Compressor blows in garage

Here is an old tag I have in my pic file. I bought this compressor several years back, but have been reluctent to use it for all the reasons discussed here. I hosed it out when I got it, and only dust came out (we have a very dry climate here). I think it is clean, but have not gotten around to taking the snake camera to it. Maybe I will get one of those hydro testers above, they would be nice to have for several things I make.


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Probably ought to consider some PPE, like a crash helmet or a life preserver, maybe an umpire's mask and a supportive cup. At least some eye protection for the extremely obvious hazard there,


The topic is plenty serious but the vision of someone standing there wearing an umpires mask and cup has cracked me up. LOL, really.
 
Now I am worried about my Porter Cable Vertical Compressor with , 125psi, and 25gallon tank setup that I bought used 12 years ago. I think I should toss it and buy a new setup. The compressor still works fine, but I am worried about the tank.
Then why not buy a hydro pump for <$70 and test it?
 
I wonder what the condition of my 23 year old Sanborn compressor is. There was a time period where I was not draining it because I couldn't. Turns out that the drain valve was clogged with... rust and debris. I think a hydrotest is in order.
 
Last year when my compressor tank would not drain thru the petcock I removed the bung.
Yep........ full of debris!

I replaced it with a similar-sized new unit.

However, I then discovered that the NEW unit had some water in the tank WHEN I GOT IT!!!!!
Campbell Hausfeld 20 gallon, horizontal from my local hardware store.
"Assembled in USA from domestic and foreign components."

I was livid until I finally accepted that this is an inevitable nature of the beast.
They should be considered "shop consumables" with a 10-15 year life time.

I'm thinking of making a barbecue out of the old tank.

-brino

PS one other thing I have not seen mentioned yet in this thread is there are some manufacturers are making "rust-free" aluminum tanks.
California Air Tools is one such supplier that I first read about on this forum.
 
It can't be beyond the wit of man to plate or coat the inside of steel tanks, can it??

I've tested full size loco boilers with a cheap domestic pressure washer. No matter how full you think you've got it, pumping up something with an internal volume of 5000 gallons with one of those hand pumps is not fun... Be careful as even a tiny pressure washer will build the pressure up quite quickly in a small tank.

For what it's worth, we don't use ultrasonic for much more than inspecting plate thickness. Crack detection is left to penetrative dye, with hydraulic being the standard by which work is judged.
 
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
I have the small Craftsman compressor my dad bought for building his airplane in the early 1960's and I have no problem using it today. Yes, a commercial tank is definitely a good investment but Craftsman Tools used many different suppliers over the 90 years they were sold by Sears and I'll bet some of them had ASME tags.

If you bought yours cheap 20 years ago it might be time to replace it but calling everything not ASME rated "cheap junk" doesn't really provide any good info for people concerned with the safety of their tools.

I appreciate the value of industry standard ratings and certifications but that alone does not satisfy due diligence in either home or commercial shops.

John
 
It can't be beyond the wit of man to plate or coat the inside of steel tanks, can it??

I was wondering about doing my own POR-15 coating inside the new tank......but decided that I would never be sure it was done perfectly and would likely replace the tank on the same schedule for safety anyway. So why bother.

I think my next one will be an aluminum tank.
I would pay extra for stainless!

-brino
 
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