Compressor Drain Recommendation

[Larry Fox]

I am getting closer to installing a compressor and in another post an automatic drain valve was recommended and it seems like a resaonable thing to do. Can anyone recommend a good, and reasonably priced one? I see that Harbor Freight has one but know nothing about it's reliability.

Thanks in advance for your time . . . .

[Bill Roland]

Grainger has one that I used last year. It is a Wilkerson Model X51-02-00. I used it on the Compressor and the air dryer. It will release after every 10lb of pressue loss.

[Bill Wyko]

On the bottom of our compressor we used 1/4" pipe with an elbo then we put a ball valve on it and brought it out from under the tank so all you do is flip the lever and drain the tank. Takes a second or two and it was cheap to build. Good luck.:)

[Greg Cole]

Same set up as Bill here... 90* fitting and a ball valve.
Freebies from the day job....:cool:

Greg

[Steve Clardy]

Same as Bill. Cheap way to drain.

I try to drain my two 60 gallon tanks once a week.

I have filters all over the place, so I don't worry if I miss a tank drain once in a while.

[Bruce Page]

Larry, I put an IR ADV on mine, see http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=17659 for details.
I love the thing. It's been a little over 2 years and the water coming out of the compressor is still crystal clear.

[Jim Becker]

I scored an IR auto-drain on the 'Bay a couple years ago and it's worked wonderfully. Easier to deal with than the HFT setup...very well made.

[Tom Veatch]

... Can anyone recommend a good, and reasonably priced one? I see that Harbor Freight has one but know nothing about it's reliability.
...

I have one of the Harbor Freight offerings on each of two compressors. One is a small 110v portable unit, and the other is a fixed 80 gal 240v unit. The auto drain valve operating mode is to open the valve momentarily each time the compressor starts, and again when it stops.

Have no complaints at all. Been installed for several months now. For the first few weeks I'd occasionally use the manual drain valve to verify their operation. Never once did I see any moisture come out during the verification check. Haven't done a manual check for several weeks now. Probably should, but they seem to be doing the job quite adequately.

[James Rambo]

I also installed drain harbor freight offers on a 240volt 80 gallon compressor. As long as the compressor has a change to get to shut off pressure occassionally the drain will work fine. When Iam sand blasting sometimes the compressor will not reach shut off pressor for 2 hours that is a lot of air to compress. And a lot of water can build up,So you have to check it at the end of the day. I also installed a drain cock after the connection of the auto drain.

[Bruce Wrenn]

HF's automatic drain isn't currently on sale, but is often available for about $9.00. I'm waiting for them to go on sale as I'm relocating compressor and vac pump to upstairs.