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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Compressor safety

Does anyone know of, or heard of, a compressor tank ever catastrophically rupturing? I am referring to the "home workshop" quality of tanks such as those sold by Clarke, Machine Mart, B & Q and more recently even by Aldi and the like.

The reason I ask is that there is UK (possibly EU ? !) legislation that applies to what are classed as "Pressure Vessels" in commercial use, requiring that they are inspected at, I think, 3 yearly intervals. The inspection includes an internal examination of the tank - presumably done by endoscope. I was once advised by an engineering Inspector that he couldn't test a small tyre compressor at work as there was no tank access point. He agreed to sign the certification on that occasion but advised that the compressor should be scrapped and replaced with new every 5 years. I always thought he was being overcautious because he had to personally sign it off.

I have never heard of an accident of this sort. Many of these lightweight DIY quality tanks must still be in use after 20 or 30 years. If commercial ones were being replaced every 5 years there should be a flood of excellent second hand ones on the market!
GuyW

I had a portable air tank commonly called an "air pig". It had a life span stamped on it indicating it should not be used after a certain date. Same thing appears on a wheel chock I have as well as on propane cylinders.

Might be some safety concerns if the air tank is not drained after each use but never heard of one rupturing before.

As for the chock, might be just a way of getting you to buy another.

Clare
Clare Ravenwood

We had what I would call a near-miss in February last year. I was working in Castlebay and decided to clean out and service the wee compressor.

Clare's point about draining the receiver of condensate is very good. This had not been done and when my mate John unscrewed the taper threaded plug from the bottom of the receiver the female thread was so corroded it effectively crumbled to dust.

The station manager wanted me to weld the plug in, but we talked him into scrapping it and buying a new one.

By the way they have been known to rupture catastrophically. I found this:

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/general/air-compressor-tanks-do-explode-284288/

I think the legislation you refer to is in PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment regulations); part of the Health and Safety at Work Act which superseded the Factories Act and is fully integrated with EU law, but only legally applies to industrial settings. There's nothing I know of to stop people having dangerously defective equipment in their own garages except their own commonsense.
Greybeard

Yes, it was the PUWER regs I was referring to. Thought I would ask here for real -life incidents rather than rely on a pretty vague hazard possibility in an engineer's mind from some 15 years ago. I don't believe in being cavalier of H & S but equally don't succumb to the Chicken Licken mentality of the sky might fall in!

So that's one possible near miss?
GuyW

Wow, how lucky that chap was to have a grandson so level headed, quick in his reactions and knew what to do first-aid wise, yet still his grandad spent 3 months in hospital and will never be the same.

Great commentary to the video and well done on him trying to spread the message.

A direct link to the video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVP_A7eGYxw
Nigel Atkins

I firmly agree Guy. About a sensible realistic approach to H&S.
It seems to me that the key is a little preventative maintenance. Just purge it out and a quick shufti at the threads wouldn't hurt.
Even so it's common to see industrial compressors in their own little outbuildings and sometimes in a cage, just in case. IDK if there's any rules about that. But in a domestic setting like ours a sympathetically maintained unit wouldn't worry me too much.

The only actual failure I can remember seeing (thankfully from several hundred yards away) was a pillar valve thread stripping in a 250bar dive cylinder in about 1975, while it was being filled. Thankfully nobody was hurt, but there wasn't much left of the steel water tank the cylinder was in, to keep it cool while charging.
Greybeard

Ive never heard or seen one detonate except in the movies

PERSONALY I dont belive its possiable for one to explode under normal uses and conditions

The biggest flaw in from wearing out useage is the tank RUSTING ...And tanks do rust from rhe condenstattion build up ... and they get A LOT of water in a tank if there not bled off

The problem with rust it takes along tine to devolop and weaken a tank... the process is so slow that when the day of ruppture occures the metal will be so weak and pin holed that the point in which the needle hits the ballon wall will be the eqivalent of the pressure relief valve being triggered ... it will just blow a small hole in the center of the rust and all the air will shoot out over a few secound of time...

So the tank will never actually explode like a ballon.. its going to be more like a valve being opened

Now that said ... if you go monkeying around with the system, remove the blow off valve and rig up a powerful comperssor unit so you can force 1000 psi instead of 200 psi.... yeah then your going to see a bomb go off

But i got a shop 10 hp compressor from sears thats 40 + years old i got used 30 years ago and its still compressing and holding air just fine... i always bleed off the air when im done and DONT use it as an anvil for metal work
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its actually the pressure systems regs (or maybe they're now a part of PUWER)

Bit of light reading here including some good common sense practices.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pUbns/priced/l122.pdf

There's a lot of stored energy in compressed gases - a tyre fitter was kiiled in Canterbury a couple of years ago when the tractor tyre he was working on exploded

tim
timmyk

Of course i just typed all that out and saw the video posted by nigel

So i dont know what to think after seeing that

Looking at the parts of the tank its not that badly rusted ...obviously blew out along the seam that was located on the bottom of the tank and it ripped the entire length of the tank and then riped the 2 ends caps off

Im wondering if the compressor malfuntioned and was not able to shut off and just kept filling the tank

If the compressor wasnt malfuntioning and operatimg as normal then the rust was very consentrated EVENLY over a wide area, as in THE entire lengrh of that seam

Obviously this is also a very isolated occasion and not the norm which lends crediability this was a defect in the compressor unit its self or some DIY modifications or incorrect repairs

But im not a mechanical engeneer... but if this is the result of rusted out seam a long the entire length then we would see this with alot more commonality and it would be a huge national class action law suit

Looking at the parts and the rust in that tank plus the amount of time it took for that tank to fill up... i think there has to be more to this video we are not being shown

But ... something to be in the back of the mind... im kind of glad my everyday work compressor got stolen now ... it was a good 10 yeas old and showing some signs of wear and i had been consedering retiring it because of that

Thanks nigel for that video thought of the day


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This is not about a rusty cylinder but 3 tanks of oxygen that fell on the floor from the rack in the noseweel well on a DC4. One tank went straiht up through the hangar roof-second tank fell on the floor and spun in place till empty.
The third one took off across the hanger some 75 feet till it went through cement block wall crossed a ten foot alley and proceeded through another block wall and plowed into the water tank on a fire engine.
Appparently somebody loosed the bolts on the tie down strap.
Thankfully there were no casualties.
It's scary the power enclosed in pressure tanks.
Sandy
S Sanders

Holy moly, Sandy. That lot could have really spoilt someone's day.

By the way I think the expiry date stamped on cylinders usually refers to a re-test date. Dive air cylinders (and O2, helium &c) have to be inspected and hydro-tested periodically. The date stamp reflects this. I think the same is true of propane cylinders and the like.

But I have never heard of a requirement to scrap and replace cylinders simply on the basis of age, as Guy's inspector advised him and I used to do hydro-testing in the late 70s when I worked for a dive company in Aberdeen.

It may well be true, but it's a new one on me. I wonder if the inspector was erring on the side of caution? Hmm - interesting.
Greybeard

Greybeard.
I feel that you are correct in the date.
Our daughter owns a fire safety company and the date on those cylinders is for hydrostatic retesting.
On an average month she replaces many twenty pound tanks that have reached their date as it costs more to hydrostatic test and refill than a new tank.
These older tanks can be used safely for non commercial users. There are companies that purchase all those units.
I have often wondered whether they leave the state and are hydrostatic tested by pen only.
S Sanders

<< I wonder if the inspector was erring on the side of caution>>
Yes, I believe this was the case. Strictly he wasn't recommending scrapping because of age, but scrapping because he wasn't able to inspect the inside of the pressure vessel and provide an opinion as there was no access point, Splitting hairs but logically a different standpoint.

I think his position was that the integrity of the tank was the manufacturer's responsibility to certify, when new. But as time went on the manufacturer had less responsibility having no control of how the tank was used.

Still leaves me with a dilemma - whether the time has come to replace what appears externally to be a perfectly serviceable item!
GuyW

Streuth fellas, this has me worried! My Airmate 100 litre compressor is eleven years old. Hasn't had lots of use, but is drained frequently, and not left full. Never been tested, and is in the usual 'garage' location - close to where you are working. Should I be worried? John.
John Hutton

John, that's a mere youngster! My expectation is that dozens of followers of this BBS have compressors a good deal older than that! But no-one is as yet coming forward to say that they replaced theirs purely as a precaution. But then neither is anyone saying that their compressor tank blew up. Yet!





But





Maybe those that did are no longer with us to tell the tale. :-(
GuyW

I'm worried - mine is near the bench surrounded by all my collection of scrap metal off cuts etc - or should I call it shrapnel?!

I've seen the results of a split rim aircraft wheel exploding at about 200 psi, it got halfway through the safety cage designed to protect the guy that had forgotten to tighten all the bolts!
John

Guy.
Cleaning out the tank and having a hydro-test done would give you a bit of peace of mind. Anywhere that services dive cylinders could do it in a jiffy. Even a peep inside with an endoscope might reassure you. We talked about those recently if you recall. They're ridiculously cheap now.
That said the bloke I help out with tyre changes just bought a new compressor last summer that I found on the 'net for him. It was an absolute bargain; IIRC it was a "Hawk" brand and had a fairly big tank - 100 litres I think. It's worth having a look around if you fancy a new one.

Out of sheer nosiness I just went looking and spotted this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/COBRA-AIR-TOOLS-24L-LITER-AIR-COMPRESSOR-9-6CFM-2-5HP-5-PCS-KIT-8-BAR-POWERFUL/331627074622?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D40656%26meid%3De1e878d33a0d4e3489d33ac82c8c9a12%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D282297541541

I have no idea if it's any good; I just thought the price was amazing.
Greybeard

I think you have to keep in mind, this is very rare... consider how many compressors there are world wide

And i dont remember any recalls or clwss action law suits, and lawyers will sue a company because the red on a tamtoto was not red enough

I think this is just so rare its nothing to loose sleep over

If anyone in socity was aware of this... it wood be us, or at least a few of us (clair dosnt count cause she is a womam.... and haha)

Prop
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I've only ever witnessed two air ----events

First one was an oxy welding bottle
It got pulled over while a bloke was cutting scrap steel up, the gauge set broke off the top of the bottle when it hit the floor and shot off like a bullet through the wall of the shed and landed about 50 mtrs down the yard, and the force of the oxygen coming out the end of the bottle slid the bottle probably 5mtrs along the floor till the bottle hit the wall--it took seemingly forever to empty itself and luckily no other damage

Second was a crew member with a brand new spun alloy race rim 15" dia and 15" wide with a brand new tyre getting fitted on it- to get you in the picture the rims are mostly offset outwards and the valve is well inboard out of the way so it doesn't get damaged during wheel rubbing that happens during racing
So the tyre is on and as usual the wheel/tyre assy is bounced on the ground to puff the tyre out towards the bead a bit---these rims have fairly pronounced safety beads--then he sticks his hand in the frontof the rim to blow the tyre up, it was a fairly tight one to get on and one side had popped at about 50 psi and he was up to about 60 trying to get the other bead on and the actual rim exploded inwards---what a mess, his arm from the elbow down looked like a can of baked beans, it took months for it to heal up and even now you can still see all the little marks in his skin
The doctor told him how lucky he was not to loose his arm-but I suspect he doesn't feel all that 'lucky'
William Revit

Our compressor tanks are examined every year under the insurance scheme we have. Pressure released and end caps off for visual examination. We have never had a failure under the insurance or an advisory. The max pressure and cutoff pressures and blow off valves are checked.It probably helps we have to have them examined each year as threads etc are checked over and cleaned before reassembly. In 30 years we have never had a receiver failed. We have always ended up buying new complete compressors due to wear and tear of motors/pumps/electrics. I reckon we have had 4 or 5 compressors in 30 years. We always have two compressors the older one acting as back up till we buy a new one then the older one whichever it is becomes the back up again.

Peter
Peter Burgess Tuning

One of my best friends is in hospital right now because of a ruptured cylinder. The cylinder had been dropped and the valve damaged. The valve was replaced, but during the first refill the cylinder ruptured at the valve. We assume the cylinder had a hairline crack from the fall, but that will be determined when the investigation is complete.

The valve hit him in the chest, fracturing his breastbone from his ribs and creating a compound fracture on one arm, then continued to bounce around the walls and off the ceiling and back down to break his other arm.
Dominic Clancy

Guy - feeling reassured after your comment.
Just putting air in my tyres, with er, a foot pump!
John Hutton

Ok so what am I looking for? Mine's 20+ years old, used infrequently, always drained (of air) and last year I removed the 'sump' plug, no water (or anything else came out) and it doesn't appear rusty.
Was bought from Shiremoor compressors in Newcastle who are still going strong.
Looks something like this, small 24 litre.
(Actually cheaper now then when I bought it, may try the 50 litre...)

Jeremy MkIII

Jeremy,
It's when you vent the pressure off that the moisture in the air condenses. That's why it's important to drain any condensate regularly. Otherwise the next lot of condensate just adds to it and so it builds up.

In your place I think I'd take out the bottom plug again and poke something through the hole just to be certain it's not plugged with rusty gunge. Not saying it is, but it's such an easy check.

If it's good and dry and the cutoff switch and delivery regulator are working okay I wouldn't worry any more.
Greybeard

In industry the equipment is inspected by the Insurance Inspectors along with lift beams, shackle and various other bits of kit. THat goes back long before PUWER regs.
I would imagine domestically if you had a failure which caused damage or injury there would be an legal liability.
Graeme Williams

A useful discussion anyway. At the least it serves as a reminder to check equipment of this sort, bleed off the condensate regularly and to treat it with respect. - not the condensate, that is just yukkie,(technical term) I mean treat the compressor with respect, Sir.
GuyW

Thanks Greybeard,
I'll do that in the morning, however I'm tempted on one of these, it delivers more cfm than mine too.
http://www.sgs-engineering.com/air-compressors/sc24h-24-litre-high-flow-air-compressor
Jeremy MkIII

Good grief jeremy


How do you sleep at night... at that price im fairly sure that could be considard as theft

Haha

Prop
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Ive been thinking about this last night and today... some thing else that now scares me... have you noticed how badly cheap these arw being built and look at the defects we encounter just for our parts

How safe is the new stuff ?

Im thinking from now on im going to get a collapsable metal wire dog cage and put my compressor in side of it weather im inside rhe shop or on the job site

It wont fully contain or cure an explosion but it will certianly slow the explosion down


Prop
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Graeme, I have 2 compressors, both are probably beyond their life expectancy date. That SGS one looks quite good at the price (but note that it excludes VAT), but I would pay the extra for the 50 litre tank version.
GuyW

Prop.
Your dog cage idea isn't bad at all.
I have one stashed in my garage. I've been wondering what to do with it.

As to the low prices vs the quality, IDK. But even to offer the kit on sale it has to conform to standards so I thank providence for Chinese engineering.

Haha! But I like the dog cage idea. Neat. Cheap.
Greybeard

I doubt if a dog cage is going to contain much at all if a 200psi compressor tank ruptures.Waste of time! The safest arrangement would be to house the tank in a separate part of the building or outside the main building under a weather shelter, and plumb in a fixed feed pipe through to your workshop.
GuyW

Guy,

with VAT it's only £90 incl next day delivery.
The 50 litre is £120, don't think I need that based on my usage over the last 20ish years.
Jeremy MkIII

Jeremy,

The price would put me off it being a quality unit as I've seen compressors of that ilk self destruct in the compressor department. I would also question the fact that they quote the motor power or power consumption as 1.5kW (2hp) and quote the engine size? as 2.5hp, so I think something doesn't add up. Personally I would always go for a belt drive compressor which should have a longer life and run quieter. All the direct drive compressors I've run into are noisy as hell and I only use them as they were free to use so I tolerated the noise.
David Billington

Guy, good idea to put your air tank in an out building but what could happen when you walk into it? Like having a bomb waiting to go off.

I was walking my dog when a lorry tyre let go on the motorway across from me, about 75 feet away. I heard the huge bang and felt the shock wave as it hit me. Those tyres have about 105 psi in them and that was something.

My home compressor has a cut off switch when 125 psi is reached and even 125 is still pretty strong if it decides to suddenly "go south" on me.

When I have used mine, I open the drain valve and leave it opened until the next time I use it. Apart from draining the condensate out, it relieves the built up pressure on the air chamber so that it is not under stress all the time. As pressure builds, I test the safety valve and I should be good to go.

There are so many things in our daily lives that could kill us if not used properly and the list is almost endless. Even water can be lethal!

Oh, by the way Prop, I did read your comment. Ever see the idiots doing stupid stuff on motorcycles, skate boards, bicycles etc on You Tube? Notice most of them are male? Enough said. (lol)

Clare
Clare Ravenwood

Dominic
How is your friend going-everything going to be ok - ???
I wish him a speedy recovery
Cheers
willy
William Revit

Prop, LOL! It is a steal but suspect you get what you pay for, however it has a 2 year guarantee.
David, yes a belt drive will be a far superior machine and will no doubt last a lot longer but suspect will be a lot more expensive?
The direct drive compressor I've had for 20+ years is still going strong, probably because it's used only irregularly, predominantly for painting and tyre inflation so it's the tank which I have concerns about.
Still you get what your pay for and if the replacement lasts for 20 years that'll do me :)
Jeremy MkIII

I have a 14cfm compressor driven by a 3 kw motor - it lives in a the store around 80 yds away from house & garage. Not just for safety - it is less noisy than having it beside you in the worshop!

Might give the foxes that live behind it a bit of a fright if it ever went off... 8-)
Chris at Octarine Services

My friend left the hospital today to spend the next four weeks in rehab - the Xray of his hand and arm looks like a robot there is so much metal in there. He can already move his finger and has feeling in them so the prognosis is good.

Dominic Clancy

Have decided to buy a replacement and have settled on this
http://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Cotech-24-Air-Compressor/18-3427
The two reviews aren't too hopeful but at less than £30 I couldn't resist. It even has a 2 year guarantee! Admittedly the output isn't going to drive many tools but I won't use it for that, it'll do a bit of painting and tyre inflating and if it breaks, I'll send it back or buy another!
Prop I'll have difficulty sleeping at night now. LOL.
Jeremy MkIII

Jeremy,

There are children working 16 hour days in china that will go to bed hungry tonight because of that pricing.

Haha

To add to my collapsiable dog cage idea, whag about a heavy tarp over the top of the cage

Agian it wont contain the blast but id hope slow it down certianly has to be better tthen left in the open

Im not sure i like the idea of storing it out side... i think that could cause more issues then keeping in doors

Maybe build its own closet for it


Anyone care to take a guess what would be the safe distance for a blast zone

Im going to start with a guess of 20 feet (7 meters)

Sorry clare...haha

Gray... thanks for the support

Prop
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Prop,

hahah!

You're in Missouri, I'm in the UK, that's safe for me :)






































Jeremy MkIII

Prop, I think you are being a little too paranoid.

These things are not blowing up all the time and in fact I had not heard of this until now although it has obviously happened in the past.

If you drain it daily after use, make sure the safety valve works, keep it well maintained and do not modify it in any way from the manufacturer's original build, you should be quite alright.

Even if you decide to put the compressor in a reinforced concrete bomb proof bunker, sooner or later you will have to approach it to do some form of maintenance on it. What would be the odds that was the time it decides to blow the tank?

Keeping it in sight will allow you to maintain and inspect it and see any exterior deterioration hopefully before you have a problem.

If you think there is a problem with it, do not use it until it is inspected by a qualified individual or scrap it but make sure it cannot be salvaged by drilling and cutting the holding tank. Make sure it is empty first before you drill it!!! (lol).

If you want to have fun, disable the pressure switch and the safety valve, put it a long way from you and power it up. See how long before it blows up. Mind you if you do this and it doesn't blow, you have basically a delayed action bomb sitting there then what do you do?

Clare

Clare



Clare Ravenwood

I agree Clare. We shouldn't get too paranoid about this. Scary failures are possible, but very unusual.

My local gas station also sells propane cylinders and they are kept in a cage, not much more than chicken wire. This is not to contain a blast - just to restrain debris.
Everything I've looked at about this suggests that if a tank fails it tends to separate into big pieces rather than tiny shrapnel, usually closely related to the original weldments. So with due respect to Guy I stand by the cage idea. The blast energy will dissipate in accordance with the inverse square law, but flying chunks of steel are less forgiving.

At the end of the day though the key is to do the simple stuff. Keep it dry and clean and probably the motor will die long before the receiver gives any concerns.

But it's been an interesting discussion. I do enjoy this stuff.
Greybeard

Clair...

In the senrio of a non detonafed overly charged compressod tank...its real simple

Call up some good ol boy hill billys for an evening of BBQ and ask one of them to bring a .22 long rifle

Most negitive issues in the usa are solved with our 2nd admendment remedies


Watch this....haha

Prop
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Ha ha!
The reason behind my original posting was to aid in decision making.

I like fixing things. I dislike throwing stuff away. I dislike spending cash on something repairable just for the sake of getting shiny and new.

My larger tank compressor has gradually become slower at reaching its cut-off pressure (set at 120psi) It gets there, but takes longer than it used to and then struggles to keep up with higher demand airtools. Its a direct drive pump and although I haven't stripped it down I assume that there is a piston arrangement with compression rings. So there is a possibility that the rings have worn, causing the slower pressure build up.

Given I like fixing stuff should I strip it down and either hone the bore or fit new rings (if I can find some). Or check / repair the valve arrangement?

Or, given the age of the thing with a possibility of tank hernia do I scrap it and buy a new replacement? The original question - how often do these things catastrophically fail? - was just to help determine that decision. We all know what CAN go wrong, but the answer to how often is rather less clear. Its seems a bit like the asteroid risk assessment. Unlikely to occur but nasty if it does happen with unpleasant outcomes
GuyW

Clair and guy,

Actually i am a little freaked out by this ...more concerned then fearful and for good reason

Part of my job is i do trim carpentry like crown molding, baseboards window and door casings and i use a little pancake compressor that. Gets thrown around alot

Of which im NOW very happy ig was stolen a few months back due to it was getting tired and i had been contemplating replacing it

So something im now mulling over, i only work remodel jobs with familys in close proximity and all there worldly possions with in feet f where im working.

Considering the abuse my tools take in the back of my truck plus loading and unloading and the constant use they recieve... im certianly at an elivated risk over everyone else on the bbs including the people i am work for

Ill buy another compressor about the same size. 2 hp motor 3 gallon tank capable of 200 psi and modify it to 1/2 inch air hoses with quick release connections... considering the modern day quality... im thinking extra safty measures now need to be considard

Id rather waste an extra $100 with no benifit then to live with knowing my compressor roed aruond in the back of my truck got the saftey regulator damaged unkownimgly and killed a 10 year old child in another room on the other side of the wall from where the compressor is located.

This tread has been a long over do wake up call for me...so im taking it a little more seriously

Remember... im the guy driving around with a 2 gallon gas can as my fuel tank behimd my passanger seat... so im not exactly the most safety conscious of or risk.a verse of the bbs

Prop
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Prop, maybe your best solution is to buy a new replacement every few years so its always in good condition. And then to make or buy a foam-lined storage box for it so it doesn't get chucked around and damaged in transit when in your truck or being handled on site. Just take it out of its padded cell when you actually need to use it.
GuyW

Sounds like worn rings or a faulty check valve. The valve should seal as the air is being pumped into the holding tank. Might be cost prohibitive to fix though.

See if the repair parts are available first then tear it down and see what is what. If it's too far gone then you have lost nothing.

Clare
Clare Ravenwood

Guy.
One other thing you could check for without taking it to bits is air leaks around the pump, pipework and valve gear. If it's leaky in those areas you might not necessarily hear it with the machine running and it could account for its asthma.
Beyond that new machines are so cheap now that my gut feeling would be to go ahead; take it bits and have a good looksee at its giblets.
Maybe you can restore it economically; maybe you can't. Either way you have nothing to lose. In the first case Bazinga! Good result. In the second, well - you were going to have to buy one anyway. Plus it could be fun. I'd sure like to take one apart just for the sake of a relaxing afternoon in The Shed with no pressure (forgive the pun) on me.
Greybeard

And Clare, - if the tank itself is already > 25 years old?

Yes 50 shades, there is the Fun Factor to think about too. ;-)
GuyW

Guy,

That is a great idea about the padded storage box, i love thsg idea, i can even make it to hold all my related air tools and supplies

What about an igloo ice box cooler hard plastic and pad it with some kind of balistic gel?

Yes .. i completely agree about replacimg every few years thats now my thinking also from a few days back

As to rebuilding, like clair mentioned its probably going to be cost prohibitive and if its to the point its got worn rings then what else is about to go bad... on tje compressor that was stolen i was just beginning to replace parts due to wear, i had replaced a guage, the drain off valve and one of the quick release last year and was needing to replace the electeical cord and it was dinged up and missing paint as well... so it was tired

Something else to consider when rebuilding... specialty tools... on my Titan airless spray thst puts oht around 2300 psi, the seals wore out and rather then have a pro rebuild it, i had a go... initially cosmetically i had all the tools but once the covers were off there were some odd looking fasteners holdimg it all togsther ... ... they were not proprietary tools, but still difficult to track down and expensive plus il probably not have another use for them agian for many years to come, of which im sure i wont remember them or where i stored them

That seems to be the way of the future as even currently when manufactures dont want you inside the guts of there products
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Prop.
Super cheap and easy. All you need is a box and some Styrofoam sheet insulation from Home Depot.
If you can't find a surplus packing crate you can get some cheap ply or sterling board while you're at HD, plus some 1" batten for the corners.
I made a set of 5 boxes exactly like that a few years ago for my mate's daughter's drumkit. It took nearly an afternoon!
Greybeard

Yeah

Thats an idea gray...

But ive got a cooler already with a handle on wheels so would be easy to transport in and out of the houses and just leave it in the cooler box
1 Paper

Guy, if the tank looks good, it probably still is.

Check for air leaks as some have said, check for spare parts and cost of same. Tear it down and have fun. At the very least you will know why it wasn't working properly. You have nothing to lose in the long run.

Clare
Clare Ravenwood

Best advice for such pressure vessels is locate them where people are rarely around them. If not used in a while do not stand around watching while it pressurizes for the first time in a while, leave the area.
J MacDonald

Strewth this is a worry, I have 4 compressors sitting in the workshop, but I only use one at a time. Maybe I need something like this.

cheers
PS I take great care to drain them down after each use to extend the tank life, but Murphy's law says.........

R W Bowers

A hydrogen bomb relies on styrofoam to do its thing. Are you sure you want that sort of thing out in your garage near exploding things? Tell your nervous neighbors about it, though.

J MacDonald

This thread was discussed between 23/04/2017 and 30/04/2017

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