Compressor blows in garage

extropic said:
A visual (borescope) inspection of the inside of a compressed air receiver is a waste of time and will tell you nothing about the safety of the tank.
Hydrotesting is the correct method to proof the tank. Most anybody with a small pressure washer can perform a competent hydrotest.

Hydrotest it yourself
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for posting that link to DIY hydro. The only thing I didn’t like was I would have made sure somehow the cement under the tank was dry. And do a real good look underneath for drips
 
I agree, it scares the poop out of me.
You'all see Kieth Ruckers take on the subject??

 
That ruptured tank sure looked thin to me- as in paper thin
I'm turning the pressure down on mine. No sense in tempting fate.
-M
 
Using a 3000psi source is also a bit scary, especially since there is some air to make for stored energy. Did you notice the jet when he opened the bottom valve.

You can buy a hydro tester that is designed to do this test for well under $100.

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I'll bet most of us have spent more than this on a tool that was only to be used once. This could be part of annual maintenance so it will be used more than once. Chip in with some local buddies to share the tester and have an annual tank testing party.
 
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Flyinfool said:
You can buy a hydro tester that is designed to do this test for well under $100.

www.vevor.com

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I'll bet most of us have spent more than this on a tool that was only to be used once. This could be part of annual maintenance so it will be used more than once. Chip in with some local buddies to share the tester and have an annual tank testing party.
Click to expand...
Wow, who knew!?!? Thanks for post that!
 
I agree that Keith didn't show the finest methodology for doing a DIY hydrostatic test, but what he showed was cheap, simple and effective.

I would have preferred to see a flexible hose between the pressure washer wand and the tank. I was hoping he had some sort of stand to support the wand handle, but he showed it cantilevered off the tank/fitting.

Into the upper bung, I would have installed a Tee fitting with the gauge in one port and a ball valve in the other.
 
The small shop compressors from Craftsman, et al, were cheaply made junk. The tanks were thin and of a rust-prone alloy. Any of them more than twenty years old are suspect. The area east of the Rockies will always have more water in the air and more rust in tanks than the west.

A commercial tank will have an ASME tag welded onto it. Those will last forever if drained regularly.

jack vines
 
Packard V8 said:
The small shop compressors from Craftsman, et al, were cheaply made junk. The tanks were thin and of a rust-prone alloy. Any of them more than twenty years old are suspect. The area east of the Rockies will always have more water in the air and more rust in tanks than the west.

A commercial tank will have an ASME tag welded onto it. Those will last forever if drained regularly.

jack vines
Click to expand...
So Jack, where would I find that ASME tag and what’s it look like? Is it big, small, easy to see/read?
 
The build data should be welded onto any commercial tank / pressure vessel . Should have what the tank was rated for , the manufacturer , the heat rating , the manufacturing date etc . It should be located directly on the tank shell as some manufacturers don't supply the pump or motors . I find what the guy did in the video amusing . If he mistakingly let that PW go up to full pressure he would have a bomb going off . We make vessels for filtering systems and hydro test each and every one . You know it when one fails .
 
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