Air compressor moisture problem

[Oak]

Yep, what Sam said. We do that at work when pulling a vacuum on a machine that has a lot of moisture in it.

Come out of your compressor tank and into a copper coil that is in an ice bath and then have that discharge into a tank with a dip tube that goes to the bottom, then pull your air off the top of the tank and into your final desiccant type filter. You will use a lot of ice and will need to drain the tank more often in humid conditions and I don't think it would hurt to use a longer hose so that air is warmed up a little after it comes out of the tank to your pneumatic device.

[cubfan]

You guys are hitting the nail on the head for sure.This has been on my mind all day and for the last week for that matter.I spoke with Air Compressor Sales in Tn today and the guy said basically the same as you guys are saying but he went into great detail about what causes moisture.So this is what Im thinking and if Im wrong or it wont work somebody please clue this ole boy in.I want to leave the compressor with 1/2" copper line and go through the shop wall to the outside and bury 50-75 ft of it letting the dirt absorb the heat and back into the shop.Mount two holding tanks under the work bench.Go straight into the first tank maybe an inch or two from the bottom and out the top into a filter,leaving that filter into the second tank,leaving that tank into another filter and finally up to where the air hose reel mounts to the wall.Then into a final filter and into the pressure regulator and then into the hose reel itself.The two tanks would be mounted to the wall next to the compressor.The drains for the tanks and compressor would be connected to one common line and one common valve.I already have the copper line and a couple of old compressor tanks and one filter so I would only need to buy a few fittings and two more filters.I only want to do this once and its got to be right.I don't want to be sandblasting removing paint and rust and have water going all over the bare metal or having fish eyes in the paint.Im figuring this can be done in just a day and a twelve pack.Whatchyall think????????????

[cubfan]

Oh yea,one more thing I love overkill.I would rather have too much than not enough.

[DoubleO7]

I am thinking you would want the copper tubing "chiller" where you can drain off the condensate that will be produced when it does the chilling.
If you bury it, it would be the low point of your system and collect water.

I was imagining a coil of tubing in a tank of water. The coils spiraling upwards with air entering low, exiting high.
With a drop leg at the low point and an automatic condensate drain on the very bottom end.

[Oak]

Yep, a twelve pack should do as long as your helpers bring their own beverages. BTDT!

[Sam Mac]

Better idea, get an old refrigerator run the coil inside it. Fill the frig with beer and kill 2 problems at once.

[dbuck]

Originally Posted by Sam Mac

Better idea, get an old refrigerator run the coil inside it. Fill the frig with beer and kill 2 problems at once.

Now that is the best idea . I will have to work on that idea.

[cubfan]

Ok,change in plans,was talking with a buddy yesterday concerning this subject and he said let's go to my place I think I have what you need.Got there and low and behold this was sitting way back in his shop.He said he didn't know if it was any good but I could have it.After a thank you and a hand shake I headed home with it.I blew off the dust and temporarily hooked power to it and it at least ran and the compressor kicked on.I took a meat thermometer and verified the air temp coming out of the air hose (78°) and then taped the air hose to the left side of it.With the dryer running the exiting air temp was 28° so I guess it works.Problem is neither the PO nor myself are 100% sure of how to hook up the air lines.My assumption is the inlet would be from the left side,the air would exit from the right side.There is also what appears to be a drain underneath it.I am thinking this would be for some sort of holding tank that could be periodically drained.I still want to build the cooling coil for it but just not sure now of where to put the filters.If anyone knows how this goes can ya chime in and let me know.I also wanted to add a pic of my current aircompressor setup.I emphasize current cause all of this is about to change.Oh yea,12 pack advice was great (lol).

[Oak]

Good deal. That is a refrigerated air dryer for pneumatic controls in a commercial building. That is also an older one that uses R12 refrigerant. The air should come out the side that has the drain or tank you see. If you open that up you should find a filter and an automatic drain. The outer cover should unscrew and the drain will be in the bottom of the cover and the filter will be at the top attached to the filter assembly. The filter is to catch any oil that is pumped out of your compressor. Parts should not be a problem either because at one time there were probably a million of them in use. You need to find what cfm your tool uses because that looks like a 10 scfm (standard cfm) or a 15 scfm max. Here are some parts sources that sell to the public.

https://www.motionindustries.com/mot...tion/browse/en

http://www.grainger.com/search?searc...r+dryer+filter

http://www.mcmaster.com/#compressed-air-dryers/=qf76w3

Here is another filter that I hear good things about.

http://www.wixfilters.com/Products.aspx?ct=pac

[cubfan]

After a full day in the shop and a few trips to Lowes for fittings,I finally got the air system redone.I let run for 42 minutes straight just to make absolutely sure it works properly.While it was running I placed a piece of cardboard at the end of the airline and not one single sign of moisture or oil was visible.The dryer works perfectly.The copper line going in is so hot it will burn your hand but the copper line coming out is nice and cold.Heck there wasn't even any water in the first filter at the end of the run.I think now Im ready for sand blasting and painting.But first a major straightening up of the shop next weekend.Time for some football and a cold one!!