# Air compressor tank rust prevention



## shinola (Sep 27, 2021)

Just bought a new compressor and wanted to try to prevent rust. I'm in FL, near the ocean, so this tends to be what goes first in my experience. The new compressor is a 60 gallon dewalt with a drain at the bottom. I thought I might be able to put ~1 gallon of oil in the tank to help prevent rust. As water condenses in the tank, it should sink to the bottom of the pool of oil. For normal maintenance, I could open the drain to release the condensed water and stop when oil starts to come out. Maybe do this every 2 weeks, then drain completely and put new oil in annually.

I'll have a condensation trap and filter on the output of the compressor. Would this cause any problems with air tools? Main use is a blast cabinet, but also eventually a HVLP paint gun and various air tools.

Haven't done anything yet. Has anyone tried this before? Good results or waste of time?

thanks,
Brian


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## Ground Fault (Jun 9, 2020)

Consider a prefilter/dryer similar to this: Amazon.com: Silica Air Dryer for Ozone Generators, Humid Environments, Prolonging Ozone Life : Home & Kitchen , only MUCH bigger. MAke your own for cheap using PVP pipe of sufficient calculated size and add your own rechargeable indicating desiccant beads. How? Google "Yong Heng air compressor dryer" to see many home-built dryers that remove almost 99% of the suspended moisture in the intake air. Air dryer for Yong Heng compressor - Airgun Nation

Or get a dive compressor -quality moisture separator: $$$

I live in the second most humid region of the nation. I know about wet air out of a compressor. Best thing you can do is make sure it is dry going in, then a good separator on the way out. You can even put the desiccant in the tank if you have a sufficient bung hole to get it in (and out). My HF air compressor is 36 years old and the tank leaks a bit. No big deal for no more than I use it. Unless you are painting with the air it ain't that big of deal.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

an auto drain also works well for shops.
easy to add on a compressor.

yea a pre dryer is a must.....
i use a LARGE dehumidifier in the shop and keep the shop humidity at 50% or below.
it helps on the water issue....
but i still get water in the tank, we put in an auto drain and 99% of the issues stopped.
and yes we have a post compressor dryer for the paint booth.


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## shinola (Sep 27, 2021)

Thanks for the ideas. I had looked into pre-dryer systems, but this is not for a shop. This is in my garage and will only see occasional use to run a blast cabinet for a hobby of mine. Maintaining desiccant for the occasional use might be problematic for a home system. 

I looked into auto-drains after reading the post above. That might be an option to keep in mind.

But back to the oil idea. Does anyone see this is a bad idea or a risk to tools or the compressor? It would seem to me that the post-compressor moisture trap and filter will at least protect my tools.

Brian


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