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View Full Version : Will this POS really explode???



Skyline
10-10-2006, 03:43 PM
My 4HP Craftsman compressor is pretty loud. So when it turned on for no reason in my garage last night, I heard it in the house from 60 ft away. I go out to the garage, and not only is the compressor running, but I hear this loud hissing sound from the compressor. Lo and behold, I've got a tiny hole on the bottom of the air tank, and it's blasting air out at 120 lbs or so.

So I know I've been a bad boy, and only drain the water out of the tank once in a blue moon. I assume my tank is rusting through.

Those a-holes at Sears refuse to sell a new tank. They say it's too big to ship. Funny how they don't seem to have any problem getting new complete ones to the store. Oh they will be happy to ship an 800lb tool box or a lawn tractor to your door. But an empty 25 gal tank, NOOOOO. This is REALLY pissing me off. My compressor works fine, and they want me to trash it and buy a new one????

The only place I could think of that might sell compressor parts was Graingers, and they wanted more for a tank alone than Sear wants for a new similar compressor (at $399 it's the biggest one Sears sells that works off 120v).

Ignoring the fatal-injury-due-to-explosion-so-you-better-drain-your-tank- daily warnings on the side of the tank, I drilled the small hole out a bit, and put in a self taping fender bolt covered with silicon. Am I nuts to try this? Will this explode in my face?

AgitatedPancake
10-10-2006, 03:47 PM
120psi isn't enough to make anything explode I don't think, but if that bolt lets loose it might become a projectile.

Cue-Ball
10-10-2006, 03:51 PM
NO WAY would I run it like that. You are just waiting for the screw to get shot out and become a projectile.

I do not know of any reason why you would not be able to simply weld up the hole though and call it good.

OverkillZJ
10-10-2006, 04:10 PM
I would not use it like that. If it blew through at one point, where next? The odds of getting hurt are low, but air pressure can really move some metal. Sooo yeah, trash it, whether you reuse the compressor part or note, that tank is gone.

DJJordache
10-10-2006, 04:33 PM
yeah you better replace that. time for a upgrade! I love my 80gallon 2stage one=)

Jim311
10-10-2006, 04:37 PM
Dude.. just weld a patch on there. There's not enough pressure to make it explode an injure anybody. It might make a bunch of noise but if I were you I'd remove the screw and weld.

Cue-Ball
10-10-2006, 04:40 PM
yeah you better replace that. time for a upgrade! I love my 80gallon 2stage one=)

Yea I have a 60gal one that I will love once I run some 220 over to that side of the garage for it.

OverkillZJ
10-10-2006, 04:45 PM
One spot welded through, more to follow I promise, you want to weld up the whole tank?

Easier to make from scratch ;)

You can probably find a cheap tank just about anywhere, especially used. Bound to be better than one with a hole in it!

Cue-Ball
10-10-2006, 04:51 PM
Making one from scratch, maybe that is an idea. Pick up some large diamater tubing like pipeline tube and weld the ends shut, hmmm....

JohnNC4
12-07-2006, 12:42 AM
put duct tape over the bolt and wear safety glasses and a cup while in he garage

kevman
12-07-2006, 01:08 AM
There's not enough pressure to make it explode an injure anybody.

You so sure about that?

Will it explode? Probably not. However, if it were to explode there is defiantly enough pressure to seriously injure someone that is around. I'd personally get rid of any leaking pressure vessle but that's just me...

BigDaveZJ
12-07-2006, 01:34 AM
WTF was this ever doing in Repair Shop? Repair Shop is for VEHICLE repair, not busted ass ghetto shop tools. Moved.

ILikeMud
12-07-2006, 11:25 AM
I'd replace that thing.

chadjans
12-07-2006, 04:07 PM
You sure the petcock is not closing? It takes ALOT of rust to do what you are describing.

Skyline
12-07-2006, 04:23 PM
You sure the petcock is not closing? It takes ALOT of rust to do what you are describing.
Trust me, it's a hole.

nate
12-07-2006, 08:33 PM
Must of have a ton of water in it! My Dad has a Craftsman compressor from the 1960s. Still works fine.. even after my brother plugged it into a 240v outlet.

CurtP
12-08-2006, 12:35 PM
Must of have a ton of water in it! My Dad has a Craftsman compressor from the 1960s. Still works fine.. even after my brother plugged it into a 240v outlet.
Depends. Is this one an oil-less compressor? Those things generate a shitload of heat and condensate is always an issue. I've seen plenty of those types of compressors corrode the tanks - which are considerably thinner than the ones they made even just a few years ago. I've also seen them trash pneumatic tools. A good water separator is a MUST with any air compressor, IMO (along with regular maintenance which includes purging the tank of moisture).

I bought my regulator/water separator from www.tptools.com


A helpful air line diagram:

http://www.tptools.com/statictext/airline-piping-diagram.pdf

nate
12-08-2006, 01:23 PM
The one I have at the house is oil less. "Quiet series" hahaha. Thing is so loud it's unreal.

I've never had an issue with moisture. Granted I'm not using the compressor to paint though. I have drained the tank maybe 3 times in the 3 years I've had this compressor and usually there is barely anything that comes out other than air.

CurtP
12-08-2006, 03:22 PM
I've had several oil-less over the years - all of them were Craftsman. If I ran them for anything over 10 minutes, they'd get louder and emit a ton of heat. I always had a *lot* of condensate in the tank too. Seems that everyone I've ever known that had an oil-less had similar experiences. I wonder how much of it had to do with environment - I lived in FL at the time and I haven't had an oil-less since I've moved to IL. Even my portable is an oil-spash.

nate
12-08-2006, 04:55 PM
Yeah Florida sucks ass for humidity! I sent out a toolbox and some other equipment to Tyndall and McDill. Took me nearly a week to clean all the rust off the stuff. And they were down for for ~3 weeks!

Jim311
12-08-2006, 05:52 PM
No joke.. you should see some of the shit in my garage. I have an 8.8 I sanded down to bare metal that's been in there less than a year and it's already brown with surface rush.