DIY Air Dryer

[Fawteen]

As I was building my new shop (repurposing an existing building) I wanted to improve the quality of the air supply. Dry air is important for the sandblasting cabinet and VERY important for the plasma cutter.

With the old setup, which consisted of the compressor and about 20 feet of black iron pipe, the plasma cutter was essentially unusable. The arc would drop out after a couple of inches of cut and it might or might not restart. The sandblaster was okay, but not great.

In the new shop with this copper loop plus the Rapid Air PVC/Al pipe from the dryer to the drops things have improved greatly. The plasma cutter works like a champ, the arc starts easier and is completely stable.

The sandblaster is not a LOT better, but some of that is old media and I need to devise some method of getting the media back to the pickup end. Plan A is an air-driven vibrator on the bottom of the hopper.

 

[SDE]

What is the reason for the two ball valves in the lower horizontal pipe?

 

[Paul Janke]

Those valves force the air to follow the whole route of the dryer. If they were not there then he would have needed valves at all of the lower horizontal runs.

 

[Fawteen]

Correct.

I posted a picture on another board of the partially completed unit and someone pointed that out to me. Without the extra valves it would have taken a shortcut from the input directly to the output.

 

[DoubleO7]

So the copper piping is a radiator to cool the compressed air and get the moisture to condense and drop out?

 

[DR. EVIL]

You will never get your plasma cutter or sand blaster to work properly without a COALESCING AIR filter
which most of them include a pressure regulator.

I don't have a clue what you were trying to do with those valves and vertical copper lines, looks
like the start of a hot water in floor heating system. Not ANYTHING to do with removing condensate water
from a compressed air system.
I bought an ARROW brand coalescing filter regulator and I have done a L-O-T of sand blasting and
plasma cutting and spray painting and never had problems with water. $50-$60 should get you a decent one.
Also, every Harbor Freight I've ever been in has a discount table by the entry door with 1/4 NPT
disposable plastic dessicant filters to attach to the air inlet on air tools to make sure ONLY clean dry
air gets into the tool. BUY A COUPLE HAND FULLS!

This stuff is not hard, a quick GOGGLE search gives you hours of reading and the best and normally
lowest cost way to do things.

 

[Fawteen]

[i:654c4848f0]Not ANYTHING to do with removing condensate water from a compressed air system[/i:654c4848f0]

Not entirely accurate IMO. I agree that the air isn't truly dry but the extra length helps cool the air which allows moisture to condense out.

 

[Fawteen]

That's the general idea, yes.

 

[Hobo,NC]

A air dryer has been on my list to do for a long time. You done good.

 

[Steve-Maine]

DR. Evil,
What is part number at HF, thanks

 

[jniolon]

here's mine and takes loads of water out of the air

https://www.fordtruckzone.com/threads/air-compressor-water-trap.668275/

 

[Fawteen]

Nicely done!

I wish I'd have thought of putting mine between the compressor and the tank, but it works quite well anyway.

 

[SDE]

I see, said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw.

 

[Hobo,NC]

Very nice jniolon... : )

 

[1948CaseVAI]

(quoted from post at 20:45:19 10/12/21) DR. Evil,
What is part number at HF, thanks

I am not Dr. Evil but looked it up (simple and quick should you wish to try). Merlin brand is $7.99 and Central Pneumatic is $6.99. You can spend up to $42 on one at HF if you wish but his post was in reference to one made to filter/dry for one tool.

 

[PJH]

jniolon - that is a very nice write-up on your project!

 

[PJH]

Fawteen, I like it!

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I put a 50 ft coil of 1/2 copper inside the freezer of an old refrigerator. The copper
was connected to a dryer in refrig section. That will pull a lot of water out.
Then the air that when to the paint booth was ran through a toilet paper filter, then
pressure regulator. No water.
All air lined were ran in 1/2 galvanized pipe with drip legs.
You need cold air on hot days to condense moisture.