Dry Air

[Mike OMelia]

I would like to install a very good air drying system on my 60 gallon tank. I pressure to 120. Spray lots of finish for my guitars (nitro and waterborne). No oil used. Thoughts?

Mike

[John K Jordan]

I would like to install a very good air drying system on my 60 gallon tank. I pressure to 120. Spray lots of finish for my guitars (nitro and waterborne). No oil used. Thoughts?

Mike

Depends on your budget! And probably the amount of use. A refrigeration dryer would be excellent but they are not cheap.

I need dry air for my plasma cutter. I went with a desiccant dryer. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002PR8ZXK
The desiccant cartridges are expensive but I take the old cartridges apart and reload with indicator desiccant beads, "recharging" them as needed in a toaster oven in the shop.

I also use a water separator before the dryer and drain the tank often.

Some air system designers also recommend running the air through at least 25' of copper tubing before it gets to the dryer and regulators. This should be sloped downward. A lot of the moisture in the hot compressed air will condense in the pipe before it gets to the dryer. A sump with a drain valve can catch the condensate.

JKJ

[Tom Bender]

A refrigerant dryer can get your air down to 40 degree dew point. That's good enough for most finishes. But if you want to go lower you will need a desiccant dryer. As John says the media needs recharging. This can be done automatically. The equipment is expensive and it uses more energy than a refrigerant dryer. In any case you should wring out some moisture first by cooling the air.

[Bill Dufour]

coil of copper pipe then into the refrigerated dryer. I hear the harbor freight one is alright for light use. You can make your own with a old fridge and a coil of copper pipe inside. have to be careful where to punch holes so you do not take out a refrigerant line.
The HF one is $400. but use a 20% off coupon and it is $320. I assume the coupon works for the dryer. It does not work for saw blades or tool boxes and other unknown stuff.
Bill D.

https://www.harborfreight.com/compressed-air-dryer-40211.html?cid=paid_google|*PLA+-+Top+SKUs+-+All+%28Branded%29||40211&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=*PLA+-+Top+SKUs+-+All+%28Branded%29&utm_content=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiITp9Mv_5wIVRNbACh0j9w0REAQYASAB EgJPRPD_BwE

[Tom M King]

Refrigerated dryers show up on CL. I bought a Speedaire for $125, and put another 100 into a rebuild kit, which is mostly just the new automatic drain, and a few o-rings. It's good for 58 cfm even though that compressor will only produce 38. It works like a charm.

There is one on one of the CL's in my range currently for 350. If you live in humid air, even for just some times of the year, anything less is wishful thinking.

[Doug Dawson]

I would like to install a very good air drying system on my 60 gallon tank. I pressure to 120. Spray lots of finish for my guitars (nitro and waterborne). No oil used. Thoughts?


Repeated long sloping runs, tapping off the _top_ of each run, with drains at both ends, and a compressor stout enough that you don't beat the crap out of the air. That counts for a lot, and is probably cheaper than some "boutique" solution.