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Check you Air Compressor.

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May 6, 2018
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My 20 gallon air compressor blew up this past afternoon. The tank blew apart. This was an old, 40+, 220volt twin cylinder 20 gal. I had it sitting outside the basement door when it was running. I was on the other side of the house when it blew up. It sounded like a stick of dynamite. The whole house shook. Parts of it damaged 2 different areas of my gutters, 16 feet high. The twin cylinder part went thru the basement door window and landed in my canoe. It hit my gunwale and messed it up. I didn't find any more damage to it. The explosion blew out another basement window. There is damage to the siding where other pieces hit the house. Right after it happened my neighbor came carrying the end of my compressor tank, it blew that end piece over 200 feet into his yard. Check your pop off safety valves. If in doubt of your tank condition, get rid of it. I'm glad I wasn't on that end of the house.
 

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Most Air compressors usually have blow off valves set for a critical pressure to prevent this. Most are a screw in brass fitting with a metal ring. You should pull the ring periodically to make sure it isn't stuck or blocked. glad your ok.
 
Wow- that’s incredibly scary. Glad no one got hurt. I have taken a heat gun to my water separator and regulator a couple times this winter to get it working and the thought of a blow off valve freezing or failing has entered my mind. Pulling down on that ring will probably become part of the startup from now on for me. Thanks for the reminder.

Bob
 
if there is a drain on the bottom of the tank, you should open it momentarily every time you turn it on to drain condensation.
 
I always worried about mine sticking in the "run" mode and catching fire. Never occurred to me to worry about it exploding. Anyway mine is inside and is set up to only run when I am in the shop. The noise is annoying though. I check the pop off valve when I drain the condensate.
 
I had a 30+ year old one that was stored in my unheated barn and was developing some serious surface rust. I broke down and bought a new one imagining that happening.
 
My son had one blow at his shop. Scary for sure. No one was hurt, but it easily could have Killed someone.

A good heads up !
Thanks
 
yup, compressor tanks can be scary! one place I worked had a 200gal explode and take out a concrete block wall, luckily it was in it's own room or someone could have been killed. a little shot of compressor oil in the intake helps keep everything loose and moving as it should and inhibits rust, I do it every month with my 5gal- just a couple of CC's does it. I also check the blow off and drain the condensate every day -I use the blowoff to purge about 30Psi when I shut it down so the condensate valve doesn't spray everywhere
 
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