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Thread: Exploding compressor.
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27th October 2017, 05:59 PM #1GOLD MEMBER
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Exploding compressor.
Bought my air compressor about 20 years ago and have been very happy with it. I usually drain the regulator of the water build up that happens inside it before I am going to spray paint or when I notice moisture in the compressed air. It was not until at least 15 years after I bought it that I went to move it one day and noticed a sloshing sound coming from within the compressor. Surprised by this I dug out the compressor booklet to find out if there is a fix to this. Booklet said there was a bleeding screw on the underside of the compressor that needed to be drained regularly. Was pretty annoyed with myself for not realising this as I usually read the booklets carefully of new machines I get.
Anyway, when I drained the compressor tank at least a bucket full of horrible rusty water slowly ran out of the bleed hole.
Of course I have bled it a bit more frequently since then, however the scenario has always irked me.
Yesterday I saw a video about the dangers of old compressors. In the video an old compressor explodes and seriously injures the occupant of the shed.
Got me a wondering about how long till mine explodes?. From the outside it still looks really good as it has always been a workshop compressor and not dragged round from building site to building site etc. However it is the inside that is the unknown, judging from the water it is the inside that rusts outwards.
Wondering if it is time to replace?. Re-locate compressor to a little space outside undercover (in case of explosion)?
I have seen lots of compressors that look way more weather beaten and older than mine still in use.
Be interested to hear other peoples thoughts on the matter.
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27th October 2017 05:59 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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27th October 2017, 06:19 PM #2Taking a break
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You can pick up USB inspection cameras with lights for about $20 if you want to have a look inside it.
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27th October 2017, 06:25 PM #3GOLD MEMBER
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You're right it's the inside condition and not the outside appearance that is important. If you are worried about the condition you can have it inspected and pressure tested and IIRC some Workcare regulations actually require it.
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27th October 2017, 06:25 PM #4GOLD MEMBER
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What size hole do they fit through?.
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27th October 2017, 06:45 PM #5.
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For a 20 year old compressor I'd put money towards a replacement, and/or at least move it outside the shed (I have mine in a semi-soundproof enclosure for 6 years)
For those that want to reduce the chances of this happening in the first place consider installing one of these auto water drain valves.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-1-2-Ele...zoNn6enAYNN1zw
- Electronic drain valve to solid-state electronic timer and solenoid valve to match the time to achieve automatic discharge of compressed air condensate.
- Discharge time and interval time can be adjusted according to different needs.
- Easy to install, fully automatic operation.
- Used in filters, oil-water separator, refrigerated dryers, cold and dry machines, air compressors, air cylinders, dripping feet and other compressed air system components.
This means it loses 38L a day of atmospheric pressure air a day. The 60L tank is pressurised to 135PSI or about 9 atm so holds 540L of air at atmosphere, so it loses 7% of its air a day. There are some other small leaks so if I don't draw any air from the compressor it recharges automatically every other day or so.
You don't have to do this and could program it in a different way to suit your needs.
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27th October 2017, 07:44 PM #6GOLD MEMBER
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I would wire it so that the drain only operates when the compressor is running, that way you will limit the air loss and still keep the compressor dry.
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27th October 2017, 07:58 PM #7Woodworking mechanic
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Most compressor reservoirs have an inspection screw plug at one end of the tank.
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27th October 2017, 08:41 PM #8
A lot of pressure vessels (steam boilers) that I work with have non destructive thickness testing carried out. If the plate is getting too thin either repairs are required or the vessel condemnd. At worst some of the paint may need to be removed for testing.
Apart from this I regrett I am unable to provide any details.
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27th October 2017, 09:02 PM #9.
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Compressing air heats it up which enables it to hold much moisture as a gas. Compressing the air condenses relatively little water because the temperature is too high and only when the air cools down some time later does most of the the water condense out and that will be well after the compressor has turned off. Then that water sits in the tank until the next time you use the compressor which for some people could be weeks.
Another way would be to be able to program a vent valve to purge the water from the tank a couple of hours after the compressor stops meanwhile water builds up in the tank.
It depends on the ambient humidity but I need about a 2 second pulse to fully flush the water from a recharge so while that's only an 8 L loss, I figure it's better to eject the water as it condenses.
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27th October 2017, 10:24 PM #10
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28th October 2017, 10:19 AM #11
I was taught to always drain the tank before and after every work session with the manual drain valve. Mine is not permanently set up however. Good work practice and being aware of the risks are perhaps better than an auto drain valve. If you have manually drained it then you know it is drained.
Regards
John
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28th October 2017, 10:33 AM #12.
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That's what I was taught but invariably I forgot to do it, or I was always in a hurry and would say to myself "I will do it next time", especially as I have to go around the back of the shed and open the compressor enclosure to do it.
BTW it's easy to know if the auto drain is working or not. Even though my compressor is inside an enclosure outside my workshop when the vent valve triggers it makes enough noise to be heard inside the shed. When it triggers it sounds like a small air gun and it took me a week or so to get used to the sound and to stop looking around for the source of the strange noise.
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28th October 2017, 10:50 AM #13
Wondering if I should put some EvapoRust in there.
It will neutralise all the rust and add an oxidised protective coating.
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28th October 2017, 11:26 AM #14.
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The protective coating generated by evaporust is not a permanent solution as it doesn't prevent rusting from restarting when re-esposed to moisture.
The MSDS states "Inhibits rust from reforming for up to 4 weeks"
It's meant to be used to convert the rust and then a more permanent waterproof coating applied over the top
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28th October 2017, 12:03 PM #15
It was my thought that manufacturers would apply an enamel or powder coating to the inside. Probably some good reasons why they don't (other than obvious conspiracy theories).
perhaps after doing the evporust thing I could dry it right out and pop a bit of paint in there. Oil paint or something. Swoosh it around a bit. Obviously the plug will need to be removed and the thread protected.
what is a shame is that the bottom bung doesn't have the same auto-clean function that the water condenser ejector has. When the pressure drops it pops open and foooooshhhh it drys it out.
looked around and the only solution is the electric timer thing, but this is no solution at all as I don't know how to do all the electrics (nor have the inclination to learn it either).
seems a bit odd that such a thing doesn't exist.
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