Is it common practice to have air compressor tanks hydrostatically tested or otherwise tested periodically? Can the typical test facility handle a 60 or 80 gallon or bigger compressor tank? Is testing something you would normally do if buying a used compressor, or are these things so overbuilt that it's not something to worry about, barring obvious corrosion or other damage?
Bert
Australian standards require periodic testing of pressure vessels but I don't recall the interval. There is a formula which multiplies volume by pressure . If the product is below a certain figure it is not regarded as a pressure vessel and is exempt from testing. If you aren't required by law to do it, don't bother. The chances of a catastrophic failure due to fatigue, are pretty small at the stresses that would apply in most non-industrial applications. Its more important to check for rust patches in the tank. As water is usually deposited in the tank it quite often rusts badly on the bottom. That is the most common source of trouble in air receivers
Tom
Exploding compressed air tanks kill people. I was involved as an expert witness in several cases. If you're lucky they just spring a leak, but high volume compressors can cause catastrophic failure of a seam. For peace of mind, everone should fill their tank with water and hydrostatically test it to twice the working pressure every couple of years. Bugs
And it is easy to do with a few pipe fittings and a grease gun.
Please expand on this a bit, how would I go about testing my compressor tank?
Oooo - an expert! Now we can get real answers instead of I-thinks! My question is: when air tanks explode is it generally because safety devices have failed and the tank has been over-pressurized? Or because of tank failure at normal pressures?
Thanks, Bob
Well, when I did it, it wasn't that easy. Even though I was very careful about completely filling the tank and fittings with water, it took quite a bit of grease to get the pressure up. I theorized that the water was actually a little compressible due to dissolved gas/air. This was a 20 gal tank that took about a cup of grease to get the pressure up to 300 psi. IIRC. And then all that grease had to be cleaned up.
If I were to do it again, I'd use my pressure washer to pump it up. Being very careful not to go too high!!
Bob
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