best cheap air dryer

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 9:22 pm
Been seeing lots of fisheyes in my painting. Very humid in baton rouge. What's a good cheap setup?

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 2:31 am
The Motor Guard M-60 or M-73 are around $75. and are the best dryers I've ever used. They don't have the ceramic filter, they use whats called a toilet paper roll filter, not really made of t.p. just the shape!

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 5:54 am
those do work pretty well. dont use tp in them because there is something in tp that corrodes the inside if it. also the key to any moisture seperator working is you need to cool the air comming out of the compressor otherwise it will still be a vapor and pass right through. here is a cool link. check it out!!

http://**********.forumup.org/viewtopic.php?t=3015&mforum=**********



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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 7:34 am
Steven
I don't know what you ended up with for a compressor? It can make a difference.
I know when you first came around that's what you were concerned with with good cause.
Like Jim Say's you need too cool the air out of the compressor a good air Pipe lay out will cool your air so a water filter will work.

Do you have 20+ feet of pipe NOT HOSE! before any filter or moisture trap?
It is best to come out of compressor and go up and down wall 3 or 4 times with 7-8 foot sections of pipe before a moisture trap that allows the air too cool, and then too a Water/oil filter then you run it across the shop to different outlets with the pipe running in a down hill manner to again collect moisture because there will be some still.
Then ultimately running to your paint booth into something like this. http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/devilbi ... 3-103.aspx
Its not as fancy as mine but it would work very good and its about 300 dollars cheaper than mine.

I have never tried the Motor guard they all say they work well, But too me it looks like an air oil/water filter not an air dryer, A Desiccant air dryer is best in my opinion. NOT for the whole shop just for spraying! so keep a valve on it so you can shut it off, Desiccant is not cheap to replace.
You can take it out and dry it out in your oven a few times when needed but it will need to be replaced eventually. also I would put a good air/oil filter in-line before a Desiccant filter as well to keep oil out of it, Just to protect the Desiccant.

I personally do all the above PLUS other filters and tricks to keep water at bay.

Even if I had a $2000 Refrigerated air dryer I would still have one of these on my Paint booth.

Is my way the best? NO
Is My way the cheapest? NO
Does it work? I think so!
Can it be done differently? YES
Can It be done cheaper? YES but don't whine when it doesn't work!
Dennis B.
A&P Mechanic, FCC General radio Telephone Operator
Line Maintenance A&P Mechanic and MOC Tech specialist.



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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 8:55 pm
I went with an Ingersoll Rand off memory it is 18.1cfm @90. 5hp 60 gallon. Ran be about $900.00 before tax

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 9:07 pm
now i dont know what you are looking to spoend but a guy i know bought one of the harbor freight refer dyers. i think they are about $350 or so. he has had it running for about 2.5 years now. works great and hasn't missed a beat. he opened it up and its got all honeywell controlls and everything. would be a perfect matchup for your compressor.



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PostPosted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 11:51 am
Hi Jim
I know what a Refer unit is off of a Semi trailor, I have changed out a lot of them over the years but what is a Refer dryer?
Dennis B.
A&P Mechanic, FCC General radio Telephone Operator
Line Maintenance A&P Mechanic and MOC Tech specialist.



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PostPosted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 12:39 pm
The Refrigerant dryer Jim is referring to is:
Compressed Air Dryer
Image

Keep Air Lines Bone Dry
Advanced 3-in-1 air dryer system features modes for pre-refrigeration, evaporation, air and moisture separation modes to remove up to 90% of the moisture from your compressed air lines.

* High efficiency pre-refrigeration system is three times faster, takes 60% less power to operate
* Accommodates compressors up to 21.6 CFM, 140 PSI max
* Lowers the dew point to 36°F

Recommended operating pressure: 100 PSI. Not for medical use. Operates between 35.6°-140°F. Uses R-134A refrigerant. 115 V input; Air inlet: 1/2"-14 NPT
Weight: 73 lbs.

$369.99

I also have the Motor Guard M-60, and have had the first one corrode because I didn't change out the wet filter element when I was done using my air tools heavily. I now have a system where I rotate between filter elements. This gives enough time for them to dry on the shelf.

I have never had water problems when spraying paint. The only time my tools would spit water is if I used my D/A sander for several hours striping paint. I have about 45' of 3/4" copper pipe before this filter (with drains), but... when my crappy aluminum pump sears compressor runs constantly, the air just gets too hot.

I just picked up a 5-Stage Air Desiccant Air Drying System from ATD.
I have not used it yet, waiting to finish my paint booth.
http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/atd-7763.html



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PostPosted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 6:34 pm
Mustang408
Your a Heck of a sales man! I want one!
For less than 400 bucks a guy is into a refrigerated air dryer system wow!
I need that! With that added to my system my system would be Bullet proof. Is that the one sold at Harbor freight?
I don't usually buy too much from them any more but still do occasionally for certain things they have a heck of a deal on throw away Die grinders every once in a while. And they used too sell really nice big Canvas Tarps.

Don't forget the extended warranty with any thing you get there!

Did you know if you buy there two year warranty on big ticket items it was extend-able every two years supposedly? An employee told me that.
Dennis B.
A&P Mechanic, FCC General radio Telephone Operator
Line Maintenance A&P Mechanic and MOC Tech specialist.

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PostPosted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 8:19 pm
i dont really buy anything from hf sice everything i have ever gotten is crap and i believe in buying good equiptment but it actually looked like a nice made unit and i trust my friend's opinion on it not to mention he opened it up and showed me the guts. i think its supposed to handle like 28 cfm or something like that and i do think the heat exchanger is a little undersized for that kind of flow but on a true 5hp and below compressor it should work great.
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