Do you Drain your Air Compressor after each use?

I just picked up an 80 gallon 5 hp Ingersoll Rand air compressor, I love it, but i have been told that you are supposed to drain all the air out of it after each use, when i was growing up at home using my dad's all the time we never did that, just turned it on and off and never had any problems. So do you really have to drain it after each use or is it not necesary? what do you guys do?

 

I have an IR compressor too. I sure as hell don't drain it after every use. I just do it once in a while. I don't know if that's the best idea or not, it's just what I do.

 

I have the same compressor.I typically drain it every other week of right before i start to spray any paint

 

My father use to always drain his, don't know why and never asked. I got old enough to use it I drained it, just because he did. I don't have one currently, so I don't drain it now.

 

I used to work in a fab shop and usually had the air compreser on 4 to 7 hours a day straite. As soon as it started spitting water time to drain it, usually every couple days.

 

We drained our shou compressors once a week, Friday. It is so dry here that I only need to do it once in a while. I have a drop in my line 20 ft from the compressor that I drain weekly and that seems to keep the lines clear.

 

I live here in Las Vegas and our humidity usually runs in the single digits and have done inspections on compressors with insurance companies on the tanks and I'm amazed by the damage done from the inside out on these tanks even in our low humidity. Do you have to do it everyday eh, but definately get into the habit of doing it on a very regular basis especially if you do paint work and keep the metal from flaking off inside and getting where where you don't want it.doug

 

We never drained my Dad's when I lived at home. I saw someone drain a little one and asked about it. They told me you're supposed o drain them after each use.

 

I drain the WATER out of it each day, not the air.

 

We drained ours at the end of every day. That was my job amongst other shitty jobs in my old mas radiator shops. Every day water would come out, in humid climates you have to!
Doc.

 

we drain the water out each morning when we turn it on, it's at least 25 years old.

 

I always drain my compressor after using it, really don't like the idea of moisture build up in it. While at a friends shop, I checkout his compressor and it was have full of water makes one wonder.

CRUISER

 

Ya should drain it after every long term use - any air left inside will have moister in it, which will cause the inside to rust, which will ruin all of your air tools and such, not to mention when ya use it to blow of your arm and a small speck of rust shoots into your arm or face - I know, I know, your not supposed to use compressed air on your self, but most of us have done it. Better safe than sorry.

 

Man you didnt even call me!LOL now I have to charge you for the free auto drain I WAS gonna GIVE you.........

 

PLEASE dont take this the wrong way but draining the air out of it changes nothing.Air is air wether compressed or not and the fact is the inside of every tank unless ordered specifically lined will be bare steel and exposed steel will "sweat" and rust no matter what.Even if you leave the valve open to atmosphere it will still rust.drain only the water thats all you need to do.

 

I leave the drain cock slightly open on mine. Still drain water every time I fire it up. Even with a drier mine starts spitting after a coupla hours run time.

 

All you need to do is drain the MOISTURE out every day. Just open the drain untill all the water is out. No need to drain all the air out.

 

Dude have keiko bring that line by and i will give it to her.All you need is an outlet to plug it into.Its an electronic timer drain,viola you no longer have to think about it,but It will remind you its there if you leave the valve open all the way!!!!!

 

right on thanks dude i'll let her know!

 

I put an auto drain on mine. I still drain it ,of moisture, once a month or so depending on the weather.

 

If you design your lines correctly and install an automatic drain you won't have any of the problems listed above. I've been in the air compressor business for over 30 years. We almost never see a system designed correctly.--TV

 

This is so true!And it also pays my bills as well!

 

Right to that pays mine also.--TV

 

Just to let you know you should always empty your compressor after every use.. reason being is that any water that is in the air or even condensation that builds up on the inside of your tank will actually rust out the air compressor from the inside out (a lot faster than usual). It WILL void any warranty that you may have on it by not doing it and on top of that it will dramatically reduce the life of your compressor, especially now adays since a lot of things are made by children chained to machines in the 3rd world in some sweatshop. (keep in mind the instruction manuals were to keep the entire US in mind not to mention other places that have higher humidities than in California)

In addition, I had one of these compressors grenade on me because I never emptied it every time. Trust me, you dont have to have someone get hurt before you learn to do something the right way, not to mention I had to throw down another 800 bucks for a new one that was built by Americans.

Hope this helped

 

condensation will produce inside of the tank regardless of it being pressurized or not,emptying the tank completly is a waste of energy.I am assuming you mean depressurize?

 

Then maybe you can enlighten us on the correct way to set up your system?

 

I hate to belittle this topic but auto drains are great but to get our compressors certified for commercial use we had to also pipe in a manual by pass around the auto drain to verify that the auto drain is doing it's thing. It's true that all air has moisture in it generally but it enters as a vapor due to the heat of compression through the pump. Once the moisture (water) is inside the tank it cools and condenses and changes from a vapor state to a liquid state and then the droplets run down the sides of the tank and puddle in the bottom and thats usually when the damages starts to begin. Not a big thing, just plumb a ball valve out the side thats easy to reach and blow the thing down till the water stops spitting out . It'll make everything last longer, especially those expensive air tools we love.

 

So do I need to dump all the air out and pull the plug at the bottom of the tank? Every time... wow~! sounds like a shit load of work..

I try and drain mine 2 times a year... I suck... better start adding a few extra hours in the shop to drain my tank..

What is this auto drain you speak of?

I have a dryer set up on one leg of the system for the Plasma Cutter and an Oiler on the tool side They are T'ed off the main feed line.

Hum....

 

You guys who are "draining the air" out of your compressor, what exactly do you think is left in the compressor when you are done?

 

at home i drain mine after i use it cause i get alot of moisture in the tank and can see it in my water trap but at work we drain it maybe once a month