True or false - compressors

[wcndave]

I bought a large and small tacwise electric brad nailer set a few years ago when on offer. When I came to use them years later they couldn't drive a pin through pine! Completely useless.

Recently I was at a shop where the guy cleaned all the gunk from machines with an air pistol so I have taken the plunge.

Got a makita ac1300 20l 10 bar.seems a nice little unit. A makita af505 18 gauge brad it's on the way.

As usual the instructions would have been more valuable written on rice paper!

A few questions.

1. Normal for the device (pistol right now) to bleed when on?

2. Can I leave outlet valve off with machine on for extended periods so no bleed and ready when I need?

3. Says that at night I should bleed by pulling in out air. Makes no sense...do I need to bleed using outlet at bottom of can and is out the way? Seems more an emergency release. Also says I should bleed water every four hours by tilting, however can't see where it would come out..

Thanks

 

[wizard]

There are three ways to look after a compressor, the right way, the wrong way, and my way. My way is a bit like the wrong way i switched it on about ten years ago and i only turn it off every 6 months when i drain a pint of water out of it. do not do this at home.

 

[carlb40]

Can't help with all the answers, but there will be a drain valve on the compressor somewhere. Open that up after finishing as it lets the moisture in the compressed air out of the tank, to avoid internal rusting of the tank.

EDIT
Just looked at the manual, to drain it yes you use the valve at the bottom. No 2 in the pictures.

 

[ColeyS1]

Interesting thread. Recently had a concerned neighbour come in to shop and was querying where we get compressor inspected. He'd been surfing the net and became concerned his 20+ year old compressor that he has in his garage may have got corroded inside the tank. Before speaking to him I'd never considered they may have a shelf/service life before becoming dangerous. He's got an inspection arranged for it in the next couple weeks so will atleast be able to sleep easy after that. Apparently when he ran a commercial business it was an annual thing that he had to get a certificate every year :|

 

[marcros]

At work we have to have compressors and pressure vessels inspected periodically. That is at least annual- I think some are more frequent. I don't know whether it is insurance driven or legislation and the insurance inspector carries it out. It is a while since I arranged the contract for the maintenance dept. the insurance inspector only comes every 2 or 3 years where it is fully dissembled to allow the inside to be inspected

Personally I don't use mine a huge amount so just let the air out when I am done in case there is any water in there. I do get a bit of bleed from tools, but I don't think you should if everything is tight and ptfe'd.

 

[theartfulbodger]

How much pressure are we talking about?
I have a divers cylinder in the garage which is filled to 232 bar, some are 300.

It has to be in test before anyone will fill it.
If it rusted from the inside out and let go I think I might lose my garage door, windows, eardrums and might even wake the dog up

 

[wcndave]

Mine is ten bar which is 145 psi. I will have a look at picture two.and check the tools again. Thanks, will update.

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[rafezetter]

There are three ways to look after a compressor, the right way, the wrong way, and my way. My way is a bit like the wrong way i switched it on about ten years ago and i only turn it off every 6 months when i drain a pint of water out of it. do not do this at home.

^^ this - when your compressor is running it will create moisture due to the friction of the air, leaving water in the tank + Oxygen = rust, not so good.

to answer you, it depends on how often it will be cycling (on / off), more cycling = more water. There is a bit of a way around this insofar as you can make filters for your intakes that both filter the air better and reduce the moisture content (if you're spraying 2pack paint cleaner / drier = better). Bad news is you can't just leave them on - they have to be fitted at use then removed and fully dried out.

For that effort you might as well use normal filters, a moisture filter / drier box further down the air line, and just keep emptying the tank like you're 'sposed to !

Oh and a fully pressurized tank going bang due to rust fatigue, even a 20litre one will make a real mess of whatever is nearby / including your trousers.

 

[rafezetter]

How much pressure are we talking about?
I have a divers cylinder in the garage which is filled to 232 bar, some are 300.

It has to be in test before anyone will fill it.
If it rusted from the inside out and let go I think I might lose my garage door, windows, eardrums and might even wake the dog up

I would personally keep something like that in a buried storage area, on its own. 300 bar... seriously that's ridiculously dangerous.

 

[wcndave]

So I found a warning underneath the tank (good pace to put it) which points to the under tank valve as being where to drain. It suggests I tip the tank however it seems to right at the bottom so not sure why necessary.

Ideally I would turn it on once a week, let it fill. Turn off and use to dust down benches and machines until not enough pressure. I would drain and fill weekly and leave the unit off, but full for a week.

Not sure how much condensation that would cause.

When I have specific jobs with brad nailer, I would have on for the session.

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[ColeyS1]

Our airline system leaks a bit buts it's on all the time- well it's connected to immersion heater timer to come on in the morning and switch off at night. Apparently hearing compressor come on at 3 in the morning was disturbing sleep pattern - woops, sorry I drain it when ever im near it, no definite schedule. Sometimes get half a cup, sometimes next to nothing.

When neighbour came in originally saying about video he saw which blew out a concrete wall, I did look at compressor differently even thinking I should perhaps cage it in. The end of his story mentioned a mixture of petrol fumes playing a major role in 'the bang' makes you think though !

Edit: a quick Google of ' air compressor explosion' looks like to make some interesting afternoon viewing......

 

[billybuntus]

I've used to have a compressor and had a water trap fitted on the output side. It collected a fair bit of moisture and prevented my tools getting water inside them. Also important if your spraying. Keeps the air quality up and means no crap mixing with your paint.

 

[wcndave]

I don't think this is big enough for spraying, and I have an earlex once I get the hang of it. This will mainly be for brad guns and dusting.

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[Hemsby]

On a commercial basis it used to be normal for insurance companies to require “ANY” air receiving tank to be inspected annually by a qualified person with a certificate of safety issued on completion .

This used to be by an external examination visually and by tapping the tank mainly at the bottom and up the lower half of the tank, with a small hammer. Additionally if there was a removable plug in the tank it would be removed and the inside inspected with a long mirror with a light attached.

The advice I was given regarding draining was to get the compressor tank to full capacity then open the drain tap in the tank to expel any water.

Regards

 

[Fatboy]

How much pressure are we talking about?
I have a divers cylinder in the garage which is filled to 232 bar, some are 300.

It has to be in test before anyone will fill it.
If it rusted from the inside out and let go I think I might lose my garage door, windows, eardrums and might even wake the dog up

I would personally keep something like that in a buried storage area, on its own. 300 bar... seriously that's ridiculously dangerous.

Thats not unusual for dive bottles, they are built to withstand very high pressure seeing as its going to be strapped to a divers back while under 20+ meters of sea - safe as houses.

 

[Duncan A]

As already stated by others, the air receiver (tank) should be drained regularly when in use, to prevent build-up of water in the bottom of the receiver, and carry-over to the outlet. If water is left in the receiver, it is likely to cause internal corrosion and eventual failure. The internal coatings should prevent this, but nothing lasts for ever, so old receivers are more at risk than newer ones.

How frequently should you drain the tank? This depends upon how much it runs and upon the level of humidity in the atmosphere. A hot muggy day in summer will produce far more water than a cold dry day in winter. If in doubt, give the drain a quick squirt to see what comes out. In general, it is better to only open the valve a bit, in order to lessen the likelihood of an aggressive swirl action inside the receiver, which can cause erosion in the area of the valve. I would imagine that the advice to tilt the receiver is for a horizontal cylindrical receiver, just to make sure that all of the water runs to the drain position.

As an aside, many compressors have to be blown down regularly in use; failure to do this on breathing air compressors can lead to water carry-over and shattering of filters designed to ensure clean air for breathing. Although you won't be using the air for breathing, you can see that water in your air is not a good thing and it is desirable to keep it as dry as possible.

Duncan

 

[Shrubby]

2 issues here
Compressors do go rusty from the inside and explode - google compressor explosion
Dusting with compressed air ?? - do you intend to collect all the dust by inhaling it yourself ?
Matt