misterfixit
Well-known member
I need to decide what type of air dryer/water separator/cooler I need to build for my air compressor. This is not a ready to go air compressor, this is a build I am doing. I don't want anyone thinking 'leave it alone and try it before you change anything', since it's in the build process. Long story short, I started with a new 80gallon compressor tank from a parts house. I'm adding a harbor freight twin cylinder single stage compressor (145psi, 15cfm@90, 17cfm@40) pump. I am building it using a magnetic starter and a 5hp (23amp) Baldor motor. Since I am building, I want to do all the building and put it in service then leave it alone unless there is a problem. To that end I am trying to avoid having to go back and add any type of water separator or air dryer after it's done.
This will live in my shop which is a 30x40 metal building insulated with spray foam, and having a central heat and air system in it. My use for the air compressor will be compressed air for shop use such as blowing dust and metal chips off mill and lathe, occasional painting, and sandblast cabinet.
My main question is which type of cooler add on is the best return for the investment in both time and material cost. So far I'm considering 3 Franzinators run in parallel, some sort of radiator/condenser coil, or simply many feet of copper pipe on the wall. Any or all of these would be plumbed between the compressor and the tank.
I know folks tend to stick with what works for them, so I don't know if anybody has experience with more than one of these types of builds. I would love to hear some comparisons of which work better and why, especially from folks who have tried them. So, which should I be looking at?
This will live in my shop which is a 30x40 metal building insulated with spray foam, and having a central heat and air system in it. My use for the air compressor will be compressed air for shop use such as blowing dust and metal chips off mill and lathe, occasional painting, and sandblast cabinet.
My main question is which type of cooler add on is the best return for the investment in both time and material cost. So far I'm considering 3 Franzinators run in parallel, some sort of radiator/condenser coil, or simply many feet of copper pipe on the wall. Any or all of these would be plumbed between the compressor and the tank.
I know folks tend to stick with what works for them, so I don't know if anybody has experience with more than one of these types of builds. I would love to hear some comparisons of which work better and why, especially from folks who have tried them. So, which should I be looking at?