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Thread: Moisture in air compressor lines

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Wrenn View Post
    Just remember it can take as much as 24 hours to vacuum system free of water.
    It might take more time. It sounds like he has a lot of water in his system.
    We have to evacuate instrumentation process lines to backfill them with know fluids of a known specific gravity. Some of these lines can be 100' in length, and are 1/2" tubing. We run the vacuum fill rig for at least 24 hours, and that's with brand new tubing, that's never seen any process fluids.
    In a shop air system, it would never be that critical to clean up the tubing, but you still want to do the best you can.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  2. #17
    Steve Jenkins has graciously offered a free refrigerated air dryer in the SMC Classified forum (w/ you on p/u duty)!

    ...Might be worth a PM?

  3. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    Piping should run in a shallow slope up from compressor to each outlet. Each outlet should come off the top of the main line then turn down to a tee fitting where air comes out horizontal and there is a drip leg with a drain valve at the bottom. There should be a tee out of the compressor so all the drain back water goes down into a drip leg to be blown out from time to time.
    I like to run the slope _down_ from the compressor, because the moisture condenses as it cools, resulting in more efficiency of condensation for the same length of pipe. Probably a minor point. Otherwise, well said, this is the way I do it. One vertical drain at the end(s) of each semi-horizontal pipe run. I've never had any problems with moisture in the end-line, and I've run my compressor pretty hard (blast cabinet, etc.)

  4. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Wrenn View Post
    Just remember it can take as much as 24 hours to vacuum system free of water..
    That depends on the efficiency of your vacuum pump. By the time you've got the system down to 30 microns, half an hour is all you need. The devil himself will be boiled out :^) Then again, few casually-constructed compressed air systems are tight enough to support that.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
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    Central North Carolina
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    A friend of mine mounted two re-purposed 100 lb propane tanks upside down on the outside back wall of his shop. He added a 3 way valve so that when he powers off the compressor at the end of the day all of the compressed air in the tanks gets dumped, along with any condensate that has built up in the day's use. You do not want to be out back of his shop when he does this. The sudden woosh sound of escaping compressed air will drop you to your knees, but it solved his air system condensate drain problem.

    Charley

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    Quote Originally Posted by Charles Lent View Post
    A friend of mine mounted two re-purposed 100 lb propane tanks upside down on the outside back wall of his shop. He added a 3 way valve so that when he powers off the compressor at the end of the day all of the compressed air in the tanks gets dumped, along with any condensate that has built up in the day's use. You do not want to be out back of his shop when he does this. The sudden woosh sound of escaping compressed air will drop you to your knees, but it solved his air system condensate drain problem.

    Charley
    That sounds like a useful solution.

    One thing to be aware of - the propane tanks I've cut up have been much thinner walled steel than an air compressor tank. (I made some Hank Drums, made all cuts with a jigsaw.) In normal use with propane there is never moisture inside. I have some small concern about eventual weakening of the thinner steel due to corrosion from the condensed water, but drained every day maybe that won't be a problem. An exploding pressure tank releases an incredible amount of energy is not a pleasant thing, can easily maim or kill. For a few years in the '70s I was a pressure vessel inspector for the government and we always pressure tested tanks in an underground bunker! I think a 100 lb propane tank in good condition is rated for over 150 psi.

    JKJI

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    Bruce, a good air line design also has a slope to it that can be used to purge moisture post-compressor, but close to the compressor. "Ideally designed" vertical drops also have a way to purge those segments if necessary via a trap/valve below the air outlet. If you have an excessive amount of moisture in your lines, opening things up so you can take advantage of any slope you have will help you get back to where you want to start and then implementing regular moisture purse with filtration should help you keep things where you want it. I have an automatic drain valve on my compressor and never have accumulated moisture in my tank plus a primary filter just post-compressor and secondary moisture filters at my finish spraying outlet (regulated to a lower pressure) and my CNC outlet (also regulated to a lower pressure)
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

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