The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Air dryer for air compressor?

I have a water cooler. The kind that hangs on the wall. I am thinking that it might be a nice air dryer. What I am looking at is putting a copper tubing coil in the chilled water tank to pass the air through. Should I put the inlet side low and the outlet high? What would be the best way to collect the water? With the Mississippi humidity reaching 90% in the summer sandblasting is hard. Am I wasting my time with the water cooler?

Neil, it's not a bad idea. When your compressor is pumping away, the air gets very hot and a basic filter will not get the water out very well. So, if you cool the air through the water cooler like you are talking about, then after that use a decent water and debris filter, you should be good. If you have a day or two, I can take a picture of my set-up, I have schedule 40 pipe near the ceiling, it runs about 25 feet from the compressor. There's a T, with a 4" nipple up, elbow, 2" nipple, elbow, and then a longer piece going down to the filter. So, the air goes up, then down into the filter, while the liquid stays down, and goes a few more feet, then out a ball valve. Confused yet? I'll take a picture. I'm sure you could find a diagram somewhere on the net.

Here's a good one. http://www.tptools.com/StaticText/airline-piping-diagram.pdf

That helps, thanks.

sounds interesting, it could double as a stil I ran 40 feet of galvanized pipe from my compressor so moisture in the the air had a place to condesate.

Hey oldcarandtrucknut I'd like to see the pic.

Jim Bow, I didn't take one. I provided a link to a diagram that is pretty close though. http://www.tptools.com/StaticText/airline-piping-diagram.pdf

This is a good topic but I'm going to move it to the Tools forum where it will be easier to find in the future.

That sounds like a great idea, but

>>Should I put the inlet side low and the outlet high? <<

I would reverse that.
The water would want to run in reverse(down hill) toward the inlet. Put a "T" with a large down-pipe and drain valve at the outlet. That is where the air should be the coolest and where you should have the most separation.

It sure is nice to have a place to go to get the information I need from folks that know what they are talking about. Now all I need is a wall to mount it to. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2960876910103315458mZKAuJ Hopefully I will get the rafters up this weekend. I ran up on some 1/2" soft drawn copper at the local salvage store. I got 50' for $8.00 I must be living right. I should be able to wind a decent coil with that. Thanks for the info.