Air compressor after cooler choices

[slackdaddy1]

I am trying to wrap up the moving compressor to the shed,, and will be adding an aftercooler between the pump and tank.
It is an IR T-30 5hp 60gal vert unit.

I am looking at 2 styles of after coolers:

Parallel tube (styled like a car radiator)

Pardon Our Interruption...

Or a "series" (one long tube style)

Pardon Our Interruption...

The ebay 16 pass unit has no pressure rating listed,, is there a name brand (one long tube style) that that folks trust ?
I believe my line from the comp to the tank is 1/2" so the smaller 3/8 ID would be to small?

Thanks,
Slack

 

[Shoreline_]

I like the parallel tube. Looks more like what the OE mfg use now for most applications.

 

[OccupantRJ]

The two coolers you linked to show 1/2” and 3/4” connections, not 3/8” as you questioned? A series type cooler would have more restricted air flow. A cooler with end header tanks uses a more distributed flow through all the tubes at the same time.

 

[Yankeefarmer]

FWIW, I used the Derale 13315 cooler, purchased on Amazon. It’s a series type. Installed it between the pump and my 60 gal receiver tank. I provided air flow using a cheap box fan. Works great. The inlet line to the cooler gets very hot. The outlet line is always cool to the touch.

I experienced only one problem, unrelated to the cooler choice. During a long sandblasting session, the inlet piping got so hot that a soldered copper joint let go. I fixed it by using only threaded joints on the inlet side.

 

[GeoBruin]

I am trying to wrap up the moving compressor to the shed,, and will be adding an aftercooler between the pump and tank.
It is an IR T-30 5hp 60gal vert unit.

I am looking at 2 styles of after coolers:

Parallel tube (styled like a car radiator)

Pardon Our Interruption...

Or a "series" (one long tube style)

Pardon Our Interruption...

The ebay 16 pass unit has no pressure rating listed,, is there a name brand (one long tube style) that that folks trust ?
I believe my line from the comp to the tank is 1/2" so the smaller 3/8 ID would be to small?

Thanks,
Slack

The Derale that Yankee farmer mentioned is a popular choice for this application. I believe it's the same one I used.

Regarding restricting flow, remember that your compressor is only sending 15ish cfm to the tank. At that low flow rate, you won't lose as much flow as you think. It's not like when you have a hose coming out of your tank which is capable of flowing a couple hundred cfm.

 

[slackdaddy1]

The two coolers you linked to show 1/2” and 3/4” connections, not 3/8” as you questioned? A series type cooler would have more restricted air flow. A cooler with end header tanks uses a more distributed flow through all the tubes at the same time.

My copper line from the Pump to the tank is 1/2" ID copper, so that is "5/8 tube".
While the series cooler I linked has 1/2" connections, it is 1/2 "Tube" or 3/8" ID

 

[misterfixit]

im curious where the water goes as it drops out from cooling in the coils

 

[GeoBruin]

im curious where the water goes as it drops out from cooling in the coils

If you don't do anything to drain it, it will go into the tank. Many of us have installed water traps after the cooler and before the tank.

 

[niget2002]

If you don't do anything to drain it, it will go into the tank. Many of us have installed water traps after the cooler and before the tank.

This is the setup I planned on doing. Still have the parts sitting in an Amazon list. Get an auto drain water separator so when the pump turns off and the pressure releases, the trap will empty.

 

[slackdaddy1]

Follow up,,
I used the "Belt Guard After Cooler for 10HP"

Belt Guard Aftercooler For 10 HP Motors 1" Female NPT

Belt Guard Aftercooler for 10 Horse Power Motor 1 Inch Female NPT Fittings BlackCompressed air can reach temperatures of several hundred degrees, so it's often times important to have an air cooler in your system. This aftercooler can mount directly to your existing belt guard. The intake and...

compressor-source.com

I welded up brackets to hold the after cooler,, no separate fan added,, it catches a little air from the pump pully fan.
I soldered up a "separator- drop leg drain" , to drain the water before going into the tank,, everything is plumbed to drain BACK towards the separator.

Air temp at 49 deg,, compressor at 49 deg
Ran the compressor to fill the 60 gal tank from 0 psi to 160 psi
Aftercooler inlet neck was 198 deg,
Aftercooler outlet neck was 68 deg
No measurable water drained from tank or separator,,

The real test will be this coming summer