Gunk in compressor tank

May 27, 2004 4 Replies
M

Hi... 1st time poster; long time lurker here....



So I inherited a air compressor (1HP Speedaire), and 1 of the things it needed was a new drain c*ck (the old one somehow busted off). Upon getting the remining nipple out with a handydandy screw extractor, I could see that there was some gunky greasy stuff at the bottom of the tank. How much?? Idunno and being only a 30 gal or so tank, there're no inspection plugs to peek into.



So the answer is: A) "Thats normal, and as you should have a filter on the output side of things, theres nothing to worry about"



B) "Rinse the tank out with (kerosene?? mineral spirits??) a time or 2.



C) (other)



Thank's in advance, Mike G


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G

Get it working again. In normal usage condensation will occur inside the tank. Just open the petcock occasionally to blow out whatever's in there. No real need to clean the tank. You might make sure there's good oil in it, and change the air filter.

Grant

Mike G wrote:

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R

Careful. Kerosene + compressed air + spark = boom.

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J

When I drain the water from the bottom of my tank I get a milky mixture of water and oil, mostly water. It's important that this water be drained regularly to prevent the bottom of the tank from rusting. If your tank actually has a layer of greasy stuff on its bottom I would think that's a plus... it might well help prevent rust!

Just a thought.

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M

Yes, Im aware of that. As I said, the drian was busted off, so it was plenty dry.

And a good one, too! I should have been a little more specific about this stuff. Im thinking 15 parts (by volume) dust, 2 parts fine grit, and one part axle grease,

Thanks to all who replied. Especially Mr Kinch who kept me from blowing myself up!

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