new compressor ... what kind of piping

[Andrew J. Coholic]

I find a good automatic drain one of the principal means in keeping the moisture out of the compressor and therefore the lines.

I have had a 10 HP two stage IR compressor in my shop, with a 120 gallon tank, going on 6 years now. Every morning when I get to work, the compressor is turned on, and also the auto drain (which is switched as well). Drains for 4 seconds every 45 minutes. I worked for many years (20+) with two compressors in our old shop and had to remember to manually drain both with a ball valve, with drain hoses connected to a tank. You get busy, forget and a few days go by. In the summer months when its humid, I would get a lot of moisture in the lines and remember I forgot to drain the tanks. Auto drain IMO is the way to go.

[David Hawxhurst]

As far as inline solutions to help with water how effective is an air dryer in general. Should I assemble some configuration of manifold between compressor and and dryer . David I am following everything accept the 180 out from compressor. Should I protect the dryer with a filter or is it a filter in itself .

when building your system don't get to wrapped up in after cooler, manifolds, dryers, etc. as these things can be added later as you find you need them.

i don't have a air dryer, but i do have a after cooler with water removal. the tank feeds out thru a water separator/filter then a coalescing filter, regulator at drops to set pressure. for now it reduces the water to a level that i haven't need anything else yet. may need a desiccant filter during the summer for finishing but not sure yet. are you sure you need a dryer or just need it part time for doing finish work. it can be piped in with bypass valves so you can use it as needed. a manifold won't hurt your system but may not be needed. you can always add the manifold at a later time if you find you need it.

for a loop system the compressor feeds in to the high point and the lowest point would be roughly equal distant from the compressor (not a hard and fast rule, more of a general guideline).

[Jacob Haiduk]

So the old saying the more you know the dumber you get .... feeling the the reality of that. The compressor I have is a 10 hp producing 35 cfm at 100psi with a 120 gallon tank. What am i gaining or losing by not running everything through the refrigerated air dryer ? I hear what you are saying not sure the benefit . The automatic drain is news to me but, something to consider in time the funds are running low . Thanks again for taking the time to educate me!

[David Hawxhurst]

ya pretty much. thats one large air dryer to handle 35 cfm. it does what its name says dries the air. somethings require really dry air such as cnc and spraying. most air tools can handle some moisture you just don't want them spraying water out the exhaust as you use them. if the exhaust is really wet you would start to add in the various ways to remove the moisture. water separators can be at the drop and/or coming off the storage tank (10ft from the tank to let the air cool and water to fall out). a after cooler (with water separator) removes some water between the compressor and storage tank (less water in the storage tank). a copper manifold would be used right after the storage tank and before any filters, regulators, air dryers. not sure if there is any benefits to using both after cooler and manifold together, but i guess if the compressor is running 100% for extended periods of time (think hours) then maybe both would be needed. there are also various desiccant system that remove moisture from the compressed air. the amount of water remove should be determined by what you plan do use the compressed air for. moisture removal can also be done at the drop at which dry air is needed. tsunami filter have some interesting products.

[Martin Wasner]

If you've got a dryer, use it. Water does you no favors no matter what

[John K Jordan]

What am i gaining or losing by not running everything through the refrigerated air dryer ?

Jacob, You would probably be gaining some money and some shop space. :-) I can't imagine needing a refrigerated air dryer in a home shop - that seems like way overkill to me (unless you have an embarrassing excess of space, etc.!)

As David said, if you put your inexpensive water separator some distance from the compressor the air in the line will have a chance to cool and much of the moisture will condense out. I have read recommendations for running at least 20' from the compressor. Some say 25'. I imagine the length needed might depend on the diameter of the pipe and the material - copper or steel will conduct heat to the outside easier than plastic.

If you run the first segment straight up to give some room you can then slope or spiral the cooling pipe/hose downwards so any water can drain. At the low spot I put a trap made from a 6" piece of 3/4" dia pipe with a valve on the bottom. This collects some water and lets me drain it. Right after that I use a cheap water separator with a drain on the bottom. I follow that with a desiccant dryer with a replaceable cartridge (although I discovered I can open the cartridge and regenerate the desiccant). As mentioned, most air tools and things would not even need the desiccant dryer but one of my lines runs to my welding room where I use a plasma cutter that works better with very dry air. Spraying finish also benefits from dry air.

JKJ

[Jim Becker]

Auto-drain is the "best thing since carbide saw blade teeth"... D: (Seriously, I'm glad I put one in, especially since my compressor is "out of sight; out of mind" in the cyclone closet)