I've thinking about using an empty freon tank with kitty litter in it. One 1/2 in. pipe for incoming air that goes to the bottom of the tank an another 1/2 in. pipe at the top of the tank for out going air with a air filter on the end. Just like a sand filter on a swimming pool.

 

I like the idea of a large diameter to slow the speed of the air so it doesn't push water up the lines. I don't know if it will cool enough to condense all the moisture.

Dogwater - That might work if you regularly change out the kitty litter.

 

pvc aging issues

When Pvc ages it gets brittle and the Manufactures recommend that you do NOT use them for air lines. If you keep them I would use some kind of a flak jacket around them. PVC shards do NOT show up in X rays. I have ran UNDERGROUND pvc air lines, and copper up out of the ground.

 

I have been using PVC for 22 years in my shop ,it comes out the compressor as 1 in,the n goes to a 2 in the 2in goes up the wall to top of wall 12 ft then circles the entire shop 40x40 with 6 down tubes with a drain at bottom of each tube about 18 in from bottom I have a discharge line for connectors with regulators and in paint booth a dryer then a regulator regulator last ,No problems with PVC ,use heavy wall,:thumbup:

 

UV degradation.

When PVc is used for Farm Irrigation, anything exposed to sunlite has to be covered with dirt or painted, I had some piping above ground and after 20 years , if i bumped it it would shatter.

 

I have been using PVC in my shop for the last 15 yrs or so,,, I know a shop not far from me had it for over 30 yrs and still going strong,,, Can it Hurt you ??? I'm sure it can if you yank the line off the wall !!!!!!ain:

But if you run it and make sure EVERYTHING is good and tight to the shop,, Where you can't pull on it,, It's fine... It's like anything,,, ANYTHING can hurt you if you don't use your head right..

 

The other thing to think about is if it retains heat, from what I understand PVC retains heat, heat = moisture because the air doesn't cool down enough for the droplets to get large enough for the water trap to effectively trap it. Or for the water trap to not have to trap it because it simply finds it's self in the drain first.

Water pipe is so cheap and available in so many different lengths I just figured why chance it? But as others have said, I have seen it in shops MANY shops with PVC and never heard of a failure that I can remember. I don't think the failure thing is that big of a deal, when you go to the store to buy your pipe, there is PVC, and next to it is galvanized pipe, you can grab either one, it's your choice right?

This is a flexible line I got at an aircraft parts place.





Up and over..



Mounted on blocks so that the pipe can get air all the way around it so it cools better.







Over the garage door and down the other side.





To the water trap and a drain before it that goes down almost to the floor.

I did this following what the major paint companies say on compressor piping, to a tee. It's 3/4" pipe (ID) galvanized, don't use black pipe it will rust. You will notice it is mounted at an incline, again, right by the paint manufacturers guidelines. This makes it harder for the heavier water droplets to travel up the pipe, instead coming back to the compressor to be drained out the bottom. The down pipe at the end takes an abrupt rise before it goes down for the same reason, so the droplets can as easily go up before coming down to your outlet. Again, this is all per the paint manufacturers guidelines to produce the least moisture at the end of the hose, at your gun.

I built it all with pipe right off the shelf combining precut lengths to fit. I had to have them cut and thread one piece for me (at no cost) and I was done, a system I never even have to think about, done deal.


Brian

 

Brian, your piping is like mine, compressor on one side of my garage with my pipe going up an over the door, pipe above door angling back towards the compressor side then pipe going down the other side of the door to the filter/water trap & connections. I also used iron pipe, the only thing my filter catches is very small prices of rust from the pipe, like half a tea spoon after a year. No water issues at all, but I know their is water & oil vapor still in the air. So I was thinking about building this kitty litter thing which I'm sure would take care of that, but it might start a dust problem. Maybe I should build it an see how it goes. I'll use dispose able filters on the outlet end. The only time I get fish eyes is when spraying metallic I was thinking that might be from the water/oil vapor in the air.

 

unlike the dessicant, the cat litter will clump, and once it's clumped it would be hell to get out of a system.

 

Brian, your plumbing system is good except for one thing. Don't make the water go all the way back to the air tank. Put another drop line in the corner on the left side of your garage door. 80% of the moisture will fall in that drop line and you can drain it from there with a ball valve.

I have my cooling line set up similar.....50 ft of pipe along the wall/ceiling but all mine is angled down along the entire run with 3 drops before it gets to the hose reel. I've always heard to not use galvanized pipe because it doesn't adhere as well on the inside and is thinner, making it prone to flaking off and plugging quick couplers... All my pipe is black.

I also extended the bottom tank drain out to daylight with a ball valve at the end to drain. I got tired of laying on the floor and reaching under the tank in a big hurry....

 

Brian, your plumbing system is good except for one thing. Don't make the water go all the way back to the air tank. Put another drop line in the corner on the left side of your garage door. 80% of the moisture will fall in that drop line and you can drain it from there with a ball valve.

I have my cooling line set up similar.....50 ft of pipe along the wall/ceiling but all mine is angled down along the entire run with 3 drops before it gets to the hose reel. I've always heard to not use galvanized pipe because it doesn't adhere as well on the inside and is thinner, making it prone to flaking off and plugging quick couplers... All my pipe is black.

I also extended the bottom tank drain out to daylight with a ball valve at the end to drain. I got tired of laying on the floor and reaching under the tank in a big hurry....

Holy crap, you are absolutely right, that makes perfect sense!

I will have to do that. I put a remote drain with a ball valve off the bottom of the tank so it's easy to reach.

Brian

 

Sounds like all of our systems are similar I ran the 2 in PVC because it is what I had left over after building my house have 140 ft of 2in 40 ft across back wall and 40 ft up either side an 20 ft across front then 6 8 ft dountubes with a drain at bottom of each ,so I think it should be enough volune to cool I felt the same about lying down draining tank so I installed an automatic tank drain on tank ,still have to drain down tubes occasionally ,mine also drains away from tank toward manual drains ,,I did not know how to set it up so a service man from the shop I use to work at set it up for me.:nono:

 

Thanks, yeah the flexible line works great, it doesn't vibrate the pipe on the wall at all. I assume the galvanized pipe will rust at some time, this is true.

Brian