Once the bung started leaking, you should have thrown the tank out. I have been an air compressor mechanic for 35 years. They always start with a rust pinhole on the bottom or by the legs. Sometimes people wire the tank safeties shut, instead of replacing them, because the spring goes bad and they pop off at a lower psi. The pressure switch contacts can weld themselves together, causing the unit to overpressurize, a working tank safety helps in that situation. Tap on your tanks with a small hammer , when they are empty. You should get a higher pitch pinging sound if the metal is good all around the tank. As you move to the bottom of the tank and the pitch changes to more of a thud, the metal is getting thin. I start getting nervous around tanks that are 30+ years old. The larger industrial tanks, 120+ gallons are usually more heavy duty with thicker walls and last much longer than the cheaper models like these.
Hi Michael, Seeing the horror and checking videos on this issue just triggered me to write a full guide on Air Compressor Explosion issue. Would you mind if we can discuss. I would like to add your thoughts and your name on our blog. I am also contractor and working with air compressors for over 10 years.
For a air compressor mechanic of 35 years. You should be able to tell right away why it exploded. Also the same reason they begin to rust around the fittings and release valves. A huge step in the upkeep of air compressors. Which needs to be done more often the more the compressor is being used.... which is releasing the condensation inside the tank. The reason they build rust on the inside of the tank is due to condensation building and sitting in the tank. If you do this(releasing the condensation) often enough through out the tanks lifespan. It won't rust on the inside. Because the condensation doesn't have time to oxidized the metal. Your tools will stay shiny if you only let air hit them. But put them In water and let them sit out and you can watch the metal oxidized and rust over time... tapping the metal tank to hear that high pitch tone is so you can hear how rusted the inside is. And huge red flag(for small tanks) is if you pick it up and can literally hear water. You should never hear water n if you do then your not releasing the condensation enough or properly...
@@bobbyhandley5581 Even if you use the release valve after every use you can't get all the water out. The bottom of the tank stays moist for a longer period of time each time. I have a brand new air compressor which has already light brown coloured water spraying out the release valve. That's an indication for me that rust started to appear.
@@2lbsTrigrPull actually most tanks have the valve at the bottom of the tank sloped towards the valve. So when condensation forms and drips down. It'll start pooling at the release valve. Not sure what your definition of new is. But considering that your tank is releasing brown water already you don't drain very often. If you don't drain daily(if used alot or daily) or drain after every use(if used less often) you can expect the water to start coming up brown after 2 to 4 weeks. This doesn't happen when you drain it everyday. When you drain the condensation out it is recommended to leave the release valve open for a couple(or over night) hours to allow air flow and let the inside to dry. Releasing the condensation from your tank every day and keeping the valve open over night before closing it and using it again the following day will keep corrosion from beginning.(steel take 2-4 days for corrosion to begin in those conditions. Faster in high humid areas/slower in low humidity.) So you don't drain often enough at all. And if you keep that up 👆 what happened in this video will happen to your tank. 0
My deepest respect for you and your capability of admitting a mistake you made. Especially a mistake, which was pointed out by someone else. Too rare these days and a sign of a developed character. Also, thank you for the information here for you and all the constructive comments in this thread. I have learned a lot in a very short time period.
A few things: 1) I am just like you - Used the living-crap out of my 30-yr old Craftsman compressor. I have maintained it well replacing valves, gauges, and pressure-sensor, but only occasional drainings. Why? Because it's stationary, and I use it almost EVERYDAY. It's literally on all the time. 2) Hotter air can hold a lot more water, and cooling the air causes condensation. Air dryers & oilers are typically at the output of the compressor, to prevent sending water vapor down the hose. That will result in tools rusting on the inside or contaminated paint, etc. But, you still end up with water in the tank...it's unavoidable without expensive pre-stages of air conditioning. 3) Residential tanks are relatively thin-walled steel. The welds are typically stronger than the sheet metal and are more rigid. Thermal cycling (expansion & contraction) plus vibration/pressure stress, & rust weakens the metal next to welds over time. (This is NOT limited to tanks, most failures occur this way.) So, what fails is adjacent to the weld. Welds get blamed unfairly IMO. 4) Pressure is what kills the tank. It's like a balloon that can't expand much. When it's under very high-pressure, she's looking for the weakest area to expand & blow out. They ARE all getting less-safe over time. 5) Consider turning DOWN the automatic pressure cut-off switch. I lowered mine to 100-lbs years ago for the reasons above. Bottom line: I'll be replacing my compressor soon. It's time. Thanks for the videos!
I had a very similar experience to yours with a very similar compressor. It was sitting like yours in front of the closed man door near the open garage door. It had finished it's cycle and had quit pumping and I heard a hiss coming from the underside. I walked over to check it out thinking the petcock wasn't fully closed. I lifted the compressor by the handle and found a pinhole had rusted out in the bottom of the tank as I rubbed my finger over it. I figured the hole would slowly rust out bigger (no big deal) and so I set the compressor back down and went back to checking the air in the tires of my truck which was nosed up outside the garage door. I was crouched down (shielded by the truck) adding air to the front tire when the compressor kicked back on to pressure up and it exploded. When I saw what had happened, I couldn't help but think I was hovering over it a few minutes earlier. Mine did little damage to it's surroundings but had the same torn beer can look as yours did. I also noticed a scuff mark on your wall (previous videos) from the tire. Mine had the hard plastic cleated wheels like those used on many self propelled lawn mowers. I include this because the wheel creased an impression in the bottom of the metal door similar to the pattern you have on your wall. Incredible force...Would've taken my head off
Holy crap. I have a similar compressor. Very old Craftsman 10 gal. You guys are scaring me now. I never heard of this shit happening. Mine is surrounded on two sides by a cinderbock wall. I may close in the other 2 sides. If it goes it can only go up. But it's under a heavy duty garage shelf unit so it should be safe. Also if I enclose it, I will put sound board and padding on inside. This will also make it quiet.
I think the serial number includes the date of manufacture. Looks to be 6/13/2000. I've seen this on other compressors as well. Watched all your videos and so glad you weren't hurt. Too bad you couldn't donate the wrecked tank to some sort of safety training company or send back to Husky or whoever made the air receiver. This would make a great class for maintenance and mechanical workers. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
Sounds like the unit lived beyond the expected life span, Thanks for the info, I just dragged my 30 year old craftsman to the curb and got a newer compressor thanks to your video.
Great series of videos, thank you for sharing. Seems the biggest take away is that these things rust out from the inside and you can't tell how thin it's getting on the inside where you can't see.
I think he said he also drained it regularly Thank you very much for being so respectful and considerate to make a followup video. I just bought a compressor, and was thinking about welding feet to it - I changed my mind
My thoughts. The unit had thousands of pressurize/depressurize cycles on the tank. This will work harden the metal, making it brittle and susceptible to cracking. The condensate caused corrosion in the bottom of the tank providing a stress riser which allowed a crack to develop in the work hardened metal. The point of failure is, as would be expected in the bottom where the condensate would sit. This is one of those failures that was a 'when will it happen' as opposed to 'if it will happen'.
It is obvious that you have only limited knowledge of what you are talking about. For instance, most quality tanks are designed to explode at a seam in the bottom as well as have a bung at the bottom designed to fail at a lower pressure than the rest of the tank. This guy is just so smart he welded the bung. The seam is so the tank explodes "up" rather than "out." There are a lot of things you do not know about the products you use and you might want to learn about them before making crude comments based on the normal procedures of a professional, not some dropout who is just smarter than we educated "elites."
I know this is late but I have only just become aware of your videos. First of all I am so glad that no one was hurt in this incident. This was bad enough without adding injury or death to it. I want to thank you for doing these videos. The first thing I noticed was you did not lace them with profanity and language that no one really wants to hear. You did a fantastic job of not pointing fingers at anyone other than yourself. These days the first thing most people want to do is point a finger and lash out with a vocabulary that means absolutely nothing. So thank you sir for saying what you wanted to say with a vocabulary that was to the point and concise and without making those of us who listened want to take a shower afterward. I have worked around compressors all my life and your incident will make me take notice of the one I have in my little shop right now. It is about thirty years old and has had regular maintenance. I drain it about once a week and check the safety valve and switch. But that doesn't mean it is any safer than the one you had. As for yours and how it happened? I figure rust is where it gave up first and then the rest of the damage progressed from there. My opinion only.
Root cause: These tanks are meant to be drained after every use as noted in the instructions manual, otherwise the humidity in the air will collect inside as water and corrode the internals. These compresors are meant for a DIY ocassional use, not for a shop on a high use rate where water purging is not feasible or practical. I' m glad nobody was hurt.
It's impossible to get all the moisture out of a compressor tank. Best you can do is keep standing water from sitting in the bottom by purging, but it'll still be damp, causing rust.
@@chris2790 not exactly. After you drain the water when you depressurize it, the air inside is now unsaturated, low humidity air, and the remaining trace water should vaporize into the air phase as the pressure is lowered. Which is why you always drain it after every use and depressurize it.
Dudes! I am SOOO grateful for this video!!!! (and all the knowledgeable comments) I have the same compressor, upright version - 24 years old, rusted bottom valve that I welded too- and it is/has been in a VERY dangerous proximity to users (my family/kids , attached to the house shop-almost daily)
Good on you for posting, mate. Glad you and yours are ok! Remember to drain the tank daily to prevent rust and eventual explosion. Have your tanks pressure-tested periodically to make sure they're not weakened.
I once fabricated my own pressure vessel out of a big 1/4" steel tube and welded ends on it. Tested it by filling it with sand and running it till the motor stalled with my fingers in my ears. That was before health and safety was a thing. That compressor is still in use 40+ years later as far as I know.
Health and safety have always been a "thing" but it is eclipsed by guys like you who are just so much smarter than the rest of us. You simply prove that Darwin was right!
No it hasn't. I was there.@@superbmediacontentcreator
Před 2 lety
Very good, I had seeing the first video and brougth over the table some possible causes for this near miss, but in this video you have responded what certainly does not happend, and bring to us a new info about the weld, and this one is really a good cause associated with thinner thickness on the vesssel bottom side. I will be using your videos to multiply the info with more people and warning about the potential hazard.
Noting the thinness of the metal on the bottom of the tank as compared to the top and the amount of rust that shot out in you're previous video. I'd say rust was the culprit that compromised the metal. I wish they would line these tanks similar to how a motorcycle gas tank is lined. Good information and thanks for sharing.
Purge the air every day. Leave the drain valve open until next days use. Never leave residual air in the tank ever for prolonged hours. A tank may be safety certified this and certified that. But the constant ramping up and down of the pressure takes its toll. There's always going to be moisture trapped in an air compressor tank if under light or great pressure. Some tanks also have expiration dates. Is surprising that none of these tanks aren't double walled in the event of an explosion
Looks like three possibilities or a combination of them. #1 Don't ever alter a tank. Even if it didn't fail at that place it could have changed the temper. #2 Rust. #3 Plain old metal fatigue. In dive tanks (they go up to 2200 psi) they are visually inspected inside and then put into a tank full of water and pressurized. The water level is measured for change. This is done every 3 years for aluminum and 5 years for steel. You learned the valuable lesson of the power of potential energy.
I added an aftercooler to my compressor as well as an inline water trap that goes just before the air pipe goes into the tank. The water trap is automatic. I also hit the bottom drain every couple of days to just to make sure the air inside it dry. In the last few weeks since I made the upgrades and additions, there has been NO water in the bottom of the tank. I am glad you are ok.
@@TheOkiedodge I have always switched out the blow-off valves for ones only slightly higher than the maximum working pressure I might use. This has always been 50-100 psi lower than what comes with the tank. You can always switch it for special circumstances. Some guys wrap heat tape around the tank and use it when they drain the tank leaving the petcock open for a few hours to positively dry it inside. A lot of painters swear by this as they claim it makes their air even dryer inside even with a top-notch descendent apparatus. Good luck and stay safe...
I inherited one with a crack on the bottom seam, it was decades old. I tossed it but I was begged to keep it because a friend thought he could just weld a plate over the seam and call it good. I drilled a hole in it and took it to the dump.
Main thing is you are ok thx for giving us a heads up.....there are many of us like me who is looking on buying a used one online god knows whats been done to it and how its been used....thank you
Safety tip: never weld on any pressure tank of any kind. That causes heat cycle stressing in the metal which can severely weaken the metal. I noticed some really nasty welds on a drain repair of this compressor. Metal of unknown origins were used in the making of this compressor. It's a budget brand of dubious quality.
Imho welding is not a problem when you apply proper anticorrosion measures AND make a pressure withstanding test at around 150% of the regular operational pressure. Pressure tests are quite simply done with pumping water into the vessel with a high pressure manual pump or if at hand a high pressure cleaner attaches tightly to the vessel. This also checks the overpressure safety valve.
@@ghlscitel6714 Technically it is illegal to weld a pressure vessel without the proper certification so yes welding a pressure vessel without the proper certifications is a very dangerous and dumb thing to do. If you do weld a compressor and it blows up and someone gets hurt you are 100% at fault and will get fucked in the court room.
@@ghlscitel6714 ASME Standards Now it's illegal for welders to work on boilers and pressure tanks without the proper codes and it's illegal for you to own and use a tank that was made by an unqualified welder.
It was welded when they made it , so what about welding a new bracket / motor mount/ pump mount plate ? I have a 30 gallon upright tank & want to have the plate from my old horizontal tank welded to the top of it , I have a friend who's been welding industrial washing machine tanks / 200 - 600 gallon tanks, daily , for over 15 years, it's unsafe to have her weld it ?
I never had any experience of exploding compressor tank. My friend gave me a VERY OLD compressor tank which I believe it was about 50 or 60 gallons horizontal tank built in 1941. It was about 55 years old at the time. Fast forward to later, I had increasing concern after having it for many years that it became around 70 years old and had been containing 165psi of pressure into it. Tank was rated 200psi when new. Knowing how over time that the tank will rust out, especially at the bottom. Of course, I replaced the valve at the bottom, safety valve, and pressure switch when I first got it. Finally after it became about 71-72 years old, I decided to retire it and give it away with a warning to use it at your own risk and use a different compressor. It was a workhorse and it wasn't leaking but just removed from service out of safety precaution.
Thank for your series of videos on this. Just thankful no one was hurt. I've worked around pressurised equipment for 45 years. Seen a few pipes / hoses blow but nothing like this. I wonder if you will see any other split compressors at the scrap yard .
You would have to go daily since scrap yards take everything from tanks washing machine, cars any thing that steal. Even more looking at anything old in scrap yard very dangerous since in huge pile if sharp steal or JIT dumpster. I also have felling he ran compressor to high. That style for low pressure operation like painting. Higher pressure have several tanks or pancakes.
But it depends how many times it used to my knowledge because I have a 60 gallon 11 years old use it like 20 times and now I am thinking it can blow up kind of scary.
I have a cheap Chinese compressor in the garage mainly for air tools and compressed air for cleaning/drying things. I always thought an air dryer was critical for spray painting but hadn't thought of the potential risk of moisture rusting out the cylinder. Great warning for everyone here, I am about to do an inspection and I might consider replacing mine for safety as they are so cheap and mine would be over 10 years old.
Never mind Texas Chainsaw Massacre, there`s a better film script here, where all the country`s tanks suddenly explode, including the ones fitted to trucks. I`m pleased you covered this, I bought a similar-sized & type compressor. I had planned to make a special coup for it next to my wooden shed/workshop, once I commission the compressor.....but now it`ll live in the spinney thirty feet away, behind a substantial guard and I`ll pipe the air over to my shed/workshop. Will also invest in a colonoscopy camera to insert through the end bung holes and take a look-see.
I've got a 5hp upright with a crack on bottom near drain valve. Was going to weld it but after watching your video I think now I'm going to invest in a new tank.
My compressors all get used frequently and hard my compressors are not new they are all at least 20+ years old commercial air compressors. I have never had any problems like this yet I have known people who have had tanks fail and split or break because one of the pressure relief valves for shut off inside the switch or the pop off aka pressure relief on the tank on their compressor was stuck inside. One at a service station did blow the dog house cover off and the tank ruptured it was a similar size/design of compressor. As for rust inside of the tank I clean the inside of my tanks with Ospho first, and seal the inside of my tanks with red GE insulating varnish myself. This really helps prevent them from rusting inside. On the outside I have always kept a compressor as clean as possible and waxed. Pull my switches apart and service/clean/lubricate them every year. Moisture drained from the tank after use. I worked for an electric apparatus repair shop and we fixed many compressors there. We repaired both industrial and home owner compressors new models to ones made as old as in the teens. Never ever did I see anything like this. Personally I think you should have contacted the manufacturer because this is not normal. I think that tank was defective or something on that compressor was defective to cause this. Sure they rust through these days and you have to toss one or replace a tank yet this is one of those never normally happens events. I have seen compressors pump themselves up to the point to where they probably should have split the tank the pumps lock up blowing a fuse or ruining the belts happens a lot of the time. The shop air compressor is probably the most neglected, never serviced, never cleaned tool in any shop. They are usually placed outside because they are noisy, they take up space, nobody wants to look at one, and for fire safety reasons especially if that compressor is making air for a dusty or dirty environment. At least nobody was hurt or injured.
Glad everyone is okay. You learned some lessons and everyone was un harmed. Could’ve been MUCH worse. Thanks for the update. I think I’m gonna replace mine every 10 years
hi 610moto have you become a flat earther yet? If not I suggest watch a 13 part series called _What on earth happened_ by Ewaranon to learn that the earth is not a globe. I got it in my about tab.
My intuition about these things has served me correctly. I always felt uneasy standing next to air tanks. I just hope the propane tanks and fire extinguishers at my job are being properly maintained. I hope, seeing it's a federal contracter tasked with caring for them.
I’ve got a similar compressor must be coming up 20 years old. I fire it up for simple jobs, but I wheel it outside and run the line into the garage…… I’ve seen plenty of setup’s where the compressor is located outside the garage. The line goes through a hole in the wall and the compressor is protected from the elements by a little tin roof lean-two type construction and I believe it’s for safety probably not a bad idea
Good 411 video. I have to ask, why did you weld the drain bung and where, did it leak? I've been using my late father-in-laws' Craftsman for at least ten years now, and I've just recently thought about this same scenario. I must say, that is a very scary thing to happen. I'm glad nobody was hurt. Knowledge is not only power, but the key to a longer life in this case. Stay safe my friend.
Pressurised vessels need periodic pressure duration tests every 5 years. Latest after 10 years pressure safety tests by a certified body is mandatory. Source: German pressurised vessel regulation (Druckbehälterverordnung) My diagnosis: Due to air humidity water is introduced into the vessel which caused rusting thus weakening the walls. So after some years of operation such a compressor is a bomb in your garage.
sir ur tank was unlevel for years ... rust formed at the bottom opposite the drain plug.... where it burst below the shut off prerssure i watched the other two(i think) videos... ... glad ur ok... u need to do two things after cooler with a water separator. yearly take the 2" plugs out and clean the wet rust...
I use an air compressor I bought new in 1986!! But it isn't used a lot and rarely used hard and more of an "industrial" type. I often check the tank and keep it drained. Another consideration is if it kept in a non-heated place. If there is water inside, it can freeze and I'm sure that's not good either. Anyway, after watching this, I'm going to check my tank!!
Dammit! This kinda freaked me out. I work around one daily. Im sometimes guilty of remembering to drain the water. Never again! Thanks for this video. You may have saved some lives.
I gotta say that that is the first compressor i've ever hear of blowing up at operating pressure EVER. I mean ever! It usually a pin hole leak. I've seen folks braze rust through pin holes until the bass being used was more expensive than a new compressor. never blown up. 15 years old? We are using an old compressor dad built when I was a kid that's 50 years old. This shouldn't be a warning about how compressors can explode. This should be a warning That the modern process of engineering to spec means Machines that used to last a life time are now disposable because they rapidly fall below that spec and become deadly.
Do a search on youtube and you will see numerous examples of tanks blowing up at operating pressure and there is even at least one showing it actually blow with a grandfather standing about 4 feet away from the tank and he was hospitalized for 3 months. My craftsman air compressor tank says it must be replaced every 10 years.
Hello sir Thank you for this video. I know there are many smart People all around that knows evrything now. You have now second birth day. Buy new compressor and god bless you. Greetings
There are all sorts of things that one should keep in mind, particularly forms of energy - compressed gasses, fuel, batteries, electricity, heights, and moving parts. Add to that sharp objects, chemicals, biological hazards, and so on. Before getting to work, always have a little talk with yourself and take inventory of risks. Unfortunately, too many people think this is too much trouble and put themselves in the running for the Darwin Award.
I trash picked one very similar to that one back in the early 80's. Someone had thrown it out because it leaked. The tank had blown out the bottom of of one end cap on the low end of the tank near the drain. Mine doesn't have the bung, just a welded in 1/4" NPT threaded insert. I removed the compressor parts on it back then, sandblasted the tank down around where I had to weld and then tig welded the end cap back in as well as cutting out and welding in a new bottom around the drain plug. That was 40 years ago now. its been in constant use ever since, but it does have a small leak, which popped up about 18 years ago. its along one weld on the opposite end cap. The tank will likely fail one day but it sits in a wire cage under a bench, so if it does, its not likely to hurt anything, and I don't leave it run when I'm not using it. I actually found a new old tank for it, and one of these days I plan to swap all the parts over to the new tank.
If you see rusty colored water when you drain your tank the same damage mechanism is happening in your tank. Ultrasonic thickness testing can give you an idea of remaining wall thickness however scanning needs to be completed by a competent individual. If wall loss is found in the scan further evaluation is needed. Most of us DIY types are best off draining the tank after use and replacing the compressor when damage is suspected.
Metal fatigue. On some other air compressor tank failure video, a pressure vessel inspector said many of these tanks only have 500 cycles of full pressurize and depressurize.
Kind of scary I have literally the same compressor but a craftsman found it in the garbage in 2005 and still use it to this day and only drained the water out like three times since I’ve owned it sounded like rust sloshing around in it when I did the other day i’m going to take these three videos of this as a sign thanks for sharing
Your 2 videos on this have definitely made me re-think looking for used compressors. I have no problems with finding a used compressor (especially belt driven) and putting it on a brand new tank to make a high quality compressor inexpensively. But I know how badly most people care for mechanical things, so used tanks just don't seem like a good idea.
You can put an auto drain on your compressor, and have it run every 12 hours, or whatever. I highly recommend that. A dryer is nice, but expensive and not absolutely needed. Finally, given your usage profile, I don't really think Husky is right for you. They make some (admittedly more expensive) machines that are meant for heavier usage. Some can even be ordered with the auto drain.
There is more water in the air than you might think. Air is a mixture of gases, each at its individual partial pressure. The sum of these partial pressures comes to whatever atmospheric pressure is, about 14.7 psia. Water vapor is the only component gas of air that can be liquified by a typical air compressor. In many areas where prevailing dewpoints are high, the partial pressure of water vapor in the atmosphere can reach 0.4 psia which corresponds to a dewpoint of about 74F. When you compress air from 14.7 psia (0 psig) to 140 psia (125 psig) you increase its absolute pressure by a factor of about 9.5 and decrease its volume by the same factor. This means you increase the water vapor pressure and decrease its volume by that same factor. In the case of 74F dewpoint air, that vapor pressure is increased to 3.8 psia; however it can't stay in gaseous form at that pressure in typical ambient garage conditions. When this air is stored in a tank that is kept at typical ambient temperature, that compressed water vapor is going to condense to liquid water inside the tank until the dewpoint inside the tank is equal to the ambient temperature of the tank. The only solution is to either dry the air with a desiccant or refrigerant air drier (an option too expensive for small shops and homes) or rust proof the tank or fabricate the tank out of some rust proof alloy. In order to prevent condensation inside a 125 psig tank, the intake air would need to have a dewpoint of 12F or less. If, for example, you initially fill a 25 gallon tank with 125 psig air that has an ambient dewpoint of 74F in a garage ambient temperature of say 80F, you are going to deposit almost all the moisture in that air into the tank, in liquid form, as you reduce the charge air volume from 32 cu ft to 3.3 cu ft; btw, this yields about 0.6 ounce of liquid water. It doesn't take many cycles to gather significant water in an air tank if it is not drained. It should also be noted, that inside a compressed air tank, without some sort of air drier, the relative humidity will always be 100%. The internal surfaces of the tank will always be damp. This is the case because the air inside the tank contains water in its gaseous phase in closed-system contact with its liquid phase. These internal conditions inside compressed air tanks without corrosion protection makes them all ticking time bombs. I personally wouldn't keep one more than 10 years or so...
The date of manufacture IS on it. The year it was made is 2000, so it's 24 years old. Man you were so lucky it didn't seriously hurt you or demolish your garage!
I believe the problem you had was(If you don't know about this) you have to release all pressure from the tank periodically from the bottom release valve(or a release valve pointed down). This way you drain and push out any condensation thats been built up and pools at the bottom of the tank. If you never drain built up condensation. It will sit and oxidize the inside of the tank. Turning it to rust and eating away at the tank from the inside out. Your tank is built to contain a max psi. But once those walls get thin enough. That max psi lowers until it hits your usual operating temperature. Then it explodes.. this is what happened to your tank. And the evidence is shown inside your tank. And in the rust shrapnel all embedded in your garage.... You know over tiwe get very complacent with the tools that we've used for years. You learn everything about About them. And then Complacency sets in, and over time you without realizing it we forget about warnings or safety precautions on maintenance procedures that can easily be skipped tens of thousands of times before something fails. And it's incredible.. thank god.. that someone wasn't close to it when it blue..... cause when tanks blow that way. It happens while it's on building pressure. Which usually means someone's using it or working near it at the time. And it can be fatal. Tanks that are regularly drained of condensation don't rust inside because oxidation doesn't set in... I don't mean any offense in what I said. It's just something that's extremely important. That's easily forgot about. Or overlooked When reading the manuals.
Thank you sir for your humility in admitting what you could or should have done better and to take suggestions and then share this experience. You might actually save some lives by doing this or help people not be severely harmed. Good job and glad you and your family were not injured. Keep on enjoying your shop and your projects. Stay well.
One note on the pressure relief valves. If they get clogged with rust, Just give then a massive impact to free the rust stoppage. It has to be hard enough to send the rust 20 feet and stick it into some insulation panels.
That is scary. This is a good argument for periodically storing the air tank with the bung drain valve open. I have a similar unit in my garage (a Sears model). For reasons of noise I try not to be in the room while it is compressing, but sometimes, yes I am. I don't think the make and model is as important as making sure it isn't full of rusty water. I know there used to be a similar concern with some brands of diver's SCIBA tanks in which they could suddenly fail either while being filled, or while in use (which was a very bad event). Metal fatigues with use and I would imagine compressed air tanks get a lot of internal flexing to cause strain and stress. It may just be a question of how old the unit is. Steam boilers sometimes suddenly fail too with very little warning. I think it is fair to say any pressure vessel may suddenly fail.
It seems to me over the years the rust compromised the wield on the bottom and once it hit the PSI it took to blow I have never seen this before however it does tell you in the manual it is possible. I’m glad you were not close to it.
The main concern is why was the metal so thin on the bottom of the tank. That is a clear problem and the main cause for the failure. An additional issue is the seam weld right on the bottom of the tank where that thinning of the material occurred. The welds don't normally fail as they are thicker (at least not if they've been done properly) and we can see here that the failure occurred exactly in the HAZ (heat affected zone). Good job spotting where the failure started. The reason that the HAZ in mild steel is weaker is that the heat causes grain growth, and also increases the likelihood that the grain boundaries line up. This can lead to crack failures, and I think with the reduced wall thickness this is what ultimately led to the failure of the tank. It's possible that Husky did not make the tank, and it could have indeed been an import. The lessons here appear to be not to put the seam on the bottom of the tank where corrosion is more likely to occur, and maybe to introduce some kind of surface treatment to slow down or stop rust inside the tank where it can not be easily seen. I notice that where the compressed air enters the tank and where trace oil from the compressor may have come through, there is no corrosion at all. The reason why you should never weld on a pressure vessel unless you *really* know what you are doing is that you can introduce flaws. Apart from making the HAZ problem worse, lack of penetration can make a flaw that is hard to spot, any undercut will make the material thinner, and any weld defects on the inside of the tank (eg from contamination) can create a corrosion hazard. Rust, oil, and water can all be causes of contamination.
Nice analysis Chris. I would also say that the "Pressure vessel" and I use this term lightly, had no post weld treatment at all leaving the tank in a state of stress and even a small imperfection could have mitigated a fracture. I agree with the metal thinning being a major concern in it's crap construction from scrap multi thickness plate. As a pressure vessel, the thickness, post weld treatments and weld pass temps all play into the outcome variables to result in a sound pressure vessel or a failure. I would say you are spot on with your conclusion. It's important that we can share knowledge and make changes to the better. I have mine in a separate room behind a double brick wall, fully contained! I also will never ride roller coasters. (Welding Supervisor/Inspector.)
I don't believe the failure is due to the haz causing a mechanical weakness in the material but most likely the steel had lost its thickness but the weld was still thick and ridged, This would be a major stress riser and cause of the following fatigue failure
If you welded the tank, it is because the tank had been thinned by rust. Always drain your compressor, and hydraulicallly test any tanks that are over 10 year old
I heard a big bang last Summer across the road from where I was working. I never found out what it was, but it very well could have been the same thing.
Definitely call the manufacturer before You scrap it they may need it just in case they have a quality control problem.. especially if the metal has deferent thickness.
You have inspired me to replace my 40 year old Campbell Hausfield today! Sold it to my mother-in-law.
Fantastic idea!
Or sell it to your ex.
@@1natedoggy I couldn't decide which one should get it.
No way! :D In-law jokes at its finest :D
Lololo
Once the bung started leaking, you should have thrown the tank out. I have been an air compressor mechanic for 35 years. They always start with a rust pinhole on the bottom or by the legs. Sometimes people wire the tank safeties shut, instead of replacing them, because the spring goes bad and they pop off at a lower psi. The pressure switch contacts can weld themselves together, causing the unit to overpressurize, a working tank safety helps in that situation. Tap on your tanks with a small hammer , when they are empty. You should get a higher pitch pinging sound if the metal is good all around the tank. As you move to the bottom of the tank and the pitch changes to more of a thud, the metal is getting thin. I start getting nervous around tanks that are 30+ years old. The larger industrial tanks, 120+ gallons are usually more heavy duty with thicker walls and last much longer than the cheaper models like these.
Hi Michael,
Seeing the horror and checking videos on this issue just triggered me to write a full guide on Air Compressor Explosion issue. Would you mind if we can discuss. I would like to add your thoughts and your name on our blog. I am also contractor and working with air compressors for over 10 years.
Thanks for all the great tips!
For a air compressor mechanic of 35 years. You should be able to tell right away why it exploded. Also the same reason they begin to rust around the fittings and release valves. A huge step in the upkeep of air compressors. Which needs to be done more often the more the compressor is being used.... which is releasing the condensation inside the tank. The reason they build rust on the inside of the tank is due to condensation building and sitting in the tank. If you do this(releasing the condensation) often enough through out the tanks lifespan. It won't rust on the inside. Because the condensation doesn't have time to oxidized the metal. Your tools will stay shiny if you only let air hit them. But put them In water and let them sit out and you can watch the metal oxidized and rust over time... tapping the metal tank to hear that high pitch tone is so you can hear how rusted the inside is. And huge red flag(for small tanks) is if you pick it up and can literally hear water. You should never hear water n if you do then your not releasing the condensation enough or properly...
@@bobbyhandley5581 Even if you use the release valve after every use you can't get all the water out. The bottom of the tank stays moist for a longer period of time each time. I have a brand new air compressor which has already light brown coloured water spraying out the release valve. That's an indication for me that rust started to appear.
@@2lbsTrigrPull actually most tanks have the valve at the bottom of the tank sloped towards the valve. So when condensation forms and drips down. It'll start pooling at the release valve. Not sure what your definition of new is. But considering that your tank is releasing brown water already you don't drain very often. If you don't drain daily(if used alot or daily) or drain after every use(if used less often) you can expect the water to start coming up brown after 2 to 4 weeks. This doesn't happen when you drain it everyday.
When you drain the condensation out it is recommended to leave the release valve open for a couple(or over night) hours to allow air flow and let the inside to dry. Releasing the condensation from your tank every day and keeping the valve open over night before closing it and using it again the following day will keep corrosion from beginning.(steel take 2-4 days for corrosion to begin in those conditions. Faster in high humid areas/slower in low humidity.) So you don't drain often enough at all. And if you keep that up 👆 what happened in this video will happen to your tank. 0
My deepest respect for you and your capability of admitting a mistake you made. Especially a mistake, which was pointed out by someone else. Too rare these days and a sign of a developed character. Also, thank you for the information here for you and all the constructive comments in this thread. I have learned a lot in a very short time period.
A few things: 1) I am just like you - Used the living-crap out of my 30-yr old Craftsman compressor. I have maintained it well replacing valves, gauges, and pressure-sensor, but only occasional drainings. Why? Because it's stationary, and I use it almost EVERYDAY. It's literally on all the time. 2) Hotter air can hold a lot more water, and cooling the air causes condensation. Air dryers & oilers are typically at the output of the compressor, to prevent sending water vapor down the hose. That will result in tools rusting on the inside or contaminated paint, etc. But, you still end up with water in the tank...it's unavoidable without expensive pre-stages of air conditioning. 3) Residential tanks are relatively thin-walled steel. The welds are typically stronger than the sheet metal and are more rigid. Thermal cycling (expansion & contraction) plus vibration/pressure stress, & rust weakens the metal next to welds over time. (This is NOT limited to tanks, most failures occur this way.) So, what fails is adjacent to the weld. Welds get blamed unfairly IMO. 4) Pressure is what kills the tank. It's like a balloon that can't expand much. When it's under very high-pressure, she's looking for the weakest area to expand & blow out. They ARE all getting less-safe over time. 5) Consider turning DOWN the automatic pressure cut-off switch. I lowered mine to 100-lbs years ago for the reasons above. Bottom line: I'll be replacing my compressor soon. It's time. Thanks for the videos!
I had a very similar experience to yours with a very similar compressor. It was sitting like yours in front of the closed man door near the open garage door. It had finished it's cycle and had quit pumping and I heard a hiss coming from the underside. I walked over to check it out thinking the petcock wasn't fully closed. I lifted the compressor by the handle and found a pinhole had rusted out in the bottom of the tank as I rubbed my finger over it. I figured the hole would slowly rust out bigger (no big deal) and so I set the compressor back down and went back to checking the air in the tires of my truck which was nosed up outside the garage door. I was crouched down (shielded by the truck) adding air to the front tire when the compressor kicked back on to pressure up and it exploded. When I saw what had happened, I couldn't help but think I was hovering over it a few minutes earlier. Mine did little damage to it's surroundings but had the same torn beer can look as yours did. I also noticed a scuff mark on your wall (previous videos) from the tire. Mine had the hard plastic cleated wheels like those used on many self propelled lawn mowers. I include this because the wheel creased an impression in the bottom of the metal door similar to the pattern you have on your wall. Incredible force...Would've taken my head off
Holy crap. I have a similar compressor. Very old Craftsman 10 gal. You guys are scaring me now. I never heard of this shit happening. Mine is surrounded on two sides by a cinderbock wall. I may close in the other 2 sides. If it goes it can only go up. But it's under a heavy duty garage shelf unit so it should be safe. Also if I enclose it, I will put sound board and padding on inside. This will also make it quiet.
I think the serial number includes the date of manufacture. Looks to be 6/13/2000. I've seen this on other compressors as well. Watched all your videos and so glad you weren't hurt. Too bad you couldn't donate the wrecked tank to some sort of safety training company or send back to Husky or whoever made the air receiver. This would make a great class for maintenance and mechanical workers. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
Thankful that all that was lost is time and money, and thank you for sharing your experience to keep us safe.
Great update video, especially when you show the metal thickness difference from the rust on the bottom.
Sounds like the unit lived beyond the expected life span, Thanks for the info, I just dragged my 30 year old craftsman to the curb and got a newer compressor thanks to your video.
Great series of videos, thank you for sharing. Seems the biggest take away is that these things rust out from the inside and you can't tell how thin it's getting on the inside where you can't see.
I think he said he also drained it regularly
Thank you very much for being so respectful and considerate to make a followup video.
I just bought a compressor, and was thinking about welding feet to it - I changed my mind
My thoughts. The unit had thousands of pressurize/depressurize cycles on the tank. This will work harden the metal, making it brittle and susceptible to cracking. The condensate caused corrosion in the bottom of the tank providing a stress riser which allowed a crack to develop in the work hardened metal. The point of failure is, as would be expected in the bottom where the condensate would sit. This is one of those failures that was a 'when will it happen' as opposed to 'if it will happen'.
It is obvious that you have only limited knowledge of what you are talking about. For instance, most quality tanks are designed to explode at a seam in the bottom as well as have a bung at the bottom designed to fail at a lower pressure than the rest of the tank. This guy is just so smart he welded the bung. The seam is so the tank explodes "up" rather than "out." There are a lot of things you do not know about the products you use and you might want to learn about them before making crude comments based on the normal procedures of a professional, not some dropout who is just smarter than we educated "elites."
I will have to say the lesson learned here is to never buy a used compressor. Absolutely thank you for these videos.
Thanks for sharing. This allows us all to learn from each other’s experiences. Much appreciated!
I know this is late but I have only just become aware of your videos. First of all I am so glad that no one was hurt in this incident. This was bad enough without adding injury or death to it. I want to thank you for doing these videos. The first thing I noticed was you did not lace them with profanity and language that no one really wants to hear. You did a fantastic job of not pointing fingers at anyone other than yourself. These days the first thing most people want to do is point a finger and lash out with a vocabulary that means absolutely nothing. So thank you sir for saying what you wanted to say with a vocabulary that was to the point and concise and without making those of us who listened want to take a shower afterward. I have worked around compressors all my life and your incident will make me take notice of the one I have in my little shop right now. It is about thirty years old and has had regular maintenance. I drain it about once a week and check the safety valve and switch. But that doesn't mean it is any safer than the one you had. As for yours and how it happened? I figure rust is where it gave up first and then the rest of the damage progressed from there. My opinion only.
Great to hear humility and glad no one was hurt.
Root cause: These tanks are meant to be drained after every use as noted in the instructions manual, otherwise the humidity in the air will collect inside as water and corrode the internals. These compresors are meant for a DIY ocassional use, not for a shop on a high use rate where water purging is not feasible or practical. I' m glad nobody was hurt.
It's impossible to get all the moisture out of a compressor tank. Best you can do is keep standing water from sitting in the bottom by purging, but it'll still be damp, causing rust.
@@chris2790 not exactly.
After you drain the water when you depressurize it, the air inside is now unsaturated, low humidity air, and the remaining trace water should vaporize into the air phase as the pressure is lowered.
Which is why you always drain it after every use and depressurize it.
ture look at the amount of rust inside the tank! The walls just were getting thinner and thinner
It had been botched up with weld more than once .Simply do NOT keep repairing old ,already knackered pressure vessels. You're just asking for trouble.
Dudes! I am SOOO grateful for this video!!!! (and all the knowledgeable comments) I have the same compressor, upright version - 24 years old, rusted bottom valve that I welded too- and it is/has been in a VERY dangerous proximity to users (my family/kids , attached to the house shop-almost daily)
Good on you for posting, mate. Glad you and yours are ok!
Remember to drain the tank daily to prevent rust and eventual explosion. Have your tanks pressure-tested periodically to make sure they're not weakened.
I like your common sense explonation about everything here.... Thanks for showing it 👍👍👍👍... You will save a few lives with this 👏👏👏💪👍
I once fabricated my own pressure vessel out of a big 1/4" steel tube and welded ends on it. Tested it by filling it with sand and running it till the motor stalled with my fingers in my ears. That was before health and safety was a thing. That compressor is still in use 40+ years later as far as I know.
Health and safety have always been a "thing" but it is eclipsed by guys like you who are just so much smarter than the rest of us. You simply prove that Darwin was right!
No it hasn't. I was there.@@superbmediacontentcreator
Very good, I had seeing the first video and brougth over the table some possible causes for this near miss, but in this video you have responded what certainly does not happend, and bring to us a new info about the weld, and this one is really a good cause associated with thinner thickness on the vesssel bottom side. I will be using your videos to multiply the info with more people and warning about the potential hazard.
Lol good point.
Noting the thinness of the metal on the bottom of the tank as compared to the top and the amount of rust that shot out in you're previous video. I'd say rust was the culprit that compromised the metal. I wish they would line these tanks similar to how a motorcycle gas tank is lined. Good information and thanks for sharing.
Purge the air every day. Leave the drain valve open until next days use. Never leave residual air in the tank ever for prolonged hours. A tank may be safety certified this and certified that. But the constant ramping up and down of the pressure takes its toll. There's always going to be moisture trapped in an air compressor tank if under light or great pressure. Some tanks also have expiration dates. Is surprising that none of these tanks aren't double walled in the event of an explosion
Mine seems to get a fair amount of water ,sometimes when it's drained I stick a magnetic block heater on the bottom to help evaporate that crap off.
Looks like three possibilities or a combination of them. #1 Don't ever alter a tank. Even if it didn't fail at that place it could have changed the temper. #2 Rust. #3 Plain old metal fatigue. In dive tanks (they go up to 2200 psi) they are visually inspected inside and then put into a tank full of water and pressurized. The water level is measured for change. This is done every 3 years for aluminum and 5 years for steel.
You learned the valuable lesson of the power of potential energy.
good on you for posting this follow up. it's a lesson to all of us
Thanks again for posting these videos. You may have save some lives or prevented crippling injuries.
I hope that they contacted the manufacturer with the model number, numbers off the tank, and this prevents injuries or death.
Same thing happened to my father-in-law. He had an old small roll around compressor blow up. Thank God he wasn’t hurt. Glad you’re all ok.
I added an aftercooler to my compressor as well as an inline water trap that goes just before the air pipe goes into the tank. The water trap is automatic. I also hit the bottom drain every couple of days to just to make sure the air inside it dry. In the last few weeks since I made the upgrades and additions, there has been NO water in the bottom of the tank. I am glad you are ok.
This is a good idea but there will still be condensation and rust so have it pressure tested every five years or so and drain it at least weekly.
@@superbmediacontentcreator update.... I empty the tank each week. I have noticed there is no water in my tank in most cases. Thank you for the reply!
@@TheOkiedodge I have always switched out the blow-off valves for ones only slightly higher than the maximum working pressure I might use. This has always been 50-100 psi lower than what comes with the tank. You can always switch it for special circumstances. Some guys wrap heat tape around the tank and use it when they drain the tank leaving the petcock open for a few hours to positively dry it inside. A lot of painters swear by this as they claim it makes their air even dryer inside even with a top-notch descendent apparatus. Good luck and stay safe...
A lot of honest and helpful info in this video and throughout this thread. Thanks for posting!
I inherited one with a crack on the bottom seam, it was decades old. I tossed it but I was begged to keep it because a friend thought he could just weld a plate over the seam and call it good. I drilled a hole in it and took it to the dump.
Great series. I'd be interesting in seeing what you built outside for the new compressor.
Main thing is you are ok thx for giving us a heads up.....there are many of us like me who is looking on buying a used one online god knows whats been done to it and how its been used....thank you
Glad no one was hurt. Thanks for sharing and stay safe.
Wow eye opening! Thanks for sharing… glad you guys are ok.
Safety tip: never weld on any pressure tank of any kind. That causes heat cycle stressing in the metal which can severely weaken the metal. I noticed some really nasty welds on a drain repair of this compressor. Metal of unknown origins were used in the making of this compressor. It's a budget brand of dubious quality.
Imho welding is not a problem when you apply proper anticorrosion measures AND make a pressure withstanding test at around 150% of the regular operational pressure. Pressure tests are quite simply done with pumping water into the vessel with a high pressure manual pump or if at hand a high pressure cleaner attaches tightly to the vessel. This also checks the overpressure safety valve.
@@ghlscitel6714 Technically it is illegal to weld a pressure vessel without the proper certification so yes welding a pressure vessel without the proper certifications is a very dangerous and dumb thing to do. If you do weld a compressor and it blows up and someone gets hurt you are 100% at fault and will get fucked in the court room.
@@griminc6548 Which law. Can you link to a paragraph?
@@ghlscitel6714 ASME Standards
Now it's illegal for welders to work on boilers and pressure tanks without the proper codes and it's illegal for you to own and use a tank that was made by an unqualified welder.
It was welded when they made it , so what about welding a new bracket / motor mount/ pump mount plate ? I have a 30 gallon upright tank & want to have the plate from my old horizontal tank welded to the top of it , I have a friend who's been welding industrial washing machine tanks / 200 - 600 gallon tanks, daily , for over 15 years, it's unsafe to have her weld it ?
I never had any experience of exploding compressor tank. My friend gave me a VERY OLD compressor tank which I believe it was about 50 or 60 gallons horizontal tank built in 1941. It was about 55 years old at the time. Fast forward to later, I had increasing concern after having it for many years that it became around 70 years old and had been containing 165psi of pressure into it. Tank was rated 200psi when new. Knowing how over time that the tank will rust out, especially at the bottom. Of course, I replaced the valve at the bottom, safety valve, and pressure switch when I first got it. Finally after it became about 71-72 years old, I decided to retire it and give it away with a warning to use it at your own risk and use a different compressor. It was a workhorse and it wasn't leaking but just removed from service out of safety precaution.
Thank for your series of videos on this. Just thankful no one was hurt. I've worked around pressurised equipment for 45 years. Seen a few pipes / hoses blow but nothing like this. I wonder if you will see any other split compressors at the scrap yard .
You would have to go daily since scrap yards take everything from tanks washing machine, cars any thing that steal. Even more looking at anything old in scrap yard very dangerous since in huge pile if sharp steal or JIT dumpster. I also have felling he ran compressor to high. That style for low pressure operation like painting. Higher pressure have several tanks or pancakes.
@5:36 you can see it shows 6/13/2000 that compressor is 21 years old.
yes too old
But it depends how many times it used to my knowledge because I have a 60 gallon 11 years old use it like 20 times and now I am thinking it can blow up kind of scary.
I have a cheap Chinese compressor in the garage mainly for air tools and compressed air for cleaning/drying things. I always thought an air dryer was critical for spray painting but hadn't thought of the potential risk of moisture rusting out the cylinder. Great warning for everyone here, I am about to do an inspection and I might consider replacing mine for safety as they are so cheap and mine would be over 10 years old.
Never mind Texas Chainsaw Massacre, there`s a better film script here, where all the country`s tanks suddenly explode, including the ones fitted to trucks.
I`m pleased you covered this, I bought a similar-sized & type compressor. I had planned to make a special coup for it next to my wooden shed/workshop, once I commission the compressor.....but now it`ll live in the spinney thirty feet away, behind a substantial guard and I`ll pipe the air over to my shed/workshop.
Will also invest in a colonoscopy camera to insert through the end bung holes and take a look-see.
Walls are really thin!! I need to check my compressor now. Thanks for sharing.
I've got a 5hp upright with a crack on bottom near drain valve. Was going to weld it but after watching your video I think now I'm going to invest in a new tank.
My compressors all get used frequently and hard my compressors are not new they are all at least 20+ years old commercial air compressors. I have never had any problems like this yet I have known people who have had tanks fail and split or break because one of the pressure relief valves for shut off inside the switch or the pop off aka pressure relief on the tank on their compressor was stuck inside. One at a service station did blow the dog house cover off and the tank ruptured it was a similar size/design of compressor.
As for rust inside of the tank I clean the inside of my tanks with Ospho first, and seal the inside of my tanks with red GE insulating varnish myself. This really helps prevent them from rusting inside. On the outside I have always kept a compressor as clean as possible and waxed. Pull my switches apart and service/clean/lubricate them every year. Moisture drained from the tank after use. I worked for an electric apparatus repair shop and we fixed many compressors there. We repaired both industrial and home owner compressors new models to ones made as old as in the teens. Never ever did I see anything like this. Personally I think you should have contacted the manufacturer because this is not normal. I think that tank was defective or something on that compressor was defective to cause this. Sure they rust through these days and you have to toss one or replace a tank yet this is one of those never normally happens events. I have seen compressors pump themselves up to the point to where they probably should have split the tank the pumps lock up blowing a fuse or ruining the belts happens a lot of the time.
The shop air compressor is probably the most neglected, never serviced, never cleaned tool in any shop. They are usually placed outside because they are noisy, they take up space, nobody wants to look at one, and for fire safety reasons especially if that compressor is making air for a dusty or dirty environment. At least nobody was hurt or injured.
Glad everyone is okay. You learned some lessons and everyone was un harmed. Could’ve been MUCH worse. Thanks for the update. I think I’m gonna replace mine every 10 years
hi 610moto have you become a flat earther yet? If not I suggest watch a 13 part series called _What on earth happened_ by Ewaranon to learn that the earth is not a globe. I got it in my about tab.
@@flat-eartherwhy?
My intuition about these things has served me correctly.
I always felt uneasy standing next to air tanks.
I just hope the propane tanks and fire extinguishers at my job are being properly maintained. I hope, seeing it's a federal contracter tasked with caring for them.
I’ve got a similar compressor must be coming up 20 years old. I fire it up for simple jobs, but I wheel it outside and run the line into the garage……
I’ve seen plenty of setup’s where the compressor is located outside the garage. The line goes through a hole in the wall and the compressor is protected from the elements by a little tin roof lean-two type construction and I believe it’s for safety probably not a bad idea
I’m glad your okay. Good idea moving it outside.
Thanks for posting this Safety video, old rusty pressure tank- "shake hands with danger".
This the reason you drain your tank daily after use. Condensation forms quickly inside. I'm glad nobody was injured.
Good 411 video. I have to ask, why did you weld the drain bung and where, did it leak? I've been using my late father-in-laws' Craftsman for at least ten years now, and I've just recently thought about this same scenario. I must say, that is a very scary thing to happen. I'm glad nobody was hurt. Knowledge is not only power, but the key to a longer life in this case. Stay safe my friend.
Pressurised vessels need periodic pressure duration tests every 5 years. Latest after 10 years pressure safety tests by a certified body is mandatory.
Source: German pressurised vessel regulation (Druckbehälterverordnung)
My diagnosis: Due to air humidity water is introduced into the vessel which caused rusting thus weakening the walls. So after some years of operation such a compressor is a bomb in your garage.
Aqui no Brasil a cada 5 anos fazem teste hidrostático para ver as condições do reservatório
sir ur tank was unlevel for years ... rust formed at the bottom opposite the drain plug.... where it burst below the shut off prerssure i watched the other two(i think) videos... ... glad ur ok... u need to do two things after cooler with a water separator.
yearly take the 2" plugs out and clean the wet rust...
I sure appreciate to have access to this lesson learning.👍
Thank you for the videos
I use an air compressor I bought new in 1986!! But it isn't used a lot and rarely used hard and more of an "industrial" type. I often check the tank and keep it drained. Another consideration is if it kept in a non-heated place. If there is water inside, it can freeze and I'm sure that's not good either. Anyway, after watching this, I'm going to check my tank!!
Dammit! This kinda freaked me out. I work around one daily. Im sometimes guilty of remembering to drain the water. Never again! Thanks for this video. You may have saved some lives.
I gotta say that that is the first compressor i've ever hear of blowing up at operating pressure EVER. I mean ever! It usually a pin hole leak. I've seen folks braze rust through pin holes until the bass being used was more expensive than a new compressor. never blown up. 15 years old? We are using an old compressor dad built when I was a kid that's 50 years old. This shouldn't be a warning about how compressors can explode. This should be a warning That the modern process of engineering to spec means Machines that used to last a life time are now disposable because they rapidly fall below that spec and become deadly.
Do a search on youtube and you will see numerous examples of tanks blowing up at operating pressure and there is even at least one showing it actually blow with a grandfather standing about 4 feet away from the tank and he was hospitalized for 3 months. My craftsman air compressor tank says it must be replaced every 10 years.
Thank you for sharing.
Hello sir
Thank you for this video. I know there are many smart People all around that knows evrything now.
You have now second birth day.
Buy new compressor and god bless you.
Greetings
There are all sorts of things that one should keep in mind, particularly forms of energy - compressed gasses, fuel, batteries, electricity, heights, and moving parts. Add to that sharp objects, chemicals, biological hazards, and so on. Before getting to work, always have a little talk with yourself and take inventory of risks. Unfortunately, too many people think this is too much trouble and put themselves in the running for the Darwin Award.
6/13/2000 Date of manufacture?
I trash picked one very similar to that one back in the early 80's. Someone had thrown it out because it leaked. The tank had blown out the bottom of of one end cap on the low end of the tank near the drain. Mine doesn't have the bung, just a welded in 1/4" NPT threaded insert.
I removed the compressor parts on it back then, sandblasted the tank down around where I had to weld and then tig welded the end cap back in as well as cutting out and welding in a new bottom around the drain plug. That was 40 years ago now. its been in constant use ever since, but it does have a small leak, which popped up about 18 years ago. its along one weld on the opposite end cap. The tank will likely fail one day but it sits in a wire cage under a bench, so if it does, its not likely to hurt anything, and I don't leave it run when I'm not using it. I actually found a new old tank for it, and one of these days I plan to swap all the parts over to the new tank.
Glad you weren't hurt!
I'm a metal expert and can tell you just by looking at the tank is the tank had a metal fatigue crack in it ..look for rust inside fresh rip or tear
If you see rusty colored water when you drain your tank the same damage mechanism is happening in your tank. Ultrasonic thickness testing can give you an idea of remaining wall thickness however scanning needs to be completed by a competent individual. If wall loss is found in the scan further evaluation is needed.
Most of us DIY types are best off draining the tank after use and replacing the compressor when damage is suspected.
Thanks for the follow up
Thanks for sharing!
Metal fatigue. On some other air compressor tank failure video, a pressure vessel inspector said many of these tanks only have 500 cycles of full pressurize and depressurize.
Very interesting story. 👍🏼
Kind of scary I have literally the same compressor but a craftsman found it in the garbage in 2005 and still use it to this day and only drained the water out like three times since I’ve owned it sounded like rust sloshing around in it when I did the other day i’m going to take these three videos of this as a sign thanks for sharing
Your 2 videos on this have definitely made me re-think looking for used compressors.
I have no problems with finding a used compressor (especially belt driven) and putting it on a brand new tank to make a high quality compressor inexpensively. But I know how badly most people care for mechanical things, so used tanks just don't seem like a good idea.
You can put an auto drain on your compressor, and have it run every 12 hours, or whatever. I highly recommend that. A dryer is nice, but expensive and not absolutely needed. Finally, given your usage profile, I don't really think Husky is right for you. They make some (admittedly more expensive) machines that are meant for heavier usage. Some can even be ordered with the auto drain.
What pressure did you routinely run this compressor at and what is it rated at?
Seems like painting and baking the component parts before the construction might help with the internal rusting.
There is more water in the air than you might think. Air is a mixture of gases, each at its individual partial pressure. The sum of these partial pressures comes to whatever atmospheric pressure is, about 14.7 psia. Water vapor is the only component gas of air that can be liquified by a typical air compressor. In many areas where prevailing dewpoints are high, the partial pressure of water vapor in the atmosphere can reach 0.4 psia which corresponds to a dewpoint of about 74F. When you compress air from 14.7 psia (0 psig) to 140 psia (125 psig) you increase its absolute pressure by a factor of about 9.5 and decrease its volume by the same factor. This means you increase the water vapor pressure and decrease its volume by that same factor. In the case of 74F dewpoint air, that vapor pressure is increased to 3.8 psia; however it can't stay in gaseous form at that pressure in typical ambient garage conditions. When this air is stored in a tank that is kept at typical ambient temperature, that compressed water vapor is going to condense to liquid water inside the tank until the dewpoint inside the tank is equal to the ambient temperature of the tank. The only solution is to either dry the air with a desiccant or refrigerant air drier (an option too expensive for small shops and homes) or rust proof the tank or fabricate the tank out of some rust proof alloy. In order to prevent condensation inside a 125 psig tank, the intake air would need to have a dewpoint of 12F or less. If, for example, you initially fill a 25 gallon tank with 125 psig air that has an ambient dewpoint of 74F in a garage ambient temperature of say 80F, you are going to deposit almost all the moisture in that air into the tank, in liquid form, as you reduce the charge air volume from 32 cu ft to 3.3 cu ft; btw, this yields about 0.6 ounce of liquid water. It doesn't take many cycles to gather significant water in an air tank if it is not drained. It should also be noted, that inside a compressed air tank, without some sort of air drier, the relative humidity will always be 100%. The internal surfaces of the tank will always be damp. This is the case because the air inside the tank contains water in its gaseous phase in closed-system contact with its liquid phase. These internal conditions inside compressed air tanks without corrosion protection makes them all ticking time bombs. I personally wouldn't keep one more than 10 years or so...
Your other video was funny had me laughing my ass off thank you so much God bless you
Wow! Glad not hurt. That steel looks REALLY REALLY thin!
The date of manufacture IS on it. The year it was made is 2000, so it's 24 years old. Man you were so lucky it didn't seriously hurt you or demolish your garage!
I believe the problem you had was(If you don't know about this) you have to release all pressure from the tank periodically from the bottom release valve(or a release valve pointed down). This way you drain and push out any condensation thats been built up and pools at the bottom of the tank. If you never drain built up condensation. It will sit and oxidize the inside of the tank. Turning it to rust and eating away at the tank from the inside out. Your tank is built to contain a max psi. But once those walls get thin enough. That max psi lowers until it hits your usual operating temperature. Then it explodes.. this is what happened to your tank. And the evidence is shown inside your tank. And in the rust shrapnel all embedded in your garage.... You know over tiwe get very complacent with the tools that we've used for years. You learn everything about About them. And then Complacency sets in, and over time you without realizing it we forget about warnings or safety precautions on maintenance procedures that can easily be skipped tens of thousands of times before something fails. And it's incredible.. thank god.. that someone wasn't close to it when it blue..... cause when tanks blow that way. It happens while it's on building pressure. Which usually means someone's using it or working near it at the time. And it can be fatal. Tanks that are regularly drained of condensation don't rust inside because oxidation doesn't set in... I don't mean any offense in what I said. It's just something that's extremely important. That's easily forgot about. Or overlooked When reading the manuals.
Thank you sir for your humility in admitting what you could or should have done better and to take suggestions and then share this experience.
You might actually save some lives by doing this or help people not be severely harmed.
Good job and glad you and your family were not injured.
Keep on enjoying your shop and your projects.
Stay well.
Refreshing. A very valuable learning lesson. Hope more ppl see this.
He helped me. I'm moving mine. Never will I stand beside one. And I'll tell everyone I can. Especially if I see someone standing by one.
Did you release pressure after each use? Sorry if you answered this in a previous video…….very happy you shared and came out unscathed…..
One note on the pressure relief valves. If they get clogged with rust, Just give then a massive impact to free the rust stoppage. It has to be hard enough to send the rust 20 feet and stick it into some insulation panels.
this tank was manufactured June 13, 2000, the serial # indicates the year of manufacture as well as the tank # in the production run
Thank you for posting. I have also welded on a tank. Now I will toss it out.
That is scary. This is a good argument for periodically storing the air tank with the bung drain valve open. I have a similar unit in my garage (a Sears model). For reasons of noise I try not to be in the room while it is compressing, but sometimes, yes I am. I don't think the make and model is as important as making sure it isn't full of rusty water. I know there used to be a similar concern with some brands of diver's SCIBA tanks in which they could suddenly fail either while being filled, or while in use (which was a very bad event). Metal fatigues with use and I would imagine compressed air tanks get a lot of internal flexing to cause strain and stress. It may just be a question of how old the unit is. Steam boilers sometimes suddenly fail too with very little warning. I think it is fair to say any pressure vessel may suddenly fail.
It seems to me over the years the rust compromised the wield on the bottom and once it hit the PSI it took to blow I have never seen this before however it does tell you in the manual it is possible. I’m glad you were not close to it.
very scary man, i am glad you and everyone was okay
hello , one more question : what was the actual pressure when exploding and what was the max unit pressure ? thanks !
The main concern is why was the metal so thin on the bottom of the tank. That is a clear problem and the main cause for the failure. An additional issue is the seam weld right on the bottom of the tank where that thinning of the material occurred. The welds don't normally fail as they are thicker (at least not if they've been done properly) and we can see here that the failure occurred exactly in the HAZ (heat affected zone). Good job spotting where the failure started.
The reason that the HAZ in mild steel is weaker is that the heat causes grain growth, and also increases the likelihood that the grain boundaries line up. This can lead to crack failures, and I think with the reduced wall thickness this is what ultimately led to the failure of the tank.
It's possible that Husky did not make the tank, and it could have indeed been an import.
The lessons here appear to be not to put the seam on the bottom of the tank where corrosion is more likely to occur, and maybe to introduce some kind of surface treatment to slow down or stop rust inside the tank where it can not be easily seen. I notice that where the compressed air enters the tank and where trace oil from the compressor may have come through, there is no corrosion at all.
The reason why you should never weld on a pressure vessel unless you *really* know what you are doing is that you can introduce flaws. Apart from making the HAZ problem worse, lack of penetration can make a flaw that is hard to spot, any undercut will make the material thinner, and any weld defects on the inside of the tank (eg from contamination) can create a corrosion hazard. Rust, oil, and water can all be causes of contamination.
Nice analysis Chris. I would also say that the "Pressure vessel" and I use this term lightly, had no post weld treatment at all leaving the tank in a state of stress and even a small imperfection could have mitigated a fracture. I agree with the metal thinning being a major concern in it's crap construction from scrap multi thickness plate. As a pressure vessel, the thickness, post weld treatments and weld pass temps all play into the outcome variables to result in a sound pressure vessel or a failure. I would say you are spot on with your conclusion. It's important that we can share knowledge and make changes to the better. I have mine in a separate room behind a double brick wall, fully contained! I also will never ride roller coasters. (Welding Supervisor/Inspector.)
I don't believe the failure is due to the haz causing a mechanical weakness in the material but most likely the steel had lost its thickness but the weld was still thick and ridged, This would be a major stress riser and cause of the following fatigue failure
"Made in America" had me cracking up. Every single part on that compressor is from China, it's just put together here.
Yes, just blame everything on China, and you would feel so much better. Proud to be an American. America number one!
@@chuckgoodwish3897 You drunk or something? Off your meds maybe? This is random af 😂
How much pressure was your tank regulated at? I have a similar compressor and I keep it at 130#.
Excellent warning for consumers using this kind of equipment at home.
If you welded the tank, it is because the tank had been thinned by rust. Always drain your compressor, and hydraulicallly test any tanks that are over 10 year old
So , Why did you weld and alter the drain bump????
thank you sir for sharing
I would of like to know how much air was in the tank before it blew.
I heard a big bang last Summer across the road from where I was working. I never found out what it was, but it very well could have been the same thing.
Definitely call the manufacturer before You scrap it they may need it just in case they have a quality control problem.. especially if the metal has deferent thickness.
Always empty all the air out of the tanks when done working. I used the safety valve every time.