do portable air tanks need to be drained of water?

[CarLuver]

i have a small portable air tank that i use to inflate tires. hook it up to my compresser to charge it to 120psi. i drain my compressor regularly of water, but have never drained the tank due to the lack of a drain . not even sure if it needs it.

so do these small tanks need draining? if they do, how do it do it? flip it upside down ?

 

[Dave Sherman]

Does your compressor have its own tank and/or a moisture trap? Probably not an issue. If you're filling it from a tankless compressor or a questionable gas station air source, then it's possible it could be accumulating some water. I always charge mine off my tanked compressor, but I also have a moisture trap on it. Never found any signs of water or rust in the portable tank, it's fairly easy to unscrew the valve and look inside. Might need to apply some new Teflon tape or thread compound if you do take the valve off.

 

[JC1]

Yes they should be drained. Your tank is an air pig? It probably still gets moisture in it. I guess youd have to remove the air coupling band turn it upside down to drain it?

 

[ron17571]

I would find a fitting to crack and let it drain.

 

[tasch72]

If you can shake the air tank and hear water sloshing, I would depressurize the tank, then unscrew the fitting to drain the water.

Remember to PTFE tape the fitting threads when you go to reassemble.

 

[CarLuver]

ok. i dont have a moisture filter in my system as its just a 30 gallon compressor. i don't hear any water in it . gonna take the valve off and look inside

 

[Traction]

All you have to do is turn the tank upside down, and bleed it out.

 

[nthach]

Yes, almost every time I after I use it. You can’t really leave a tiny bit of pressure behind in an air compressor.