Just wanted to bring attention to the letter in this month’s FW (page 10) from the guy who’s compressor tank blew up and nearly destroyed his 2-car garage. Certainly made a believer out of me with respect to draining the tank each time it’s used to prevent internal rust and weakening of the tank! Thank you Mr. Pease for writing in about this experience!
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Replies
f_g, funny you should mention that, I just drained mine after a month of not doing it or relieving the pressure. Guess what, not even a drop of water came out. Oh and I did rock it around to see if it had puddled somewhere in the tank but still no water. Odd I think, maybe its just something in the air. ;-).
Steve - in Northern California
Steve, have you read that letter in FW yet? It's pretty vivid! I get water out of my PC every time -- it doesn't show in a puddle or anything, but I can hear it spttting out of the drain valve.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I havent read the letter, I havent recieved mine yet. Mine didn't even spit and I held my hand under it to see if there was any moisture and there was none, zero, nada... I do use it a lot with a blower nozzle, its a lot like draining the tank, maybe that's why.Steve - in Northern California
Gotta get me one of those nozzles to clean out the filter in my big shop vac. Actually, I picked up a blower set in the "cheap" bin at the local hardware store, but the size is radically different from my PC fittings. Have to check into adapters I guess.
Course I have a head start on you when it comes to moisture accumulation -- after all, this is the Great Northwest, and there ain't nothin' dry about our air!
Time to call it a night. You rest too, y'hear? Later!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
The guy I work for 3 days a week hasnt drained his compressor in years. honest. I told him the thing will blow one day if its not done.
I think the only redeeming factor is the whole unit will wear out before it does. It seems to be on its last legs now.
Just hope I am not around if it does go.............
Wood Hoon
Perspective people!
I'm willing to bet that there are about 20 million aircompressor tanks out there if not more. I'm also willing to bet that fewer than one in 20 gets proper maintinance. Once in a blue moon you hear about it happening. figure the odds of it happening to you,, about the same risk as lightening I figure, but then whadda I know?
Actually compressor tank explosions are common enough that I think they ought to require an easier drain method than getting on your knees to open a frozen drain ####. Large commercial compressors frequently (always) have an automatic float type drain trap. It's not to hard to rig one up. That said I haven't done it yet to my little 3 HP SEARS which has been thumping along for 28 years.
yes, the odds are slim. BUT, would you want to be standing next to one that blew? I mean million to one odds are huge, but that one is gonna come up sooner or later.
I bet everyone who was in a plane crash way out in the boonies would have said, "whadda the odds?"........ <G>
Wood Hoon
Good point Frenchy, and you are right saying this needs to be put in perspective. But then again it is still a good idea to always wear a seat belt, have eyes protected, and use a push stick -- even if the odds are you won't get hurt. I am always amazed at the people -- not you, of course ;) -- that quote the improbability of the odd for something untoward happening to themselves. . . . and then go out and play the lotto!
PMM
Go figure, I drain both of my compressor tanks about once a month, always use a push stick, wear hearing, and eye protection, but never wear my sear belt (except when I race my Jaguar or MG) I always used to wear a seat belt and still require everyone in the car to wear one.
The one exception was late one night I was distracted and never fastened it . a moment later I was hit in the drivers door at something like 60 mph. I was badly bruised and sore all over but OK and back at work 4 hours after I was let out of the hospital. when I went to get my personal stuff out of my totaled car a car very similar to mine was next to mine. There was blood and human pieces all over but it was an almost identical accident (obviously fatal) . In fact my door was just a little further over than the other door. The differance? He was wearing a seat belt. I wasn't.
Now my moral isn't that you shouldn't wear a seat belt (you should), nor some when it's your time, kinda thing. I'm just worried about jealous husbands who own shotguns once I reach 100.
About ten years ago I bought a gas powered 5HP Emglo from a framer who claimed it just didn't produce enough air anymore for $100. He didn't want to go through the trouble of getting it serviced and decided buying a new one was the better option. Go figure. Anyway , when I got it home and started the basic maintenence myself I found the pitcock rusted shut, after inquiring with the framer he told me he NEVER had drained it. When I finally got the pitcock open, the two tanks released agout 5 or 6 quarts of brown oily water! All the water was displcing the air and there wasn't any air to push to the guns. After proper store servicing this compressor works fine and I still use it today. I wonder how many framing guns he went through with this machine by pumping them full of water. What a dummy.
I hope that framer doesn't read these posts. Imagine how he would
feel being sure a fool. LOL
GTF
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