Check out this tank rupture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm_FJ6Pat4I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVP_A7eGYxw

Glad I only have a small one in my garage.

Drain the air after use. The drain is on the bottom of the tank. This will remove water that has accumulated.

I have an old 30 gallon Craftsmen that is WAY past it's expiration date. So much rust in the tank the drain was clogged and then puked everything out all at once when the pressure came up (made a mess everywhere). Yeah, I kept using it.

Not any more, these video scared me straight for sure and I really appreciate you posting them. Besides, any excuse to buy new tools!

Notice that the tank in the video ruptured along the bottom seam. This is just a reminder to depressurize and drain water from your tank when your compressor sits idle for a while. This is because atmospheric water is squeezed out of the air when the air is compressed, and accumulates inside the tank. When pressure is up, the high partial pressure of oxygen accelerates corrosion significantly over what one would see in free air. Yes, your wet, pressurized tank is rotting from the inside out.

High pressure air - sometimes at not even that high of a pressure, if the volume is high enough, like in those compressors - is dangerous AF, as is anything propelled by it. Up until about the early 1980s this style of wheel, known as a split rim, was common on trucks.



When inflating the tire, it must be in a cage or some kind of holding/bracing fixture. You also need a long hose with a clip-on chuck so you don't have to hold it on there yourself. If the outer ring is in poor shape (and a lot of them were, because they get corroded and progressively bend every time the tire is dismounted) or it didn't seat properly, the air will blow it off with enough force to cut a man in half. Ringed, bulged or burst gun barrels due to an obstruction are also caused by the air pressure.

I got an automatic drain when I bought my new compressor. Unless you are working in a shop every day, it's pretty easy to neglect draining. Especially if the tank is not right there with you. The auto drain opens for a few seconds every hour. Just enough to blast the moisture out.

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:
I got an automatic drain when I bought my new compressor. Unless you are working in a shop every day, it's pretty easy to neglect draining. Especially if the tank is not right there with you. The auto drain opens for a few seconds every hour. Just enough to blast the moisture out.

Didn't know these existed. Have a link to what you went with? It's a great idea.

^^^^^
https://www.gosuburban.com/our...ectronic-drain-valve