Home garage compressed air filtration?

[RotaryLove]

I'm currently in a bit of a bind with my air compressor at home. Recently while trying some media blasting I had finally given up due to moisture issues with my compressor. It gets quite humid here in Minnesota which definitely exacerbates the problem. I've come to the conclusion it's time to address this before I begin paint and bodywork on my RX7. I have a 16CFM 80 gallon Compressor, which has quick disconnects to a short 3/8 whip to my regulator. To avoid this bottleneck it would be necessary to plumb with 3/4 (if I'm understanding the attached resources correctly), though seeing as it's just a home workshop I believe 1/2 should be sufficient for even painting while keeping costs down. My original intention was to use a 1/2 oil cooler off of the output, to a short copper section with a drip leg, then off to my filter setup.

I've been trying here and there for a week and a half trying to find a solution to this problem, though the hardware is holding me back. I ordered in a Hayden 1240 just to find the cooler not to my likings - too large, poor mounting system. Junkyard stuff is out of the question since it will be saturated with oil and have fittings that will cause restriction and to my understandings, pressure drop. I've been contemplating building a small box to house a 1/2 copper coil.

As for filters and regulators I'm lost. I have no idea which brands are quality or which are garbage. At the moment I've been considering two options- Pneumatic Plus 1/2 filter/separator/regulator set on amazon, and a setup consisting of separate parts: cheap home center 1/2 regulator, motorguard air filter, SMC water separator, and devilbiss dessicant drier worst case scenario.

It's time I get this wrapped up so I can continue on my projects as I'd much rather do. What has everyone else here done to alleviate this problem?
http://docs.engineeringtoolbox.com/documents/1280/compressed-air-pipeline-capacity.png
attached chart by engineering toolbox.
http://www.industrialaircompressors.../how_to_determine_Pipe-Size_chart_2-18-11.pdf

 

[sberry]

You are not fully understanding this, the end result is a 3/8 hose. a 3/4 is not needed to reduce the bottleneck. In fact a 3/8 before the reg will provide more air than it can after.
The larger pipe is required for larger circuits, it does help with air cooling and reducing velocity but is also to reduce transportation losses on longer circuits, not a real factor in home garages.
I have a couple of 100 ft circuits, all of it terminates or reduces to 1/2 once it leaves the manifold.

 

[sberry]

The math is different but propane regulation demonstrates this. A very tiny line feeds the regulator from tank pressure where it is reduced to 10# or so, then a 3/8 line may transport it to the house to the next regulator where t is reduced to a pound or so and then the piping from there is 3/4 to the appliances.
The piping actually goes from smaller to bigger rather than bigger to smaller while carrying the same gas. When the pressure is reduced the pipe size needs to increase to deliver the same amount.
The pipe size becomes relevant if it is undersized, same for voltage drop in a wire and very similar. At a high load, say 40A a 12 wire would have 12 v loss, a 10 3v and an 8 maybe 2, the difference between the a and 10 is marginal and irrelevant but is a huge leap from the 12 where the load is exceeding the capacity of the wire. The tools you are using for air are limited, say 20 cfm, way under the capacity and loss in a 1/2 pipe may be as little as a pound or 2 depending on distance ahead of the regulator, if the load was doubled to 40 then it would be significantly more relevant.
I use the box store regs on a couple of circuits, I like the 3/8 plumbing on them and the 1/4 ports for gages or to tap additional equipment. I have one where the larger ports are for feed thru to a hose reel but one of the 1/4 is used to feed the plasma cutter. The hose reel has 20 cfm tools plugged in to it, the cutter uses 6, a "bottleneck" is not a factor at 6 and larger piping wont help it work any better.
This pic is of a broken reg bowl but one can see the plumbing.

 

[pcmeiners]

A 1240 too big for 16cfm? if anything a bit under sized, a 1260 would be more appropriate. Just about anything you get/make will require effort to mount, not everything mounts with Velcro.

 

[engineer2]

paint and bodywork

No matter what you do, get one of those disposable desssicant dryers if you are going to paint.
Keep in mind if your relative humidity is above about 40%, your compressed air will be at 100% humidity even when cooled back to room temperature.

 

[RotaryLove]

You are not cully understanding this, the end result is a 3/8 hose. a 3/4 is not needed to reduce the bottleneck. In fact a 3/8 before the reg will provide more air than it can after.
The larger pipe is required for larger circuits, it does help with air cooling and reducing velocity but is also to reduce transportation losses on longer circuits, not a real factor in home garages.
I have a couple of 100 ft circuits, all of it terminates or reduces to 1/2 once it leaves the manifold.

I use the box store regs on a couple of circuits, I like the 3/8 plumbing on them and the 1/4 ports for gages or to tap additional equipment. I have one where the larger ports are for feed thru to a hose reel but one of the 1/4 is used to feed the plasma cutter. The hose reel has 20 cfm tools plugged in to it, the cutter uses 6, a "bottleneck" is not a factor at 6 and larger piping wont help it work any better.
This pic is of a broken reg bowl but one can see the plumbing.

What I'm taking from this is that a 3/8 whip (with 1/4 fittings) will be plenty between what I'm using as a condenser and the 1/2 regulator setup. This will go up about 7 feet to the top of the wall, and have one dead end run down a 32 foot wall, and another dead end run down a 28 foot wall- all plumbed with 1/2 copper. On output side it's back down to a 3/8 hose reel to feed everything from half inch impact guns, die grinders, HVLP guns, and a siphon media blaster. I'm not understanding if the 3/8 hose is enough to feed the HVLP guns and media blaster for extended use. Do you have any more readups or resources so I can do some further reading on the subject?

A 1240 too big for 16cfm? if anything a bit under sized, a 1260 would be more appropriate. Just about anything you get/make will require effort to mount, not everything mounts with Velcro.

Have you seen a 1240 in person? The mounting system is awful- its a malleable block you run a machine screw through with a T Nut on the other end- as you tighten everything it squishes the block in place to hold the cooler in place... barely. The 1240 is said to flow 1.5-12gpm. Not sure how you'd convert that over to CFM. This would surely be a better option than the K1500 trans cooler I picked up from a junkyard with 3/8 lines, no?

Fabricating mounts doesn't bother me, not sure why you felt the need to throw stones. If you have any suggestions feel free.

No matter what you do, get one of those disposable desssicant dryers if you are going to paint.
Keep in mind if your relative humidity is above about 40%, your compressed air will be at 100% humidity even when cooled back to room temperature.

In the past I used a devilbiss dessicant snake. It did nothing simply because the air was never cooled down after the compressor. What would you suggest for a complete filtration setup? separator, filter, dessicant in that order? What brands?

 

[pcmeiners]

"No matter what you do, get one of those disposable desssicant dryers if you are going to paint."

Not disagreeing, just to point out you really can not rely only on a desiccant filter in a humid region, they will be overwhelmed quickly as they can not handle the amount of water drop out. My aftercooler ( hayden 1290) can produce quarts of water on a very humid day in the summer, an affordable desiccant drier can not absorb that much.

To finish off after a cooler, a water separator, not a water catch, not plastic, not too big or small, auto drain such as a Parker 3/4" inline water separator filter, units should be all metal, especially the bowel. If you get small units they are restrictive, the internal filters are very small, air is forced through them too fast, not enough metal to dissipate heat.....
Ebay seems to have better deals on compressor filters/regulators the a few months back, much better prices then Internet retailers. Wilkerson, Parker , Norgren, Devilbiss, Dixon, SMC, Binks, Watts, are top end, avoid Chinese/no name products.

This is an older model unit, much better made then the newest models

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Parker-Comp...636937?hash=item1a32469809:g:HCYAAOSw9~5ZV~UU

http://ph.parker.com/us/17053/en/6000-series-compressed-air-filters/6004n-0a1-bx

Regulator such as below...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PARKER-07R3...181746&hash=item25dad2e380:g:g~MAAOSwFqNZXT4R

Then a desiccant filter

"Have you seen a 1240 in person? " Yes I have, I have installed 10 haydens 1260 and 1290 units , and yes they are a pain to mount. Most I make a channel frame out of steel angle iron to mount to compressor pulley guards. An yes a 1240 is surely a better option than" the K1500 trans cooler I picked up from a junkyard with 3/8 lines"


http://s852.photobucket.com/user/pcmeiners/media/DSC_00640001.jpg.html?o=67

http://s852.photobucket.com/user/pcmeiners/media/DSC_00600001-1.jpg.html?o=65

 

[RotaryLove]

Very good information here, been doing some looking around on equipment, will hopefully order soon. Last question- How did you come to the hayden 1260/1290 size wise? If I can't find any other options I may go back to the Hayden stuff.

 

[engineer2]

The ultimate fix would be a regfrigerted air dryer (harbor freight or craigslist) and a filter. Popular filter brands are Norgren and Wilkerson.

There has been debtes on filter before or after the air dryer.
Before: more air filter maintenance, keeps rust and some oily water out of the dryer.
After: filter lasts a long time, but drain bowl on dryer may require more maintenenace.

A disposable dessicant filter would be a "final filter" only for painting.

 

[pcmeiners]

"How did you come to the hayden 1260/1290 size wise? "

Installed multiple sizes on compressors. During a high temp day (98-100° )I would run a compressor solidly for an hour or more, checking how close the output temp was to ambient, and at what part of the cooler fins was near ambient temp obtained. On a 5hp Curtis and QR325 a 1260 is just sufficient on the hottest days (belt guard mounted). I ended up going with belt guard 1290s on my 5hp compressors, bit oversized but got them at about $50, sized more for a 7-10 hp compressor. With the 1290s, closest to ambient is achieve approx. 3/4 of the way down the cooler fin body. Aside from the non restrictive air way, these coolers have swirl mechanisms in the fin tubes, the aluminum fins are much thicker then your usual car ****** coolers, rated >250psi.

 

[toplessHO]

"How did you come to the hayden 1260/1290 size wise? "

Installed multiple sizes on compressors. During a high temp day (98-100° )I would run a compressor solidly for an hour or more, checking how close the output temp was to ambient, and at what part of the cooler fins was near ambient temp obtained. On a 5hp Curtis and QR325 a 1260 is just sufficient on the hottest days (belt guard mounted). I ended up going with belt guard 1290s on my 5hp compressors, bit oversized but got them at about $50, sized more for a 7-10 hp compressor. With the 1290s, closest to ambient is achieve approx. 3/4 of the way down the cooler fin body. Aside from the non restrictive air way, these coolers have swirl mechanisms in the fin tubes, the aluminum fins are much thicker then your usual car ****** coolers, rated >250psi.

got any install pics?

 

[Bretny]

After removing the 20yr old 1/2in black pipe air system from my fathers shop i would not recomend useing 1/2in black pipe. It will be fine in the begning but a little moisture and it will close up. This specific pipe only had a 3/16 hole left in the middle.
Also theres s good discussion on compressor dryers in another thread. I think it was labled condensate drain or drop.
Personaly i like removing the water from the air before it goes into my expensive compressor tank.

 

[pcmeiners]

This is my Curtis with a 1290.......if you cycle through all the photos, I also build a air/water setup for someone.


http://s852.photobucket.com/user/pcmeiners/media/DSC_00640001.jpg.html?sort=3&o=3

http://s852.photobucket.com/user/pcmeiners/media/DSC_00600001-1.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

 

[sberry]

I was using the 3/8 before the reg as an example of meeting demand. A bigger pipe does slow air velocity and reduce some friction losses. There is some compullsion to worry about losses that are minimal especially before the regulator.

 

[sberry]

When the pressure is lower it needs a bigger pipe to carry the same amount. It's one of the advantages to higher pressure air. It reduces losses and allows for use of smaller pipe and hoses. You can turn up the pressure at the reg to make up for losses in the hoses which go up as demand increases.

 

[toplessHO]

This is my Curtis with a 1290.......if you cycle through all the photos, I also build a air/water setup for someone.


http://s852.photobucket.com/user/pcmeiners/media/DSC_00640001.jpg.html?sort=3&o=3

http://s852.photobucket.com/user/pcmeiners/media/DSC_00600001-1.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

photo bucket no workie

 

[pcmeiners]

Workies for me, try Microsoft's Internet Explorer, I tried FireFox, did not work

 

[toplessHO]

tried Exploder and it still didnt work
oh well

 

[pcmeiners]

Open in a new link should expand the pics, 1" copper... filters on bottom, large is a coalescence filter, smaller is just a water trap, both auto drain.

 

[kythri]

So, I'm seeing that you've got that radiator plumbed in between the pump and the tank.

If you were using a refrigerated air cooler/dryer, would you plumb it in the same way, or would you plumb it to the tank discharge?

 

[pcmeiners]

Actually it is not plumbed between the compressor and tank. This is an Intercooler setup, this is cooling the air between the 1st and 2nd stage, which lowers compressor temperature and increases overall efficiency by >15%. As an aftercooler, it would look exactly the same using a 1290 cooler.

On a technicality, cooler air is denser so it will run tools more efficiently. I would always plumb it so the air cools before going into the tank, therefore the tank would be storing air with more potential energy.

Now if you use a refrigerated dryer, you would save money, as the dryers have limited ability to precool the air, as their pre cooling coils are generally small. You could over size the refrigerated unit, but that is extra cash you need not spend.

 

[sberry]

I do have to wonder how we ever used them by simply plugging them in?

 

[kythri]

Actually it is not plumbed between the compressor and tank. This is an Intercooler setup, this is cooling the air between the 1st and 2nd stage, which lowers compressor temperature and increases overall efficiency by >15%. As an aftercooler, it would look exactly the same using a 1290 cooler.

Just spitballing - why not use two of them - one as an intercooler, than a second as an aftercooler?

On a technicality, cooler air is denser so it will run tools more efficiently. I would always plumb it so the air cools before going into the tank, therefore the tank would be storing air with more potential energy.

Now if you use a refrigerated dryer, you would save money, as the dryers have limited ability to precool the air, as their pre cooling coils are generally small. You could over size the refrigerated unit, but that is extra cash you need not spend.

I just acquired a Deltech HGE-75 refrigerator dryer, which has a capacity more than double my compressor, so I'm thinking/hoping that it's adequately over-sized.

In addition, I just picked up a couple of RapidAir MaxLine kits, so I'm trying to determine how I'm going to plumb everything.

 

[pcmeiners]

"Just spitballing - why not use two of them - one as an intercooler, than a second as an aftercooler?"

The setup shown was before I add the after cooler. I picked up a few 1290/1260s off Ebay when they were cheap, paid about $30-40 each years back, so the compressor setup was cheap. At this point the Hayden coolers are expensive, mounting them can be too much work, I would not do another with an Intercooler.

With the Deltech HGE-75 refrigerator dryer you have a 3/4" input/output system ( non restrictive, little if any pressure drop). According to their PDF on the unit, the max input temperature should be 120° F, so if you were using the compressor continuously (or close to it) your input would be well over 120° after short time of use. Basically the engineering of the unit ( or just about any refrig dryer) calls for the use of an aftercooler on the compressor to bring the input temperature down to 120° or less.
Could you use it without an aftercooler ? Yes I am sure you could, though the moisture might go up with hot air from the compressor, and it would cost more in electric cost. As to the amount of moisture going up, (which might affect painting or sand blasting), hard to tell, the major factor is your unit is well over sized; odds are the Deltech can handle it without a compressor aftercooler. Call the company, if you can get hold of an engineer, I am sure others have asked the same question.

 

[md21722]

In theory you size the air dryer to amount of air your tool is using. 75 SCFM is fine for anything a home user would normally have. They do make high-temp refrigerated dryers for compressors that do not have after coolers. pcmeiners' point about the rated SCFM of the refrigerated dryer versus what your'e doing with it may make it unnecessary. I too would call.

 

[pcmeiners]

I do have to wonder how we ever used them by simply plugging them in?

Just to trying to be thorough in my answer, especially with all the knowledgeable people on the forum. You have to admit it is much more difficult answering questions on forums as we are providing information covering variables which have not been provided which would be if we actually meet the OPs and saw their garage/ equipment/lifestyle for a few minutes.

 

[sberry]

I was just messing with it, I know you do good.

 

[pcmeiners]

I know you do good.

You also !!!

 

[Wabash]

I bought a harbor freight refrigerated air dryer and the thing works like a champ. My air is moisture free. The automatic drain that comes with it is garbage so I replaced it with a quality unit from a reputable company. I've been totally happy with it since I bought it.

 

[RotaryLove]

The setup shown was before I add the after cooler. I picked up a few 1290/1260s off Ebay when they were cheap, paid about $30-40 each years back, so the compressor setup was cheap. At this point the Hayden coolers are expensive, mounting them can be too much work, I would not do another with an Intercooler.

Funny how priorities often get in the way of even the smallest projects. I still haven't found a solution to this. Matter of fact, I haven't been in the garage for well over a week... It seems as if the Hayden coolers are just about the only thing I can find that would be worthwhile, and they're still spendy. Right now I'm considering the more DIY style of copper pipe runs back and forth. Trying to avoid this simply because it's ugly and takes up lots of space. I'll keep looking a bit, but for now that's my fall back.

 

[larry4406]

The Hayden cooler that pcmeiners mounted does look very nice. I'm following on as I need to do something similar. I googled the Hayden as well and they are quite expensive! Yikes!

 

[kythri]

I bought a harbor freight refrigerated air dryer and the thing works like a champ. My air is moisture free. The automatic drain that comes with it is garbage so I replaced it with a quality unit from a reputable company. I've been totally happy with it since I bought it.

How did you plumb it in?