How to clean air Compressor tank

I've been bad. I haven't drained my compressor tank in a , long, long while. Started out with the drain valve getting stuck and went down hill from there. Anyway. I've been using it more and more, I feel the need to get it working properly.

I got the drain valve off, but was surprised to just have a little dribble. The drain valve screws into a bushing, which will not budge. Hit it with an impact wrench today and still didn't budge. Need to figure a way to get this off then clean the tank out.

Any idea on getting this bushing off and cleaning the sludge out of the tank?

Is the bushing brass? Sometimes you can chisel away the soft brass and not ruin the threads of the steel tank. If/after you get it out you can rinse it with water. I'm not usre there's anything that can be done to resolve the rust issue. There are some products used to seal gas tanks that might work.


Jeff

I would try the option listed above to try and chisel it out. You might have to drill it out for the most part and then work at chiseling it out. As for dealing with the rust. You could try a rust converter. I have never tried it in a compressor application but I have used the stuff before. It is a liquid that is normally painted on but you could probably swish it around in the tank. It is pretty thin. I used it last when touching up the hitch on my truck. It was getting pretty rusted. I pulled it off and cleaned off what I could with a wire wheel on my grinder but there were lots of areas that I couldn't get into. I picked up some of this rust converter and hit the areas that I couldn't treat. Once it dried I primed and painted the hitch and it looks better than new.

Here is an example of what I am talking about.

Rust Killer

I picked it up at a local store called Fleet Farm. I don't know if there are any in your area but check around any kind of farm supply stores. They may have something like this. The store that I bought it from had it in the same area as the implement (tractor) paint. It came in a plastic bottle kind of like Zippo fluid. It would be really easy to squirt it into a compressor tank. It has the consistency and looks like milk.

Good luck

I recently tore my compressor down to clean it up, change the belt, new oil, and re tape all the threaded joints. After it stopped filling for the first time, I heard a small leak and thought it was the ball valve on the drain. Turns out the tank has a hole in it. You would think these things would last longer than 27 years. LOL.

try applying some heat to the joint, that is the way we would do it on an an industrial sized air receiver.

Alan Y

Use an "easy-out".

Thanks Gentlement, good ideas. I'll post up when I get the sucker out. I did try a 4' breaker bar, but that didn't do it either. I'm thinking a flaming hack saw will probably do the trick...

I'm sure you've tried letting oil penetrates soak over night. Those sometimes help to loosen stuck threads. As for the inside of the tank, I've used the por15 rust preventative paint with success for external surfaces (read vehicle roof). It actually works as advertised. I used a starter/sample kit and finished the job. They also fuel system restoration products that might work for you. http://www.por15.com

do not put anything into the tank that you don't want coming out. Oil, rust-killer/converters (acid) etc will not be good for air tools, tires or paint.
If easy-outs dont work, drill and re-tap, the softer brass will yield allowing restoration of the original threads. Use a tiny bit of anti-sieze or teflon paste when re-assembling