I have a California Airtools twin cylinder piston rig, am wondering if when it’s not in use, would I want to leave the drain valve open, or closed? When not in use it resides in my attached but unheated garage in wet Oregon, garage never freezes but does get cold, I never see moisture on anything in there. I’m not clear on which would be most likely to allow moisture to form in the tank, would leaving the drain open allow more moisture in, or with it closed would the tank tend to sweat more internally with temperature changes. Can’t decide. Someone out there will know I’ll bet. Thanks, Patrick
Id leave it in, drain it before you use it again but I bet it’s dry. Murphy says if you leave it out it will vanish.
Cheers from Mick.
Thanks, Mick. The valve is a handle type, even I would hard pressed to lose it as it’s screwed in, nearly Patrick proof without using a wrench.
Even after extended periods of use, I’ve never seen more than a VERY SLIGHT mist of moisture exit the valve when draining, I’m sure you’re correct saying it will likely be dry when using again. Let’s see if anyone else has an opinion, (must be a scientist out there.)
Cheers back at’cha, Patrick
What is it your worried about? if its rust I think the tank would take a lot longer to rust out than the mechanics to die of old age.
Mick- I get your point and it’s very valid, likely not much chance of a real problem, however this has an aluminum tank, a far different matter when compared to steel I think. While in military service I saw the aftermath of an exploded tank, internal corrosion caused it and it was a dramatic result. I’ve been rather cautious and concerned ever since.
Seems the older I get, the more interested I become in continuing the trend. I do hope they coated the interior with some corrosion preventative material when assembled.
The best, Patrick
I had a friend who use to put oil in his tank to stop corrosion, just enough to swish around the bottom, don’t know if it works or not but I can’t see it harming anything or getting into the air stream, maybe a compressor expert will chime in with advice. Aluminium tank, I thought steel would be a far better option for a pressure vessel.
Cheers Patrick.