OBA Tank question

mtnbiker995

mtnbiker995

New member
I have a 1.5 gallon Viair system mounted inside my cab. Yesterday I dismounted everything and brought it inside my house where I removed all of the fittings from the tank and looked inside. . .The whole thing is covered with pitted rust spots on the inside so my question is, what's the best way to coat the inside of the tank to try and prevent rust/how can I avoid this?

Inside of the tank:




Cast steel fitting I had on the top of the tank, now covered in rust:

 
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How long was the tank set up for until you pulled it out? On the 80 gallon shop compressor i use we periodically drain the tank of water about once a week via a valve on the bottom to prevent it from rust. When air is compressed the moisture condenses on the walls of the tank. I would suggest periodically draining the tank to keep the moisture out.
 
I've had it installed for about 6 months, and I don't always use the OBA so I normally try to drain the tank after each trip where I've used it. I'd say <15% of the time I've had the system installed has it actually been pressurized
 
I use brass fittings on my tank. My tank is mounted under the Jeep tucked up out of the way. Believe or not, there is not a scratch on t and it has never hung up on anything. I need to open the valve today but I open the valve after every trip usually to release the air out of it. My tank has been on my Jeep for 9 years. I don't know what the inside of the tank looks like but the fittings are all brass.
 
Tanks will always rust. They are raw on the inside. Draining it helps but won't prevent rust. Using brass fittings is a good idea. The tank will last a long time no matter what. Draining it helps. These tanks are cheap enough to replace after say 10 years of rust build up.
 
Ahh okay thanks for the responses guys. This is my first OBA system so I have no idea how much rust is normal or not. And the system came with a brass fitting where my cast one is, but I couldn't for the life of me find an air hose to fit the compression fitting. So I removed it and put an adapter fitting and nipple fitting in so I could put everything together. Looks like I might have to search a little harder and try to find the same fitting combination but in brass instead of cast. . .
 
It seems you already got your answer but the biggest thing is to change your fittings to brass. There are resorvoirs out there that are "supposed" to trap the moisture before it gets into the tank but they are not 100% and unless your going to use it for painting I wouldnt waist the money.
 
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