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One guy says to mount the reel on the ceiling and make sure the pipe
slants back to the tank so water will drain back to the tank. He also
advised me to but the separator/ filter at the Tank connection.
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Hi Bob,
I am another person who piped and then had to re-pipe his garage after
he learned how it should be done. I used both approaches
mentioned--sloping the pipe to run water back into the compressor tank,
and putting in risers and drains at the T's to drain water off "down the
line." TIP and others will tell you that 8" (or greater) risers are the
single most important part of a piping job.
I also would recommend that you put your separator/filter as far away
from your compressor, and as close as you can to your reel (or tool) as
possible. In order for the separator to work, the air must be cooled
down so the moisture can condense--a long run of cold metal pipe is a
very good way to cool the air and condense the moisture. I don't
understand why someone would recommend putting the separator near the
compressor where the air is the warmest--it really defeats the purpose
of using metal pipe.
TIP says to use 1/2" pipe for runs up to 75', and 3/4" pipe for longer
runs. I used 3/4" for my run of less than 75' thinking that it would act
as a larger air reservoir, and because the air would move through the
pipe more slowly giving it more time to cool and condense out the
moisture. I am in Los Angeles, and it is not that humid here, but I
have had zero moisture problems since I re-piped with metal, put in
risers, and moved the separator as far away from the compressor as
possible. The TIP catalog has a couple good piping diagram pages and
some general tips--sure helped me (I am not affiliated with the company
in any manner).
http://www.tiptools.com
(800) 321-9260
doug
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