Crack in air tank

Send it out to a certified shop. That way you are covered if it fails. I don't trust most compressors and locate them either outside the normal work areas or inside a separate room. That also allows for much quieter shop floor and usually cleaner air since you can install larger filters. My current compressor is set up in a small 8X8 shed located next to the shop. I also keep the spare parts like oil and belts in there as well.

I concur.

Erik

Tanks also last longer if the compressor is not mounted to them. Mount the compressor on vibration mounts to a solid foundation, give it a nice long cooling run to the tank with a drain leg, and save the tank a bunch of vibratory fatigue stress. Me at least 3 for keeping it outside to minimize noise and the extent of bad things that can happen (borrow from boiler houses and design your shed with strong walls and a weak roof if you want to be even more cautious about tank explosions.)

The cheapest would be to buy another used compressor and use its tank.

i

That's the first thing I did, it seems like tanks or complete compressors are at a premium here right now. The cheapest I found was an 80 gal. for $500 with a pump that "needs work". Freight from out of town is a killer.

Whoa! Replacing a 30 gallon tank is serious business! Surely Gunner has a premium replacement for $5 that's as good as new and only barely used by a little old lady from Pasadena. AND he has the inside track on the roving bands of cullers. Need I say more? You'll have your new tank by the end of the year FOR SURE. I'm picturing several scruffy Aholes in the back of a shitbox pickup. One of them riding your tank Major Kong style and another wearing camo face paint and carrying one of these.

(don't miss second review) In exchange for the free transport of the tank the cullers might want to stay over though. You should bring in a porta potty for them otherwise they'll use your bathroom which could be troublesome. Or at least get a good quality plunger ahead of time. If you have any difficulty locating one of those then start another thread to ask for help with the mission.

It will only be high while you need it. Soon as you're done, you'll see one for give away.

Another possible is 100 lb. LP tanks. The valve just threads off and you have 3/4 NPT. Makes a great surge tank and little floor space.

Karl

That's what I have for my compressor tank. Might not pas department of labour or OHSA muster though.

Hey all,

Air compressor tanks exploding???

Is that a real problem???

In my limited experience, when compressor tanks go bad, it has been with a "hiss" rather than a "bang".

I'm all for keeping them in a shed outside for the noise, etc. though. Wish I could here, but my neighbors would be awfully pissed I'm sure.

Steam Boiler's are a whole different thing. Of course they can blow up with great force.

Curious if you all have horror stories of "exploding" air compressor tanks?

Should I be a lot more worried about sitting next to a 60-gallon, vertical, 2-stage pump/tank that's at about 165 PSI right now?

No but this is Usenet where it costs nothing to warn people to choose rubber zippers lest their wang get caught in a metal one. Sure you might be willing to take a chance on metal but what if some unsuspecting soul borrows your pants? That's where the expression "suing the pants off" comes from.

That's REALLY dangerous! You should have your chair legs X-rayed immediately.

One of my uncles used to be district manager for 'Bay' Gasoline stations in Florida. One station had a compressor's tank rupture and blew a hole in the wall. Some of the shrapnel killed someone. This was back in the early '60s. After that, all the station's compressors were moved outside, and into concrete block sheds to reduce or stop future damage. He had an old station compressor in his garage, but it was only turned on when he needed air, and never let it run up to full pressure if anyone was inside the building. He didn't have enough room to build a similar shed, since the garage was right next to the property line.

I seem to remember Teenut posting about exploding _cast iron_ tanks. A totally different animal, but if one didn't remember the "cast iron" part and just remembered the "exploding air tank" part, a misleading story could be told.

See links below.

Usually you WILL just get a hiss but just be aware of what can happen and make sure the tank doesn't rot from the inside. Why are you running

165? Crank it down if possible, it takes a lot more energy to get those last 50 psi that the first 100. I run 95-120.