[Mr Chips]

i have one of those 33 gal Craftsman compressors, probably about 10 years old. it recently started leaking from the bottom, probably rusted through.

is there anywhere i can get a cheap NEW replacement tank, or am i better off just getting a whole new unit?

 

[shumakerscott]

Caswells

You can get a tank sealer from Caswells. This stuff is fantastic. I will swear by it. http://www.caswellplating.com/aids/epoxygas.htm I have used it for other things besides inside tanks, flash rust stoppage on sheet metal on my Mustang. Rust is stopped in it's tracks. End of story! It sealls holes if you put some tape on the outside to prevent run out. Very tough stuff. Dorf Dude...

 

[Grampa Bud]

Mr. Chips, If you are still there and still have all your parts; listen and listen carefully. You are playing with a ticking time bomb. There is no safe fix for an air compressor tank that is 'whistling' out the bottom. It is only a matter of time before it is going to explode and take whatever is nearby with it. Shut it off, let the pressure bleed off, and go see Sears/Craftsman about a new pressure tank. A new tank is only a couple hundred dollars versus being maimed for life.

 

[Mr Chips]

How can it be a "ticking time bomb" if the air is already leaking out?

is there anybody that can honestly say they have first hand knowledge of a tank BLOWING UP?? I would think a rusted tank would be ultimetly safer than a non rusted tank, since in the case of being over pressurized it would simply blow out the rusted portion and leak air, rather than blowing up in a rain of pressurized steel shards, as we imagine it happening.

when I was younger ran Jeeps off road and we would use old A/C compressors and tanks to make on-board air set ups. i have seen 1 jeep mounted tank get punctured, and it didn't 'explode" but just leaked. Some guys even built heavy duty tube bumpers that they would use for air storage on their rigs.

i really think the "exploding" compressor tank is more of an urban legend, and the leaking tank is the real mode of failure, but thanks for the warning,