Air dryer for plasma cutter

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Looking for a efficient, inexpensive way to dry air for plasma cutting. Refrigerated units are a bit pricey (but effective). I'm trying to get by at under $100.The desiccant dryers seem to be a cheaper way to go but the disposable ones will add up the costs fairly quickly.How about this one from Harbor Freight with rechargeable media? Anybody have one or use one? It looks like a good deal if it works.http://www.harborfreight.com/desicca...yer-97686.htmlA search didn't show much about air dryers on WW. Thanks for opinions.
Reply:It says it includes a drain valve but doesn't say whether it includes or just uses replaceable desiccant pellets. No liquid should ever build up, so what is the drain valve for? Also, what type of desiccant is comes with it, or what does it cost, if sold separately? What is the moisture capacity (meaning, how long before a recharge)? Need more details to evaluate.Long ago, I built my own dryer using a Pepsi canister filled with either silica gel or desiccating clay pellets, all gotten free somewhere. The canisters were originally used to contain the syrup which was injected into the rest of the carbonating equipment;  now such systems are hardly used so the canisters are "obsolete'.I now have a (scrounged) refrigerated air dryer for my beadblast cabinet and plasma.
Reply:Agree about the drain valve - it shouldn't be necessary if the desiccant is doing its job. Maybe that can be a test that the pellets are saturated - water would drip out.Bags of the desiccant pellets are sold at $5 each. Maybe a good idea would be to change it out while the original pellets are drying in the oven.http://www.harborfreight.com/22-lb-s...ant-97924.html
Reply:I have beeen using one for the last year and i am  pleased with it.  No liquid ever drains out.  Dryed the pellets two times and not sure I needed to then.
Reply:mount a small vertical tank with a drain valve on the bottom, and an inline commercial grade moisture filter/separator.. i have my compressor mounted outside, under my shed i built on the side of my garage.... its a 5hp-60gal craftsman.... from outside the garage i plumbed straight into the garage, 4ft. is where my airline comes in, i then went straight up to the ceiling which is 8ft, then ran the length of my garage (30ft) then dropped down and added a large cartridge filter/separator... i also have a small moisture trapoutside on the compressor.. its been this way for 15yrs, i think it depends alot on how you route your airline.. i have dry enough air to paint a car with and i dont use a prefilter on my paint gun or my plasma..  i live in western ky, we have a broad temperature range and alot of humidity..Last edited by brucer; 11-29-2010 at 02:34 PM.tackleexperts.comwww.necessityjigs.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/mach...dingequipment/
Reply:Get an auto dump valve for your compressor, it installs in your drain valve and does not give your compressor a chance to collect moisture.As for dryer, a condensate trap for steam heating should work inline if you have a big shop.You've seem what is available commercially so you could probably upsize one from a peice of pipe and use sand as a dessicant.
Reply:All great ideas. Thanks for the input. Seems like many different directions are possible to get the desired results.Neglected to post the compressor: 6.5 HP, 80 gal, 17.5 cfm at 150 psi.I have some bids in on eBay for refrigerated units so we will see. If that doesn't work out then I'll go down the list of suggestions here and see what I can put together.Much appreciated.
Reply:Hey GWD,A friend of mine asked me to make a small frame for him to mount a simple dryer he made with a pickup truck heater core. He put a couple air disconnects on the inflow/outflow lines, bleeder valve, got a 9" fan to mount them on the frame he made a drawing for. He called after a couple weeks & said it worked very well & kept his air really nice & dry. He does a lot of custom painting & airbrush work. Anyway, just some mental fodder to contemplate.DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:I have 2 water seperators one on the compessor side of the hose and one on the plasma it self. They are I think $15.00 a piece at homedepo. I talked with the people at two local welding shops and they say all you really need is one on the machine side and to keep the compressor tank drained daily. They say as long as you don't have moisture coming out of the gun your fine and that was from the rep at Thermal Dynamic.Vantage 300 kubota ,miller 304 xmt ,lincoln ln 25 pro , ranger 305 G, plenty of other tools of the trade to make the sparks fly.
Reply:I am just thinking out loud here.What about putting the compressor in a room with a  room dehumidifier in it set at say 20% humidity? Right now I run my compressor in the garage and on really humid days I have to watch as the water filter on the airline fills up pretty quick. My plasma cutter really suffers when the rain starts to fall even with a water filter on the tank and one just before the cutter. And I hate draining the compressor tank with all that rusty water. I would build a wall around the compressor and run a dehumidifier in the room. I've been thinking that running the compressor in a room that is humidity controlled would allow for really dry air. I would also run the water filter just like before and just in case.Any comments on if it would work?
Reply:Stevefromohio A dehumidifier would help a little.But the moisture in the compressor comes from the head getting hot while compressing the air to the pressure setting on the system, and then the moisture condenses while cooling in the tank of the compressor which leads to the water in the air. And a dehumidifier would also make the tank even cooler than the norm or ambient temperature of the season/confine.Last edited by STwelder; 12-01-2010 at 04:35 AM.Miller Thunderbolt 225Millermatic 130 XPLincoln HD 100 Forney C-5bt Arc welderPlasma Cutter Gianteach Cut40ACent Machinery Bandsaw Cent Machinery 16Speed Drill PressChicago Electric 130amp tig/90 ArcHobart 190 Mig spoolgun ready
Reply:Originally Posted by StevefromOhioI am just thinking out loud here.What about putting the compressor in a room with a  room dehumidifier in it set at say 20% humidity? Any comments on if it would work?
Reply:I have one of these from HF and it is a godsend!:http://www.harborfreight.com/compres...yer-40211.htmlI spent a lot of time sand blasting and within a short period of time, no mater what the weather I was getting moisture. The moisture would wet the sand and block the line. An exercise in futility. The line dryer stopped all perceivable moisture not just in short term but even after a 14hr day of blasting.I use it all the time now. Irreplaceable when painting cars.I know of two different people who went about it slightly different. One shop mounted their piping in a massive zig zag along a wall which worked out well for them. Some one else I know buried their line in the ground outside. Both methods worked for them.For another shop we are working on we have been able to find name used brand industrial line dryers on places like Ebay, Craigslist for under $200.
Reply:Hi, New here. I have a refrigerated drier, and all it is, is a heat exchanger to cool the air, then it goes to a water separator. The key is to cool the air below its dew point. Then the water separator can work efficiently. I then go through a motorguard filter, and then to local small water separators on the equipment. Prior to the dryer, I had a home made one from a garbage picked water cooler. I made my own heat exchanger by wrapping tubing around the cooler coil, and enclosing it in insulation (something like that. It's been a while). Then on the outlet I put a good water separator. It worked pretty well. You could also use a dehumidifier, by physically tying the air tubing to the cooling coil, then wrapping it in insulation. Its a bit of a makeshift way of doing it, but the bottom line is to get the air cool enough that the water will drop out. Be careful with the automotive heater core idea. The weren't designed to handle that kind of pressure.  Paul
Reply:Don't forget Craigslist. In the last 6 months I have seen numerous compressed air dryers for low money on Craigslist. Every auto body shop has one....and when they go out of business or upgrade, you can often get them for a deal. I bought mine for $75, works great, even came with a precooler (just a radiator and fan that precools the air before it goes into the refrigerated cooler).And, as I have said many times...the Harbor Freight refrigerated air dryer (usually $350, I have seen it on sale for $199) seems to work well.....I have heard from many users on this and other sites that it seems to be trouble free...and is much lower priced than other units on the market.Jim Colt
Reply:I have been giving thought to using a late model air dryer from a semi truck.    The new ones have a replaceable desiccant unit.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:I have a cnc plasma along with a furnace that use air all the time. Both my air compressors are located in the basement. I originally moved them into the basement to free up space in the shop and quiet things down. As a benefit the basement is now dehumidified and warm. To keep the moisture out of the lines I did a couple things.I put automatic moisture drain on the compressor. Mine opens for 2 seconds every 10 minutes. This was based on experimentation. Next the air goes into a refrigerate air dry. I bought the dryer off CL for $100  Then the air is stored in a vertical tank I was given for free  I check the drain on this second tank and it's always dry.Interestingly after adding the auto drain to the compressor my refrigerated dryer collects less moisture. I was surprised the auto drain made such a large difference. My compressor runs A LOT. I still have a moisture filter at the plasma cutter... just in case.Currently I'm using hoses draped through the shop but eventually I'd like to get everything plumbed. Bigger pipe = dryer air. I've also thought about adding an after cooler:http://www.mcmaster.com/#compressed-...oolers/=9zbez2I've posted a few pictures to explain my setup. Enjoy. Attached Images
Reply:I agree that an auto drain on the compressor is the best possible investment....and is the best first attempt at minimizing moisture in your air lines. I took a chance on the Harbor Freight automatic drain kit ($9,95). This unit comes with some fittings and a nicely built pilot operated drain valve that mounts in place of the drain petcock on the bottom of the compressor tank, and has a pilot operator hose that splices into the compressors head relief valve (the little pipe that goes from the compressor pump head to the pressure switch). This unit opens on every compressor cycle for a few seconds and drains any moisture automatically. It has been on my compressor for a year, and works flawlessly.I did have to go to the hardware store and pick up a couple of brass fittings to splice into the head relief line...as the ones that came with the unit were slightly different sized.Jim Col
Reply:It makes sense to keep the compressor's tank dry if there is any hope to keep the air dry. The drying components further down the line would not be stressed so much.JimColt - found the auto drain on Harbor Freight. Is this the right one?http://www.harborfreight.com/automat...kit-46960.htmlThe cycling initiated by the relief valve is clever.forhire- the tank drain on your set up looks to be electrical but it is hard to tell. The description makes it sound electrical as well. Do you have a link, or at least more information, so I can find it?Your set up is fairly complex and must be ideal for a business.
Reply:GWD,Yes, that is the Harbor Freight compressor drain that I referred to. It is a bargain for the price....and I certainly recommend it. http://www.harborfreight.com/automat...kit-46960.htmlJim Colt
Reply:I don't have that type of harbor freight dryer, but i have a different type and it has worked great for the past few years.Ya gotta spend money to make money!
Reply:Best analysis I can give is follow what Jim colt tells you.  I allowed a drop of water to go through my PM 1000 G3 with machine torch.  It poppped and fizzled and the cuts looked like Rufus the dogs mangy butt after that, so best recomendation is better clean and dry by whatever means available.  I have 2 HF dessicators in line and drip legs as well as a drier/seperato on my machine to prevent this in the future.  I live in Fla, and the heat and humidity make me take extraordinary steps but at 35 bucks a fizzle it sure pays for itself quick.  Just my .02 FWIWBobI'm spending my Kids inheritance, I dont like him that much anyway!!!!!!Enuff tools to do the job, enough sense to use em.Anybody got a spare set of kidneys?  Trade?
Reply:Originally Posted by jimcoltYes, that is the Harbor Freight compressor drain that I referred to. It is a bargain for the price....and I certainly recommend it.
Reply:Originally Posted by GWDforhire- the tank drain on your set up looks to be electrical but it is hard to tell. The description makes it sound electrical as well. Do you have a link, or at least more information, so I can find it?
Reply:Originally Posted by forhireIt's an electric valve. Simply plug it in. These guys have them for a great price.http://www.ecompressedair.com/drain-...ain-valve.aspxI like the electric valve because it's easy to install and it will purge even while running extended time. The manual valve only discharges at the end of the run cycle.For the price the HF valve is a great value. Jim Wilson wrote a review about the installation and usage of the valve here. http://www.paragoncode.com/shop/compressor/Originally Posted by GWDNow onto the dryer acquisition. It may take a while to get something refrigerated under $100. There are a lot of good suggestions on this thread about putting together a homemade line cooler. A desiccant one will be used until something turns up or is fabricated.
Reply:Originally Posted by forhireHow close are you to Redding? Here's one on CL for $120.http://redding.craigslist.org/tls/2077572655.html
Reply:Thanks again to forhire for pointing out the timed drain for the compressor tank. It works perfectly. Maybe someday I'll get used to it opening and not jump out of my skin each time.I know, I know "pictures or it didn't happen".The large HF desiccant dryer works well but a second smaller HF inline one at the cutter restricts the air flow way to much - a drop of 30 psi when the torch is opened. Without it there is only a 5 psi drop.Anyway, the two water traps don't collect any water so things must work. The proof will be if the consumables are eaten up. Attached ImagesLast edited by GWD; 12-14-2010 at 01:58 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by GWDThanks again to forhire for pointing out the timed drain for the compressor tank. It works perfectly. Maybe someday I'll get used to it opening and not jump out of my skin each time.I know, I know "pictures or it didn't happen".The large HF desiccant dryer works well but a second smaller HF inline one at the cutter restricts the air flow way to much - a drop of 30 psi when the torch is opened. Without it there is only a 5 psi drop.Anyway, the two water traps don't collect any water so things must work. The proof will be if the consumables are eaten up.
Reply:Clever how you included a trap in each of the lines. Now you're ready for a couple more of those electric drains to stick on the end of the lines.You could put a little kazoo on the end of each of the drains and have a little background music.