Air compressor Dryer

[mayday0017]

I know I have read several post here and else where about keeping moisture out of air line. I am located in Houston TX and well we have very high humidity leaving lots of water in my compressor and air lines. I currently have a large craftsman air compressor that sits in the corner and just plug and unplug a rubber line to it when I need it. I am about to start using my blasting cabinet much more and moisture has been killer for me in the past.

So the questions what is least expensive least complicated way to keep moisture out of the line?

I do have a retractable reel i am going to mount to the ceiling and most likely just run a rubber hose up into the attic and over to the reel and leave things connected at all times.

 

[Slick111]

Hit the search thread lots of pictures and info on this subject.

 

[Chris.Santamarina]

I know I have read several post here and else where about keeping moisture out of air line. I am located in Houston TX and well we have very high humidity leaving lots of water in my compressor and air lines. I currently have a large craftsman air compressor that sits in the corner and just plug and unplug a rubber line to it when I need it. I am about to start using my blasting cabinet much more and moisture has been killer for me in the past.

So the questions what is least expensive least complicated way to keep moisture out of the line?

I do have a retractable reel i am going to mount to the ceiling and most likely just run a rubber hose up into the attic and over to the reel and leave things connected at all times.

Look in the Grainger catalog and look for Desiccant Dryers. They come in small set up and very large ones. I recently worked on a 2000 CFM Desiccant Dryer at a Power Plant. The one you would need is only gonna be a filter style one (1/2" npt or larger inlet/outlet) that you can replace the silica gel beads in when they turn color. You can buy replacement bags of desiccant for changes when needed and re-use the old beads once dried out. They can be dried in the oven a few times before having to be thrown away. Usually these are around $200.00 or so. The alternative is a refrigerated air dryer, but in terms of dew point you will not get it as low as you will if using desiccant. Also the initial cost of the refrigerated air dryer is more and usually its recommended to use pre and after filters when using a refrigerated system.

Chris

 

[mayday0017]

Hit the search thread lots of pictures and info on this subject.

Wow thanks, next time please don't comment... As I stated very first line I have read several things and seen all sorts of elaborate ways of dealing with this. However I have not seen a simple cheap fix (could of overlooked it) but there are countless post on this topic and would take hours to browse through something someone else can answer in 5 minutes or they can just say look for it yourself aka "hit the search"

 

[mayday0017]

Let me specify I am not looking for a 100% dry line, just one that does not constantly spray visible water like I have issues with due to extreme humidity here in Texas.

Chris,
Thank you for your response hopefully someone else has an answer that will meet my needs and is a little more affordable. That sounds like an excellent solution but I believe it is going to cost a little more then I am looking to spend at this time....

 

[Jagmandave]

So, you want it to work and you want it cheap?

May not be possible, there are no miracle cures for what ails your compressor.....the ways detailed above are the best ways.

You can buy an inexpesive water separator like from HF, but it won't do what you need it too.

I'd go talk to one of your local compressor companies and see what they do, but I'll bet their answers will be the same as above - dessicant or refrigerated dryer....or both.

I live in Kansas and our summers can be brutally humid too, I had a refrigerated dryer in my plant and I could always tell when it quit working, I''d start spraying water out of the lines like they were fire hoses! I had a cartridge type oil separator first, then the refer unit, then a dessicant - when it all worked (which was most of the time) the air was absolutely dry. When something did fail it was usually something simple like a sensor or a stuck float in the drain......

If you want to run a blast cabinet, you need dry air, period.

 

[stonesfan68]

So the questions what is least expensive least complicated way to keep moisture out of the line?

You can try a couple of different things. First, add a moisture separator on the discharge line of the compressor. See if the resulting air is dry enough for your needs. If not, then add a coalescing filter. I don't refer to products that you can buy at Sears or Home Depot, but industrial class filters made by Ingersoll-Rand, Zeks or Hankison. They will cost ~$150/each. They usually include a little float drain that will automatically dump the water out when the separator or filter gets full.

You can also try a product called Infinity Dri Water Remover. This product really works well, but you need to install a coalescing filter in front of it to remove the oil and dirt from the compressed air prior to entering the "Dri."

If that isn't dry enough then you'll have to add a refrigerated air dryer rated for hi-temperature inlet air.

I don't recommend a desiccant dryer for two reasons: 1) Desiccant dryers are extremely sensitive to inlet air temperature. I've yet to see a home air compressor that includes an aftercooler on the machine that lowers the discharge air out of the compressor from 250-300F to 100F. 2) A desiccant air dryer uses 15% of the inlet air to dry out the desiccant tower. Again, most home air compressors won't put out enough volume to meet the end user's flow rate and dryer purge air requirements.

Good luck.

 

[bdk1976]

I've coiled up hose and put it in a bucket of ice water, then through a filter/regulator and then put a disposable filter on the end of the hose right before my air tool. You do have to empty the regulator quite a bit and top off the ice, but it has worked well for me when painting or doing a lot of sandblasting - you won't find many solutions that are cheaper.

 

[cbracer]

Has anyone just purchased a large tank filled with Nitrogen? I hear they are about $200 and refills $40. Pressured up to what 2000-4000psi should last a while. Completely dry. I'm thinking about it....

 

[Jagmandave]

I know a fellow who used old scuba tanks for pressure when he went to the racetrack, he said refills were very cheap and at 3-4Kpsi you could run an impact wrench all day on them and not run them out. Plus, being aluminum they were light to handle. He had two large ones mounted on his race car trailer instead of a compressor that would need a cord or a gas motor or genset to run......