LOL,, damn, you might check that pressure guage also..... 20 psi sounds like nothing, but take that 20 lbs x a few square inches of surface area and the forces add up. I wonder how many thousands of square inches of surface area on a 60 gallon tank. (about 2,000 sq inches?) Say 2,000 x 20 psi, impressive stored energy. Say 2,000 x 150 psi, Scary stored energy. the surface area of a valve would not be huge, but a valve in a big bushing, more surface = even more force. High pressure can be freaky.....
So I forget to do this all the time. Should it be drained untill all the air is out or just untill water quits coming out?
After I drain it I wait a couple o few minutes, tip it forward & out of the drain tube another pint or so come out.
That was called quitting time at 5:05 if not sooner at Frank Weaver Pontiac in Waco, Tx in the early 70's. When you heard the compresser being shut off and drained it was time to clock out and head home. I never had a problem with my air tools when I worked there either. In fact I still have and use the same Chicago Pneumatics 727 impact that I had then and it has never been worked on. Draining the tank on a regular basis not only saves the tank but it damned well saves air tools and related equipment.
I knew I'd forget to drain mine, so when I installed the air compressor, I removed the copper tubing going from the compressor head to the tank, and ran it through a Pneumatech dryer, so the air is cooled and dried before it even hits the tank.... The pressure switch had two spare contacts, so the dryer is wired there so it comes on with the compressor. The tank on the compressor already came with an automatic drain installed, and just in case, one was also installed at the far end of the air line.
I do once a month but I am the only one using it . Been working for me so I will stick with my method . I also drain the water separator regularly . Compressors ain't cheap and always seem to break down when needed the most ! Retro Jim
When I put in my 60gal in the garage, I made sure it was easy to drain the tank. Was all the way under it and hard to get to. Put a 90deg 1/4" pipe fitting on it, 12inches of straight 1/4" and a ball valve. Right there in front of the compressor, and easy to operate. The easier you make it, the more often it gets done.
I have always heard that the air should be completely exhausted. I stated earlier that my compressor has an automatic drain which helps a lot, but my shop has an extensive air line system that I drain every couple or few days. When I exhaust these air lines, lots of vapor continues to come out until virtually all of the air has escaped. IMO to do it right all of the air has to go at least every few days.
The Jalopy Journal
