Aluminum Tank - Drain Required?

[72BlckButy]

Curious what everyone's thoughts are on needing a drain on an aluminum air tank.

Overkill or justified?

[chevy_mike]

My thoughts are, you will still build up water in the tank, it just won't rust. The water will still go through the rest of the system, which could cause you problems, so you would want to drain it.

I would definitely put a drain in. YMMV

[andrewmp6]

I'm with chevy mike i"d have a drain on any air tank no matter what its made out of.

[bk2life]

been running airride since early 90s, never had any type of drain system. i do live in a desert, so my air might be drier then yours, but water going through your airvalves wont hurt them ifyou have high quality valves. -just take into account im in phx.

[andrewmp6]

I'm not too far from him and we have some nasty humidity in the summer.

[72BlckButy]

Figured it would be the way to go, just like hearing everyone's experiences.

[Zoomin]

It's interesting Ride Tech doesn't offer traps and stuff. A drain couldn't hurt though.

[Pro Performance]

I would run a drain, as no matter what, the compressor will build condensation due to it compressing air. You won't want it going through your system, and even if your valves can handle it, I would not suggest letting water go into your bags. Most tanks will have some sort of drain port though.

Travis

[king-918]

Originally Posted by 72BlckButy

Curious what everyone's thoughts are on needing a drain on an aluminum air tank.

Overkill or justified?

Install the drain, have you ever seen a shop compressor without one? I haven't
Posted via Mobile Device

[Zoomin]

Why not install a trap before the air even enters the tank?

No doubt, you have to do something if you run steel tanks/parts or you'll have rust flakes in your valves.

[jephs422]

Even if you install a trap before the tank, you still need a drain. Condensation will build when the hot air that was pumped in from the compressor forms in the tank.

[SCOTI]

The 'moisture' forms when the hot air cools. Traps immediately off the comp & just before the tank are useless. There would need to be a long enough lead prior to the trap that allows effective cooling of the hotter compressed air to reach atmospheric temps.

Although not an absolute requirement, any sort of drain (elect. valve or simple petcock) would be a benefit.

[72BlckButy]

Wondered about the water trap as well, but understand the cooling that needs to occur in order for the trap to function as expected.

Would you need a water trap if running a tank w/ a drain? Right off the tank?

[Pro Performance]

No, a drain on the tank would be sufficient. I have never run a water trap on any of my air systems.

[higXtech]

how often are you draining? I open up and drain my garage compressor after every use. i cant imagine doing that on a daily driven truck is practical.

[Pro Performance]

You won't need to drain every time you drive the truck. Just every so often when you remember to do so.

[dznucks]

Water is essentially incompressible. So what ever water builds up in your tanks will reduce the volume of air that your system will hold in the tanks.

Unless you have another way of getting it out of the tanks, you need to run a drain in addition to a trap.

I use a 1/8" NPT threaded schrader valve with a 1/4"NPT-1/8" NPT bushing, I got both at NAPA. Another added benefit is if your compresor goes out you can still air your system up through the schrader valves.

[dznucks]

Obviously the schrader would need to point down. Here is a pic of mine during the install.

[firedog]

dznucks that is the same drain I have on mine