Just How Rusted was my 1993 Big Red Air Compressor Tank?

[@carlwilmsen96]

Going to decommission mine, 38 year big red tank today. thank you for bring this to my attention!!!! will replace with new.

[@ronyerke9250]

I once bought a Coleman 6-gallon bomb. After about 3 hours of run time, it started to hiss. When I searched for the leak, I was shocked to find it in a weld holding the pump mounting plate to the tank. A small bubble had burst. I junked the compressor because I could see a few more bubbles. I wish I had cut the top off like you did, though.

[@buyamerican3191]

I love the way you integrated your old pump into your new air system, I did the same thing a couple of years ago. I was lucky, my tank developed a pinhole leak that let me know I had a problem before it blew up.

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

Yeah I couldn't get rid of that Old Reliable single stage! Pumps up super quick now. And that's good. I'm sure mine probably would have ended up doing the same thing. I think the horizontal tanks end up being more prone to blowing up

[@lawrencecavens5760]

You've given me a great clue to choose a stand up tank rather than a lay down type, the water will collect at the bottom better than the side model - the seam where it's welded on the side would be a weak point to where it would fail as the tank gets older and the stand up units would last abit longer due to the water collecting at the lowest point...

[@altsa4410]

Nice video! The reason the bottom (or end of the tank) is half the thickness of the cylindrical wall is because, from a design point, it doesn't have to be as thick as the sides. The stress/force generated in the cylindrical part (also called the "hoop stress") is twice as much as the force that the ends of the tank experience when the tank is under pressure. There is a bit of math involved here (you can google how to calculate tank hoop stress if you like) but based on the way the math/engineering works out, the ends actually experience half the tensile force in the material compared to the tensile/hoop load in the cylindrical wall (so it stands for the same internal pressure you only need 1/2 the steel thickness on the ends vs. sides).

[@handygent45]

The old school plumbers had a fix, its called zinc chromate powder, a yellow powder added to a boiler to prevent internal rust and corrosion. Mix some with water and pour it into the air tank. Best done when the air tank is new. Guess what? I have a air tank that is 40-years old and still going. Last year checked inside with a bore scope. The powder forms a protective coating.

[@buyamerican3191]

yes, too bad you can't buy it other than bulk.

[@handygent45]

@@buyamerican3191 I was able to buy it in one pound containers.

[@buyamerican3191]

Where? I looked all over.

[@handygent45]

@@buyamerican3191 I don't know about getting it online, but I purchased it from a plumbing supply store, over the counter.

[@grahambambrook313]

Best to chill the air and run it through a water trap (or two) before it enters the tank. It means breaking the line on the compressor but well worth doing.

[@gdadamos2302]

shutting down mine right now,, bought in 1992!!!!

[@19mitch54]

The thickness of the heads of an air tank and the thickness of the cylindrical portion are different because they see a different type of stress. The pressure causes the most stress around the circumference of the tank. This stress is about TWICE the stress lengthwise in the cylinder. The stress in the heads is much smaller. This is why a tank is most likely to fail as a split along it's length (across the circumference like a hula hoop breaking open) in the cylinder. The most common cause of air tank failure is rusting away the metal where condensed water sits in the bottom of the tank (contrary to the owner’s claim of constantly emptying it). Paint won’t do squat.

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

Excellent explanation! I was trying to explain that in a few other comments, but your explanation is dead on. Originally I thought it might have been because it's easier to form the thin metal as well. It would make a lot of sense if they started using thicker metal on the bottom of vertical tank. Wouldn't really add all too much to the cost of building it and it would last so much longer

[@grahambambrook313]

PD/2T (pressure x diameter divided by twice the wall thickness)

[@aomanchutube]

The MAWP of a hemisphere allows for a thinner section. However, the weld would be compromised because one side is thinner so it probably gets hotter during the weld.

[@mditty9751]

With a little bit of fabrication, the old tanks make great lawn rollers. Repurpose before recycle!

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

Yeah that sounds like a great idea!

[@glasslinger]

Individual pits are not a problem. They will eventually rust through giving a small leak. At that point, throw away the tank. The problem comes with a line of pits in a row along the bottom. This is what gives the total fail of the wall all at once. This is why a vertical tank is significantly safer than a horizontal tank.

[@JohnDoe-gh9cm]

38 years my kellogg has been pumping. And I bought it used, I'm going to do the samething since I discovered a pin he at the bottom.

[@turbocarsmatterfastcarsmat2736]

I have a 1950 Kellog I ha e been using for a few years thinking it was fine...I finally took off a large port and the entire bottom is clumps of rusted metal. 😢😢😢

[@oby-1607]

Now, I am scared to look in my tank.

[@ottoolsen9676]

well they did use the same dimention. it is just the bottom is stamped in a press and stretch it to the dome shape. the newer the tank is the thinner it is, saving buck's .

[@joeorapellojr6417]

Thank you. Very informative video. I will be checking my 30 gallon Kobalt.

[@crabcrusher9602]

That may be a safety factor so the bottom goes out first instead of blowing out sideways at you

[@megabeat1]

I think that is a good idea dissasemble the new Air tank and paint inside before install in the workshop. I did it in a new compressor because the old unit is corroded, first i plug all threads, rinse the Air tank with solvent, and shake the tank, i emptied the solvent and waited for evaporate it, at.last i dropped the Paint inside, shake it again, and unplugged the water drain plug to recovery the paint excess. Wait for dry and reassemble the unit. This not mean not drain the water! Sorry for my english, i'm spanish.

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

Wow sounds like you went above and beyond. That's great. I agree it's a good idea to coat the inside. It's a shame they don't do it on every tank from the factory

[@felixcat9318]

This is exactly what I mentioned on a couple of videos on this subject! I'll coat the internal metal with the stuff designed to treat rusty motorcycle fuel tanks by swilling it about. Once treated I'll use a fibre optic video camera to check coverage. I have always drained the tank after each use and left it open till next used, I may inspect that tank with the fibre optic video camera rather than cut it open.

[@megabeat1]

I learned to do because I repaired old diesel tanks corroded until to make fuel leaks. I did with bathtub's polyurethane white due that paint doesn't break down with the diesel fuel. In this case, air tanks not need more than a "apply direct to rusty" paint or antioxidant primer.

[@CerebralAilment]

Just pulled one out of the scrap pile that has a pin whole in the bottom - super tempting to take hole saw and just weld in a patch - but second guessing it now after watching this

[@cosmicallyderived]

Don’t do it. Watch more videos on KZbin for this topic. She’s a goner.

[@johntrauger68]

Good sales pitch for automatic condensate drains.

[@MrAluntus]

You rock, man.. always appreciate the education.

[@AndrewBrowner]

if you do this professionally sure grab a 220v 60gal and be done with it, but i find if youre a hobbiest needing alot of air to run a sprayer, die grinders or sand blasting you get alot more bang for your buck getting a pile of 110v compressors and stringing them together, helps if you have a subpanel right there you can wire a pile of 20amp plugs off of, can get a brand new 8gallon up here in canada for 119$ on sale, or ive gotten them in working condition off of marketplace for 20$, likely alot noisier and alot less convenient but 5 or 6 110v compressors really cover any air needs and at worst 800$ including the breakers and outlets and wire if you need to put in the circuits for them i remember we had a 8000$ ingersol rand compressor with its own room and a pile of electronics and the thing was massive at one of my workplaces that barely ever got used as they didnt have a full time mechanic there anymore.. i was grinding on 400bbl oil field tanks to fix their coating with a die grinder and the thing would drop to 40psi with that die grinder running the same as my 110v 8 gallon would at home, with 2 8gallons strung together i had tripple the power out of the dir grinder and was up around 70+ psi during continuous use

[@thedetective8150]

Wise and prudent decision to buy a new compressor and scrap the old compressor.

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

Yeah definitely happy I took a look inside and decided to replace it

[@paulmeynell8866]

Excellent video thank you

[@Subgunman]

Why don't manufacturers epoxy line these tanks? It would be an added safety feature. As for those of us who have a newer model, it might be wise to open the plugs of the tank and insect it. If in fairly good condition clean out the tank a shop vac, use rust converter on any spots of rust and then mix up a small amount of epoxy paint and pour into the tank. Hopefully one has completely dissassembled the whole compressor and just turn the tank all angles to coat the inside. Allow the tank to cure and reassemble.

[@scottdowney4318]

One advantage of thinner gauge on the bottom that rusts maybe so that when it fails, it pops that bottom downwards versus exploding the tank sideways which could injure someone. Just a guess. And once a pinhole leak occurs, then you know the tank is done, time for a new tank. You could have kept using the tank till it leaked, IMO. These pictures of exploded ruptured tanks, showing tears throughout the metal surfaces, I don't think happened due to rust, they happened due to too much air pressure.

[@jeffro221]

Yup, they ALWAYS leak at a pinhole first, and NEVER just rupture and send shrapnel all over the room. Never from rust, always overpressure. Duhhhhhhh.

[@roberthance2412]

I am getting worried about my tank but i do not have money to replace it at this time . what i want to know is what tank failures are like at lower pressure like , my tank usually holds 120-130 lbs & i am sure that would be pretty sever if it let go but what if i only need to maintain 70 -80 lbs . how bad would that failure be . I assume the lower the pressure the less extreme the event might be .

[@googlreviews7813]

Yikes! I am freaked out now. I have a Snap-On 20 or 30 gal compressor from Costco, bought it roughly in 2015. Due to where it is in my garage, and getting at air/water drain screw is difficult. So I drain my air compressor about once a year, and there was likely a period in there where it went two years without draining. I runnit after cutting lawn, to blow off the tractor, air filter and rad screen etc... so it likely runs once a week for 15min or so. I am now nervous to use it again... Should I get rid of it? On the outside it looks like brand new bit obviously that's not where the failure comes from.

[@kimpliny]

I have a 13 gallon 5hp Campbell Hausfeld oil-free air compressor bought in 2001 still working perfectly in my garage. I only use it no more than twice every month to inflate the tires of my 2 cars. I leave the drain value open every time after usage. There is always only about a teaspoon to two of water come out during the drain and the water is clear. I am very happy with this air compressor but it has been 20 years old now. I started feeling a bit nervous every time as I run the air compressor worrying it might blow up due to its age. Just wondering if the clear drained water means that the integrity of tank remains in very good shape, or the air compressor needs to be replaced due to its age.. .

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

Its probably fine im sure. Maybe just keep it out of harms way when using if you want to be on the safe side.

[@kimpliny]

@@NoNonsenseKnowHow I was just thinking to place some kinds of buffer next to it.. in case..:). Thanks.

[@mikefennema5561]

I had a 13 gallon Campbell Hausfeld oil lubed compressor that develoved a pin hole at 17 years old. When I cut the tanks open there was a severly pitted area the length of the bottow. I'm glad I scraped it. Incidentally, the pit was part way up the side were the tank was shiny inside. it was were the longitudinal weld met the end bell weld.

[@nlimchua]

Helpful vid. Has anyone ever told you that you sound strikingly similar to the postman on cheers? Cause you certainly do (in a good way) !

[@martinstrickland8260]

Air compressor are suppose to be out doors ?

[@gittyupalice96]

so... whatta you do to prevent it in the first place? Because I've seen tanks that are regularly drained, off themselves at 10 years old. It seems draining the tank is not going to solve the problem.

[@robgraff]

coating the inside with epoxy paint when the compressor is new would be a good start.

[@pomonabill220]

Well I am going to replace my compressor regardless. I am going to take a peek inside just to see what the rust looks like though. It is too bad because it is an 80 gal. tank that i got at an auction, so I have NO idea how old (need to check the tag), or how it was treated. Two reasons to replace. 1) 80 gal takes a long time to fill and uses alot of electricity (3 H.P. motor) and 2) I really don't need the volume and 3) it is noisy (ok sue me for 3). I am going to get the super quiet Harbor Freight Fortress 26 gallon. That should be enough volume for what I do, and be good enough recovery and QUIET! I am also going to use an automatic solenoid drain so it will be good from the start. Would have been nice for a hydrostatic test to see how good the tank was, but from what you saw from the "samples", it was pretty thin!

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

Nice, sounds like you thought things through thorough in our making proper decisions. Yeah I should have hydro tested it but I guess I got a little lazy

[@jennifersugint]

Great video

[@terrypen]

3:35 Ummm that looks like the start of a killer smoker!!

[@theusconstitution1776]

I didn’t know that they made an automatic drain valve for a air compressor my compressor is only five or six years old but it’s in a place where I only get to it realistically 2×3 times a year I am going to invest in that AUTOMATIC DRAIN TODAY!!!

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

Yeah they are definitely a great thing to add to a compressor. Good move!

[@slowmo7993]

i wonder if its weaker on the bottom on purpose so if it does blow up it happens from the bottom then hopefully itll go up not out ward kill the rough and not me

[@ericneering6357]

Can you build these tanks? Do you know like auto copper pipe? I mean you get some 12 inch or 13 inch copper pipe and build your own take

[@nyaibobon39]

Thanks sir

[@paule.maurice1521]

That old tank would be great for sand blast sand

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

Yeah true! Ended up scrapping it

[@jayfromtexas6718]

Good information bro.

[@clarencewiles963]

Thumbs up 👍 tanks do get week ✅💥 you can’t put oil inside because then you can’t use it for painting. Water is in the air 😂

[@markkiser5120]

cage the tank!

[@jessesalcido2562]

Cool beans thanks!!

[@meconlimited3896]

I hate to tell you but the new tank will be rusting out as well. Your compressing moist air so depending on your humidity in the air this will be more or less. Those pressure vessels have not been treated on the inside with a paint system so they will rust out 🤷

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

I'll be doing an update video on the tank in the future with an internal inspection so we'll see how it looks. I believe having an automatic drain will help reduce the rate of rust.

[@meconlimited3896]

I think it needs a tank lining of some sort to resolve the issue

[@bhartley1024]

So I picked up a seized air compressor for $50 from a boatyard, the idiots had let it run out of oil. I looked up the model to see how much a new one would cost (around $800, BelAire 5026VP). I noticed that the model is discontinued. Now why did they need to discontinue this model? Was there some sort of breakthrough that rendered this one obsolete? Of course not. Is the model that replaced this one cheaper? No. More features? No. More efficient? No. You'd think after 120 years of this company making compressors, they could figure out a design that doesn't need changing every 10 years. It seems they don't make a 26gal compressor any more, so maybe this size wasn't selling well?

[@agnew82]

thanks

[@v4vauxhall498]

Think these tanks that you have shown have blown are result of faulty blow off.

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

That's possible. As I was showing in the video It's good to cycle to blow off valve every once in a while. If they sit for very long they get stuck in place and won't operate properly. Usually due to corrosion

[@onenikkione]

they use thinner metal on the bottom so that the bottom blows first and she goes up like a Rocket

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

I figured that use thinner metal on the bottom because the concave area is much less prone to failure and has much less stress. Versus the long flat Edge on the side of the tank

[@brianevans7486]

You sort of get a little slack and dont worry about it as a rule .But after watching some of the videos about this .I have just stopped useing my 20 year old tank .Im not even going to check it .In the bin it goes.You would want to be careful buying second hand ones .I would guess that the new ones should be safe up to 10 years .

[@rogergummer5173]

I think that you will find that the sperical end caps have half the rupturing forces on them compared to the cylindrical body. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_vessel#:~:text=Pressure%20vessels%20are%20held%20together,the%20thickness%20of%20the%20walls.

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

I would think that the body having severe rust would be way more damage than a spherical end

[@rogergummer5173]

hence the thinner walls on the end caps (as seen in the video).

[@thefretfiend]

Based on every source I've researched, if that tank had passed a hydrostatic test at 167% of its rated pressure, it would be acceptable to use. It would have been interesting to see just how much pressure that tank would have held before failing during a hydrostatic test.

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

Yeah I wish I didn't cut it open without doing a test first. But at that time the video had like no views or any interest and I was cleaning house a little bit

[@SLeslie]

I wish you had done the pressure test until failure...

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

I wish I did too actually. I was too jammed up with other stuff and skipped it. Darn

[@blackf350]

Might not hurt to POR-15 the inside of a tank to help prevent rusting

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

I think if it was done for the factory that would be a good call. Then again por-15 is meant for painting on top of rust only right? They do sell tanks that have rust preventive coatings

[@blackf350]

@@NoNonsenseKnowHowPor-15 can also be used to protect new metal also, but if they sell tanks with coatings I guess it would come down to cost

[@delvinmartinda7852]

2:32 find it so funny😂😂😂

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

Haha, yeah that guy is hilarious

[@mattreichling2057]

@@NoNonsenseKnowHow that clip is hilarious. What video is that from originally?

[@delvinmartinda7852]

🔥 video

[@chuckaule6292]

makes me want to make a plywood box to keep my tank parked in just in case it goes kaboom, then at least i might not catch some shrapnel lol

[@mikefennema5561]

Plywood will not protect you from the huge explosive forces involved.

[@bhartley1024]

Hmm, if only there was a steel tank that can hold pressurized water for 20 years without rusting through. Oh yeah, that's a water heater tank. Seriously, air compressor manufacturers could coat their tanks with glass enamel like the water heater companies do. Maybe even sacrificial anodes too. Guess they'd sell less tanks if they did that. What a sad state of affairs.

[@Hojjiifp]

It is all about manufacturing standards and quality control. We want cheap products we will get shiiiit and more accidents and create more trash.

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

You should start building some quality tanks. I would buy one

[@MuhammadTayyab-iv4rd]

Why dont they spray antirust coating inside the tank when they are sure and prone to have moisture .... why leave the bare metal ..... you dont need a PhD to keep this consideration while mass manufacturing such product.

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

Some higher-end tanks have coatings in them. But yes I agree they should do that

[@felixcat9318]

It would increase the cost greatly and slow up the production process. Its all about getting them out the door, ironically, if the exterior paint they use was applied internally it'd be a much better product!

[@DeviloftheHelll]

@@felixcat9318 airbrake tanks are coated internally, and yet they still cheaper then an uncoated regular air compressor tank

[@felixcat9318]

@@DeviloftheHelll I am surprised at that, as I would have thought they'd cost more! Caswell 2 part epoxy tank sealer seems to be receiving excellent reviews from buyers, so I'll probably use that brand. Because compressed air tanks and motorcycle fuel tanks are different, I think it best to contact them to confirm that their product is suitable for my intended application.

[@towersrus]

Ultrasonic thickness gauge

[@blackout7615]

If only manufactures would charge us $10 nore and .ame the bottom out of stsinless steel. Thats the part where it would rust first and would prevent 99 percent of the oroblem.

[@siriosstar4789]

When in doubt ,,, throw it out !

[@lestergillis8171]

Thin enough to scrap it...

[@kenbakker3241]

If in doubt...throw it out.

[@landbarron1420]

Add about 4 inches to the diameter of the hole you cut. That is where mine blew out. NOT Fun!!

[@davidparker9676]

If the tank fails, it will typically rip it open like the one in the old man's video.