Do you Drain your Air Compressor after each use?

i do ..

 

Always drain it and I no longer trust it either. It's a really old Sanborn 60 gal. and was "free" which probably says something about it.

 

wow I've been doing it wrong all these years!
I plan on adding this to mine soon.
http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/workshop/compressor/drain/ball_valve.htm

just so I get this straight..you only turn the valve open until the water stops comming out?
I've been draining my whole tank.
thanks guys!

 

My Industrial Air has an automatic drain on it that connects through the unloader and I have a refrigerated air line dryer for anything critical (painting, etc.) where water droplets would ruin the job. Mine drains off water vapor for a few seconds everytime the compressor kicks on. I used to not trust it and would open the manual valve when shutting down for the night but I never got enough moisture to make it worth the effort. A friend gave me the dryer, he removed it from a commercial air handling system during a remodel job at a Dillards store. The dryer was connected to the compressor that ran the Johnson controls on the heat and air system for the store.

 

Thats it~!

 

I bought a automatic valve from Harbor Freight that automaticals drain the tank every time the compressor runs. It works good and keeps the tank drained without remembering to do it. It was cheap $15.00.

 

Here are a couple more thoughts on what many people don't understand about draining condensation from an air compressor reservoir. It's taught by Bendix air brake trainers.
If you fully open the drain valve, the air pressure has the ability to make a hole through the moisture and not drain properly. What to do? Crack open the valve and let the offending moisture drain before air pressure shows you that you've done what you can.
Regions that are more humid need more attention to draining moisture. When air is compressed, the water turns to vapor and is suspended in the reservoir, the cooling unit to allow moisture to have its first chance to be removed. If the reservoir (tank) stays hot and the air is humid, you will have more problems down the air system as the air cools and the water vapor condenses. In a big shop, a secondary reservoir will catch more water than the drier that stays hot and does all it's capable of.
Bottom line---Make it a habit to drain once a day in humid areas, like where I am in Arkansas. Less so in drier areas, but still like the habit of changing your oil in your daily driver.

 

When I moved into my shop there was a newer compressor mounted on a stand above an old 50's compressor. The old compressor had a junk motor was used as an extra tank and was hooked up and operational. So I had the 80 gallon new one and a 60 gallon tank along with it. I would drain the new one every once in a while. One day I had major problems with water in the lines and I decided to drain the lower old tank. It was FULL. Yes, 60 gallons of water and compressor oil. It was NOT a fun deal. I had brownish white sludge coming out of it for hours and hours and hours and hours. It took over a week to get everything out of the tank. I am guessing that was one of the reasons the old compressor died, it must have been running constantly when in use, since they never drained it.

 

The dreaded HF - http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=46960

Only Ten Bucks. Anyone used this and have feedback?


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I've got a freind who had a compressor tank blow apart due to rust, took out part of the wall and did a lot of damage to his shop door but he didn't get a scratch. I'm sure he crapped his pants but he wouldn't admit it. I have a gardner denver compressor, drains for a few seconds after each cycle but here in oklahoma it is so humid I usually hit the manual drain also.

 

had some small compressors started draining them a lot when oil and water came out

bought a used Westinghouse 80 gallon 5 hp built in 1941 Pearl Harbor era
takes a long time to build, i just open the drain till the water stops

 

Had a similar situation back in the mid 90's in humid south Florida. I worked in a door shop and in one of the other departments the compressor would run quite often and then started getting some water in the lines. The foreman in that department asked me about it and I told him to drain it. Guess what, no drain. There was a pipe plug though. I got him a petcock and told him to drain the air pressure out and take the plug out and install the petcock. Well he forgot the part about letting out the air pressure and took off a pipe plug that was in the center of the tank not the bottom. I heard a loud noise and ran over there he was covered in a nasty brown goo and I would guess at least 40 gallons of water came out of the center hole and made a total mess of the shop. When we drained from the bottom hole another 40 or so gallons came out. It was probably never drained in many years.

 

Drain at night when done working and leave valve open till morning. Also keep a water separator in the line for painting,air guns, etc.

 

We get 75-100 inches of rain *a year* here... if I use the compressor, I drain it when I'm done. It's amazing how much water I'll get out of that thing after only 1 or 2 hours of use...

 

Drain mine after 6 beers.LOL

 

My buddy's shop used to be a radiator shop belonging to another friend and has pvc air lines that are still in there and still operational (over twenty years). Don't know what kind of glue someone was referring to, but the pvc glue actually melts the pipe and fuses it. The only thing I see that you should be careful of: secure your take offs so the plastic won't be broken by someone tugging on the hose.

 

I drain mine once a week. I only drain the water, not all the air. If you have a good drier in your line you won't get water in your air line whether your blowin shit off your arms ,face,ect. or painting.

 

i drain mine once a year and bottle the stuff that comes out. i sell it on ebay as ratrod fertilizer complete with patina enhancers.

 

I have one on my compressor and the valve works fine. The plastic tubing on the other hand is lousy, use 1/4" copper tubing instead and you will be much happier. The plastic tubing gets soft and ruptures under pressure which scares the daylights out of you. Be sure not to mount the valve laying on its side, it doesn't operate well that way.

 

TV : you should draw a diagram or a plan to show the right way to plumb a shop !!!

 

me too......

 

I drain mine after every use, but I only have a 25 gallon...

 

Mine gets drained every month. 7 1/2hp, 80gal tank, 36cfm@90lbs. All my lines are pvc, all drops have water traps/drains, and the lines used only for paint are filtered and have water seperators. There is one main filter and seperator at the tank as well. Been like this for 15+ years and never once have had a problem. When I bought this compressor new, I bought it knowing it was a lot bigger than I'd ever need, and by doing so it does not work hard nor give me any issues. I've never get more than a quart of water out of it. I've done everything from sand blasting, paint/body work, to loads of air grinder work, even have tire changers etc.

 

Idrain mine after using it sometime during use.Itook the pet cock out and put in a tank valve they use on tractor trailer air tanks with a 3 ft wire cable attached to it .I have it tied up about 18 inches off the floor,easy to pull and let the water out.So if im close by i just pull the wire cable....................YG

 

I try to drain after every use.But at my age,sometimes I forget so I check it before every use.