I just bought an air compressor last week. 6 hp 155psi 27 gallon tank. I haven't used it much and have never owned one before. My question is should I bleed the pressure after every time I use it or keep the pressure stored in the tank. Thanks.
cheers, Elliot

my manual says to drain after every use, I have to say, I'm not really good about doing that though.

ditto. I also run it for a few minutes once a month with the bleed / drain valve on the bottom open to "wash out" the condensation.

Get an inline air/water filter. It will catch a lot of the water. It's also good for your tools.

You're definitely supposed to drain it after every use. Otherwise the water sits and the thing can rust. I like the idea of running periodically with the drain valve open, too... I think I'll start doing that.

I leave mine cracked open just a touch. It looses all of its pressure within a few hours of shutting it off, but she won't hold water. And I don't have to remember to drain.

Drain it!

Don't take chances. One of my designers at work came from Cambell Hausfeld where he worked on the compressor line. Said that they sometimes pumped up rusty tanks to explosion as part of their testing.

According to him, you DO NOT want to be anywhere near oneof those suckas when it goes.

Also talks about seeing blown tanks that the PO had welded.....

He recommends buying a new tank periodically as cheap insurance....

Ken

Drain your lines too. They get old and cracked fast if left with pressure in them. But, everybody knows that, right?

I drain mine after every use. 20 Gallon 5 HP. I leave the drain screw open and the next time I use it I always forget to close it. This results in inadvertent clearing of any moisture still in the tank, and blows the floor clean as well.

This is not a pain or a tough thing to do, it is worthwhile, it is just hard to remember sometimes.