[billsnogo]

I am thinking about give painting a try on my wifes dart and want to set up the air lines the best I can with what space/money I have. I will be using hi-flow 3/8 quick connects, astro wall mounted filter, astro evo1404 LVLP gun for base/clear, cheap HF siphon feed gun for primer, and a cheap ball filter on the gun as a last chance to catch any water/particles.

I am hoping my air line setup is at least going to give me a chance to keep the air clean of water and debri, so please give me your honest opinion. The lines in red are 3/4 copper, and the lines in brown are 1/2 copper, and the blue short lines will be ball valves to help drain/shut-off the air.

[Rob Keller]

Looks OK!

I would put a petcock on any line that goes down .
Where you have a valve then a coupler then I would go under it with a petcock so any H2O that gets in there can be drained easy.




R

[Bee4Me]

Looks good.
I always put a simple seperator/filter type trap with a drain AT the comp outlet.
This catches most all the oil mist from the pump and a little moisture as well.
Be sure to drain it off BEFORE you start things up the next day. This way, the moisture has a chance to condense and run into your drip legs from the previous work.
This is my routine, I open the shop,and drain all my traps and legs,then fire up the pump.

[Rambo_The_Dog]

What is that ~ An air supply for ants? It needs to be at least 3x bigger!

(Sorry - I'm joking around...in case you don't get the Zoolander reference... )

[10Tonhammer]

I would use 3/4 inch copper. Thats what every shop I have seen plumbed use its also what I use. I don't no the exact reason but its tried and true. When you have your turn downs you need to go up 3-6 inches then back down It helps keep condesate from going into the main lines. It also should tilt down toward the compressor being the lowest point, petcocks are a great idea I like the soft seat ones. I would stay away from pvc as condensate will be worse. I would also regularly drain your tank. Hope I helped.

Kris

[billsnogo]

Okay, I finally have it almost fully done. This picture shows the one side that I hope to do the painting from. It is 57 feet in length from where the air compressor is attached. I will add ball valves at the bottom of each of the loops to drain, that and about a 4-6" section of copper for the water to collect.

So, does this look like it should do the job?

[oldred]

You are on the right track and that should work just fine AFTER you add those drain extensions and valves you mentioned. In the configuration as in that last pic the water would tend to collect in the lower loops where it would just sit relatively undisturbed at first and not seem to be a problem. As it collects to the point that it starts to restrict the air flow it would then get picked up and expelled all at once just when you least expect it! After the lines have cleared it would seem that all is well, at least for a while, but the cycle would start all over again. I have seen this problem many times when someone would have a low spot somewhere in the line such as a sagging horizontal pipe that gave the water a place to collect while still exposed to the air flow. The Copper was an excellent choice due to the fact it cools the air so well plus line deterioration should never be a problem and with your layout the moisture should be easily controlled, good job!

[Rambo_The_Dog]

Looks really great - and you've already mentioned the need for down tubes on the bottom of the runs.

I think the only thing I would suggest is a possible relocation of the cooling section to be closer to the compressor which I think would be of more benefit in cooling and capturing any moisture prior to making the run throughout the rest of the shop.

I've had this mounted for over 1 year and moisture doesn't get past the regulator - I do plan to add an line dryer from HF between the copper and regulator later on before auto painting just to make sure, but for grinding, DA, Glass Beading, Sand Blasting - I've had no moisture issues.