How to Safely Drain Your Industrial Air Compressor Tank

When it comes to maintaining an industrial air compressor, one of the core steps to ensure optimal performance is to have the unit safely drained regularly. Industrial air compressor systems are very similar to well pressure systems found in some homes, with both consisting of a pressure reservoir, a device to move the intended product and a tank to provide storage.
Industrial compressed air units build up water in the rank as a result of condensing humid air. If not drained properly, water can get into the air lines, causing a malfunction of pneumatic equipment. Here are some facts about safely draining an industrial air compressor tank:

    The drain valve allows the tank’s contents to escape under pressure
    Be sure the valve has enough line to safely direct moisture and air to an area it can be safely eliminated
    If the system has shut down, the first step to any start-up process is to drain the tank
    Some systems use an air dryer to reduce moisture while others have an automatic blow-down system that periodically opens the drain valve

Regardless of what type of system or unit you are using, it is very important to keep the industrial air compressor unit’s tank drained in order to not only ensure the unit works at maximum efficiency, but also to reduce the costs of potential replacement and/or maintenance fees.