Hole in air compressor tank

[Blackdog76]

I took a lot of time to drag my late gradfather's old craftsman air compressor home and up 17 stairs to look under it and find an external rust spot. Upon further inspection I scraped off the rust and poked at it with an eyeglass screwdriver. Went right into the tank. Not feeling very good about it and my back is killing me from the endevor. Any chance of saving the tank or is it completly rusted inside and ready to spit out more holes? Was thinking about welding it up and giving it a try but maybe a replacement tank can be bought???

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[foreman1063]

Salvage the motor and compressor if your attached to them and take the tank to the scrap yard. I would not put that tank under pressure if it was mine. Look on Craigslist for a used tank.

[Blackdog76]

besides the obvious like a hole that I found in this one, what's to say that another used tank isn't going to be just as useless. Any way to tell without airing it up?

[krugford]

besides the obvious like a hole that I found in this one, what's to say that another used tank isn't going to be just as useless. Any way to tell without airing it up?



Honestly, no. A visual inspection will only get you so far, you may end up right back where you are now.

You can buy new tanks, but a quick google search located tanks by Speedaire, which cost several hundred dollars, and then you're spending the time and money to mount a used compressor on a new tank.

My advice, see if you can located a used tank and go with that. Should be somewhat easy to find an oilless unit with a failed compressor.

[1tonIHs2]

craigslist want add should get you your choice of tanks. I have at LEAST 4 at my shop (customers opted to not fix them).

[Blackdog76]

Found a couple on CL, we'll see how it goes, thanks.:skull:

[jperecko]

I aggree that the old one is scrap. Concernign getting a new used one, try hammering it at the prone spots along the bottom. It is better than nothing. Make sure to get the owner's permission first as they may not be thrilled if you pound a hole through the paint in their shitty tank.

[pendy]

I see the drain hole is close by the rust hole. Why not drill the hole out a little bit larger and use a bolt with washer and some sealer to plug up the hole. It will last that way for a while I think. Turn down the pressure a bit and use what you got.

You can snake the bolt in through the drain hole.

[1tonIHs2]

I see the drain hole is close by the rust hole. Why not drill the hole out a little bit larger and use a bolt with washer and some sealer to plug up the hole. It will last that way for a while I think. Turn down the pressure a bit and use what you got.

You can snake the bolt in through the drain hole.

:shaking:Now you've given it a projectile to shoot at your dumbass! :shaking:

[ChiScouter]

I had a buddy that had a craftsman compressor that was about the same age and color as yours. He had a few pinholes on the bottom. He put sheet metal screws sloshed with JB weld in the holes and then covered the screw in more JB. I wouldn't recommend it, but he used the compressor for years after doing it.

[6869704x4]

You got the makings of a good grill.

[Warlock]

My FIL put a sheet of steel over the hole in his tank and welded that sucker up... He used that tank for another 8 years before he changed it out.

Then again, he says I can pull my 36' goose with my 2.5L jeep too...

[rockcity]

the hole is on the bottom. thats where the condensation usually sits. My guess is that there are more unknown rust spots on the bottom. Use the pointed end of a chipping hammer and tap on the tank in many areas. Tap a little harder than you'd expect to see if there are "soft" spots. If there are more, scrap it. If there is just the one above, a good welder can repair it with a patch. That may not be the "right" way, but if on a budget and you knw what your doing, it'll be ok. but, my guess is if you are even asking about a rusted hole in an air tank, you'd be better off buying a different tank.

[azhayseed]

For Safety's sake NEVER, I repeat NEVER weld on a pressure vessel you can weaken the metal to the point it can explode. 125 Lbs. is more than enough to kill or severely injure anyone in the area. :mad3::mad3::mad3:
The same goes for patching in any manner. If the tank is rusted through it is junk.
To get a reasonable idea if a used tank is any good you can try hitting the tank along the bottom side with a good sized hammer then shake the tank to see if you hear any rust rattling around. If you hear chunks rattling best bet is to pass on the tank.

[rockcity]

I weld on pressure vessels everyday :flipoff2:

If you know what your doing its fine :shaking:

[Travis Waldher]

I weld on pressure vessels everyday :flipoff2:

If you know what your doing its fine :shaking:

And 125PSI isn't going to kill anyone. It'll go BANG (rupture), pppssshhhhhhh as the air leaks out.

i've never heard of nor read about a 125psi air compressor rupture that killed or hurt anyone. Well, except for maybe causing them to mess up their shorts from the noise.

Now, I have seen pictures of exploded compressors and related carnage, but all of those were due to over-pressurization.

[nissancrawler]

Two sides to this.

One, I have no issue with welding on a compressor tank, I welded extra bungs into mine.

However, welding up a rust hole is something completely different, and you couldn't pay me enough to do it.

[rockcity]

Oh ok. Well, I weld on live high pressure gas lines so a 125psi 5 gallon air tank doesn't bother me

[BumpyDodge]

Oh ok. Well, I weld on live high pressure gas lines so a 125psi 5 gallon air tank doesn't bother me

1) When was the last time you saw a high pressure gas line made from 30 year old rusted out 12 ga mystery steel?

2) Are YOU willing to weld the OP's tank for him and assume full liability for your work? Part of being a professional is knowing when it's in both parties best interest to NOT perform a repair.

If you can't help the OP why are you bothering to post?
Best advice so far has been to torch it up and make a grill out of it.

[rockcity]

1) When was the last time you saw a high pressure gas line made from 30 year old rusted out 12 ga mystery steel?

2) Are YOU willing to weld the OP's tank for him and assume full liability for your work? Part of being a professional is knowing when it's in both parties best interest to NOT perform a repair.

If you can't help the OP why are you bothering to post?
Best advice so far has been to torch it up and make a grill out of it.

Um yeah, the pipe is 30-40 years old. Of course we ultrasonic test the wall thickness, but yeah, its old and is rusty inside :shaking:

Fawk, its not a freakin boiler or heat exchanger with hot steam! Its just a simple home air compressor.

Some people have an elevated fear that something will fail or blow up :shaking: Prob. the same people that think oxygen is flamable


Like I said before, test the thickness of the rest of the tank. If the rest of it is sound, patch it. If you really want to know how to properly do it and meet a ASME "R" stamp, let me know, I'll be happy to tell you how to properly repair it.

[nissancrawler]

I bought a brand new, vertical 30 gallon Emglo tank off ebay for $86 shipped. I have a hard time seeing how it's worth patching a rusted out tank. Oh, and if he had the tank checked, it would cost him more than replacing it.

[rockcity]

I bought a brand new, vertical 30 gallon Emglo tank off ebay for $86 shipped. I have a hard time seeing how it's worth patching a rusted out tank. Oh, and if he had the tank checked, it would cost him more than replacing it.

thats a good price on a tank. for that price I wouldn't worry about patching the small tank.

Properly checked, yeah it would cost more than just getting a new tank.

[BadMonkey]

I have a few antique tanks I've restored over the years the one I'm using right now is a 1950's era tank, its a short 60 devilbiss I believe but the tank is made out of 1/4" wall material, now days anything craftsman or just standard use air compressors all have 1/8" wall tanks only the professional tanks are thicker, but anyway my tank was decent, it has 2 2" plugs in the side and was full of crap inside including rust, after I blasted it inside and out
I put a gallon of truck bed liner inside of it and rolled/tumbled it around for a few hours, after it was dry I blasted the outside again and painted it with some Dupont Imron I had laying around. Its the best way I have found to restore air tanks but if its a thin wall tank and it has rust holes I would just junk it, I'm running 15HP devilbiss antique restored head and I have a 6HP motor with a jackshaft to up the power and slow down the rpm to 900, you'll notice the more industrial compressors run slower rpms, this = longevity

[jasonmt]

If you really want to know how to properly do it and meet a ASME "R" stamp, let me know, I'll be happy to tell you how to properly repair it.

If you really want to offer advice how about we start with there is no such thing as a ASME "R" stamp :laughing:

[billybob_81067]

I bought a brand new, vertical 30 gallon Emglo tank off ebay for $86 shipped. I have a hard time seeing how it's worth patching a rusted out tank. Oh, and if he had the tank checked, it would cost him more than replacing it.

I've patched up an old rusted out air compressor tank before. Just brazed up the bottom where it was leaking.

And you can pressure check your own tanks if you want to. Just fill the tank completely up with water, add a pressure gauge, and a grease zerk. Make sure there is no air in there at all and start pumping grease into it. It will build pressure quickly. I think they usually take it to 3X what the highest pressure it will see or something like that.

There ya go... tank fixed AND pressure tested for all you paranoid folk! :D

[Blackdog76]

Called and left messages for the ones I found on craigslist but nobody's called me back. Like I said above, I'm looking for another tank. With that said, I've had a tank fail before right next to me and I'm still alive and was uninjured. It was am old 100 gal upright IR. The tank ruptured at the bottom and all the air leaked out.:eek::eek: Scared the living shit out of me but that's about it. Still not really worth my time to fuck with this one so I'm going to save everything but the tank. Around 90 bucks shipped for a new 30 gal sounds good, I don't know where the hell you found that on ebay though, I've been looking there too.

[rockcity]

If you really want to offer advice how about we start with there is no such thing as a ASME "R" stamp :laughing:

Excuse me, not ASME, but the Nationial Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors "R" Stamp. Repairs should be made to meet the ASME repair requirements.

R Stamp

The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors offers the REPAIR CERTIFICATE of AUTHORIZATION and "R" stamp for the repair and/or alteration of boilers, pressure vessels, and other pressure-retaining items. Detailed requirements are included in the current edition of the National Board Inspection Code (NB-23). "

The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code is a set of requirements which must be met when performing repairs to boilers and pressure vessels. In 1975, the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors realized that the lack of quality repairs could lead to a castastrophic failure. They approved the issuance of a National Board Repair "R" Stamp and the Certificate for Authorization to qualified organizations"



:shaking:

[glp86]

I had a pinhole in mine like that. Just zip a self tapping screw in there with a little silicone and call it good. Mine has been fine for years after I did this, it's a 5 min fix at most so what do you have to loose?

[maxyedor]

In this case, it's probably just not worth the time, patch that rust hole, and who knows when the next hole pops up. Patience and Craigslist will solve your problem, got my shitty oil-less 28 gallon Craftsman for $20 because the cord was fucked, $6 and 10 minutes later it worked just fine, it's still a pile of shit, but it was a cheap pile of shit. You could buy a similar pile of shit and rip the pump off, save the motor for a belt sander project or something and you're set.

The whole fear of welding a compressor tank thing is funny, anybody on this forum who can lay a decent bead, can weld an air tank. The biggest challenge with a mig is the cold start, many have delt with that on their bead-locks, in this case all you need to do is overlap the start. You really think the robot that welds tanks in China is better set-up than an average PBB weldor? HAZ weakening the material? I somehow doubt an $89 Wal-Mart compressor has had it's tank normalized after welding. If you'd trust your welds on a cage, beadlocks, links, or brake caliper mounts, why wouldn't you trust them on a tank? Don't weld up a hole in a 3000PSI argon bottle or anything crazy like that, but you'll be fine up to 200 PSI, no problem.

[VIAIR Corp]

the hole is on the bottom. thats where the condensation usually sits. My guess is that there are more unknown rust spots on the bottom. Use the pointed end of a chipping hammer and tap on the tank in many areas. Tap a little harder than you'd expect to see if there are "soft" spots. If there are more, scrap it. If there is just the one above, a good welder can repair it with a patch. That may not be the "right" way, but if on a budget and you knw what your doing, it'll be ok. but, my guess is if you are even asking about a rusted hole in an air tank, you'd be better off buying a different tank.

What he said. New Air Tank.

[MC]

We have bought a few compressors at our shop and always sonic check them. The compressor oil is actually what keeps it from rusting but if the water was never drained you might as well junk the tank.