Draining your air compressor

[axa]

After several weeks of occasional use of my new compressor, I wondered about moisture build up and rusting from the inside out.

After every use I bleed the pressure and open the drain valve, I notice it 'spits' out a bit of water, so I figured I was doing enough.

But when tipping it over lowering the drain valve out came a good ounce or 2 of water...
Which made me wonder. what is the proper procedure to keep moisture out?
That little hole does not provide enough airflow to ever dry the tank out.

Or perhaps rusting of the tank is inevitable, the compressor will likely die first..
Its a porter cable, good tool, Id like to keep it running well for a long time.
Any thoughts

[Bill in Buena Park]

Axa,
Sounds like you might have a horizontal-tank style compressor - unless you have it resting on a significantly unlevel surface, this is not uncommon for that style. Without some "assistance" during draining, the flat length of the bottom (not being parabolic or conical) will allow some liquid to remain.

I had a DeVilbiss 20g horizontal tank model that required I shift the tank a bit when draining to ensure all liquid got to the drain plug (due to length of tank) - but its replacement, a 26g Vertical-tank DeVilbiss (sold as Craftsman) has optimal valve placement at the bottom of the tank, and drains completely every time.

Your procedure sounds appropriate. Turn off the compressor, bleed the unused air, and open the drain valve (and leave it open), and tilt (alternately raising and lowering the front and back of) the tank until the liquid has drained.

[cabinetman]

After several weeks of occasional use of my new compressor, I wondered about moisture build up and rusting from the inside out.

After every use I bleed the pressure and open the drain valve, I notice it 'spits' out a bit of water, so I figured I was doing enough.

But when tipping it over lowering the drain valve out came a good ounce or 2 of water...
Which made me wonder. what is the proper procedure to keep moisture out?
That little hole does not provide enough airflow to ever dry the tank out.

Or perhaps rusting of the tank is inevitable, the compressor will likely die first..
Its a porter cable, good tool, Id like to keep it running well for a long time.
Any thoughts

You'll never be able to keep the the moisture out. Moisture will collect as a process of compressing the air. Draining the tank is one of those constant maintenance procedures. I still have a small jobsite compressor that I bought in 1970. It's a Speedaire horizontal tank, portable on wheels. It still works, and the tank hasn't rusted out ...yet. For a shop, a vertical model will collect water in a more easily discharged method by collecting it at the bottom, where the drain is located.

I have to drain daily, as it runs for hours during the day. I installed a 90 deg fitting with a petcock so a flexible tube can be attached to drain the water out away from the tank. With the heat and humidity here in South Florida, I can get quite a bit of water to build up. With the motor shut off, and just opening the drain slightly, the air pressure will force the water out. Then when the draining stops, I open the valve to allow more air pressure to "blow" out the last remaining moisture.

There is an automatic drain that HF sells. I can't comment on its efficiency as I don't have one. I think it's actuated from the shut off switch, that every time the compressor cycles off, it opens the drain.

The main concern of moisture is what may be fed into the output air delivery. HF also sells a desiccant dryer that may help in that process. For that money, I can't say how good it is.
.

[dbhost]

I have only EVER used vertical compressors, which have a drain valve on the bottom of the tank, and we simply powered off the compressor at the end of the day, and opened the drain valve. In the humidity here, with a 60 gallon compressor, 4 oz or so of liquid was not uncommon per day...

[Uncle Cracker]

Mine's a horizontal, with the drain near one end. I plumbed the drain through the wall to a flower bed outside and put a small ball valve near the tank, so regular drainings are easy to do. I did have to shim the tank bracket slightly at the opposite end, so that the drain outlet was at the low point. No problems, works great...

[Handy Al]

I had the same issue with my PC pancake compressor. I had been making sure I open the drain valve. I happened to tip it over toward once and a couple ozs of water came out.

Now I make sure I "pour" out the water.

[LCHIEN]

yes, i have to tilt my pancake compressor forward to drain it more thoroughly.

[axa]

Good to know.
Im guessing the drain valves on these pankcakes are not placed on the very bottom due to inaccessibility, plus the possibility of damaging it were there.

Any problem permanently running these up on a tilt?
Thinking about constructing a base to do this.

[gordons]

There is an automatic drain that HF sells. I can't comment on its efficiency as I don't have one. I think it's actuated from the shut off switch, that every time the compressor cycles off, it opens the drain.
.

I tried one of these and it kept blowing the supplied plastic tubing.Although the tubing is rated for 145 psi, it blew long before that anyway. After many attempts at cutting and rejoining, I returned the thing to HF. Maybe if it was copper tubing, it would have worked. Because of this, I cannot recommend this product.

[cabinetman]

I tried one of these and it kept blowing the supplied plastic tubing.Although the tubing is rated for 145 psi, it blew long before that anyway. After many attempts at cutting and rejoining, I returned the thing to HF. Maybe if it was copper tubing, it would have worked. Because of this, I cannot recommend this product.

That's good to know. News like that will save someone the hassle. Actually I don't mind draining manually. It becomes part of the daily shut down routine.
.

[Bill in Buena Park]

Good to know.
Any problem permanently running these up on a tilt?
Thinking about constructing a base to do this.

I wouldn't think so - I've never run into problems running mine on a tilt. I'm guessing you might run the risk of tipping if the feet aren't secured to the base - but an additional advantage could be in adding locking casters to the base for mobility.

[just started]

Just make sure it's an oil-less compressor if you are going to run it tilted.