Air Dryer question

[underpressure02]

I have finished running the 3/4 rapid air line in my garage and the last piece I need is an Air Dryer. I was looking at the DeVilbiss QC3 Air Filter and Dryer.

The unit has 1/2 in but 1/4 out. My plan was to place the dryer before my airline T's off. One of the lines will run to my tire machine and the other to my blast cabinet. Does anyone see a problem with stepping down from 3/4 to a 1/2 inlet and then back out from a 1/4 to a 3/4?

Is there any other dryer you guys would recommend?

 

[Hpozzuoli]

Don't laugh at me. Harbor freight. I do tons of sandblasting and need dry air with some of the material I use. This thing works great. You can change out the filters very easily. It was approx $40. Not sure if it something you want to paint with since I don't do painting. Just thought I would share.

 

[pop pop]

Don't know how much air you are flowing, but 1/2 and 1/4 are severe restrictions to what a 3/4 will flow.

 

[rburke65]

Opinion.....I think I would look for a 3/4" in and out or at least a 1/2" in and out. Did I say "opinion"?

 

[underpressure02]

Don't laugh at me. Harbor freight. I do tons of sandblasting and need dry air with some of the material I use. This thing works great. You can change out the filters very easily. It was approx $40. Not sure if it something you want to paint with since I don't do painting. Just thought I would share.

Thank you for the info. I looked at that but wasn't sure how good it would be. I am worried about the tire machine more then the blast cabinet. The company I bought the tire machine from kept stressing how important it was that the air was dry before going into the machine.

Don't know how much air you are flowing, but 1/2 and 1/4 are severe restrictions to what a 3/4 will flow.

That was my concern. My compressor is 15 or 16 CFM and the cabinet is going to need all that then some.

Opinion.....I think I would look for a 3/4" in and out or at least a 1/2" in and out. Did I say "opinion"?

I haven't found many 3/4 I did find a few 1/2 and out. It looks like I might have to go that route.

 

[Mr onetwo]

Guys, you do not size a refrigerated dryer like this.I have an Ingersoll Rand DXR25 that is rated for 25 CFM and the tubing in and out of it is 1/2"OD copper.I have Norgren filter/regulators that are rated at 20 CFM and the are 1/4" FIP in and out.

 

[underpressure02]

Guys, you do not size a refrigerated dryer like this.I have an Ingersoll Rand DXR25 that is rated for 25 CFM and the tubing in and out of it is 1/2"OD copper.I have Norgren filter/regulators that are rated at 20 CFM and the are 1/4" FIP in and out.

I am looking at a desiccant dryer. The prices of the refrigerated dryer are way out of my budget.

 

[kotlarbia]

Did I say "opinion"?

 

[stonesfan68]

Does your compressor have an aftercooler on it? You will overload the dryer if the inlet air is too hot.

 

[Hpozzuoli]

My air is super dry from the harbor freight dryer. I use nuts sometimes and get no clumping whatsoever. The air stays at room temperature and not even warm so you don't have to worry about condensation after the fact. For a cheap investment I would try that at first. I am surprised the specs stress the dry air. We had a couple of older snap on balancers and tire machines and just ran straight air to them. They were bought new and used for almost 20yrs. Maybe the new stuff is different.....my dryer is a 20ft hose section away from my compressor. Typically after the dryer is another 20ft hose section to the blast cabinet or air tools.

 

[pop pop]

Guys, you do not size a refrigerated dryer like this.I have an Ingersoll Rand DXR25 that is rated for 25 CFM and the tubing in and out of it is 1/2"OD copper.I have Norgren filter/regulators that are rated at 20 CFM and the are 1/4" FIP in and out.

What does "rated" mean?
Granted, the pressure out, which is pressure in minus the pressure drop at maximum flow is the key. If that final pressure is sufficient, you're good to go. I don't know the flow rate, so I can't determine if 1/4 is good to go.

 

[underpressure02]

Does your compressor have an aftercooler on it? You will overload the dryer if the inlet air is too hot.

I don't believe it has an aftercooler.

My air is super dry from the harbor freight dryer. I use nuts sometimes and get no clumping whatsoever. The air stays at room temperature and not even warm so you don't have to worry about condensation after the fact. For a cheap investment I would try that at first. I am surprised the specs stress the dry air. We had a couple of older snap on balancers and tire machines and just ran straight air to them. They were bought new and used for almost 20yrs. Maybe the new stuff is different.....my dryer is a 20ft hose section away from my compressor. Typically after the dryer is another 20ft hose section to the blast cabinet or air tools.

According to the company i bought the tire machine from they claim that because the "motor" (not sure what to call it that drives the pneumatic parts on the tire machine) sits horizontal and does not have a drain, if water or condensation gets in there it will rust the components and eventually lead to seal failure.

 

[underpressure02]

I have narrowed it down to these two systems.

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/p-29927-2qt-dessicant-dryer.aspx


http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/p-29929-lg-cap-air-desiccant-air-drying-system-12rdquo-pipe-30-scfm-w-free-1gal-jar-of-rep-desiccant.aspx

Not sure if the 5 stage system is overkill for what I need and if I should just buy the single dryer kit.

Any thoughts?

 

[stonesfan68]

That desiccant dryer won't last very long with an inlet air temperature above 110F. You need to cool the air prior to entering the dryer.

I'd recommend that you put the $200 towards an industrial quality moisture separator and filter. If you find that you need to remove more moisture then invest in an aftercooler and dryer.

Here are the model numbers of the Hankison brand:

Moisture separator: Hankison HF9-12-4-DPL, ~$170
Coalescing filter: Hankison HF5-12-4-DPL, ~$160

There are other brands of course. Call an industrial air compressor distributor and see what they recommend.

 

[Mr onetwo]

What does "rated" mean?
Granted, the pressure out, which is pressure in minus the pressure drop at maximum flow is the key. If that final pressure is sufficient, you're good to go. I don't know the flow rate, so I can't determine if 1/4 is good to go.

The dryer is rated for a maximum of 25 CFM at 250 PSIG max with a max inlet temp 130F making an aftercooler a necessity.At these parameters it is 95% efficient for removing moisture.A refrigerated dryer should be mounted between the aftercooler and receiver as closely as possible(from the IR installation manual for the DXR25)

 

[Mr onetwo]

You could try a La-Man extractor dryer.....http://www.laman.com/extractor.htm I use one before my plasma cutter and final paint.They come up on Ebay around $50-$100 used sometimes.That's where I got mine.