In the instructions for my new air compressor it says to empty the air out of the tank after every use. I honestly haven't used air compressors a lot in my life, and don't know if this is absolutely necessary. Seems kinda silly..

I would prefer to leave it full all the time, so it's easy to just go out into the garage, and use..

Should I follow the instructions and empty it? or leave it full all the time?

what do you do with yours?

 

if you arent using it you should empty it. moisture in the air that it intakes can rust the tank out. i work in a metal shop and we empty ours out after every use... if you put your hand under the plug when it is emptying, you will feel the moisture!

 

i empty mine but i think in reality that water will still remain inside and the open drainwill allow oxygen to move around and rush will probably happen both ways..

dunno...

 

I empty mine after every use; I only use it once or twice a week. Condensation comes out every time. Only takes a few minutes or so to fill up anyway, which is about the time it takes me to get out the impact gun and oil it up, and get the car up on jackstands or whatever.

We regularly empty the compressors (usually once a day) at the Honda dealership to let out the moisture that builds up inside so the tanks don't rust out.

 

That's what I needed. thanks guys!..

 

Another vote for empty. Even if there's still moisture in the tank when empty, there's still less total water.

 

This is good information, I never knew it had to be released every time.

I just had a quick question about oiling. I know you are supposed to oil after every use, do you just oil where the air hose connects and how much do you usually put in?

 

I have heard you can get a special valve that will automatically drain the water by opening for a short period of time. I saw it on a TV car/garage show, but have yet to see one in person. Could be a good idea if you want to keep it full.

 

me and my dad have had the same compressor in the shop for about as long as i've been around(he's had it 20+ years).we never empty it,never had a problem.
chris

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MLogan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I just had a quick question about oiling. I know you are supposed to oil after every use, do you just oil where the air hose connects and how much do you usually put in? </TD></TR></TABLE>
Check the instruction manual for your gun. Some guns have oil fittings, and some guns you just squirt some oil into the air fitting. I oil mine before every use, it's a 1970s-era Craftsman and I'd say it's lasted for quite a while.

 

a friend of mine said to leave it full so that you can always have air handy. I was like 'ok'. So I would leave it full and refill it as needed. So then one day (6 mos. later) I decided to drain it. All this rusty water came out of it. I drain it all the time now.

Long story short: Drain it

 

By the way what is the "special" Honda-compressor oil should I use in 2002 civic? (it says at the sticker under hood that I can find it at manual, but I can't). If somebody knows
a part number I will appreciate.

 

Are you talking about the AC compressor? This isn't really the right place for that question