Is there a way to have the air come out of the first tank and then the second tank?
We have connected our old 60 gallon tank to the new compressor which is also 60 gallon.
Air goes in fine, but when you are using the compressor air comes out of both tanks at the same time.
We thought when doing this that the air would flow from the first tank and then flow from the second tank.
We were told that this would make our compressor come on less frequently.
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Let us pretend, for just a second, that you have a single 120 gallon air tank. When you open the line from the tank to the air tool, air flows from that tank.
Now, lets cut that 120 gallon tank into two 60 gallon tanks.
When you open the line from one tank to the air tool air immediately flows from that tank.
Because both tanks have to be connected, that to fill both with air from the compressor pump as the pump runs, as the air from the tank that is connected to the air too leaves, air from the second tank immediately flows into the first tank to maintain the pressure in both tanks at the same level. Both tanks will drop in pressure as air is being used until the pressure switch cut in pressure is reached, the pump will then come on, and both tanks will experience a rise in pressure until the cut out pressure is reached.
In other words, as far as the compressed air is concerned, it is still all one tank, and that’s just the way air works.
Of course, if the line between the tanks is long and fairly small in diameter, and the line to the air tools is bigger in diameter than the line between the tanks, there will be “lag time” for air to flow between the full tank to refill the tank the air is flowing from to the tool.
I’m not convinced that this is a workable solution as you may, depending on the speed with which air is consumed and the time it take for the air to flow from tank to tank, run out of air for the tool all the while you have a goodly supply in the tank that’s being supplied by the pump.
And, as far as this goes… “We were told that this would make our compressor come on less frequently” and you were told correctly.
The companion statement to this one is though the compressor runs less frequently with two air tanks versus one, when the pressure hits the cut in pressure level and the compressor starts, the compressor motor and pump will run twice as long in order to fill both tanks to the pressure switch cut out level, assuming both tanks are the same size.
Let us know how it works out, will you.
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