Hot Rod Forum banner

need suggestions for compressed air filtration / desiccant unit

5K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  66GMC 
#1 ·
#3 ·
hello,

thank you for the reply - onemoretime.

related to the comment about using extra pipe for a "heat sink".

i sort of did the same thing. my compressed air lines are all 1" galvanized pipe. the line that will service the paint booth is the longest line, and goes the entire length of the three car garage and then up the wall, over the top, then back down - more or less accomplishing the same thing.

if you go to my web site and look at the garage_work album - you will see what it looks like.

http://picasaweb.google.com/geeky2

thank you,
mark
 
#4 ·
This is what I use.

The red hose is air in from the compressor. The blue hose goes out to where I am painting, or using air tools.

Any liquid water gets trapped by the filter, and stayed there. Air obviously stays in the tank, and cools there, and water also can condense out of the air. Also any water that gets past the filter tends to go straight down into the bottom of the tank.

When painting, I run the auxiliary tank at around 40 or so PSI, and move it close to where I am painting. When the high pressure air in the air compressor tank goes through the regulator, it expands, cools some, and a lot of water condenses out of the air then. The water is caught by the filter, at the remote location, on the auxiliary tank. I have about ten feet of hose, on my paint spray gun, that I plug directly into the tank. With this setup, I can use a HVLP gravity spray gun, and my single stage 3 HP compressor has no problem keeping up with the air usage, and actually spends more time off, than on.

Obviously, this is not a professional set up. I mainly paint parts, panels, small stuff. But it works for me.

The secret to any air drying system is the air has to cool below the dew point so water will condense out of the air, before it gets to the gun. You have to also remember that the air will cool some as it exits the spray head on the paint gun, and water can condense out of the spray air between the gun and the part you are painting.
 

Attachments

#6 ·
I borrowed this idea from another member here on HR, and built myself a "cooling tower" out of 1/2" copper tubing with ball valves at the bottom of each leg. Those rubber hoses are pre-made air brake hoses from a big truck, which allow for a flexible and vibration-free mounting.

Very little moisture even makes it as far as the water trap. :thumbup:

 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top