Compressor exploded

I worked for 33 years in glass manufacturing. Compressed air operated the product forming machines. I was a maintenance supervisor in several plants & had air compressor maintenance responsibility on a corporate level for a time. Each plant normally required 3000 t0 5500 horsepower of air compressors online 24/7/365. Draining the air receivers & low points was a major problem. I used automatic valves of all types, electric solenoid, electric motorized valves, float valves, timer controlled air cylinder valves, etc but it still took a person to daily check them. Even then I found people just cracked the bypass valve & let it blow 24/7. One time I estimated we used 500 to 800 HP of air to get rid of water in the lines. I had a solution figured out but corporate would not take the chance. I was going to DEHUMIDIFY the air at the intakes. "Less water in equals less water out." So if you want less water in your air tank, Air condition your shop, get the humidity below 45% you will see a big difference, plus less rust, & you will feel cooler. Problem solved!
 
Por15 is a awesome rust prevention paint. Eastwood company has a comparable frame paint. It’s like a epoxy very durable. Painted dirt bike frames, four wheelers, and work benches. This stuff does not chip off you get on your skin you have to wear it off does not come off naturally. Grreeaatt stuff
 
My dad worked at Harbour Draw swing bridge at Blackrock Buffalo NY, that allowed the railroad to cross the Niagara River and Erie Barge canal. The bridge used air for certain systems and the compressor and tank was mounted in the control house. It was a large tank with thick walls. Every year there was an inspection and on occasion the service staff would drill a blind hole in the side to a certain depth. They said that this would be the weak point if the tank was to over pressure and fail. Eventually they condemned the tank and dad kept the plate.
Pierre

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With new tanks running in the $300-$600 range (Although if I do go new I will get a bigger tank.) I tried contacting some local places to see if someone would hydro test my tank. I found no takers.

So I started to look at acquiring an ultrasonic tester to see how much wall I have left. There are a bunch on ebay for around $100.
I was looking at one for $79 (or $54 if I want to have it shipped direct from China). But 1.2mm (0.048 inch) is the thinnest it will measure.
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I would hope that my tank is a lot thicker than .050 inch. But many electronic instruments are less accurate when at near the limits of their measuring range. These ultrasonic testers even show that in the specs. ±1% for over 20mm and ±5% for under 20mm. To get to much thinner is a BIG price jump.

Plan B is to buy a pressure washer to build my own pressure tester. I have more other uses for a pressure washer than I do a thickness meter ........... Decisions..........

Yes I am now officially worried about my 35 year old Craftsman 20 gallon tank.
 
We did a LOT of pressure testing well head equipment up to 20,000 psi. We used an air powered piston pump to slowly build up pressure after you'd filled the gear with a garden hose. We had a regulator feeding the air cylinder that moved the high pressure water cylinder. You could get one stroke at a time to control the high pressure. Can't imagine controlling a pressure washer pump to regulate a couple of hundred psi. A portable hand hydraulic pump would be all you need to build pressure once the tank is filled with water.

Greg
 
It isn't that hard to use a power washer to test with. They have a large pressure but a small volume so you can control it pretty well just bumping the trigger.

When they hydro tested our SCBA tanks at the FD it wasn't a much more complicated machine that did those. As I recall it had a lower RPM motor than a pressure washer and it was automated so you didn't have to control the pressure yourself but it wasn't some great NASA contraption that they used.

But it did have a higher pressure than a pressure washer. It went up to at least 6,000 psi and probably higher as the guy was able to run it up to failure on a tank we had that was past its' lifespan. That tank made some weird noises as it exited the world. But overall it was pretty tame compared to a bottle full of air failing.
 
f350ca said:
A portable hand hydraulic pump would be all you need to build pressure once the tank is filled with water.

Greg
Click to expand...

I like this idea. I just ordered one of these..... It is at least designed to pump water, has a gauge, and can hit up to 1000 psi. All I should need is an adapter hose to connect it once I see what threads are needed.
www.ebay.com

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Now I can host a tank testing party....:beer mugs:
 
First I have to disassemble, and do it without air tools.......

We used to test items that went thru the hull of a nuke submarine. Those were real interesting pressure tests. half the time it would blow the gasket on the pressure vessel before we reached test pressure. That was always fun.
 
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