Question about pressure gauge

[stormman]

Re: Question about pressure gauge

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.

DO the Tank

[fearofpavement]

Re: Question about pressure gauge

By the way, I don't have a CLUE what a water pipe will hold safely. I SURE AS HECK wouldn't hold the water pipe!
Hank

Schedule 40 PVC pipe is rated for 600psi and I plan on using it for air feed lines in our new hangar. Doesn't rust and easy to install.

I think this tank testing is all sounding way more complicated than it needs to be. If you don't have confidence in the integrity of the tank, for what a compressor costs maybe it would make more sense just to buy a new one. In some cases a new one will cost less than repairing an old one. My two cents.

[Len Petterson]

Re: Question about pressure gauge

To test a pressure wessel you need to know the pressure rating on it,
not the burts pressure, just operating pressure!Operating pressure is stamped on the wessel!
Burst Pressure is the maximum pressure the wessel will hold with out deformation or bursting! this is a Caclulated value and sometime tested in the factory. The operating pressure is only a portion of the burst pressure. A saftey factor of 3.5 to 6 are common depending of intended use.
If you fill it with water and use a hand pump to get to 100 or so psi you be fine, you will see a leak.
A leak test is easyer to do with low or max operation airpressur and a bottle with soap bubble solution. Use a common dish soap.
If you want to know if it is safe? Yes water will not cause an explosive failure but if you dont trust it, By another one!
The greasgun will take for ever and a day to pump up any pressure rent/borrow a pressure pump from a local plumbing shop, or bring the tank to them.
PSI = pound per square inch and tank has many squae inches,= large force = be carefull I did see some sever failures caused be over pressure and bad manitinece in my days as pipefitter. One almost removed my face! It was tender for some days after the airblast it recived. TO CLOSE FOR COMFORT.
No,a good gauge will work in both water and air but does it have the pressure rating. Expeted pressure + 50 %.
Len

[NY86]

Re: Question about pressure gauge

..my neighbor (lives about 3 miles away) drove to town (about 25 miles) got in his plane, flew back out here,... then jumped in the plane and flew back to town, and drove back home.

Probably a lot easier to get him through security that way... :yahoo:

[NY86]

Re: Question about pressure gauge

making sense has nothing to do with it!

sorry...

[N96337]

Re: Question about pressure gauge

John... making sense has nothing to do with it! I do the same thing as Mike..if I can buy a tool for $10, alot of times I wind up making it, and it'll cost 5 times as much..hahaa
When we put the door on my hangar, my neighbor (lives about 3 miles away) drove to town (about 25 miles) got in his plane, flew back out here, and helped put the door on.. then jumped in the plane and flew back to town, and drove back home. He was telling someone about it, and they said that it made no sense to them at all.... Monty's reply was, "well, you just don't understand airplanes!!" :yahoo: hahhaa
JH

[NY86]

Re: Question about pressure gauge

Uh, whatever you were going to do with it after you tested it yourself...???

I've had SCUBA tanks hydro'd for about $25 each and their working pressure is around 3000 psi. Seems this tank of yours wouldn't cost more than that to test.

[mhorowit]

Re: Question about pressure gauge

Why don't you pay someone to test the tank?

What would I do with it after I got it tested and it was OK? - Mike

[NY86]

Re: Question about pressure gauge

$25/day. End of problem.

Why don't you pay someone to test the tank?

[mhorowit]

Re: Question about pressure gauge

I think I've solved my problem. Instead of putzing around, I'll just build a ramp to move a rented compressor into the back of the Explorer. $25/day. End of problem. - Mike

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Question about pressure gauge

By the way, I don't have a CLUE what a water pipe will hold safely. I SURE AS HECK wouldn't hold the water pipe!
Hank

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Question about pressure gauge

Ever see pictures of the KC-135 they were doing a cabin pressure test on and "over-inflated" the whole fuselage? Ruptured like a "Plump-When-You-Cook-Em" hot dog. How do you explain THAT to the "Old Man"!
Hank

[VictorBravo]

Re: Question about pressure gauge

Mike, have a very thorough look at all the websites and news items for the "Darwin Awards" before you start pressurizing anything to 250 psi....

I can still hear my Aircraft Hydraulics/Pneumatics instructor (Mr. Richard Virgin, West Los Angeles Trade Tech College) telling us students the story of the Air Force mechanic who was inflating a KC-135 tire without the safety cage over it, and who had forgotten to put all the nuts on the wheel bolts... "and if you are anywhere near March Air Force Base on a still night, you can still hear the top half of his body screaming as it flies overhead in low Earth orbit!"

Re: Question about pressure gauge

I believe the tank's working pressure is 125 lbs, so I should test it to 250.
Thanks for the info - Mike

Mike,

Does it have a relief valve? It should. If it does and the tank was tested when new and the relief valve works now I would skip it.

Look at Northern Tool for a replacement compressor. I saw some nice ones in there.

Dave

[mhorowit]

Re: Question about pressure gauge

mhorowit: ... Won't hurt the guage
Ron

Thanks - MIke