Leave the drain valve open or closed?

by Richard

After draining a compressor tank, should the petcock be closed or left open? I have received both answers on this.
_____________
Richard...

Is it tomato or tomawto? :-)

As a general rule, I leave mine open. If the purpose of the drain petcock is to void the tank of water, I think that leaving it open allows moisture vapor to condense further inside the tank and drip out.

On the other hand, if you drain your tank after every use, leaving it closed shouldn't be a problem.

If you leave it open, you need to remember that when the compressor fires up you may not be able to hear that air is bleeding from the drain valve. Your compressor could run a long time with no pressure buildup in the tank as a result.

Bill