I'd like to upgrade my shop air. For general use plus use with blast cabinet and plasma, which would be better - a refrigerated air dryer or a desiccant air dryer? I'm looking at 15cfm at max 175psi from the compressor.
Air Dryer - refrigerated or desiccant?
- Thread starter Junk
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Refrigerated air and skip the desiccant unless you are going to spray lots of paint or you still find water in your lines. If you have a shop fridge or old small dorm size fridge you can make your own for real cheap with some copper tube.
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I've rarely had a problem painting using traps and a dessicant 'golf ball' at the gun. The trick to traps is to put them at least 50 feet away from the compressor to allow the air to cool and drop the moisture out. I would think plasma would be the biggest concern, don't know how crazy you have to go with it.
-Spike
-Spike
La-Man dryer
have an older Campbell/Hausfeld 2 stage 80 gal compressor and have been looking at a La-Man dryer to put inline to help with soda/sand blasting and paint.any one had experience with them?...TIA
Lou
www.ebbcoinc.com/la-mann.htm
have an older Campbell/Hausfeld 2 stage 80 gal compressor and have been looking at a La-Man dryer to put inline to help with soda/sand blasting and paint.any one had experience with them?...TIA
Lou
www.ebbcoinc.com/la-mann.htm
Hello,
I am using a refrigerated gizmo,Hankinson craigs list special, $300.00. If you go with the desiccant and run a bead blaster or anything with a high flow, you will spend lots on desiccant filters. I use the reefer model and it works well for the paint and plasma cutter. I use another filter desiccant unit for the plasma in addition to the reefer. I had a buddy pick up a plasma cutter, I told him to use a high quality filter drier, he didn't, his plasma torch head cracked like crazy from the moisture hitting the plasma and explosively expanding and blowing the torch apart. Moral of the story, don't skimp on the equipment.
Hola
eric
I am using a refrigerated gizmo,Hankinson craigs list special, $300.00. If you go with the desiccant and run a bead blaster or anything with a high flow, you will spend lots on desiccant filters. I use the reefer model and it works well for the paint and plasma cutter. I use another filter desiccant unit for the plasma in addition to the reefer. I had a buddy pick up a plasma cutter, I told him to use a high quality filter drier, he didn't, his plasma torch head cracked like crazy from the moisture hitting the plasma and explosively expanding and blowing the torch apart. Moral of the story, don't skimp on the equipment.
Hola
eric
^^^^^Wow, that's a hardcore dryer there!
awesome ...........hard core heavy duty piece........congrats
, it looks big, might not be able to cram it into my garage
Lou
, it looks big, might not be able to cram it into my garageLou
Hello,
I am using a refrigerated gizmo,Hankinson craigs list special, $300.00. If you go with the desiccant and run a bead blaster or anything with a high flow, you will spend lots on desiccant filters. I use the reefer model and it works well for the paint and plasma cutter. I use another filter desiccant unit for the plasma in addition to the reefer. I had a buddy pick up a plasma cutter, I told him to use a high quality filter drier, he didn't, his plasma torch head cracked like crazy from the moisture hitting the plasma and explosively expanding and blowing the torch apart. Moral of the story, don't skimp on the equipment.
Hola
eric
I ran 1/2 inch copper in my shop and use the paint/sandblaster at the last outlet I put in. About 40 feet of copper between that point and the compressor with some vertical and sloping sections. Air is dry at that point. I put a dessicant filter at the end when I am painting just for insurance, but not when sandblasting. No problems yet. If I were to need a dryer, I would do the dorm fridge with a coil of copper in it as mentioned above.
solution; can you fill me in a bit? TIA
Thats the reason I made the wall mount for the unit. The unit doesn't take up floor space, I will be running copper 1/2" throughout the shop and outside for air delivery.awesome ...........hard core heavy duty piece........congrats
Lou
Hola
eric
Craigslist special, I check as often as I can in the tools listings. It works great, auto drain and 1 button control.
Hola
eric
The answer is, (drum roll here)
If your shop get below 35 degrees the refrigerated dryer will waste of time.
I dont heat my garage and temps below 0 happen occasionaly and
winter is consistantly below 25,
Since My garage is non heated (unless i am in it) The water that collects in the seperator bowl on the dryer will freeze and brake housing, This would occur on units with automatic float drains.
units with time drains will have to deal with the solenoid valves freezing and cracking.
If the temp in the garage falls below 35 deg F. Water will drop out of the air into the lines
the refrigerated dryer is only able to cool the air to just above freezing. the cooling of the air combined with the pressurization of the air causes the water to drop out. if the temp falls below 35 more water will drop out.
Cuerno Largo has the right idea. with the copper gradualy slopping back to the tank w/ drops plumbed off the top of the pipe
is the most practical. put some quick disconnects on a filter to drag around to the locals you are using air and call it good.
For painting the 8 dollar disposable dryer filters you put at the gun
work suprisingly well
If your shop get below 35 degrees the refrigerated dryer will waste of time.
I dont heat my garage and temps below 0 happen occasionaly and
winter is consistantly below 25,
Since My garage is non heated (unless i am in it) The water that collects in the seperator bowl on the dryer will freeze and brake housing, This would occur on units with automatic float drains.
units with time drains will have to deal with the solenoid valves freezing and cracking.
If the temp in the garage falls below 35 deg F. Water will drop out of the air into the lines
the refrigerated dryer is only able to cool the air to just above freezing. the cooling of the air combined with the pressurization of the air causes the water to drop out. if the temp falls below 35 more water will drop out.
Cuerno Largo has the right idea. with the copper gradualy slopping back to the tank w/ drops plumbed off the top of the pipe
is the most practical. put some quick disconnects on a filter to drag around to the locals you are using air and call it good.
For painting the 8 dollar disposable dryer filters you put at the gun
work suprisingly well
