leave tank filled?

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 11:25 am
i was wondering if i should leave the compressor tank filled or release the air after i am done with the work? are there any pros and cons either way? also, since i only have a 26 gallon compressor, would it make sense for me to add a 10-20 gallon tank in line with my compressor to increase the volume? mahalos

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 12:24 pm
Try searching this forum for your different questions.

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 9:45 am
Leaving the Tank charged will allow the water to stay in the Tank only real down side to leaving it charged. I leave all of mine charged when I walk away from them its a bad habit, they should be drained if your not planning on using it for more than a few days.

Tank size Matters... NOT! the untold truth.
That's a REALLY small compressor, I hope your not planning on doing any painting with it besides using an air brush with it? Its even too small for a DA sander. Adding Tank capacity is not going to make the situation any better either.
If the air pump itself doesn't put out the air Tools CFM requirements no amount of Tank capacity is going to make up for it.

I have a Very small Tank on my New used compressor BUT My Air pump is HUGE with the right Electric motor and the right size Pully wheel I have up to 50 CFM free air from my Pump alone. In its current set up I have around 30 CFM free air more than enough to run any of my air tools alone all by itself with out any air tank at all.

Think of the Air tank as a Shock absorber on your car, The shock absorber is there to dampen sudden movements to the spring it doesn't help the spring rebound OR Deflect! The shock absorber absorbs and slows down the shock energy from the Pot hole or rock in the road That's all it does! It dampens and slows down the action of the spring so the Spring doesn't Jump or snap back to its at rest position whether its being compressed or deflecting.
An Air tank does the exact same thing! it Dampens the the air pressure loss from your tools usage Or the compressor pump kicking on so you don't get a sudden Pressure spike or pressure loss. You want the Pressure in your Tank to remain fairly stable and constant no matter what the demand.

You need a compressor pump that is big enough that it can run any of your tools alone without an air tank, if the Compressor pump wont run your tools with out the air Tank it sure isn't going to do it with a Tank for very long No matter how big the air tank is.
You will be forced to stop work as soon as you run out of available volume of air and wait for it to charge the tank up again.
Painting with too small of a compressor is a sure way to mess up a Paint job in a hurry.
And waist expensive paint. Relying on Tank capacity is a sure way to air pressure Fluctuations and Paint job failure.
Dennis B.
A&P Mechanic, FCC General radio Telephone Operator
Line Maintenance A&P Mechanic and MOC Tech specialist.



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PostPosted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 2:47 pm
I have to ask. I get that not draining your tank will cause it to rust out bc of the water at the bottom that builds up. But wth? With all the good, big, and fancy compressors out there, why wouldn’t they make the inside of these tanks stainless steel? Or line it with something that won’t rust? It’s so annoying draining that big a** tank every time you use it! So how important is it? And how long does it take to start rusting when you leave air in it say “all the time”? I probably won’t do it, but I am curious. If it’s 10 years before it starts rusting, I’d almost rather leave air in it and toss it in the trash when it’s rusted out. Anyone know? Or ever experienced a rusted compressor tank?

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 3:31 pm
NewPainta wrote:But wth? With all the good, big, and fancy compressors out there, why wouldn’t they make the inside of these tanks stainless steel? Or line it with something that won’t rust?
Kenny

there would be an added cost for either and id think quite high for stainless. lining would bring the risk of that lining failing and small chunks-o-lining can-and would- end up in the air supply.. taken care of properly, compressor tanks last a long time.

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 12:41 pm
You should leave it filled.
Emptying it and filling it every day fatigues the metal,
it's not good on it.
Get a drain valve and release the water out daily.
JC.

(It's not custom painting-it's custom sanding)



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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 9:24 am
There are auto drains on the market
I had one on both my older compressors machines
Dennis B.
A&P Mechanic, FCC General radio Telephone Operator
Line Maintenance A&P Mechanic and MOC Tech specialist.

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