Pancake Compressor Drain

[Thomas Canfield]

The water drain on the pancake compressor tank is located off the bottom and requires tilting the compressor to drain the water from the tank. I'll bet most do not do that, expecially if the compressor is sitting on a shelf or under a table. Adding wedges to the base tilts the compressor so that the drain is at the bottom and then adding an ell and nipple gets the valve out from under the tank and hose to drain. I don't know why manufacturers don't address the problem and do a proper design to drain all the tank.

I can't speak to the impact on the compressor operation, but these are oil less units and operating on a tilt should not be a major factor, and I would rather get all the water out.

[Chip Lindley]

Tilting the compressor will not hurt operation! You gotta DO what you gotta DO!

Call me a pessimistic cynic, but I bet the manufacturers put these drains in an inaccessable place on Purpose. When the tank rusts out, time to BUY ANOTHER little compressor. Even my new *professional* Quincy 60 gal. vertical compressor has the small drain cock underneath, barely reachable! It won't be that way LONG though!!

[Bob Fraser]

Where I am I just bought an auto drain valve from Princess Auto, your Harbour Frieght type of place.
It releases when pressure is off, and then drains but closes when pressure in tank rises.

It won't help with the tilt issue of a pancake but it is a big help.
It never forgets to drain my 60 gal standup.It was about ten bux.

bob

[Ken Higginbotham]

I made the mistake of draining it on the driveway once, now I can't get rid of the rust stain...

[Michael Faurot]

The water drain on the pancake compressor tank is located off the bottom and requires tilting the compressor to drain the water from the tank. I'll bet most do not do that, expecially if the compressor is sitting on a shelf or under a table.


I have the same compressor, but only use it when I need compressed air somewhere that my larger stationary compressor can't supply.

The first thing I noticed on the pancake compressor was that I'd need to tilt it to drain out the water. No big deal.