My air system design—is this okay?

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PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 5:15 pm
I have a compressor but have never learned what a good complete system looks like until I recently looked into getting a paint gun. I've been learning a lot since then and have developed an idea of building a system to get good quality air to a gun (and other tools). Here are my thoughts at this point. Please give me your feedback and any suggestions.

  • My compressor is in the rear corner of my garage. Start by running flexible hose up and into the corner by the ceiling.
  • From there, run copper pipe (10 feet), sloping downward slightly, to the front of the garage along the wall. Is 1/2" adequate, or should I bump it up to 3/4"?
  • I'm debating putting the desiccant system here, but I might run another 10-foot length of copper back near the compressor, then one more back to the front, to give moisture more opportunity to condense. Thoughts?
  • Back at the front of the garage after the run of copper pipe, install a drop with ball valve to drain the condensed water.
  • After the drop, install a Sharpe 6760 desiccant air filter system.
  • After that, go back up and hang a 90 and run pipe across the man door with a drop next to the door for general purpose use (could be paint gun, too). Install a Sharpe 606A here.
  • From there, run a length across the top of the garage door with a drop by my blast cabinet (about a 20 foot run + the drop). Install a Sharpe 606C here. One feed will go to the blast cabinet and the other will be for the paint gun or whatever.

Some questions:

Is the Sharpe 6760 a good choice for my primary desiccant and filter? Is it in the right place? How about the 606A/C? Are they appropriate choices for final filtration and pressure control? Do I need more drops for water drainage? I understand that any place I feed down for feeding air should go UP first before going down so as to avoid draining water down the air line. Should I have a pressure regulator on the tank to control the pressure going out to the system or just go straight out of the tank through the flexible hose to the copper (since the 606A/C have pressure regulators on them)?

Am I missing any thing? Am I close? Things to add, delete, or do differently?

Thanks,
Jay

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PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 9:52 pm
Because you only have one compressor, this idea would be a lot simpler for you than my setup. I do not even need the QC-3 desiccant filter. It is overkill. The pre-water/oil separator is still bone dry, even though I've been painting my truck in 99% humidity. I've run my DA sander for hours on end while bypassing the QC-3, and never got a particle of water out of the air hose. I might get 1/4 teaspoon of water every few days out of my main tank, but a few ounces out of the water trap tank. You can make this with a salvage a/c condenser and a box fan on the cheap.

http://www.autobody101.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=23678

I also like having my compressor outside. There's a lot less noise in my shop.
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2014 12:49 pm
Nate,

Are you suggesting, then, that I omit the Sharpe 6760 and just let water collect in the low spots? I'd love not to have to spend that chunk of change. The Sharpe 606A/C have filters built in, too, so it would be great if they were adequate.

I do currently have a little water trap (just a clear glass gizmo) on the outside of the compressor tank. It's only ever had just a tiny bit of moisture in it. I suspect more water would condense with the run of copper pipe, but between a "water drop" downstream and the 606 air control units, it would be great if that would be sufficient.

Any other thoughts?

Thanks,
Jay

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PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2014 1:22 pm
birdus wrote:Nate,

Are you suggesting, then, that I omit the Sharpe 6760 and just let water collect in the low spots? I'd love not to have to spend that chunk of change. The Sharpe 606A/C have filters built in, too, so it would be great if they were adequate.

I do currently have a little water trap (just a clear glass gizmo) on the outside of the compressor tank. It's only ever had just a tiny bit of moisture in it. I suspect more water would condense with the run of copper pipe, but between a "water drop" downstream and the 606 air control units, it would be great if that would be sufficient.

Any other thoughts?

Thanks,
Jay


I'm suggesting that you could save a lot of money by not having to buy expensive copper pipe, unless you just want quick disconnects all over the shop. You could just run everything with a single hose from the main tank.

Before I redid my system, I ran straight from the compressor (with no mods), to a small glass water trap, through a regulator, then to a quick disconnect. I'd have lots of water coming out of my air tools, and sometimes my paint gun.

Now by going from the compressor head, through an a/c condenser, into a tank that acts as a water trap, then back into the main tank, there is so little moisture in my main tank that I didn't really need to buy the $200 QC-3 w/regulator, and I think the last vertical pipe just before pre-filter and QC-3 is also unnecessary, but iron pipe is cheap. As insurance, you could buy those disposable filters that screw onto the inlet of the spray gun.

I got this idea from a couple of guys on youtube. Mine is a little more refined, but they all seem to work well. Go to youtube and search for "DIY compressed air dryer."
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2014 1:56 pm
Thanks, Nate.

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PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2014 6:32 pm
birdus wrote:Thanks, Nate.


They actually make air dryers that use refrigerant to cool the coils carrying the air. I looked into them, but the Harbor Freight model was no longer available. These work on the same principle.
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