Old Air Compressors

GregCO

Member
Reading the post below on the compressor tank that gave out makes me wonder about the one I have. It's an old Westinghouse compressor with an 80 gallon vertical tank. According to the tag it was built in 1955. It is an ASME tank and according to the tag is rated at 250 psi, but the age has me wondering. I drain it on occasion and do get the water out, but the inside rusting in places I can't see is concerning. It is a heavy tank. Looks to be 1/4" wall. It has two 3" plugs in the side that I have taken out a couple of times and looked inside and can't see much using a light with a flexible head sort of like a bore scope.

Here is my question. Will the thicker tanks just spring a leak and not split like the thin wall tanks? Or is it just a bigger bang and I need to retire this thing. I don't run it like I used to. It gets a good workout maybe twice a year and other than that it is airing up tires and running air tools for repairs. It is shut off when not in use, but does hold pressure for months on end when not being used. I can't believe this old girl doesn't leak down, but she will hold as long as I don't leave the valve on feeding the garage.

Pressure is set to start up at 120 psi and shut down at 150 psi. I replaced the safety valve about 10 years ago and it lets go at 165 psi. Scares the animals, small children, and the wife when I pull the ring.

What do ya think? Safe to use or kick it to the curb and get a newer one?

Greg
 
keep it, they will pit rust a hole through it most likely because of the thickness of the tank.
if you are concerned and do not need the pressure turn the setting down a little.
 
You could hydrostatically test it.

As to the other post, IMHO, I'd guess the pressure switch stuck, in addition to the weak tank, to tear it up like that.
 
I have & run a Curtis that my Dad used in a service station in 1927 and has been in use ever since. Replaced brushes in motor & pressure switch. Amazing!
 
>I'd guess the pressure switch stuck

Both the pressure switch and the pressure relief valve would need to fail. And the old single-stage pump would have had to be able to build up enough pressure to rupture the tank. Why do you think this is a more probable scenario than a simple rupture of the rusty, thin-walled tank at normal operating pressure? 125 psi compressed air has more than enough energy to do that kind of damage.
 
I used to inspect pressure vessels at my previous job. A typical inspection on smaller tanks would be to inspect as much as possible thru inspection ports with mirrors and lights etc, and then do a hydrostatic test. Test was usually at 1.5 times the operating pressure i.e. 150 psi working pressure would be tested at 225 psi, If the visual inspection showed any areas of concern we would use an ultrasound thickness tester in those areas. You can also tap with a hammer and usually detect any significant thinning on the bottom. [u:d47ec3a999]Always[/u:d47ec3a999], [u:d47ec3a999]always [/u:d47ec3a999]have a good pressure relief valve in place and pop it with some frequency. Most or our pressure relief valves were on a semi annual or annual testing schedule on all pressure vessels. They were removed and taken to a test stand for testing.
in a failure under a hydrostatic test the tank would split but there would not be enough genetic energy to cause any damage to anything other than the tank.
I meant to say KINETIC energy (dang spell checking)
 
a buddy of mine works at a big truck dealership. couple years ago one of their 120 gallon commercial compressors tank blew over the weekend. they had a concrete block compressor room. blew the walls and ceiling apart on the compressor room. blew glass out on a lot of the shop doors. it was a mess. good think no one was in the shop when it let go. i'd check it over good, and if it looks hinky, change it.
 
JMOR,
Not sure who made the used compressor I purchased
in 1979. It was old then, 1 1/2 hp. The motor has
brushes that lift off armature after it starts. I
think it called a repulsion start, induction run.
When it has a problem starting, I have to sand
the copper segments on armature, then it fine for
about another 10 years. I used to take motor
apart, now I turn the power off and sand it
through openings in end bell. Compressor is made
of real metal. Only have it powered up when I'm
in the shop.

I have 5 air compressors in different locations
in the county. My newest is 24 years old. I have
no plans of sitting them out to the curb. My
compressors shut off around 125-130 psi.

George
 
(quoted from post at 10:14:56 11/19/14) JMOR,
Not sure who made the used compressor I purchased
in 1979. It was old then, 1 1/2 hp. The motor has
brushes that lift off armature after it starts. I
think it called a repulsion start, induction run.
When it has a problem starting, I have to sand
the copper segments on armature, then it fine for
about another 10 years. I used to take motor
apart, now I turn the power off and sand it
through openings in end bell. Compressor is made
of real metal. Only have it powered up when I'm
in the shop.

I have 5 air compressors in different locations
in the county. My newest is 24 years old. I have
no plans of sitting them out to the curb. My
compressors shut off around 125-130 psi.

George
es, repulsion start/induction run. We used to use a stick to push on the brush holder at start up until I finally replaced them. :) Those are great old motors with a lot of starting torque, but as big & heavy/heavy/heavy as a modern motor of 5X the HP. Just plain stupid heavy!
 
I've had several compressors rust out and they just developed a pin hole leak so I knew it was time to get rid of them. Many years ago I knew a small town local garage that kept repairing the tank on theirs. One day the bottom blew out of it and the compressor took off like a rocket and went through the roof of the building.
 
Had a 1984 Farm/Fleet compressor, no tank drain/ welded a small plate on bottom/drilled and tapped for drain. Used it hard until 6 or 8 years ago, needed the regulator and switch was intermittent/ no parts avail. bought a 60 gal. comp.
A couple months later decided to patch up the old one for the garage, new E Bay parts and a bunch of fittings, sanded, painted like new, started it up, admiring my work and a big pop, blew a chunk of paint off the bottom/ never leaked before.
Epoxied a flat headed screw in it, turned the press. down to 75 lbs. and used it a few times a year until I found a blowed up oiless comp. with clean looking tank this summer. Had to cut the mounting channel of the old tank and weld on the new tank, plus more plumbing, found enough paint and spare decals to make it a Farmall compressor.
I beat on the bottom of the old tank thinking it would disintegrate and it was solid outside of the one spot.
 
Lost pict.
a174560.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 11:01:58 11/19/14) Had a 1984 Farm/Fleet compressor, no tank drain/ welded a small plate on bottom/drilled and tapped for drain. ............................................................. Had to cut the mounting channel of the old tank and weld on the new tank, plus more plumbing, found enough paint and spare decals to make it a Farmall compressor.

Sweet!! Great looking! You did a good job on that.
Andrew
 
Jessie, Yep heavy, heavy and heavy. My first
workshop is a 24x24 brick garage. Because of
limited space, I installed compressor in rafters,
then braced them. So if my tank blows, it will blow
the roof off. Well, I had to remove the motor,
compressor and then get the tank in between
rafters. Yep heavy, heavy and heavy. It's been
there for the past 30 years and as far as I'm
concerned, it will remain there until I die.
George
 

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