DIY Air Tank

[jwilkinson]

With some welding assistance from my dad I managed to put this air-tank together. Now I just need to get a bigger capacity compressor at some stage as my current one does not have enough woema to keep the air loss in the tank at an acceptable level. First wheel inflates nice and quick though.

[ricster]

That's quite interesting.... Show us more?.... What did you use?..... Safety?

[jwilkinson]

It is basically just a gas cylinder which is rated at 20bar which is more than sufficient as the compressor only support up to 10bar. At the bottom of the tank I have made provisioning to install a pressure release valve which I still have to go buy. From the bottle I had to reduce from 3/4 inch to 1/4 inch for all the other pneumatic fittings. I could not find any pneumatic reducers for that so got a plumbing 3/4 to 1/2 inch reducer and then in turn reduced from that to 1/4 inch. The rest of the components is from the GAV product range which you can get at your local builders warehouse.

I am no expert so by no means except this as the way to do it

[ricster]

hey... other than it taking up a bit of space in the back... I think its awesome !!... looks neat and safety provisions have been allowed for

[Zantus]

I did something similar in my ex Triton, see the article on my website below.

http://www.4x4tec.co.za/wp/my-opinions- ... -board-air

[ChristoSlang]

I have a similar system in the back of my Patrol, but I moved the tank underneath the vehicle...

http://www.patrol4x4.co.za/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=450

[Russ Kellermann]

Very nice.

I've been wanting to rig Endless Air system for bloody ages. Im also going to be rigging my tank underneath my vehicle though (lots of space with patrol pickup) . Thanks for posting this.

[jwilkinson]

Yeah I ideally would have wanted to go underneath as well but I have 2nd fuel tank underneath so I basically have no more space left there. I was also bit concerned with how to get the Compressor and tank hooked up through the floor and avoid a rust disaster. I was also not sure if it was going to work so this was the least destructive installation method :)

[Peter Connan]

While I really like the idea, you guys need to be aware that there if rairly stringent legal aspects that need to be adhered to under the relatively new SANS347 regulations. If you go over a certain volume, then in theory it needs to be tested every two years, and the design needs to be signed of by a PrEng.

You will of course probably only get into trouble if the tank blows, but do keep it in mind.

Apart from the legal aspects, I would strogly recommend mounting that tank upside-down. The act of compresing air squeezes out some of the atmospheric water, and this can cause internal rust if allowed to collect. Therefore you need a drain in the bottom of the tank. By mounting the tank upside-down, with the outlet at tthe bottom, ou will negate this problem.

[ChristoSlang]

While I really like the idea, you guys need to be aware that there if rairly stringent legal aspects that need to be adhered to under the relatively new SANS347 regulations. If you go over a certain volume, then in theory it needs to be tested every two years, and the design needs to be signed of by a PrEng.

I would strogly recommend mounting that tank upside-down. The act of compresing air squeezes out some of the atmospheric water, and this can cause internal rust if allowed to collect. Therefore you need a drain in the bottom of the tank. By mounting the tank upside-down, with the outlet at tthe bottom, ou will negate this problem.

Any idea what volume? Mine is 8 liters...

My system has an electrical pressure switch that turns the compressor off at just over 7.5 bar, as well as an over-pressure safety release valve that starts bleeding off air above that (hmmmm... not sure exactly when, though!). There's a drain screw at the bottom ot the tank, but I have to admit that I am a bit lax in letting moisture out after every use. At least it's mounted under the car to minimise shrapnel should it go BANG!

BTW: Aren't you a registered Pr Eng?