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Compressor safety, or how do I make sure an old compressor is safe?

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steampunkpete:
I take your point about £120 being a lot of money to some, but that doesn't change the comparison between £ and potential injury. If one can't afford to do something with a reasonable degree of safety, then the choice must be either not to do whatever it is, or to somehow make it adequately safe or take a gamble.

I too would probably keep it by spending some dosh on some new gauges, hoses and regulator, which is certainly less than the cost of a new compressor. However, I would strip the whole thing down and assess whether I was spending out for those parts to prop up a compressor already beyond its working life or knackered through neglect.

A risk is there but, in perspective, it isn't enormous.  Check the safety valve function and visually inspect the interior. If the interior looks pristine then replace the hoses, gauges and regulator. If the interior looks significantly degraded then do the hydraulic test, (being careful to full expel all the air) although if it were me, I'd throw it away at that point (drill holes in  the receiver and take it to the dump).

Luna AB is a Swedish company, its name and address are on the plate in the plate in the photo. (http://www.luna.se/)
All materials are compressible, including water, but water has such a high modulus that it can be regarded as incompressible for almost all purpose (and, counter-intuitively, it has the property that in a completely degassed state it will sustain a significant tensile load)

petertheterrible:
I have been nearby when a large compressor used on a mine site 'exploded'.  I am not the jumpy type, the noise was not comparable even with that of a big bore rifle.  But the effect on everyone was astonishing, utter quietness befell everyone, but the strangest thing was that the atmosphere felt different afterwards.  Not a bomb, not a hand grenade throwing shrapnel everywhere, but damn it got hot there pretty quickly. 

One cannot put a price on ones own life or that of the people working for you.  Two lessons I have learned from two salty dogs the one a marshal at the range who asked me where my safety was, when I replied that it was a single shot without a safety he said that the only safety I had was the 11 kg mass between my ears.  The other was the local engine builder doing business for over 40 years, when I asked him if it wasn't dangerous when they dino'ed engines, he pointed to a hole between my feet and said that if was safe within reason everywhere but there.

lordedmond:
OT

But one sign brings it home re safety at a joiners shop they had a 48 inch circular saw one of the large machine which I did maintain on it read


" please count your fingers after use "

The other machines included a good number of 300 HP compressors a couple of which were synconos motors to enable us to bring up the PF by altering the exitaition

To the OP please think about that old compressor of unknown history simply put as others have said is " is it worth it " at least it's air not steam but that's a totally different animal in pressure vessels

Be safe
Stuart

hermetic:
What would I do with it? I would test the pressure guage against a known good one, then check the pressure relief valve and the pressure switch for operation, then use it! I will say it again, Catastrophic failure is caused by overpressure, not corrosion, therfore inspecting the inside of the tank will tell you very little. If it has rust pitting it may pinhole and leak at some time in the future, if it starts up, and does not cut out, and the relief valve is stuck, be prepared for a very big bang. The pressure switch and overpressure relief valve are much more important, as is regular draining. I would not use any silicon based anti rust product inside a compressor tank if you are ever going to spray paint with it.
phil

hermetic:
PS, sorry for the confusion over the pictures!

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