Making a Reserve Air Tank From a Dead Compressor

[@Void-gn9zm]

Thank you!!! Finally a video that is straight to the point and clear on this! No nonsense.

[@AniBuster]

I have a 22gal kobalt compressor that has the exact same garbage motor/pump assembly as the one you have with the exact holes and threads too. I chuckled as soon as I saw your compressor. What a coincidence to find your video. No one sells the motor assembly anywhere. For my project, I used a 3gal pancake compressor to fill my 22gal tank. Removed everything from my tank like you did, but I went super cheap with my setup. On one side I have the same as you, shut off valve and quick disconnect. The other I used the 1/2 to 1/4 converter and have a second quick disconnect. No pressure gauge since I could use my small compressor to tell me the pressure in the big tank. You can find all parts in the 'air compressor aisle' in home depot or lowes. $20 well spent. Takes like 15min to fill my tank though. lol

[@invictusbp1prop143]

The specs on the valve mean that the seals inside the valve are PTFE, or Teflon. Use 3 turns of Teflon tape then slather it in pipe dope for air fittings. It’ll seal up every time. Keep in mind that you’re dealing with tapered threads so sometimes a little leak just needs a little bit bigger wrench and the fitting snugged down to stop a small leak.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

This is on the agenda this season. The big compressor is in the boiler room in the heated area,but i still work in the unheated area during the winter. So of course,after 10mins of air tool use ,the line starts to ice up and choke flow. Since ive got a dead craftsman 40 gallon compressor,im gonna run the shop air into that to try and alleviate some of the moisture issue and see what happens.

[@8307c4]

Lol I bought that same compressor and ended up doing the same thing you did with it... Tried to fix it first as well, I recognize a lot of the sights in this video.

[@dekurvajo]

Same here. Not the exact same brand but the exact same design. The motor actually looked like an angle grinder or a router motor. Very high rpm, huge transmission.

[@scarpia519]

Good Job!! One of the few aux tank set ups that is done correctly. I have the same tank, from an old non-working Coleman oil-less 30 gallon compressor. There an an abundance of videos where guys use a Tee-connection which just blows air from one side of the tee through the other side, of course, some air from inside the tank will be discharged but the majority of air is just passed through. To be a useful aux tank supplying air, it must have two ports, one an inlet (his left port) and one a separate outlet (his right). With that sort of set up, as shown here, ALL air must discharge through the outlet port.

[@billyb351]

I also would like to be able to move this tank around with a full charge of air. Can't do that with just a tee connection.

[@jabber12121]

Not true. If you tee an additional tank into your system you're still adding that additional volume of air at your set pressure. When your compressor runs anything after your first regulator will build to your set pressure weather you have an in and an out or just tee it in. It works well with something that requires a high cfm like a blast cabinet because you have that additional volume of air pressurized. It's essentially no different either way. What he did just works best if you plan on making it mobile. I personally have my aux tank in the attic of my garage out of the way and running a designated in and out line would just be a waste of pipe.

[@scarpia519]

@@jabber12121 If I read your comments correctly, the pressure with a Tee is the same in both tanks and yes there will be some useful air released from the aux tank but not nearly as much if there are separate inlet and outlet ports. In that setup, like I said above ALL air must go through the aux tank, whereas in the Tee setup, some air is blown trough the Tee and not through the aux tank.

[@jabber12121]

@@scarpia519 That's not true though. Look at it this way, air moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure until the pressure is equalized. Say you pull the trigger on your blasting gun, that creates a low pressure environment at that point. Because of this, all air in the system (assuming it's all pressurized the same) will flow to that point equally. It wouldn't affect your air production or max pressure from the compressor itself obviously but an auxiliary tank would most definitely function the same if tee'd in.

[@johnambler6924]

Instead of the plug why not put another quick connect so you can run 2 air hoses

[@danielstrader6933]

JUST PERFECT

[@larryjones6049]

The pipe dope works better. I use rector seal t plus2. Thanks

[@HurricaneJD]

I used to work at a hardware store and there's a lot of people that don't realize that there are different thread types there's your normal pipe thread and then there is also garden hose thread and there is also compression thread and there's also flare thread which is usually for gas and stuff and then there's a lot of things that have their own proprietary threading that nothing else will fit on and if I remember correctly I think the toilet has its own thread for the water intake

[@angrydragonslayer]

Depending on where you are, your toilet water threads might be different from mine There's NA, SA, africa+europe, india, and SEA as regions with different threads Russia might be going back to their own old standard due to.... Reasons.... As well

[@invictusbp1prop143]

American standard 7/8 ballcock thread on all toilets here…idk if anything else is threaded that size, but any and all supply lines need to be whatever size is on your valve (probably 1/4” compression) x 7/8 ballcock. Yes that’s what it’s called. Find the hone depot employee who knows nothing ask for it by name…. I need a hose to hook onto my ballcock, can you help me? Indeed all these threads you mention are common and do not interchange. I worked at hardware store in Murphy younger days to and it’s shocking how many people have no idea… and dont forget your SAE bolt fine and course threads as well as metric bolt fine and course. All of the above can be differentiated by sight and do not intermingle. I even had guys come in trying to piece together odd little projects and tell me they needed some nut thingies to go with screws like….”this” and they’d pull out a wood screw or a sheet metal screw. One guy got made and said I was stupid because I didn’t understand that he just needed the nuts for the size of screw he brought in and wouldn’t accept that there was no such thing as a wood screw threaded nut. Air fittings should be NPT (pipe thread) and compression fittings on copper tubing. Flare fittings are for gas but some older houses have them on ice maker water lines…and double flares for pressurized hydraulic tubing like on car brakes. They need special tool to flare the lines. No Teflon or pile dope on compression or flare fittings. Never. Ever. Never ever. The nut holds the flare tight against the fitting to seal it and anything in the threads can make them not all lay flat so the surfaces make the seal…sane with compression, the ferrule seals to the inside surface of the fitting and they’re held together by the nut. Teflon AND pipe dope on pipe threads, which are tapered and the thread dressings are just to get them to screw together without galling, they need to be cranked down good to get good seal on the threads. That’s all for thread talk today…join us next week for pvc threads…and don’t forget our end of season finale where we’ll discuss reverse threads, hose threads, and taps & dies.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

​@@invictusbp1prop143 1/8npt and 1/8bsp makes me chuckle. 1 thread difference between the 2. In a pinch, you can interchange them once , as when they're removed the fittings will have a boogered thread. As long as it doesn't have to be messed with ,I've put a 1/8npt brass fitting into a 1/8bsp fitting. Sometimes you'll get lucky and a good tap and die sets has a 1/8npt and a bsp tap and die and you can clean either up to the threads you want. I wouldn't do it on the space shuttle but it's good for when you're in a pinch.

[@alain-patrick6639]

Thanks for the video, but where did you connect the hose to the compressor?

[@BrucesShop]

The only thing is my mind is that the compressor will heat up trying to fill the second tank at the same time. I leave my compressor unplugged but pressured up over night so it doesn't have to work filling everything at once. . I always drain the moisture. More air volume is always the quest. Right? They use that drying glue from the factory and it is tough to work with (I am a fan of teflon tape) Good luck

[@billyb351]

I often leave my compressor filled up as well. I drain it when I know I won't be using it for a while. I've thought about the heating up part as well. I plan to stub out a second connection to my compressor which will go to the reserve tank. I'll only use the reserve tank when I could benefit from more air (i.e. framing nailer when I use it a whole lot in a short burst). I remember when building my shed having to wait for the compressor to get those last few nails in. It was always at the most inconvenient time like when I'm trying to secure a piece of roof sheathing lol. The wire wheel on the die grinder drains the tank really fast too. I'm always waiting. I've also heard that start stop cycles put wear on the motor and pump so a longer run but less start stop cycles puts somewhat less wear on the motor and pump. I'm not sure about that statement though. More heat might be worse, but then again, it draws a whole lot of power to start that motor up and get the pump going, so I really am not sure. Thanks for watching and commenting! Looking forward to your next video.

[@BrucesShop]

@@billyb351 Well I know you are a smart guy but I threw in my 2 cents worth. You will enjoy your larger volume of air. I finally got a good size compressor with more than 30 gal. All the Best Bill

[@trevorculbertculbert8357]

Like

[@jc3745]

Great project. I'd suggest your valve on the reserve tank is upside down. Lever should go up to open.

[@invictusbp1prop143]

Not like it matters…handle in line, it’s open, handle cross the line, it’s closed. Not all that technical.

[@rchokelal]

Perfect. I have a sm all 10 gal compressor and I want to convert it to a reserve tank.

[@silentscribes]

Great job!

[@RichFromCali8]

any way you can type out a list of your materials used?

[@larryjones6049]

Wd40 cleans the dope easy.

[@johnnymack8442]

You could put a fridge motor on it to make it a compressor again

[@dekurvajo]

Possible, but the amount of work wont solve a damn thing, because you need ages to fill up a tank like that with a single fidge compressor. Yes it could help a little bit to the another compressor, especially in downtimes, but that's insignificant if you want continuous work.

[@maldoggseekmangi5964]

Hey there ! So quick question., can this setup work if I had a smaller compressor to fill a bigger tank ? ...e.g like double the size of the smaller compressor tank..?

[@billyb351]

Yes it would work. Just make sure the motor doesn't get too hot. It shouldn't if it's a decent compressor. Also you would be saving some wear and tear on your motor. Most of the wear comes from the compressor turning on, not really while it's running.

[@kevinlowe4845]

great job man

[@javig5045]

Why do air tanks need a regulator, I've seen old butane tanks used for air tanks without regulators?

[@obione4255]

Could you tell me the materials I need for this project? I wanna do it so bad, you are awesome!

[@mrlaw711]

Excellent!

[@josemanueljimenezpadilla3136]

Nice job . Great tips . Regards

[@StevenfromTX]

Is it just me, or did someone steal the motor from the lawn mower about two minutes into this video?

[@Randymerino]

Will the first tank turn off via pressure diaphragm once both tanks hit pressure?

[@BIGMEME_Retro.trance]

Thread tape and pipe dope will guarantee no leaks

[@rosiesalinas978]

I did the same thing haha spray gun never went under 74 psi I holded for 5 minutes and never went below 74 psi

[@e.apollis2877]

2:48 my mother was asking me what i was watching😨

[@rayaldridge2506]

Hi Bill, This was a very informative video on how to repurpose an old (but still useful) air tank. My question is, since you already had a male end on the inlet side of the tank, why did you need to make an air transfer hose? Couldn't you just plug the female end of the compressor hose into the male air inlet connector on the reserve air tank? Just a thought. Thanks for sharing your video.

[@billyb351]

Yes, that would work, but I wanted to be able to use the tank in parallel with the main compressor. I connect the compressor hose to a T and then the transfer hose from the spare tank to the T. The output of the T goes to a high quality regulator. I removed the regulator on the main compressor so I get full pressure in the spare tank. Doing it this way I am able to remove the spare tank from the system at will and still have an operable system.

[@rayaldridge2506]

@@billyb351 Thank you for your reply. I see that your plan for the reserve tank goes beyond what is shown in the video. By adding additional components (T's and a new regulator). That would have made a good Part 2 video. Thanks again.

[@johnambler6924]

​@@billyb351 instead of the plug why not just put another quick connect so you can run 2 air hoses

[@billyb351]

@@johnambler6924 I could have definitely done that but I don't need a second hose right now (and I didn't want to burn another quick connect that I wouldn't use right away). If in the future I find a second hose would be useful I'll take out the plug and put another connector.

[@dennisneuhaus2607]

What is the brand name of the old tank. I am just starting this project on my defunct Craftsman Evolv 3 gal tank. The configuration is not the same. I also am wondering if I can make one side of the manifold the in and use the original as the out. I would like to move the release valve to another port. Comments/Suggestions?

[@kennethpierce7304]

I’m wondering how many cycles did the air compressor run to fill both 26 gallon tanks ? Also what is the duty cycle of the compressor ?

[@dekurvajo]

Its a good question and i heard different answers for that. Some people says, its actually better for the motor to run a bit longer than kicking in more often. The best solution for me (with the exact same setup in this video) to lower both value on the kick in/kick off pressure. But my case is probably special, because i need very low pressure (2 bars) as long as its possible. So i will reduce the kick in pressure from 6 down to 2.5 bars, and the kick off pressure from 8 down to 6Bar. In between this range the motor does not suffers and only runs just a bit longer than usual, yet kicks in way less

[@Ulr149tw21]

thinking about doing the could that system paint a whole car anyone knows of this compressor hoteche and is it any good

[@skippergilligan8800]

If i run a input and output on my 2nd tank from and to my first tank, would i be able to use 1st tanks controls as normal? I would still b getting greater air capacity right?

[@billyb351]

All you need is one run from the input of the second tank to the first tank. You have to connect it before the regulator control on the first tank. That's the key, you have to make the connection before that to get the most use out of it. In other words the air in both tanks needs to be free to flow between the two tanks before the pressure controls.

[@haizarahmad]

Can I use larger tank for external. I mean my current air compressor is 8 gallon, and want to add 26 gallon for external tank? can it fill the larger tank? additional my current air compressor generates 64gallon per min (2000+ Rpm) although it was small

[@billyb351]

Yes, your compressor can be used to fill up the larger tank. You might actually save some wear on the motor doing that because it will run longer and cycle less. Startup is where most of the wear on a compressor motor comes from.

[@haizarahmad]

@@billyb351 wow didn't expect that is so easy than i thought. by the way, is it safe? I'm very keen to upgrade my compressor. the motor is a lot faster than larger compressor motor... (came with 1250w) About the wear, I might let the filled air in the tank. Only once a week will throw all the air out for maintenance. I guess it will save a lot of energy and wear. Right?

[@billyb351]

@@haizarahmad The only thing you have to worry about is heat. The longer a motor runs, the more heat it makes, however the motor should be able to cool itself. Think about it though... if you're heavily using the compressor, the motor is running 100% of the time as it tries to keep up. This is no different. There are fins and a fan in there. I've been running this setup for a year now and I haven't had any problems at all. You will benefit from the larger air volume for sure. As long as the external tank is sound and you don't exceed the maximum pressure rating of the external tank, it's safe. It's best when the external tank is the same rating or higher rated than the compressor.

[@haizarahmad]

@@billyb351 probably used to spray a car. I think the motor will run often if i keep using stocked 8 gallon tank. And im sure it generate more heat from that, mine was silence motor. Thinks the 26 gallon compressor here using belt motor and it surely heat resist as the motor not attached to the tank. What do you think... should i just upgrade to belt motor compressor?

[@billyb351]

@@haizarahmad I think you could make the reserve tank and see how it does. You can always upgrade the compressor after that. You could use the reserve tank with the new compressor as well for even more capacity. The reserve tank in this video is 26 gallons, and my compressor also has a 26 gallon tank so I have 52 gallons of air available.

[@torowazup1]

Perfect 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@nills666]

Why there is no need for the check valve?

[@billyb351]

If you mean the spring loaded safety valve, that was already part of the regulator assembly. You can see it at kzbin.info/www/bejne/opOmY4WvfK6ljJY (4:28) in the video. There is a shutoff valve on the inlet, and the quick disconnect on the outlet of the regulator. Those are really the only 3 things that are needed.

[@papergatorzfedducca7998]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@dginta7932]

Pipe dope always leaks on me…

[@organicvids]

Remove valve. Not really needed.

[@losrodriguez4212]

You could use it as a portable air tank with the ball valve.

[@richardtemby4358]

Tidy job but could have been done with significantly less fittings. The more joints then more chances to leak. Also a good idea to not put paste jointing compound under pressure for a few hours. Just sayin!!!

[@albertstowel8613]

Dude I just watched, and thought the same thing, dude has more fittings than a pipe i had in the 70s at least 8 people were able to smoke