Compressor

[Greg in Maryland]

I recently purchased a Craftsman compressor from Craigs list and few things are puzzling me about the operation.

The first time I ran the compressor I had the drain plug open and it blew out an oil/water mixture. I would say about 1/8 to a 1/4 of cup. In some respects I am not phased by oil dripping, but I remind myself that it is not an English car and that spitting oil isn’t normal.

When I next ran the compressor up to 80psi for 5 minutes, used my nail gun a few times (neat new toy), vented the tank and opened the drain plug, I didn’t see any oil/water mixture dripping out. I even elevated the back of the tank, but nothing dripped out. I thought that when air is compressed, moisture is collected inside the tank and needed to be drained? Otherwise, the tank rusts. Was the 5 minute operation too short to collect any moisture?

Is any of this normal? Should I be concerned? Or should I realize that I only paid $100 dollars for compressor and get on with woodworking?

Thanks.

Greg

[p8ntblr]

That amount of oil/water usually only accumulates when you don't drain it for some time. Your supposed to drain after every use. My guess is the previous owner probably hadn't drained it for a while. Any compressor regardless of price will do this if you don't drain it regularly. Moisture/oil not only affects the tank but the tool that your using as well. It gets in the tool and rusts that as well, and oil causes even more problems. I suggest getting a filter for it. Also make sure you lubricate your nail gun with pneumatic oil. They also sell automatic oilers and filter combos.

[TheRic]

Using it for only 5 minutes, is a pretty short period of time. The moisture in the tank was spread out across the whole tank, not puddled at the bottom. Once enough moisture coats the tank, it will start to run / drip and form water at the bottom. You didn't hit that point yet.

The humidity in the air also effects how long it runs vs the amount of water you get out of it. 5 hours in Arizona during the dry season, verses 5 hours in Oregon during the rainy season will give very different amounts of water in the tank.