rex,
I have a craftsman compressor too, and you could do what I did. make up
the radiator doug describes, then put it at the tank outlet. I did this
before I heard about it on the list, and I used 3/4" galvanized pipe. I
wanted to use copper, but the guy at the hardware store assured me that it
would burst under pressure and kill me, my family and destroy all the
houses in a three block radius. I was going to buy it anyway, but he
practically refused to sell it to me. I recommend copper, if others have
used it with good results because getting that threaded galvanized pipe
into the 'ladder' shape, and cranking it down enough for it to seal was a
_major_ pita. I ended up using epoxy to completely seal the joints, and
even that took a few tries, because the air pressure pushes the cured epoxy
out of the joints, creating mini-shrapnel until you really get it worked in
there. much easier to solder.
and even though it is coming out of a (relatively) cooler tank, I still get
lots of water out of it.
scott
-----Original Message-----
From: Douglas Shook [SMTP:shook@usc.edu]
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 1999 4:48 PM
To: shop-talk
Subject: Re: AirComp Qs
Rex Burkheimer wrote:
> I use a Craftsman PRofessional 6-hp oilless. The compressor fastens
directly
> to the tank, so I don't see any way to insert a cooling coil between
them.
> I want to separate it and trap it before it gets to the supply hose.
> I've been eyeing Air-conditioning condensers from cars for this
purpose.
> Why couldn't I just run a short line from the normal compressor outlet at
> the tank, adapt it to the SAE fittings of a 2' x 3' approx condenser
coil,
> then adapt a trap and drain at the outlet, then a coupler for the working
> hose? Any reason that wouldn't work? I realize that some condensers
would
> be restrictive, but I have seen some with fairly good-sized tubes. For
that
> matter, I could use several in parallel.
>
Yes, if your pump bolts directly to your tank, then it would not be
practicalto
use the setup I described. You could put a condenser/radiator at the tank
outlet, but air leaving the tank will be much, much cooler than the air
leaving
the pump, so the decreased thermal gradient will not be nearly as effective
there.
The warmer your tank becomes, the more the water vapor will simply pass on
through and out to your lines. You might need a rather large reservoir
with
your condenser coil to keep it from filling up with water and being pushed
on
down the line anyway.
What probably would make sense with your configuration is simply to use a
longish run of large diameter (3/4" +) copper or steel pipe to cool and
condense
the hot moist air before it gets to your water trap/separator. If you have
a
slight
upward run on the piping, the condensed water would run back into the tank
for draining, instead of out toward you hoses/tools.
The larger the diameter of pipe, the slower the air will pass through (the
air
will
"spend more time" in the pipe), and the cooler it will become.
The nice thing about putting a radiator inline between the pump and tank is
that the air there is at maximum temperature -- if we pull the heat out
there,
then the water will condense in that big, fat, cold tank before heading out
into
lines. The tank can hold a good quantity of water before it becomes a
draining
issue.
With your arrangement, though, I think I would just use the longest run of
the
largest diameter copper or steel pipe practical between the tank outlet and
your
separator.
If you haven't looked at it yet, you might want to check out the TIP air
piping
page:
http://www.tiptools.com/tech_line/compressors/air_consumption.html
and look at point 5 about runing air lines.
It is very helpful to have risers in your piping to help separate the water
from
the air (the water does not want to defy gravity) and then slope the pipe
to
drain the water away.
doug
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