Couple of Air Compressor Questions

[Mike Goetzke]

I lived for years with an oilless compressor, but, recently got a good deal on a slightly used I-R 2-stage oiled compressor.

1) Even though the previous owner said it only has a less than 50 hours on it I'd like to c/o the oil. The manual specifies an Ingersoll oil that I would have to order. Is there a common oil all compressors use that can be found locally?

2) Now that I have a 60 gal. tank I hate to empty the whole tank down when I'm done using it for the day. I put a ball valve on the drain. Can I just open the valve and blow out the accumulated water or is it best to drain the whole tank?

..OK since this is sort of a gloat:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/My%20Tools/Ingersoll%20Rand%202340L5/th_IMG_2256.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/My%20Tools/Ingersoll%20Rand%202340L5/IMG_2256.jpg)


Thanks,

Mike

[Joe Jensen]

No need to empty to tank at night. Just open the ball valve until no more water comes out.

[Fyrman Dave]

No need to empty to tank at night. Just open the ball valve until no more water comes out.
What he said.

[Tom Veatch]

...Can I just open the valve and blow out the accumulated water or is it best to drain the whole tank?...

From a metal fatigue standpoint it's better to leave the tank charged than to daily empty it to zero pressure. Static stresses contribute very little to metal fatigue. It's the cyclic stresses that cause damage. However, if the maximum stresses are always well below the material yield stress it's likely the life of the tank isn't materially affected either way.

But that's still an awful lot of (inexpensive?) stored energy that is casually thrown away when you empty the tank and repurchased when you refill. I leave mine charged, but use an automatic purge valve to prevent condensation buildup.

[Dave Rose]

Any non-detergent, single viscosity oil, probably SAE 30 should due. But I would definitely use I-R T-30 synthetic oil if I had a compressor that sweet.:cool:

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
Nice score!
IR builds a heck of a good product.
I sold IR for a few years a long time ago.
In the time I sold them, I don't recall ever having one come back.
(our store was also the single largest retailer of IR compressors in the US during that time - so we moved a bunch of them.)

FWIW - I'm in the "drain daily" camp.

All I can say there is my ~ 20 year old, sometimes heavily used, 3.5hp Coleman oiless - gets drained at the end of each day I use it.

Since it's unusual for an oiless to work that many years - to say nothing of a Coleman Powermate lasting that long -I'll stick with what I've been doing.

[David G Baker]

Mike,
I used 30 weight non detergent oil on the one I had as suggested by the manufacturer. Non detergent oil isn't as easy to find as it once was but it is still available as is 20 weight non detergent if the manufacturer suggests that.
If you use your compressor a lot, auto drains are handy but may be a little pricey.

[John Ricci]

FWIW, I have a similar Husky compressor and use Mobil1 10w30 synthetic in it which is actually mentioned in the manual as an acceptable oil. Easy to find and it seems to work just fine over the last 2 or so years. I tend to change the oil more frequently than is really necessary but I'm prone to overkill when it comes to maintaining my tools.My .02Cdn.

J.R.

[Mike Goetzke]

Thanks for all the advice. I found out that I-R sells the T-30 oil on their web page for a decent price & free shipping.

Mike

[Denny Rice]

I lived for years with an oilless compressor, but, recently got a good deal on a slightly used I-R 2-stage oiled compressor.

1) Even though the previous owner said it only has a less than 50 hours on it I'd like to c/o the oil. The manual specifies an Ingersoll oil that I would have to order. Is there a common oil all compressors use that can be found locally?

2) Now that I have a 60 gal. tank I hate to empty the whole tank down when I'm done using it for the day. I put a ball valve on the drain. Can I just open the valve and blow out the accumulated water or is it best to drain the whole tank?

..OK since this is sort of a gloat:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/My%20Tools/Ingersoll%20Rand%202340L5/th_IMG_2256.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/My%20Tools/Ingersoll%20Rand%202340L5/IMG_2256.jpg)


Thanks,

Mike

Mike,

I noticed from the pic that there is a small piece of pipe on the side of the compressor at the outlet, do yourself a favor and leave it there and go out and purchase a good quality (paint gun quaility) receiver/dryer and attach to the pipe. A good dryer will also help to remove any moisture out of the air before it hits your tools. A good dryer will also have a petcock on the bottom of it to drain any moisture. When shutting the compressor down for the day, close the valve at the pipe and open the petcock and drain the dryer everyday, this will help tremendously with moisture getting at your tools. I own a IR 80 gallon 2stage compessor, and have had it for about 12 years, its a great compresor and will last forever if taken care of. I run the IR detergent free oil in my compressor and change it about every 100 hrs or 6 months (whichever come first) Also keep an eye on your air filter and keep it clean, a dirty air filter will cause your compresssor to run harder. Unlike a lot of posts here I will notleave compressed air in my tank, I drain mine everyday, its what I have always done and what I was taught to do. Every shop I have ever worked in one of the shutdown procedures before the end of the day was to open the petcock at the bottom of the tank and totally empty everyday. Just my way of doing it.:)

[Alan Huey]

agree with above. Moisture is the killer. bleed until dry, that is all. t-30 oil is easy to find.