Compressor Caution


Mark J

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So I got this email last night regarding one of the club members.  His compressor tank failed explosively.

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He sustained injuries that were not life threatening, but required hospital treatment.  There was no information as to the age or condition of the compressor.  

I can't think this is very common, but apparently it is "a thing".  Not really sure how one protects against this other than to decompress and drain the tank regularly.  Might be worth siting the compressor at some distance from the work area or behind something heavy.

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Yea, a lot of details missing unfortunately.  I'd be curious about the age of the compressor and how it was used/stored.  If it was left full all the time in an environment that wasn't temp/humidity controlled, this could (and did) certainly happen.

Good reminder to drain off the tanks when not in use!

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What I find unnecessarily aggravating is the placement of the drain valve on my pancake.  I get that its at the periphery of the tank so you can reach it, but where it's placed I have to balance the whole thing on one leg to get the water out.  

Next compressor will definitely be quieter and have a thoughtfully placed drain valve.

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I like my California air one for the shop. It's no replacement for one of the big loud buggers though. I swear that California air spends more time pumping than i ever spend using air. I'd never be able to run my impact wrench or air ratchet with it. Even nailing trim or running a framing nailer would be a bit much for it. It's ok for short dusting bursts or a brad nailer

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8 hours ago, Mark J said:

What I find unnecessarily aggravating is the placement of the drain valve on my pancake.  I get that its at the periphery of the tank so you can reach it, but where it's placed I have to balance the whole thing on one leg to get the water out.  

Next compressor will definitely be quieter and have a thoughtfully placed drain valve.

Mine is like that.  I drain it every time I use it.

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FWIW, my father worked for a place in Columbus, OH in the 50s. A guy was delivering welding gas and a tank fell of the truck. The top broke off and took off like a rocket. It flew across the parking lot and through a brick wall. It stopped over the desk of an engineer who was at his desk just moments before. My father said he looked and the end of the tank would have hit the engineer in the face.

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  • 2 years later...

Anyone know if it is normal to get rust out of your air compressor when you drain it? I have a 4 year old vertical style Husky. When draining the tank I not only get brown water, but some darker flacks of rust as well. I know this is something to watch but not sure if the flacks mean it is getting dangerous. Would appreciate some feedback, this is my first time using this site. Thanks

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Depending on the typical humidity in your area, a portable compressor tank should be drained pretty often. Allowing water to accumulate will result in rust, and eventually a ruptured tank. This is particularly true of less expensive units that may not have an inner coating to inhibit rust. Large commercial compressors use automated "blow down" mechanisms to flush the moisture frequently.

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As the operator of a fire extinguisher service company, we’ve had customers bring in the tank and we would do a hydrostatic test on them, then drain and dry them. The label on the tank would have to show the original manufacturer’s test pressure. Welcome to the forum. 

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2 hours ago, dth0613 said:

Anyone know if it is normal to get rust out of your air compressor when you drain it? I have a 4 year old vertical style Husky. When draining the tank I not only get brown water, but some darker flacks of rust as well. I know this is something to watch but not sure if the flacks mean it is getting dangerous. Would appreciate some feedback, this is my first time using this site. Thanks

My guess is that flakes of rust are a bad sign, but I don't know how bad or how imminent.  Does a big tank like that have any kind of inspection port?

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