it (since it would also cut into their bottom line with future compressor replacements).

If you contact a dedicated air tank manufacturer, they will happily apply the coating of your choice to the inside.

 

[brollona]

I don't believe that it would be that hard to coat inside of tank in factory. To prepare surface you can just sand blast it, coating you can apply with some spray trough small hole without problem. These tanks are very small so it wouldn't be difficult job. All that would increase the price, yes, but maybe not that much But how would you maintain that coating? For example, after 5-6 years coating would probably become worn on some places, then you need to repair it, but how? So nobody is actually bother about coating, corrosion is taken into consideration during calculation of tank. Thickens of tank is increased 50% from calculated one just as safety factor, then you add corrosion factor which is very small one. That is also why testing pressure is always 50% higher than working one.

If you don't drain water from tank it would fill it to the top one day (or at least to the outlet connection). In humid areas where compressors are running 24 h per day, this is well known.

 

[zendriver]

I've never had it happen, but It seems that when an air tank develops leaks from corrosion, it's from the bottom of the tank which is where water would accumulate.

Keeping the water drained seems like it would get the job done.

 

[American Locomotive]

I don't believe that it would be that hard to coat inside of tank in factory. To prepare surface you can just sand blast it, coating you can apply with some spray trough small hole without problem.

How do you propose to evenly sandblast the entire inside of a tank that only has two 3/4" access holes? Same thing with the applying the coating. Evenly coating the inside would be very difficult.

For protective coatings to work well, the entire surface needs to be prepared well, and the coating needs to be evenly applied. If you don't do those things, the coating will peel.

Edit: I'm not saying it's not possible! It definitely is, but it's a lot of work and cost for the compressor company for something that essentially means they lose out on a future compressor sale.

 

[chipjumper]

Could take an “undercoating gun” with the fancy 360 nozzle and hose and spray in a bunch of Ospho, drain it, and hook up a low-pressure high volume circulation pump at the tank inlet so the Ospho can do its work and dry out.

 

[jpaw]

Why would a compressor manufacturer cut it's own profits?
But realistically why couldn't a vertical tank be sealed prior to top being welded on? The moisture always causes an issue in the bottom of the tank. A horizontal tank the same before the last side is welded on then a quick touch up.
Really they could probably just fill the tank and then drain it, how much product would it really take...
I'm sure the inside could be galvanized if they wanted it to be.

 

[American Locomotive]

Why would a compressor manufacturer cut it's own profits?
But realistically why couldn't a vertical tank be sealed prior to top being welded on? The moisture always causes an issue in the bottom of the tank. A horizontal tank the same before the last side is welded on then a quick touch up.

Well any coating on dome and barrel would be destroyed where the weld is. You generally want coatings cover the entire inside of the tank, because as moisture condenses on the uncoated areas of the tank, it will cause rusting that will travel down and push the coating off the tank walls, destroying it.

Ever see car parts with rust under the paint? Same idea.

I'm sure the inside could be galvanized if they wanted it to be.

Welding would destroy the galvanization around the weld. It might be possible to weld the tank and then hot-dip galvanize the entire tank, but I'm not sure if that would compromise the tank?

 

[zendriver]

How about glass lining them like a water heater?

We don't usually sit up night worrying about them.

Quincy maintenance guide (at least for their rotary models) says drain tank once a week.

Sound's reasonable - to me anyway. Don't these compressors seemingly last forever, anyway?

 

[brollona]

If there would be need for sandblasting and coating those small air receivers, industry would solve "problem" of execution of such tasks within the minutes. There is nothing special about it. Your mobile phone is product of much more advanced technical achievements and yet it's so cheap that you throw it in garbage when it gets little scratched. Heck, even dentist uses small sandblasters to remove deposits on teeth.

Btw, there are galvanized and coated air receivers, but the purpose of those finishes is for applications where very clean air is required, which is definitely not required for industrial working air (in this case for powering pneumatic tools and pumping car tires).

 

[pcmeiners]

Closest you will get to protecting a compressor tank, use you imagination.....

https://www.boatzincs.com/hex-plugs-caterpillar-engine.html