Air drying

[Mamrak76]

GJ, I have a Champion compressor. I am trying to dry the air out for painting/ media blasting. Could I take a coil of copper tubing (25 to 50 feet) inside of a 5 gallon bucket of water/antifreeze and put that inside of a mini fridge? Would that work if I drilled two holes and sealed around them? I am on a budget for dry air! Thanks

P.S. I have searched around and all I could find were inter/after coolers....

 

[sberry]

Have you painted with a simple system yet? A simple manifold may work depending on design which includes garage size etc.

 

[TigerDude]

put a separator at the outlet and that's basically an industrial dryer on the cheap.

 

[Mamrak76]

I have a free mini fridge. I was thinking I could chill the air right before it’s goes into the tools threw the ice water then hit a filter to separate the water out. I could get the temp very low to get the last bit of water out...

 

[Mamrak76]

My plan is this. Take air from my compressor tank, straight into the fridge with copper tubing 1/2 OD in a coil. This will be inside of a bucket of antifreeze/water mix. Then from there it will hit a Milton water separator. Last place would be a 30 gallon tank to reduce any drops in pressure. This second tank will also have a drain. Best part is I already own everything listed. I will post pics and everything as I do it. Won’t be able to get a full test until summer when the humidity is high.

 

[Mamrak76]

Have you painted with a simple system yet? A simple manifold may work depending on design which includes garage size etc.

It’s more about sandblasting. My compressor runs constantly and I want more of a permanent solution for cheap. Using a fridge seems the cheapest way to cool the air efficiently.

 

[Hammer1963]

I have a similar set up yo what you are describing. It does work provided that you do add at a good coalescing filter after the coils. Getting the condensed moisture a place to drain is key

 

[Marctrees]

Sandblasting / laquering in hot humid Texas I am VERY happy w the Motorguard "toilet paper" roll filter near my end point of use.

Works great... otherwise all I have is a cheap $20 seperator in line before this.

Marc

 

[engineer2]

A few thoughts:
Put an aftercooler after your compressor tank to get rid of some of the condensate and cool the air. This is important as it will take some of the load off your frigi-dryer.

25 feet coiled in your bucket is a good place to start.
A metal bucket would be better than plastic.

You should drain condensate from the lowest part of your tubing inside the fridge if possible. This will be cold, so keep it in the fridge, and dump it manually.
Circulating the coolant in your bucket would help too (cheap fountain pump).

It may have trouble keeping up with long periods of use.
The air exiting your bucket should be cold. Easy enough to check.
Put a thermometer in your coolant and check it after a blasting session. If it stays 35-38°F, it's perfect. The real test will be during a humid summer day.
Another important key is to re-warm the air before you use it. Your 30 gallon air tank will help with that.

 

[Ing3018]

It would likely work for a work session of an hour or two. The fridge may not have enough capacity to keep the water in the bucket a sufficient temperature below the dew point to cause the water in the air to condense. The dorm fridge my son left in my basement sure takes a long time to cool a 12-pack. Maybe have a couple bags of ice on hand to assist the little fridge.
A cooling coil located between the compressor pump and the tank helps keep the tank temperature down when doing long duration projects. Many ways to accomplish that on the cheap. As noted above, that would help your fridge-dryer last longer for a work session.

 

[Mamrak76]

It would likely work for a work session of an hour or two. The fridge may not have enough capacity to keep the water in the bucket a sufficient temperature below the dew point to cause the water in the air to condense. The dorm fridge my son left in my basement sure takes a long time to cool a 12-pack. Maybe have a couple bags of ice on hand to assist the little fridge.
A cooling coil located between the compressor pump and the tank helps keep the tank temperature down when doing long duration projects. Many ways to accomplish that on the cheap. As noted above, that would help your fridge-dryer last longer for a work session.

I got a decent quality Milton water trap, got the free mini fridge, bucket, and copper coil. I just need a couple whip hoses and fitting. Should be starting this project this weekend.

What order should I use?

Option A 80gal tank>Fridge>Separator>30gal tank
Option B 80gal tank>Fridge>30 gal tank>separator

 

[Marctrees]

Am I howling in the forest w my post ?

It sure as hell works for me for like $80 problem solved.

Marc

 

[Mamrak76]

Am I howling in the forest w my post ?

It sure as hell works for me for like $80 problem solved.

Marc

No sir I have looked into this, and I am attempting to get dry air with no consumables involved. I’m not against trying it, but I wanted to try a self sustainable system first. How long does one of the Motorguard filters last? Are you using the M-723 filters?

 

[engineer2]

Am I howling in the forest w my post ?

You can't filter humidity out of air. If you haven't had an issue, that's great. A lot depends on your pressure dewpoint, CFM, and the pressure drop at the point of use.

 

[pcmeiners]

Agree with Engineer 2, you must have an good aftercooler in place, then your coil idea. The aftercooler will bring the compressor output from 275-350 F to just above ambient room temperature. Running the compressor output directly to your coil/fridge setup is far more BTUs then a normal refrigerator can remove. Most refrigerated air dryers you can buy have an aftercooler before the refridge cooling coil. An aftercooler, alone, as below will cause approx. 70% of the moisture in compressed air to drop out, which will be a lot of water on a warm day in Ky.

This would be the right size for a 5hp compressor, Hayden db1260....

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...LH_TitleDesc=0&_osacat=0&_odkw=hayden+dv+1260

 

[Willie Makeit]

Am I howling in the forest w my post ?

It sure as hell works for me for like $80 problem solved.

Marc

yes, because a filter isn't a dryer

 

[Mamrak76]

Thanks for all the help. I am planning on adding an inter cooler as well before summer rolls around. I am hoping this system works. I also did some research about how cycling aid dryers work on a similar principle.

 

[ChrisLS8]

I've painted for years with just a simple separator on the outlet. No fisheyes in my paint

 

[pcmeiners]

I've painted for years with just a simple separator on the outlet. No fisheyes in my paint

Not doubting you do not have an issue but in most of the country you need a dryer to paint/blast properly. In NYC in the humid months I get about a pint an hour of compressor run time from the Hayden cooler.

 

[Marctrees]

yes, because a filter isn't a dryer

I dunno, but it works for me...

I sandblasted regularly on the Gulf coast of TX... all times of the year... many times w approx 16 cfm 5 HP Baldor IR T30 80 gallon, 3/4" 50' hose to ? 90 lb pressure pot blaster w the Motorgard filter at the pot input.

Between the comp and the motor guard I only have a cheap $20 water separator.

Before I got the Mguard I had very frequent problems w damp sand caking/ plugging up in the plumbing fittings output bottom of the pot.

After I got the Mguard, I NEVER had the problem ever again.

I take the roll filter out after use and allow it to air dry as well as the filter housing., then re use next time.

This is very subjective, SWAG, but I would say the filter roll lasts for at least 4 hours of 90% gun on time blasting before wet... and can be reused 4 times till the plastic core of the filter gets too screwed up to re insert into housing.

My experience.

Also use the mguard after 50' 3/8" hose before 12' whip to little disposable tennis ball size filter at spray gun for nitro laquer and a few other solvent based finishes.

Never a problem in that climate.

Marc

 

[Mamrak76]

Thanks for the great info. I did get a few more things done on the setup over the weekend. Also got my separator installed too. Haven’t tried it out yet except leak testing.

 

[Marctrees]

No sir I have looked into this, and I am attempting to get dry air with no consumables involved. I’m not against trying it, but I wanted to try a self sustainable system first. How long does one of the Motorguard filters last? Are you using the M-723 filters?

Yes using those about $5/ each. 4 pack/ $20

Marc


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