anyone ever used a grease gun for a hydrostatic test of a tank?

[tackit]

Has anyone ever used a hand-operated grease gun to hydrostatic test a compressor tank?

I don't see how it would work other than replacing the grease cartridge cylinder with a piece of threaded on both ends black pipe, bush the BP down to accept a check valve and water hose bushing.

I read after you fill the tank with water, install a tee on the tank, on one side of the tees run you connect the pump, thread a pressure gauge into the tee's bull, and plug the other end of the tee, I think?

Pressurize the tank 1 1/2 times at what its rated for and hold that pressure for ten minutes.

[sbluke55]

Ave used one to for hydraulic pump.

I think it would take for ever to get up to pressure. I personally would use a pressure washer.

[sbluke55]

Also I think I’m the video he says that the oil isn’t thick enough so who knows if water will work.


What kind of pressures do you think you will be going up to.

[walker]

Why not just use gas from one of your high pressure cylinders?

[Hobbytime]

Why not just use gas from one of your high pressure cylinders?

can you say..BOMB??? google hydro static testing to find out why water is used and not a gas or air....

[gxbxc]

I used a dead weigh tester and it is basiclly a porta power pump with water or light oil .

[Bluewelders]

One of the cheap electric power washers from Harbor Freight would do a good job for a water pressure test.

[milomilo]

Pressure washer will work fine. Just do not stand next to it, or do this test inside a building, when pressuring up.

[ronsii]

I used a dead weigh tester and it is basiclly a porta power pump with water or light oil .

A light oil like diesel?....

[Willie B]

It should work. Fill with water, seal, and pump in grease. I'd go higher pressure than 1-1/2 though. I'd feel better about 3 times working pressure. If it's full of water, almost no air, it won't rupture as violent as a tank full of air.

[Sandy]

There must be a recommended limit for pressure testing compressor tanks. Go too high and you could stretch one beyond the point of return (elasticity) and actually ruin it.

[CAVEMANN]

I think member walker meant to say to use the high pressure gas to build the pressure with water in the tank, we had a hand pump for doing the hydro on locomotive tanks.

[tackit]

Thanks for the info guys, after reading all the threads, it looks like a power washer is the best option. Testing the tank is going to be my first job when the weather warms up. I have a scope to visually check the inside of the tank out but it does not conclusively prove the compressors 80 gal tank is safe to fill to 100 lbs of air. I bought my compressor back in 1992, I get the hebgbies everytime the compressor turns on.

[walker]

can you say..BOMB??? google hydro static testing to find out why water is used and not a gas or air....

What, are you an idiot? You fill it with water, then pressurize with nitrogen, or whatever gas you have on hand. This is the way it is done regularly. Even if it splits the two ounces of gasare notgoing to do much.

[walker]

There must be a recommended limit for pressure testing compressor tanks. Go too high and you could stretch one beyond the point of return (elasticity) and actually ruin it.

Generally one and a half times operating pressure, so 300psi for a 200 pound tank.

[Willie B]

There must be a recommended limit for pressure testing compressor tanks. Go too high and you could stretch one beyond the point of return (elasticity) and actually ruin it.

If you read Lincoln's book, stretching steel adds a great deal of strength. The drawings of molecular structure they use to illustrate show molecules not able to fully bond because of tiny carbon molecules obstructing. Stretching allows carbon molecules to fill in holes. The various molecules in steel then can pull tightly together, and strengthen their bond.

Yield strength of steel is greater after minor stretching.

Meanwhile, I prefer failure of a tank in a non violent way over failure killing me a year later.

[BD1]

Why hydro ?? It's old , fill to pressure, and mix some water and Dawn in spray bottle and spray it on. You can use a paint brush to distribute the bubbles.

[farmersammm]

Just a quick search. Not bad, considering the price of a new compressor I guess.

https://www.compressorworld.com/80-g...top-plate.html

I'd probably go back to Champion for a tank, but probably they're mostly all the same. Champion's, last I checked were made in USA.

[331]

Check your local tool rental for portable hydrostatic test pumps . The rental places in our city carry the Rigid 1450 manual units .

[tackit]

Check your local tool rental for portable hydrostatic test pumps . The rental places in our city carry the Rigid 1450 manual units .

I ordered one of these to have on hand just because it's cheap, but I'm going with my 3000 psi airless sprayer first.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Set-25KG-....c100005.m1851

https://www.mcmaster.com/bspt-to-npt...tting-adapters

[William McCormick]

The only thing about using something like a pressure washer is friction and static electricity. If you electrically boil water that could be a bad thing. Without salts or electrolytes, water is hard to boil. But if there are some electrolytes, it may boil rather quickly. I would prefer slow and calm pressurizing. High pressures discharge can make for high voltage.

Sincerely,

William McCormick

[tackit]

The only thing about using something like a pressure washer is friction and static electricity. If you electrically boil water that could be a bad thing. Without salts or electrolytes, water is hard to boil. But if there are some electrolytes, it may boil rather quickly. I would prefer slow and calm pressurizing. High pressures discharge can make for high voltage.

Sincerely,

William McCormick

William, thanks for offering your thoughts on how to go about testing the tank. I have a hydrostatic tester coming, I will wait until it arrives in March, I'm in no hurry, it's still cold here, our night time temps are still below freezing.

I was thinking about using the pressure washer or airless sprayer to fill the tank because of the size of the tank, it's so large I am thinking the small tester might not put out enough volume to test the tank in a reasonable amount of time even after I first fill it with the water hose.

There undoubtedly is going to be air in the tank that must be displaced because of where the compressor's feed line enters the tank.

I am thinking I can remove the filter on the output side of the tank's nipple, add a 90* elbow to the nipple looking up, and add a length of pipe which stands a foot higher than the tank, keep filling the tank with water until it comes out the standpipe with no bobbles than close the ball valve.

I'm going to remove the fitting with the pop-off valve and the stop line tube and screw in a nipple with a water hose bushing into the tanks weldolet to fill the tank with water.

William, have you experience in hydrostatic testing lines and vessels?

[rexcormack]

Is there no fitting in the very top of the tank(like between the pump and the motor) where you could fill and vent the air?

[tackit]

Is there no fitting in the very top of the tank(like between the pump and the motor) where you could fill and vent the air?

Not that I have seen, the pop-off valve and the unloader tube come off the same fitting the compressor fill tube threads into.

[ronsii]

That means you'll have to lay it on the side to test???