So, do you drain your compressor.

[Brian Penning]

Just picked up a Makita MAC2400. Very impressed. Especially with the quietness compared to my old PC pancake.
On that note it's made me curious as to how many folks actually drain the tanks of the moisture after the recommended each use.

[Brent Smith]

Hey Bri,

I do. Where did you pick up the Mak from? Have you checked on that molding yet? I'm just full of questions today, ain't I??

[John M. Smith]

I never drain mine.(Only when I leave a leaky air nozzle hooked up:o)Drain water out of tank occasionally, whioch reminds me I better do it.

John Smith

[Brian Penning]

Hey Bri,

I do. Where did you pick up the Mak from? Have you checked on that molding yet? I'm just full of questions today, ain't I??

Got it from Home Depot ($319). Went to Frank's suggested location and no luck there. Will contact Ideal. Tough finding mahogany moulding. Might end up making my own though it sure won't have the look of rope...lol

[glenn bradley]

I voted that I do it each use/day but I think you are talking about the moisture drain, right? If you mean the air pressure, I have a slow leak at my filter/water trap connection that auto-magically bleeds the system nicely in a few hours but is inconsequential during use.

[Jude Tuliszewski]

Being in FL and on the coast to boot it is manditory or I would have a tank full of water in no time. Even if I lived somewhere else I would still do it. On a side note, I caputure the water from my house AC and during the peak months, I get on average, 18 gals. in 24 hrs. This is no exaggeration, it drains into a 20 gal. pastic bin and will fill it every day.

[keith ouellette]

I voted when I think of it, which I haven't, so thanks for reminding me. Hope I remember when I go out to the shop next.

[Jerry White]

I voted for daily, but it is actually more than that. I have an auto drain valve that drains the tank several times a day. It must be effective, as I have never had any detectable moisture in the system.

[Steve Clardy]

PC portable, every once on a while :o
[Usually when I hear the water sloshing in the tank]

My two 60 gallon uprights in the shop, I have an auto drain that cycles every hour, set at 5 second drain

[Tom Veatch]

Talking moisture drain,I said after each use, but with an auto-drain installed, it's actually everytime the compressor cycles. But as far as bleed to zero pressure, the answer to that is "Never". My compressor is a fixed, stationary installation and remains pressurized 24/7.

[Chris Allen]

Voted for "Every day". I have the mac2400 too. Great little compressor. I almost didn't buy it, but saw it for sale on Amazon for $240 and couldn't pass it up. Even at the price you paid, it's worth every penny.

[Tony Cox]

I have an automatic drain that opens up twice per day for 10 seconds. Once in the morning and once in the evening. I can also open it manually if I feel it needs it.

I have a 60gal Eaton Compressor and it stays pumped up 24/7.

Tony

[Peter Scoma]

I drain after every use. The stories of rusted tanks exploding motivate me nicely.


PS

[John Messinger]

WOW. I have a SPEEDAIRE 20 gallon, 2HP which I purchased in 1990 or so. I have bled the tank perhaps a half a dozen times. About half the time about a half ounce of rusty water comes out, about half the time some dry rust buggers up the valve. I live in central New Hampshire where the winters lead to very low humidity indoors, hence it just does not condense very much water.

EDIT >>>> SEE POST #19

[george wilson]

Air tank explosions are very potent. I saw a picture of half of a garage's wall blown out by a big compressor that rusted through.Hole was more than 10' long,floor to roof.

The museum sold off a bunch of stuff years ago. One item was a nice looking Speedaire compressor,with a large tank. The museum weenies who used it didn't know to drain it. The tank must have had 20 gallons of water in it. There was a 2" dia. port on the tank. When the purchaser unscrewed it,rusty chips the size of a silver dollar came out,along with smaller stuff,and very brown water.

[Ray Newman]

I drain my after ea. daily use.

On my old compressor, I neglected to do so & eventually pin hole rust ate through the tank in numerous locations.

When I pruchased the new unit, I replaced the OEM drain w/ an elbow, a short extension & valve so I don't need to reach under the tank to drain it.

[Phil Harding]

[quote=On that note it's made me curious as to how many folks actually drain the tanks of the moisture after the recommended each use.[/quote]

I learned about Harbor Freight's Compressor Drainer Kit (Model 46960) from a previous thread on SMC. I've had one installed on my 60 gallon compressor in the garage for more than a year now. I just bought a second kit (15% discount coupon) for my pancake compressor.

The kit works well, automatically opening and closing the drain valve whenever the compressor sensor switch opens. I did modify it by replacing the included plastic tubing with more durable copper tubing.

-- Phil

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Tank explosions are very potent indeed. Western Nebraska is pretty close to a desert from a humidity standpoint, but I have seen the damage of an exploding tank firsthand.

My Dad was using a smaller portable compressor, maybe ten years old on one of the ranches that he worked on. The tank ruptured on the side away from him, causing the compressor to fly about ten feet and hit his ankle. It broke his foot, and he was on crutches for months.

The compressor tank was rusty, and you could see that it had split where the rust had started to deteriorate the thickness of the tank. This was maybe a 5 gallon tank, just imagine how bad a 60 gallon or so could have been.

There is a huge amount of potential energy in a compressor tank, drain the water out of the tanks regularly!

[John Messinger]

I just cracked the valve on my compressor after about 3.5 years. (I'm pretty sure I opened the drain valve just before I last moved my household.) At any rate: Hiiiisssssssss, but other than a lot of air: zero, zip, nothing, bupkis! New Hampshire: LIVE FREE AND DRY! :D :) :rolleyes: :cool: :p

[Byron Trantham]

My tank has a auto-drain system [that I installed].

[Bruce Page]

None of the above.

I installed an ADV - Automatic Drain Valve that I cycle on whenever I'm using air.
I absolutely love it.

[mike holden]

Brian,
I am ashamed to say that I have *never* drained the tank on my sears compressor since I bought it in the mid 60's. I have painted several cars, and powered air tools for 40 years. Recently, I have been considering replacing it - simply because I am getting concerned over the tank integrity.
Mike

[Anthony Whitesell]

I have an automatic drain from HF that drains each time the compressor stops, but it sits for days on end and still builds up condensation. So when I think of it I drain it extra. Even with the auto-drain, there's still some water in the tank.

[Ed Brady]

I'm one of the drain it when I think of it guys. When we lived in San Diego we had frequent bouts with the marine layer and I always found water in the tank when I checked it. Now that we are in Colorado we have finally gotten rid of the mold, tarnish and pitting on all our stuff. And guess what, my compressor accumulates virtually no water.

I think I'll find one of those automatic valves anyway. Thanks for the tip.

[Art Kelly]

I use the HF drain also. It makes water every time the compressor comes on (Florida). The water is always crystal clear. Before I had the HF valve, I used to drain manually every day (mostly) that I went to the shop.

I can't think of a reason to let all the air out of the tank on a regular basis. This would just introduce more moisture into the tank. (It only gets moisture when you pump more moisture-laden air into it.)

In two years' operation it finally got to where the valve drained continuously, so I took it apart and replaced the O-rings. Also, while apart, I noticed that the actuator piston had a tendency to get cocked a little and not seat properly. I chucked it into a rotary tool and relieved the edge a little so it would slip into the seat even if a little cocked. SFSG.

For those of you that are curious, the valve is actuated by the "Unloader" pressure that cycles each time the compressor starts. You have to tee (supplied) a piece of tubing (supplied) from the unloader circuit near the switch to the valve at the bottom.

Art

[george wilson]

There are people who eventually get surprised when their tanks get so full that they get a stream of rusty water instead of air.

Seriously,I have taught my wife and her work force to drain their compressors at the end of each day. We don't want any on the job injuries in our business.

Those noisy compressors had been a pain for years.I was always looking for a better one,but the Junn aire(sp?) ones for artists or hospitals used to be over $1400.00. No telling what they are now. I didn't want to sink that much into them. I got them a Thomas air compressor,which was a little quieter,but still loud.

A few years ago I came across a pair of the Jun Aire compressors for about $300.00 each,used. I bought both of them. They run as quiet as a refrigerator. With conversation,it's hard to tell when they come on.

These compressors must be kept in good condition,so they regularly check the oil,and drain daily. The workers only use compressed air to toot out jewelry and clean it,but the noise problem has been solved,if we can keep them running.

BY THE WAY,air compressor tanks have a life expectance of something like 7 YEARS.Did you all know that? Our old JunAires are 1986 and 1992. Their tanks still show no trace of rusty water when drained. The factory says they are not coated inside,though. But,bear this info about tank life in mind when you buy a used compressor. I knew the history of these 2 compressors. They were used in a picture framing shop to drive brad guns,so had an easy life,and were maintained. They are also extremely over built.

[Paul Demetropoulos]

Drain it every use.

[Ben Franz]

Auto drain kit on 60 gal. I/R vertical. Valve powered by compressor power so it cycles every 20 minutes for 5 seconds (programmable). It's so dry here I never see any condensate come out. Same with my portable job site unit.

[Leo Graywacz]

I drain mine about once a month. It usually has about 3-4 oz of water in it. It is a 60 gallon tank.

[Chris Tsutsui]

Those auto drain things are cool.

I have a small 4 gallon hitachi compressor that has the dual tanks. I drain both tanks after every use and leave the drain valves open. I don't know if I should close it or not, so I just leave it open.

Then I have this 33 gallon Coleman upright.

I bought it from a retired guy and when I opened the drain valve, about an ounce of rusty water came out. :(

I replaced the drain valve cause the "T" handle was bent.

I only use the 33 gallon coleman if I have to use air tools for the day or maybe a big project. I empty the tank and drain it at the end.

Again, I wish I could comfortably store the compressor pressurized and have an auto drain feature with a "lined" tank.

Both my compressors are loud. I may build a box for the coleman compressor and an elbow and ball valve to drain/purge the compressor outside the box.

[Tom Henderson2]

I learned about Harbor Freight's Compressor Drainer Kit (Model 46960) from a previous thread on SMC. I've had one installed on my 60 gallon compressor in the garage for more than a year now. I just bought a second kit (15% discount coupon) for my pancake compressor.

The kit works well, automatically opening and closing the drain valve whenever the compressor sensor switch opens. I did modify it by replacing the included plastic tubing with more durable copper tubing.

-- Phil

I'm a little slow on the uptake today ....

What triggers the autodrain? It appears to be a stand-alone system...

-Tom in Ventura

[Rod Sheridan]

I drain my compressor after every use, which works out to about 5 times a year........Rod.

[Bruce Page]

I'm a little slow on the uptake today ....

What triggers the autodrain? It appears to be a stand-alone system...

-Tom in Ventura

Tom, here’s a link to what I did. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=17659
It’s an IR brand ADV that I mounted under the compressor. I can set it to cycle every 3 min to every 45min. I wired a simple on/off switch so I just turn on the ADV when I’ using the compressor.

[george wilson]

Be careful about putting the compressor in a box. It may cause it to overheat. I had thought about the same thing,but experienced maintenance staff at Williamsburg warned me about the overheating issue.

[Bill Stoffels]

I just came to find a new Quincy QT-5 compressor for sale at close out its was 50% off of new
these are bigger than I was looking for with 175 psi rating and 17.2 CFM at 175 psi.
There one hell of a nice compressor.
I just junked an old one due to tank intergrity and highly recommend that you drain it weekly
Bill

[Chip Lindley]

I drained mine only when I thought about it! After Too Many years I got around to replacing the electric pressure switch on a Campbell Hausfeld 2cyl. 13gal. unit. Until then the compressor ran when I plugged it in and stopped when I unplugged it. But when the new switch built up 100psi and shut the motor off, I had a nice pinhole leak at the bottom near the butterfly drain.

A farmer friend suggested running a fat sheet metal screw and rubber gasket material into the weak spot to stop the leak. It's working BUT I still have a rusted 13gal. tank after 25 years! I doubt my tank will explode but it may spit out the sheet metal screw one fine day! At least its pointed at the floor! One must REMEMBER to drain their portable everytime they coil up the hose, even as INconvenient as it may be.

I just acquired a GLOAT 60gal quincy 2-stage for $400!!! Amazing that this nice compressor had the standard butterfly UNDER the tank, almost inacessible for draining! While the unit was still on the pallet, I installed an El and length of 1/4" pipe to extend beyond the base ring which *conveniently* had a 3/4" cutout already in it. A nice brass shut-off cock was attached. Now Easily accessible!! Since the compressor is in the corner, more pipe and a hole thru the shop wall will blow the water Outside!

But, an Auto Drain would be DaBerries! (thanks for the above suggestions!) I don't want this nice compressor rusting out before I am ready to bequeath it!

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Chip, you need to park that old compressor. The pin hole on the bottom is where the rupture will start, and it will lift the compressor as it explodes. These are not worth fooling around with, see my earlier post.

I'm no safety junkie, in fact out of the last 16 years of wood working, only in the last 1/2 have had a tablesaw with a shield or splitter of any kind. Never felt it was needed. AC tanks though, thats like having a bomb in the shop with you.

Cut apart a tank with a pin hole sometime. A hole that you can hear is a good indicator of massive corrosion in the tank. It's suprising how bad they can get.

Sounds like you have a great one in the waiting.

[David G Baker]

I use my portable oil less compress or most of the time and when I do it gets drained. I do not have my larger oil compressor on line but when I do I will hook up an auto drain that drains every time the compressor kicks on. I also have a float drain that will drain automatically when the water in the globe reaches a certain height.