04-08-2010, 03:44 AM
I'll be the decenter on blowing out the tank - I clear it after every use, and yes there is moisture every time.
It may be overkill but why leave it to chance ? It is just good maintenance practice to me.
My smaller everyday compressor (a Porter Cable pancake) just takes a minute or two to fully fill.
The big compressor has a 20 gallon tank and is 25+ years old and not a speck of rust in the water
when it gets cleared. If you are planning on using it with air tools it's not worth risking damage
to those either IMHO
The compressor in my old darkroom sat in a remote utility room where the air handling, water filters, etc ...
and the compressed air was piped to various locations (it fed print stations and processing & slide mounting equipment)
I installed an auto valve on it which cleared the tank every 24 hours - never had to think about it which was nice
because it got used 8-10 hrs per day.
It may be overkill but why leave it to chance ? It is just good maintenance practice to me.
My smaller everyday compressor (a Porter Cable pancake) just takes a minute or two to fully fill.
The big compressor has a 20 gallon tank and is 25+ years old and not a speck of rust in the water
when it gets cleared. If you are planning on using it with air tools it's not worth risking damage
to those either IMHO
The compressor in my old darkroom sat in a remote utility room where the air handling, water filters, etc ...
and the compressed air was piped to various locations (it fed print stations and processing & slide mounting equipment)
I installed an auto valve on it which cleared the tank every 24 hours - never had to think about it which was nice
because it got used 8-10 hrs per day.