air/water separator

[bowlofturtle]

you guys use one off the air compressor?

I was in line waiting to pay for my items at HF and the guy in front had one. He told me he loves it and replaces it about once a year when it changes color. No issues with his minor painting.

Heres the thing i dont paint, dont see it in the future. I have a small Craftsman 26gal tank thats about 8 years old now. Powers my air tools with no issues. I drain my tank once a year and a good amount of water comes out, pretty rusty looking.

I mainly use my impact wrench, cut off wheel and angle die grinder. Plus filling tires. Would it make sense to run one?

Where does it go? Off the regulator before the line or between the line and air tool. I only have a single 50ft hose. So it would be

COMPRESSOR ~> HOSE ~> FILTER ~> TOOL

OR

COMPRESSOR~> FILTER~> HOSE~> TOOL

 

[yvon_la]

air water separator?never heard the term,but on big truck we do have air dryer,and once in a while filter need to be changed!

 

[JDW]

We have the same compressor and my dryer is 25 ft away from my machine best place for it. Have yet to get any moisture in it .

Compressor - Line- Filter-Tool

 

[Traction]

I always drain my compressor every time I fire it up. Whatever water is in left in the tank will quickly vaporize when the hot air goes in the tank, especially when running it a lot, and condense in the air line as it cools. Plus the water separator should be as far from the compressor as possible. The air hasn't had anytime to cool at the compressor outlet.
I run a refrigerated air dryer on mine, that cost more than my 2 stage compressor. I hate water in the air line, tools, and tires.

 

[Chris142]

you should drain yours every day that you use it.once a year wont work as it will rust through the tank eventully.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: bowlofturtle
you guys use one off the air compressor?

I was in line waiting to pay for my items at HF and the guy in front had one. He told me he loves it and replaces it about once a year when it changes color. No issues with his minor painting.

Heres the thing i dont paint, dont see it in the future. I have a small Craftsman 26gal tank thats about 8 years old now. Powers my air tools with no issues. I drain my tank once a year and a good amount of water comes out, pretty rusty looking.

I mainly use my impact wrench, cut off wheel and angle die grinder. Plus filling tires. Would it make sense to run one?

Where does it go? Off the regulator before the line or between the line and air tool. I only have a single 50ft hose. So it would be

COMPRESSOR ~> HOSE ~> FILTER ~> TOOL

OR

COMPRESSOR~> FILTER~> HOSE~> TOOL


I have a simple water trap on the outlet of my compressor- I rarely paint either, but I don't like running water droplets through my air tools. When I paint, I use two hoses and put a separator after the first hose, which lets the air cool and makes more moisture condense before the water trap.

But my bigger concern in your case: drain your tank ONCE A YEAR?!?!? Seriously?? It should be daily, OR after every use if you don't use it daily. Water in a compressed air environment (higher than atmospheric O2 density) really promotes corrosion. Getting the water out routinely is a MUST if you don't want the tank to fail.

 

[ironman_gq]

seriously do yourself a favor and get an auto tank drain, it'll pop every so often and let the water out of the tank. If you keep draining it like you do, someone will be reading about you in the morning paper when your tank ruptures and takes out your shop, hopefully you won't be around when it happens.

 

[dave123]

My home setup
Compressor
30 Feet hard pipe
Water seperator
10 micron oil and particulate filter
Regulator
1 micron coalescing filter
Regulator
Hose
Tool if spray gun then in line filter then gun.

 

[JC1]

Add a ball valve to your compressor for easier draining. As mentioned by others drain it daily. I leave the ball valve open, when it first starts you see a few drops of water spew out of it. Then I close the valve.

Regards, JC.

 

[bowlofturtle]

Anyone have some links to places where i can get a auto-drain system or kit?

Obviously looking for bang for buck.

I only do light work, mainly use the compressor about 10 times a summer, not including airing up tires and blowing stuff out.

 

[dave123]

Originally Posted By: bowlofturtle
Anyone have some links to places where i can get a auto-drain system or kit?

Obviously looking for bang for buck.

I only do light work, mainly use the compressor about 10 times a summer, not including airing up tires and blowing stuff out.


Really you do not need one just instal a ball valve and blow it down more often once a week or when you fire it up.