Drying air from compressor

[Doug1]

I have an 80 Gallon compressor in my 2 car attached garage. I later added a 150' 3/4" Rapid Air Coated Aluminum Maxline run that goes about a foot underground and back to my shop behind the house. I'm in southern SC so it doesn't freeze very often. I believe this provides pretty nice cooling for the air so that moisture drops out of it by the time it hits the filter, even in the summer months. I've recently noticed some water getting past the filter though and coming out of the tools. I use a basic IR regulator filter on the wall with a manual drain. I don't use the air to paint but I do occasionally run a sand blast cabinet. Even though the cabinet is right near the compressor, I generally string 150' 1/2" hose back to the shop to get the cooler / dryer air.

What would you recommend to improve this setup. I have a drain valve along the fence line at the point were the 3/4" pipe turns up to go into the shop and then it hits the IR regulator / filter combo from there.

 

[Aerogt01]

I would imagine the best solution is to drain the line at its lowest point... which is underground. It sounds like you have water pooling in the line.

Perhaps a large ball valve right after that section that will 'blast' the water out when opened?

 

[sberry]

Open it, blow it out on occasion. But filter water trap after and before use..

 

[Doug1]

I would imagine the best solution is to drain the line at its lowest point... which is underground. It sounds like you have water pooling in the line.

Perhaps a large ball valve right after that section that will 'blast' the water out when opened?

I have exactly that. It is a downhill run to the back shop so I run it under the driveway and then back along the fence. It exits the ground after it makes the turn under the driveway to the fenceline sinc it is downhill and I was able to keep the slope in it following the bottom rail in the fence. I put a ball valve right at the end of that slope before it turns to go into the shop. I don't get much water out of it but it has a lot of force when I open it so maybe I need to lower the pressure on the line before doing so.

Here is a link to what I have on the wall in the shop at the end of the run.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200625244_200625244

 

[Aerogt01]

Did you "T" the line and put the ball valve facing down at the bottom of a vertical drip leg?

A vertical run upwards from this junction will also help the water to accumulate in your drip leg.

SC can get pretty humid, by my standards. Perhaps you have a lot of humidity and need a more aggressive solution?

 

[Doug1]

Did you "T" the line and put the ball valve facing down at the bottom of a vertical drip leg?

A vertical run upwards from this junction will also help the water to accumulate in your drip leg.

SC can get pretty humid, by my standards. Perhaps you have a lot of humidity and need a more aggressive solution?

I T'd the line with the T being at the lowest point and the ball valve being on the right side of an upside down T. The supply comes from the left with the center of the T going up to the shop.

It enters on the left about 6 ft up the wall as seen here.

 

[goodysgotacuda]

I T'd the line with the T being at the lowest point and the ball valve being on the right side of an upside down T. The supply comes from the left with the center of the T going up to the shop.



It enters on the left about 6 ft up the wall as seen here.

What type of connections are those from the copper to brass? I sure could use something like that.

 

[Doug1]

Aluminum manifolds you can get at North Tool. They are also made by RapidAir. You can buy them separately from the kit, though 1 comes in the kit IIRC.

I T'd it upside down because it slopes from left to right. The ball valve it at the lowest point and when you open it the air goes out sideways along the ground instead of straight into the dirt which would blow mud all over you ever time you opened it.

 

[goodysgotacuda]

I was looking at the connection between the copper hard line and the 90° elbow specifically. Is that rapid air?

 

[Doug1]

I was looking at the connection between the copper hard line and the 90° elbow specifically. Is that rapid air?

That's just a brass reducer. The copper pipes were threaded so it just screwed into the reducer and that went into the 90 threaded brass fitting. The copper pieces are the thicker threaded stock you get at a general hardware store that are threaded on each end.

The copper tubes, reducers and elbows can from my local True Value hardware store. The aluminum manifolds and the regulator / filter are the Rapid Air stuff.

 

[goodysgotacuda]

That's just a brass reducer. The copper pipes were threaded so it just screwed into the reducer and that went into the 90 threaded brass fitting. The copper pieces are the thicker threaded stock you get at a general hardware store that are threaded on each end.

The copper tubes, reducers and elbows can from my local True Value hardware store. The aluminum manifolds and the regulator / filter are the Rapid Air stuff.

Gotcha, the copper I'm using certainly isn't thick enough to thread, that was throwing me off like it was a type of compression fitting or something. Thanks-

 

[stg454]

That isn't threaded copper. It is brass piping. Brass is a lot thicker than the copper.