air regulators and driers

[vette-kid]

I have a little 30 gal Kobalt iron pump compressor. It works pretty well and keeps up decently for my needs. The problem I am having is with finding a decent regulator and keeping the lines dry.

The big issue is when using the blast cabinet. The compressor is really a bit small for much blasting, but it does ok for short periods and will keep up with the pressure for a few min. I then go off and do something else while it build back up and then go back to it. The problem here is that after 10-15 min of this, I just get too much moisture built up and cant keep the line clear. I have tried desiccant driers, and separators (a craftsman and a kobalt, HF mini desiccant driers), but all of them seem to do only marginally better than nothing at all. I was hoping I could turn the regulator down a little and help my compressor last a little better (yes I understand the blasting agent may not work as well at a lower pressure, but thinking 100psi may work ok and last me longer than blowing at a full 125)

I have tried a few different regulators, one craftsman, one kobalt mini, and one HF mini. None of them seem to do anything at all. I try adjusting the knob all over the place and dont really get a change in reading. Perhaps the gauge is reading pressure input and not output?

I would really like to find something that works, but I dont want to spend $500 on the setup either. Anyone have some good recommendations without breaking the bank?

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[porschedude996TT]

The compressor is too small. The air in the tank never sheds its moisture because it is too hot. The higher the temp of the air, the more moisture it can hold. If the moisture traps get hot then they will only take out a portion of the water. As the air cools in the air line the water comes out of the air and gives you the visible moisture. You could chill the air with a refrigerator type water separator, but you are better off getting a larger compressor that does not heat the compressed air as hot and can dissipate the heat.

You could make a still like setup with a coil of metal tubing in an ice chest and a water trap after the ice chest. It will last until the ice melts and the efficiently will fall off as the water gets to room temp.

 

[Crawfish]

Whether the comp is too small or not, you should be able to regulate the pressure with a regulator. If you have gone through that many without being able to see a change, maybe you are plumbing them backwards or something? They usually have an arrow for air flow direction. Never had a problem with my CH regulator. When you lower the pressure it will bleed off excess pressure. Are you sure you are unlocking the knob before trying to adjust?

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[jgump]

Get a SMC AMG series ambient dryer. This will take the water out like a filter.

 

[byoungblood]

Get an internal relieving regulator too. I have a couple of Wilkerson regulators that are external relieving, and they are bad about bleeding down the pressure in the tank if I forget to close the ball valve. Nothing like having the compressor kick on in the middle of the night!

 

[vette-kid]

Id love to get a larger compressor, but that just isnt in the cards right now. CFO (Chief Financial Officer...aka...wife!) has already shot that one down. This is my fist comressor, so I am new to this stuff...but yes, I installed them using the little arrows for airflow direction. Im going to play around with the regulators and a pressure guage tomorrow and see what I get.

I may try out the coil idea for cooling as well. The question though, since the air is still getting hot in the tank, one would assume water still forms there (I drain about a cup of water out after about a week of use). Will cooling the air in the lines prevent that much water? I assume some is coming from the moisture being held in the tank, and transferred into the lines.

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[Highhorse78]

Check out a Devilbiss qc3. Its a desiccant dryer with a larger filter and an added on regulator. I've got one on my old Devilbiss 60 gal and it was my end all for moisture and oil problems. Think I paid $170 for it through tooltopia.com a couple years ago. Very happy with the unit. You could also run an in line disposable filter right before the blast cabinet too.

 

[vette-kid]

I found that devbliss unit on amazon for about $140. That seems doable, I have been using the disposable types at the cabinet, but with so much moisture, they dont last very long.

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[signcrafter]

You should be able to regulate the PSI with a regulator. The guage reads outgoing pressure and should change when you change the regulator knob. If the guage is staying the same something isn't right. Could be plumbed backwards or could just be a defective guage if it's one of the cheaper ones. I've found that regulators are one of those things that you get what you pay for.

Also your plumbing has a lot to do with controlling water. The problem with water in the lines is that the water is in the form of moisture in the air and it doesn't seperate until the temperature of the air lowers to a certain temp. So if you have a water seperator right off the compressor it really isn't doing much because the air is hot and it will hold the moisture in the air. They recomend a minimum of 25' of black pipe or copper pipe between the compressor tank and your filter/seperator in order to act like a heat sink and cool the air which allows the moisture to seperate from the air so it can be collected by the filter/seperator. I see so many people buy a filter and put it right off the compressor and then are suprised when it's not catching any water. Also things like slope of pipe and water traps and running the drops off the top of the branch pipe make a big difference.

 

[vette-kid]

signcrafter, that makes a lot of sense and explains a lot. I dont really have the setup to run a bunch of pipe along the walls, as I need to be somewhat mobile (active duty, so I move frequently). But how about a length of coiled copper pipe? say I take 25ft copper pipe and coil it so it doesnt take up too much space. Then add the filter. Will this give enough cooling effect to help any? Would the size of copper line make any difference?

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[porschedude996TT]

Hot air can contain a larger amount of water than cold air, it is just plain physics. It is all about getting the water out of the hot air. Just like an air conditioner, did you ever see the amount of water dripping from under the car after you shut it off? A dehydration unit works in the same way, it chills the air to remove the water. You could use a trash can with a coil of copper tubing in it and the can filled with water. You will need a water trap after the cooling cycle to collect the water. Basically the water is collecting the heat and will warm until it is not effective.