Air Compressor Carnage

[gutza]

In the follow up video, the guy said he regularly drained the water, and gives his ideas about what happened.

Original video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm_FJ6Pat4I


Follow up video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2LbTHfU5fQ

[.:4:.]

Props to the tank, it wasnt a minor failure. It pulled the suicide bomber and took other things with it.
But surely the preasure releif valve isnt fine, or the cutoof switch is faulty. Tanks are rated, but rated to safe operating preasure, not failure pressure which is higher. That thing would have gone off like a bomb. Surely something audable of visual to indicate something wasnt correct.

[Itsme]

I agree with .:4:. comment the pressure relief valve most likely failed and the way the guy demonstrated the relief valve working working properly is questionable at best.
Could also be a failure of the tank itself but we won't know as it was not inspected by a qualified engineer.
Cheers.

[.:4:.]

You'd think an over pressurised tank, or even a rusted one would either crack or blow a hole and lose preassure before going full on bomb explosion.

[arm79]

It was about 6 months ago Dad called me and said his compressor was constantly cycling. When the motor stopped it would leak air for 30 to 60 sec or more and either stop or cycle some more. It had been playing up for a while and I figured it was either the pressure switch or maybe the check valve.

His compressor was very similar to the one in the vid. Commercial quality, 60L tank, big single belt driven cylinder, I think it ran at 145psi. Was about 20 to 22 years old at the time.

Found the pressure switch wasn't sealing properly and there was a leak from the regulator hoses. But was shocked to find a pinhole leak in the bottom of the tank. All the rusty water on the ground would say it had been leaking for a while.

Dad didn't give it alot of maintenance... If at all.

Undid the drain plug and nothing came out, even though I could hear water inside. Stuck a wire into the drain port and it was covered over by rust, all nice and crunchy. Removed a plug from the top and stuck a stick down and all I could feel and hear was rust crunching around.

Figured it was time for a new one. The very humid air here wouldn't have helped. But we count ourselves very lucky. This pin pr!ck hole could have been an explosion like this given what the inside of the tank felt like. Maybe it was the long time constant short leak after the compressor stopped that prevented a similar fate.

Incidentally, since the pump and motor were still in great condition and worth quite a chunk of cash, I put it up for sale as a pump and motor for $250. People were all over it like sh*t on a shoe. All focused on the $900 compressor for $250, even though I told them the tank was crap and not to be trusted they still wanted it.

The eventual buyer drove over an hour to collect it. Told him it was leaky and rusty. He said he was going to weld it up and use it.

Can only hope the poor b@stard is still alive.

[arm79]

Courtesy of the ever impressive YouTube algorithm, this showed up on my feed today... Rather enlightening.

[gutza]

Hi arm.

Thanks for the video. Very interesting.

Cheers.

[Hemihunter]

if you look closely at the first video posted, the Tank has been welded on , note the drain valve on bottom of tank , and the welds around that area... His own Fault.

[arm79]

Originally Posted by Hemihunter

if you look closely at the first video posted, the Tank has been welded on , note the drain valve on bottom of tank , and the welds around that area... His own Fault.

Good eye and good pickup.

Definitely not a pretty weld (although much prettier than any attempt I've ever made) and has definitely been added somewhere along the line. Most likely to repair a leak.

I didn't read the video comments before but I see alot of people commenting on the weld.

I suppose if they added that one, they could have made a repair near where the tank ripped open. But at a minimum it speaks to the overall integrity of the tank. If someone has made a repair for a leak then the rest of it wasn't so flash.

The first thing Dad said when we discovered the hole in his tank was "surely we can get it welded". 5 mins of quick research said yes it could be done, but overall it is a really really bad idea. Plus you'd only be repairing a tank with not so good insides. Lipstick on a pig as it were.

[Hemihunter]

Illegal to reweld pressure tanks unless its certified after. So may as well go buy another $150 Compressor

[rare ss]

The weld near the drain point is certainly a worry.. red flag that the tank is sus

Good trick is to leave the drain bung open slightly to drain the water out

[George V]

Originally Posted by rare ss

The weld near the drain point is certainly a worry.. red flag that the tank is sus

Good trick is to leave the drain bung open slightly to drain the water out

My compressor is setup like that too.

Regards,
George