Dealing with air compressor condensation

[Bird]

but it works

And that's all that really counts. But it's definitely different.

 

[grsthegreat]

You ever see those Rube Goldberg drawings from the past??? Heres one of your compressor :laughing: :laughing:

 

[JerryK]

You ever see those Rube Goldberg drawings from the past??? Heres one of your compressor :laughing: :laughing:

That's exactly what my son said the first time he saw it .....

 

[SPYDERLK]

Here is the fly in the ointment, especially when you live in a humid climate lke here in W WA. The water in the bottom of the tank is what is in the air you bring into the compressor. That air is heated from compression which actually seems to be drier (psycrometrics), still the same moisture but humidity goes down. The air cools in the tank due to the radiating surface of the tank, the water drops out and collects in the bottom of the tank. When a tank fails (leaks) it is 99% rusting out from the inside. Remember rust is oxidation. You keep adding more oxygen as the compressor runs. Even a little bit left in starts the rust process, then the rust collects and holds moisture against the steel. A quick blow is not enough, leave the valve open till you get no more drip or vapor. Do this on a cold day and it will really sink in as you will see the vapor.

So blow down often, do not let the water accumulate. I know a guy who said Ah, I do not need to do that. I went to his tank (50 GL) opened the drain, it was plugged. Blew off all the air, removed the drain valve and, got a gallon of rusty water plus a lot of rust. Told him he is a failure waiting to happen. He is now a believer. The pressure on the tank has no relevancy to the moisture, it is the cfm of thru-put. The more you use it the more water you get. The guy piping from the bottom is only assuring the piping system also stays wet inside. Threaded pipe rusts out twice as fast as you are cutting away half the wall thickness to make the thread. If you have a large system like the painter and have an air dryer, put the drier between the compressor and the tank; that is the way large industrial systems are piped. Keeps the water out of the tank and downstream piping. Remember also not all the moisture drops out in the tank, again the pyscrometrics which is way more technical than appropriate for this forum.

Ron

I found a horizontal compressor tank 99% full of water once. They didnt know to drain it and werent noticing the short cycling ...
larry

 

[Qapla]

Living in Florida water is a definite concern. We blow ours from the bottom drain on a regular basis. We open it and leave it open until the water quits coming out.

I did have to empty the tank fully yesterday, but that was because we needed to open the line for repairs/additions :thumbsup:

From what I have seen, no matter what you do, there will always b some water in the system and eventually you will have to deal with it. Draining the water on a regular will prolong the time before failure, but eventually, the rust will do it's thing.

 

[bigtiller]

To keep mine from rusting very fast, I connected a 6 foot long reinforced rubber gas line hose to the bottom of the tank and put the shut off valve on the end of the hose. I just leave the hose coiled up on the floor under the tank with the valve propped up a little to keep it dry also. This way the water drains into the rubber hose and nothing can rust. I blow it out when ever I think it needs it depending on how often I use compressed air.

 

[JerryK]

I got almost 35 years out of the original Craftsman tank by running all my airlines off the bottom tap. When the tank finally started leaking, I cut the end off it with my 7" Metabo, welded that end to the other end for a stand, and drilled a bunch of holes in the sides with a hole saw. Makes a great small burn barrel for the cabin. But boy, was that tank in bad shape on the inside. I try to run all my lines in brass and copper when possible, with brass valves. Again, works for me. Moisture in the system is a given, you just have to deal with it the best you can.

 

[pat32rf]

Knowing that A-Water runs downhill and B-condensate forms when hot air cools, I also did things a little different.
I have an old V-4 refridgeration compressor (no piston rings) that tends to pump more oil than a regular unit. I mounted the compressor under the basement stairs where the temp is fairly constant. I then ran about 4' of 3/4" pipe on a slight upward slope to the check valve and pressure switch. Any oil in this section drains back to the pump.
From the switch, I reduced pipe size and added a small ballcock drain. From there I once again went UP to the ceiling by way of curly 3/8 copper tube. By the time the air gets to the top, it is cool and any moisture runs back downhill. On the far wall I have my tank (with drain) mounted.

 

[RobJ]

I found a horizontal compressor tank 99% full of water once. They didnt know to drain it and werent noticing the short cycling ...
larry

99% that would be like a water pressure washer!

 

[Bison]

99% that would be like a water pressure washer!

What i was thinking too :laughing: