Tools, Sharpening and Power Machinery - Rusty air compressor tank. Need a new one.

I have a sears 6hp oil free air compressor, with a 60 gal. tank. The compressor runs fine. The tank is shot. Sears wants 300+ for a replacement. Any place else out there to get a tank? I could even go down to a 30 gal. I hate to spend that much for tank. New ones are almost as cheap.

Thanks. :)

thekents,

You are right.
A replacement tank will cost as much as a new compressor.
A small tank wouldn't be much less and would take some head scratching to put it all together properly
I'm not sure what tank they are using for a replacement but if a quality one, $300.00 would be in the ball park.


I would assume that the tank is leaking and wonder how old it is and what caused it to leak?
Not drained regularly?

Maybe this would be a good time to upgrade to a quality belted, oil type of compresssor.

The tank is 10 years old. I guess it was neglect and moving over the last few years. If no one out there does not have a used tank, I think I will ebay the old one and buy a smaller one. I do not have a need for a large capacity tank like before.

Thanks for your input

If you mean buy just a smaller tank you should be aware that the tank size is chosen to determine the amount of time a compressor cycles on and off, and for a retailer to make customers think they are really getting something good.
It is not there to give you any more air capacity than you would have with a smaller tank.
It's the cfm capacity that determines how much air you get.

If you replace the current tank with a smaller one, the effect will be that the compressor will cycle more frequently, making the unit hotter and put more strain on the motor and starting switch.

If you are going to buy a new unit, then good!

Thanks for the information. I will just part this one out and go get one that fits my needs. Is there a formula you use for determining the type of compressor to get? etc. what type of tools you are running vs the cfm of the unit?

Thanks

Here (http://www.northerntool.com/aircompressors/cfm.htm) is a link to a chart that has average tool air consumption figures.

In a 120 volt plug in model, 6 cfm is roughly the largest you can get and will handle most hobbiest's needs.

Just curious, does the tank have pinholes? I would guess that most tanks that are more than a few years old would be rusty inside.