Anyone Ever Built an Air Tank?

[kcstott]

They get crap wrong all the time. I've been a machinist for a long time and every time there is something machine related I can point out a few mistakes.
The probably got the decimal in the wrong spot

[lanceman73]

Me no genius, you must be smarter.

You are most certainly correct: you are not an engineer

Air, or other compressible fluid (gas) is NOT hydraulic fluid. Compressed gasses store much, much more energy than liquids. The stored energy is available to do a great deal of damage in the case of a failure. Rough rule: 40gal of air compressed to 100PSIG is equivalent to one stick of straight dynamite (if you ar about to respond 'no one here knows what a stick of dynamite is', you are missing the point: even if you have never used it, you wouldn't hold a tin can with a stick in it while it was detonated, nor would you want it in your home.)

[griff01]

So, you fill a air tank with 15 psi. Then you fill another tank with thicker walls, it's still the same. I've worked with hydraulics for a long time. 150 PSI is nothing. If that tank explodes, it'll just crack a seem and leek out. There will be no explosions at all. Look at gas cylinders, 2500 PSI, stored on service trucks. There is no problems with that. Still, no propane tanks in my opinion, should be used for compressed air. They are too fat in diameter. I'm not an engineer, but happy with my homemade setup.

Thanks,
Lance

Obviously, YOU have never seen an air tank blow. I have.
Air (volume) is compressed. Hydraulic fluid is not.
Getting by with something for a long time does not validate that procedure.

Griff

[Wacko Welder]

How about this . . . .if you just need volume at a low price, buy a NEW unused propane home supply tank. $300.00 will get you a 30" diameter tank 5 feet long . . . and it is safe to 150 psi . . .

Another thought, you build a tank & it carries no certs, it blows, someone is injured, your insurer is going to say . . . . "TOUGH LUCK" buddy . . .

[Sberry]

Lots of opinions about what an insurance company will or wont pay for. One of the main reasons to carry it is in case you do something dumb.

[Stillwelding]

I'm in the process of getting everything together for a air compressor, already have a large Ingersoll Rand pump and have found a source for the motor. I can't find a decent tank near home. I do have some natural gas line pipe that is 30" od, 3/8" wall and a friend has a sheetmetal shop that can cut the ends (3/8") on his plasma cutter. Has anyone ever done this? I'm not worried about the welds, but is there anything else I need to look at?

Thanks, Justin

is there anything else I need to look at?

You may want to look at some Life Insurance.

[lanceman73]

Why not? The prices I was given for two 30 gallon tanks was $1500.00 each. I've got money, but not that kind of money. I guess that it depends on your needs. My home made tanks are incased in the body and secure from "explosions".