Anyone Ever Built an Air Tank?

[lanceman73]

All tanks must be round on all sides. Pressure multiplies in corners!(square tanks)

[Craig in Denver]

I'd bet most air tanks are welded by computerized robotics.
I'm a home garage guy. A trick I learned years ago: Since my tank is going to leak down between uses anyway; when I bought my new compressor I set the drain to leak just a little. So, any moisture always gets pushed out. Since I couldn't hear a small leak, I used soapy water in a paper cup and just opened the drain til I got bubbles. Works fer me and YMMV.

[kcstott]

You are just full of information!
Leave it to California, but in this case I think that is a very good idea. Wonder if portable, (diesel driven) compressors fall under this same inspection?

Never seen a compressor with out a drain plug, seen lots of people who do not believe in draining the tanks!

All tanks do have drains. Manual drains. The Cal Osha requirement is for an automatic drain. A drain cycled by a solenoid or a float type drain either way it must be automatic and it must work. They will not certify the tank without it.
And yes portables are required as well as long as they are over ten gallons.

And I didn't go out of my way to learn this crap just because I have all this free time and no life I managed a maintenance shop for a large company.(100 employees and three shifts) I not only took care of all the facilities machinery and production machinery. I also had to take care of all the licenses, permits, and inspections too. Fire dept, Health dept, Cal Osha, CARB, Cal state water resources board. EPA. etc were all on my list of people that would pay me a visit every few months to at the very minimum once a year with follow up visits to prove compliance. Yeah it was FUN stuff with a capitol friggin F

[Vicegrip]

All tanks must be round on all sides. Pressure multiplies in corners!(square tanks)

Might be better said that corners act as stress concentrators. The pressure is the same throughout a static pneumatic system.


Funny that folks are all nuts about a US welder making a tank to a way overbuilt spec but we think little of imported Chicom tanks that are made by who knows under what process control. Sure the first one was inspected and passed but how about the ones made when no one is looking which are most of them. They can't even keep lead out of paint or dog food and raw material for medicine clean, what makes anyone think that are using good methods, metal and filler to make pressure tanks?

[fjk]

Funny that folks are all nuts about a US welder making a tank to a way overbuilt spec but we think little of imported Chicom tanks that are made by who knows under what process control.

i think that the lesson to be learned here is that there's more to
making pressure tanks/etc/etc than just running a few quick beads
on some scrap that was laying around (i'm being a bit snarky just
to emphasize the point -- the original poster definitely was not
proposing such a bit of cruftsmanship).

reading the thread has reinforced my view that, as a weekend
weldor, there's no way in the netherworld that i'd want to take
on a job like this by myself. i'm fairly sure i'd blow myself up...

presumably, the original poster can use this information the same
way as i did, to decide what he'd overlooked, how to deal with it,
and so on.

some folks mentioned cost effectiveness. it may not be cost
effective to make your own tank -- but it might be a lot more fun
and give you a lot more satisfaction at the end of the day. as the
master card ad says, "priceless".

f

[shortarc]

I wouldnt do it - but I'm not a welder by trade either. I agree with the others that you definately dont want to use flat ends
Attached are some pics of a compressor my Dad built me about 10 years ago. He used weld caps on the ends, pop off valves etc....
Now before anyone jumps all over me, he was a pipe welder with all the certs and mostly welded high pressure steam lines for the local university and John Deere. He's retired now, but still the best welder I know of. I'd bet my life on that compressor never letting go, but on the same hand feel very very nervous filling a purchased portable air tank with 90psi, built by people who build them day in and day out (probably in China). I had a buddy on the receiving end of a purchased air tank that decided to let go. Wasnt a pretty site - the tank basically wrapped around his head. 10K later in plastic surgeory he still looks like Herman Munster (minus the bolts). Let me know if you would like any other pics of the tank. I'll get a picture of the tank that blew up on him when I get a chance - he kept it as a little reminder since the only thing he remembers is starting to fill it, then getting the hospital bill

Willy. That is a beautiful piece of work, I really like the rubber mounts on the compressor.

I'd be proud to have that one in my shop.

[aametalmaster]

Willy, Nice looking comp.
There are prob 100 guys on this forum that could weld up a tank, but with out the ASME stamp someone will be asking for trouble some day if something ever happened not saying it will. I have had 2nd thoughts about using mine that i scabbed together from a semi truck air tank that is prob 35 years old. I think its time to replace the tank with a store bought one and use my old one for an oil drum or something...Bob

[willy]

Willy. That is a beautiful piece of work, I really like the rubber mounts on the compressor.

I'd be proud to have that one in my shop.

Thanks - It's kind of one of the show pieces of my shop. There are so many neat little things on it that the pictures dont show - Dad is definately good...I'm trying to learn

He built one for himself, myself, my brother, my brother-in-law, and one of his close friends. I've got to take it all apart to clean it again one of these days - I'll get some photos and post them - with a disclaimer of course "Don't try this at Home"

[willy]

Willy, Nice looking comp.
There are prob 100 guys on this forum that could weld up a tank, but with out the ASME stamp someone will be asking for trouble some day if something ever happened not saying it will. I have had 2nd thoughts about using mine that i scabbed together from a semi truck air tank that is prob 35 years old. I think its time to replace the tank with a store bought one and use my old one for an oil drum or something...Bob

Thanks - I agree with you 100%
If I didnt know the source that it came from I'd be leary as well

[aametalmaster]

I'll get some photos and post them - with a disclaimer of course "Don't try this at Home"

I think we all have some of them too...Bob