# First time sweating / soldering copper pipe - Air compressor purchase and cooling line



## Jwest7788 (Feb 22, 2016)

Hey All, Haven't been posting much lately, but have been busy working on this project, so want to share an update!

I finally got rid of that beast of a horizontal air compressor (~500lbs, cast iron, awful) I've had in my shop for two years now in favour of a vertical compressor.

Moving compressor home: (scary unloading this solo)



 


 


 


 


 



That last pump of the engine hoist when you know it's coming off the truck is terrifying, haha.


Next up was setting up a home-made auto tank drain. Really it's just a 12V actuated air solenoid valve:




Hooked to a timer. The line was been snaked through the shop out the garage door. The little bit of plastic tube sticking out of the garage may freeze solid in the winter, now sure yet, but will update when I know.



I have a little sandblaster, and want to get into paint, but historically moisture was always an issue, as I didn't have enough distance from the compressor for the water to condense out. As I want to plumb my garage anyways, I spent the tail end of my weekend getting started with plumbing copper lines into the shop.

First step though, was getting the water to drop out by cooling the air to room temp.



 



I plan to pull the wood down and paint to match the decor, but for now just wanted to get working on the piping.
I found several sources and did alot of math before finally settling on 1/2" copper, and the above design for cooling the air, while maintaining a heavy slope to gather the water at the bottom. (Not done yet).

The above is where I left off before bed, hopefully make some more progress tonight.

I plan to make one more u-turn with the pipe at the bottom, to a T fitting with a drip leg. From there distribute to 6-8 locations across the garage (one per side, one per corner).

I've also decided sweating/soldering copper is pretty fun. Will likely work with it in future too!

Will take some more pics as I go. 

JW


----------



## Alexander (Feb 22, 2016)

Unloading that does look sketchy. Nice work there.


----------



## PeterT (Feb 22, 2016)

I hope you don't get offended JW but I've never seen a piping layout like that. What kinds of moisture issues were you having before? I've done a fair bit of shop spraying using a variety of auto paints over the years; catalysed, solvent based, water based, lacquers, clears... & all I had was a cheapo version of a knockout at the compressor outlet & a small moisture trap on the gun as final polish for anything in the line. The better ones use a trap flow and desiccant media which should deliver air dryer than popcorn farts. A tall compressor like your new baby & air delivery off the top should be pretty darn good IMO.
http://www.amazon.com/Compressed-desiccant-combination-EQUIPEMENT-COMPRESSOR/dp/B00UEUYHOG

I'm concerned about the max pressure of your lines / joints / solder vs. max  compressor delivery pressure?  If you have ever seen the destructive power of compressed gas (air), Google "air compressor rupture failure". All it takes is a pinhole & boom. Yes you may have a regulator set to X, but you always have to think What If... reg jams open, or someone unscrews the wrong way, it launches a tiny liquid slug with mass. Is the general idea to flow air uphill, air cools by conduction, water flows back down into... (a trap of some sort)?


----------



## Jwest7788 (Feb 23, 2016)

Appreciate the concern!

I did a lot of research actually. Bursting pressure on this pipe far above max compressor psi. 850psi is the tube, the joints are the weakest point but still above air comp psi by a safe margin.

This cooling line style is not uncommon actually:
https://www.google.ca/search?q=copp...MzGMKHcIyDZQQ_AUIBygB&biw=414&bih=660#imgrc=_

And copper air plumbing is super common practice. 

The benefits of copper are many fold.
Cheaper than black pipe at HD right now.
Lighter
Conducts heat better (cools)
Doesn't rust
Easy to put together,
Etc.

With regard to bursting, it's a lot of the reason I finally got rid of my old compressor, I did not trust it not to kill me one day.
Copper is deformable, which means if it were to leak, it wouldn't explode like PVC does, into shards. It simply develops a leak or crack, no explosion. 

The typical reason that a cooling line like this one is put into a system is that the overall distance from the compressor to the gun is not more than 50ft, the recommended minimum for the compressed air to cool in line. This run simply adds the distance to drop out as much moisture as possible before the filters.

Again, appreciate the concern! We should always bring potential safety concerns to top of mind!

Here's a great article on air piping systems that covers copper, written by ingersoll rand
http://www.ingersollrandproducts.co...ing-your-air-piping-distribution-system-needs



JW


----------



## PeterT (Feb 23, 2016)

I completely stand corrected. Looks like I'm the Neanderthal paint sprayer  I've seen the fancy manifolding before, just not temperature cooling & liquid drop-out aspect. 
I had some minor dealings with industrial copper heat exchangers in the past & that's why my PSI spider sense was tingling. But now I know why - those were much bigger diameter tubes, high flow rates, hotter gasses... all collectively serving to de-rate pressure & I seem to recall required brazed joints. But looks like once you get down to say 3/4" OD the K&L are 580-850 psi & plumbing (is that M?) is 400 psi. Way more than what compressor will deliver. Do those numbers go around with what you have determined? Interesting stuff, good luck.

http://www.powdercoatguide.com/2014/06/how-to-dry-compressed.html#.VsyxKv72aUk


----------



## PeterT (Feb 23, 2016)

Oops what I wanted to mention in that link is kind of interesting - a heat exchanger after-cooler, looks like salvaged from a car transmission cooler or automotive a/c condenser. They pipe it off the compressor discharge but before the tank. And it has a similar liquid knock-out. I guess an advantage is small footprint & keeps water mostly out of the tank to begin with. Hmm.. now you have me thinking


----------



## Jwest7788 (Feb 23, 2016)

Here is the doc I was referencing against for maximum PSI:
http://www.copper.org/publications/pub_list/pdf/copper_tube_handbook.pdf

I'm only running 1/2" actually, so while it is M type, it should be good to 850PSI (page 25/26)
--> Just looking, the 8" diameter pipe is only rated to 250PSI. Interesting. Makes sense though, with the nature of "Pounds per square inch" the the greater internal surface area means more stress.


I like the intercooler between the discharge and tank idea. I had heard about it in the past, but decided, since I'm plumbing anyways, that this would be just a couple extra steps in a project I planned on undertaking anyways. haha
If you end up proceeding with that plan, you should take some temperature measurement before and afters! Discharge before and after, tank before and after, etc.

I bet there is a calculator that can help us figure out the dew point and relative humidity before and after if we put our minds to it. Would be interesting to see actual imperical data on the benifits. Something I've had very little success finding for much of this air compressor moisture stuff.

JW


----------



## EricB (Feb 26, 2016)

I plan on plumbing my shop eventually. I've heard that silver brazing is the better way to go for the joints, any insight on this from all your research?

Sent from my B15 using Tapatalk


----------



## Jwest7788 (Feb 26, 2016)

Hey Eric,

Brazing VS Solder = Melting point, and final strength
Brazing is above.. 800F I think, Soldering is below. Ultimately brazed connections are several times stronger, but you can get solder with silver content (0 lead, or 95/5) which is supposed to be stronger then regular solder, but not as hot as brazing.

I read somewhere that normal leaded solder is fine for air plumbing, but later read that lead free is considerably stronger, but not required.


I did not read, but had fears of heating the copper hot enough to braze, causing it to anneal. Not sure if it would impact the max PSI, but had already decided on lead free solder at that point anyways.


Worked some more on this yesterday. It's funny, you spend more time on a single access leg, rather than running 50 feet of straight pipe. The little corner shown below took forever to work through the kinks.
If anyone goes this route, buy way more fittings than you need. Grab a bunch of 45 degree fittings too. I keep running into sections where overlap needs me to work around the existing lines, or add spacing for the filters to fit, etc. 45's keep saving the day!

Two access points plumbed in with filters and regs now.



 

This corner bit took a lot of work, taking a line off the top, then feeding through the gaps shown. It actually feeds off the top line, then another pipe is added to the 45D angle here, feeding down towards the ground.


----------



## PeterT (Feb 26, 2016)

Yeah you would think there would be a straightforward online calculator. Hopefully my attempt is not out to lunch. Any engineers in the house?  Found this graphical link, eyeballed the moisture content based on the difference between compressor discharge tempe & room temp (lowest you could cool to) & guesstimate CFM. Holy crap, if assumptions & math is right, that's a lot of water. The water holding content goes up very rapidly but not sure of actual air temp exiting compressor.
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/moisture-holding-capacity-air-d_281.html


----------



## PeterT (Feb 26, 2016)

These look interesting. They claim 99.99% water removal. 
http://www.pcltireinflation.com/Pro...6ec8-eafb-4abc-8f3a-3afb8056f1f1#.VtCZGU2hqUk

Cross section schematic. 164 Brit pounds = 307 Kanuck bucks. Ouch.
http://www.davidharriesstore.co.uk/...-compressed-air-point-of-use-water-separator/

ok, I'm so glad JW started this. I will never look at my compressor the same. Somehow, some way... I must have moisture free air!


----------



## Jwest7788 (Feb 29, 2016)

PeterT said:


> These look interesting. They claim 99.99% water removal.
> http://www.pcltireinflation.com/Pro...6ec8-eafb-4abc-8f3a-3afb8056f1f1#.VtCZGU2hqUk
> 
> Cross section schematic. 164 Brit pounds = 307 Kanuck bucks. Ouch.
> ...



Happy to help!

Keep in mind with those filters, they're referring to 99.9% *liquid* water removal. They will not impact water vapour in the air!

For that, your previous suggestion of a desiccant dryer is the way to go!

As far as I know there are only 2 ways to remove water from air.  Desiccant, or cooling the air below it's dew point.

For $300 you're just a hop skip and a jump from an entry level refrigerated dryer: http://www.harborfreight.com/compressed-air-dryer-40211.html (USD though)
--> Slick stuff these things, reduce the temp to ~2C, which drops the vast majority of water out. Issue with these, besides the cost, is you need a nice filter setup before and after the dryer. But because these drop the air temp so low, you don't have to worry about anything else dropping out at room temp later. (My setup, if I didn't have a desiccant could still condense water if painting cold steel for example.)++

The best is a combination of a cooler, a super filter, and also a desiccant system!


----------



## mrhat (Feb 29, 2016)

I needed dry air for a plasma cutter, decided to go with desiccant since it's so cheap (available as kitty litter crystals), but the downside if you are fabricating it yourself is that it's more complicated to assemble than you might think.  
The desiccant needs changing depending on use, so there needs to be some way to remove it, and some sort of filter to keep desiccant dust from going downstream.

I used ~6" diameter 1/4" wall pipe and plate to make the container, then have a drop-in stainless steel mesh screen which is followed by the desiccant, and another screen.  The screens are attached to each other at a fixed distance with 4 small metal rods so changing the desiccant just necessitates depressurization, removal of 5 or 6 bolts, and lifting the screens out of the pipe.  

It works, but if I was to do it over again I would probably find a cheap refrigeration unit and use a large diameter copper pipe to collect all the vapour as ice, then use a microcontroller and a couple motorized valves to stop the refrigeration periodically and flush out the water.


----------



## Janger (Mar 18, 2016)

So @Jwest7788  - Josh - I read all this. Trying to digest. The long line allows the air to cool and water then condenses out of the air. I think then the water will fall to the bottom of your line to the ball valve at the lowest point. You extract the air above where the water gets trapped? And it's dryer? Do you actually get any water at the drain point?

Looking at the pictures more closely I don't think I follow. Is there some sort of circular air flow happening where the plumbing in the corner feeds dry air back into the top of the radiator section? Post more pictures with the final arrangement all in view? Thanks Josh this is interesting. 

The other posts on this using desiccant (cat litter?) are interesting too on another thread. What kind of cat litter? Buying one of those desiccant units always struck me as expensive as the desiccant from the tool stores is expensive. 

I have a new california 10 gallon compressor. Quiet. 7 cfm. Nice upgrade from my little old one. I think @PeterT  has one too.


----------



## Jwest7788 (Mar 18, 2016)

I'll take some more pictures tonight. 

I'm actually finishing the project this weekend (hopefully) The top corner actually feeds behind the cooling line, down to an outlet, doesn't actually circulate back into the unit.

You've hit the nail on the head, water condenses out, drains to the lowest point, and is later removed from the system by opening the ball valve. Air (-liquid water) goes up the pipe and onwards to the rest of the system.

I initially had a small desiccant unit attached to the tool I was using, but liquid water blasted through the line and soaked the desiccant, which ruined it.

From there I learned, desiccant is meant to be used after the air has cooled, and water condensed out and separated from the air, to remove the last bit of moisture from the air, which refuses to condense, as room temperature is above the dew point of a little bit of water: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Dewpoint.jpg/300px-Dewpoint.jpg


I'm not sure about the cat litter, that's news to me. Actual dessicant isn't too pricy at the store, considering it lasts for over a year if the above steps are taken. (or so I'm told)


Pics coming!


----------



## Janger (Mar 18, 2016)

So desiccant should last if the air is dried out first. ok, I thought it required a lot of replacement, like air masks. I've read somewhere you can 'recharge' the desiccant by baking it in the oven....


----------



## Jwest7788 (Mar 18, 2016)

That's interesting. Quick Google search shows lots of how to's. Needs more research, but silica gel desiccant seems like the one you can bake. Depending on the dryer you have, the pellets can be pretty cheap to just replace though.


----------



## Jwest7788 (Mar 21, 2016)

More pics:










Each of the 5 outlets has a filter/separator and a regulator. 

Another pic of the now complete corner shows the line going behind the cooler. 

JW


Sent from my iPhone.


----------



## Janger (Mar 21, 2016)

did you get some deal on the regulators? wow.


----------



## Jwest7788 (Mar 21, 2016)

They're not too expensive actually. And I didn't want to redo the system later so dished out. Having said that a reg or filter are only ~$20 each. It does add up quick but it's not too bad.

The amount I paid for the conpressor I figure I shouldn't be afraid to spend a couple bucks to get the most from it. Haha

And I learned a ton and got a huge amount of hands on experience with something new. That alone is worth its weight in gold.


----------



## Janger (Mar 21, 2016)

Is that a Campbell Hausfeld 16 CFM 60 Gallon Compressor? $1400 @ KMS? That's a big Beast.... 

@PeterT and I have been having an interesting discussion about air tools and compressor requirements... I think you've got it covered! Wow.


----------



## Jwest7788 (Mar 21, 2016)

Yep you nailed it. 

I've always enjoyed sandblasting, so it was my target for air requirements when looking for a new compressor. Small restoration projects etc. That and upright, as the old one was horizontal, low Cfm and massive. Took up way too much floor space. 

Should be good for air for quite some time. Haha



Sent from my iPhone.


----------



## kylemp (Mar 22, 2016)

Hey where did you get your copper? I was thinking of 3/4" headers along 2 or 3 walls, I don't need to do the drains since I managed to buy a 85cfm IR chiller style dryer, but I don't want to pay what home depot or rona wants for copper piping..


----------



## Jwest7788 (Mar 22, 2016)

Copper was purchased at:
Wolseley  
Plumbing Supply Store
Address: 10775 42 St SE, Calgary, AB T2C 5B9

My brother in law is a plumber with an account here, so got the pipe for something like $10 per 12 feet. (1/2" m type)

Also, After some testing, I'm super happy with 1/2", as my pressure drop from the compressor to the farthest point in my system is essentially 0. With 1/4" test hose (3 feet) at the farthest point, I only loose ~5 psi when blasting, but feel the 1/4" hose is to blame there. The 1/2" pipe really has very low pressure drop over ~80'.

For the cost difference I would stick with 1/2" in future too.


----------



## kylemp (Mar 22, 2016)

how much CFM are you running at that distance? I'm thinking more for the plasma which is the farthest away distance and then potentially sandblasting with a pressure pot.. which is why I was thinking 3/4"
$10/12' is pretty damn cheap.. 3/4" 12' was like $40/12' I believe.

Where were you picking up your filters and regulators for so cheap?

I am thinking to throw the air dryer in between the head and the tank, its supposed to be good to around 250 psi, and I don't run my tank that high so that should be the best spot to pull out the moisture. If you want, I have a line on another one.. its bigger and heavier (I think it was 250cfm max), but it needs to be recharged...


----------



## Jwest7788 (Mar 22, 2016)

My pressure drop test was using a short hose to an air duster attachment. I'll test some more and take some pics of the test unit I made (and highly recommend everyone have one, super handy)
--> The pressure drop test setup thing I made is essentially: Male quick connect -> T fitting with guage -> female quick connect  -- Can measure the drop anywhere. Particularly good for the end of the line, before the tool, so you can set the pressure high at the regulator to account for pressure drop before the tool.


I'll test tonight with an open ended 1/4" hose and let you know what I see. Not sure how to test higher flow then an open ended hose.. (I could open a ball valve and dump 1/2" pipe to atmosphere, but don't have any way to measure it, haha)


----------



## kylemp (Mar 22, 2016)

The pressure drop can be measured from anywhere I think.. meaning your main regulator will show the same pressure drop as the very end of the line as its a volume issue on that side and the regulator displays the pressure on that side also.. so dumping the line with a 1/2" ball valve should be fine, if you look at what your set pressure was and then what it is with the valve open... but at some point the regulator or filters become and issue. You've also got a lot of pipe in there that doesn't entirely help for dumping 1/2", if the outlet is smaller (1/4" ID) then the pipe likely acts as a reservoir of air, but at 1/2" it may restrict it.. not sure though.


----------



## Jwest7788 (Mar 22, 2016)

kylemp said:


> The pressure drop can be measured from anywhere I think.. meaning your main regulator will show the same pressure drop as the very end of the line as its a volume issue on that side and the regulator displays the pressure on that side.



Woops, not quite.

How pressure drop is actually a measure of air friction in the system. The smaller the line, the more friction compared to flow. Also, the more flow, the more friction. Both result in a friction induced pressure drop at the outlet.

Dumping close to the compressor, means less distance to travel, less friction, and therefore less drop. This test needs a gauge as close to the outlet as possible, as the farthest point from the compressor. 

Here's a good calculator to help your planning stage too!
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pressure-drop-compressed-air-pipes-d_852.html (The bottom calculator is CFM and PSI)

Just put in my specs, calc shows 2.33 PSI drop. Pretty close to empirical tests yesterday. 


How much line do you plan on running? CFM requirement?


----------



## kylemp (Mar 22, 2016)

lol, yes.. you're right. I more meant it would be negligible.. 2.33PSI is.. nothing in the scheme of most air tools running ~100-140PSI. I didn't really qualify the pressure drop until it is 10+ PSI or so. I'm more concerned with the drop due to restriction, 1/4" line can really only carry so much air at a stable pressure (I don't want to have 1/4" lines running at 200psi if avoidable) which is the issue I often run into.. the plasma needs to have a dead line pressure of 140 to sustain it at around 90psi currently with 1/4" ID lines.


I think I'm looking in the 15-20 cfm range max.. I don't see a lot of air consumption happening at the same time in our shop, but the worst case would be a sandblasting and running the plasma, and the longest reach of the solid air header would be 50', then lines from there.


----------



## Jwest7788 (Mar 22, 2016)

Agreed. The trick is definitely to avoid long lengths of 1/4" line. You can have hundreds of feet of 1/2" pipe with negligible PSI drop at 140PSI. Quick check shows 200' 1/2" pipe at 20CFM, 140PSI is only 7 PSI drop.

Here's a handy chart showing max CFM reccomendations too:
http://www.jgbhose.com/technical-reference-literature/maximum-recommended-air-flow.asp

All in all 1/2" looks to be more than capable for your future setup, both with regard to PSI drop, max flow @140PSI. 3/4" is guaranteed, haha.


----------



## mrhat (Mar 24, 2016)

Janger said:


> So @Jwest7788 What kind of cat litter? @PeterT  has one too.



It's the expensive kitty litter that looks like little plastic beads.  In fact it's silica gel, usually with a cobalt dye that turn from purple to pink when saturated with water.

I was tempted to use calcium chloride (available as DampRid) but I didn't like that it turns into a liquid when saturated and wasn't too clear on how it would react with the container/valves.


----------



## Jwest7788 (Mar 24, 2016)

mrhat said:


> It's the expensive kitty litter that looks like little plastic beads.  In fact it's silica gel, usually with a cobalt dye that turn from purple to pink when saturated with water.
> 
> I was tempted to use calcium chloride (available as DampRid) but I didn't like that it turns into a liquid when saturated and wasn't too clear on how it would react with the container/valves.


This makes so much more sense. I was picturing the normal sandy kind.

How does this stuff compare to the silica beads made specifically for air tools? Literally the same thing?

Just had an idea too. The dryer add ons can be pricy. But nothing stopping me from packing a seperator full to the brim with silica beads...


----------



## Tom Kitta (May 31, 2016)

For all its worth I did what the new compressor owner did just with far less turns in my copper pipe. Works fine but I do get moisture when compressor works hard - for the plasma cutter with a lot of cutting I need to connect a dryer or face some "no cutting" issues.


----------



## Janger (Jun 7, 2016)

Jwest7788 said:


> Hey All, Haven't been posting much lately, but have been busy working on this project, so want to share an update!
> 
> I finally got rid of that beast of a horizontal air compressor (~500lbs, cast iron, awful) I've had in my shop for two years now in favour of a vertical compressor.
> 
> ...



Hi all 
Check out the second photo in this ad for a cnc table. They seem to have a HUGE air cooling pipe on the wall similar to the one Josh built. 

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details...ts&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email_alerts


----------



## Tom Kitta (Jun 7, 2016)

That is a massive pipe based cooler - why people would do such a thing when you can simply run a short line through a water based cooler? I got my Princess Auto 11.5 and thought about running more copper pipe but figured that if I really run into a lot of water issues I can simply either a) run a chemical water dryer (which I build) or b) build small water based cooler - doesn't need to be anything fancy.

For sand blasting and cutting dry air is quite essential so something has to be done but 100 ft of pipe seems to maybe be a solution done before a) or b) was possible - or am I missing something?


----------



## Alexander (Jun 8, 2016)

Here is the Ferrari solution. This little baby plugs into a 110 outlet. It is garenteed to keep water out of the lines and cool the air down. 800usd yes i know that is expensive just showing off the technology industry uses.


----------



## kylemp (Jun 8, 2016)

That's just a chiller, right? I picked up an ingersoll drystar a few months back and got it into service a month ago.. Noticeably nicer air, although your still supposed to run desiccant as well. I've seen lots of desiccant tower systems but they're too big and a pain for a small shop.

It'd be this one (pretty sure it's a 50cfm), but mine has a secondary cooler as well..
http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/ing...igh-temp-refrigerated-air-dryers-p-11415.aspx


----------



## Tom Kitta (Jun 8, 2016)

Wouldn't used "Ferrari" solution or home made version of it be far cheaper and effective than say 100ft of copper pipe? The cost of the pipe, cost of fittings, cost of installation (time is never free), and finally space taken up >> cost of dryer? I am sure a 20cfm dryer used could be had for 400.


----------



## Alexander (Jun 9, 2016)

Yeah that is a small chiller. These things are the best.


----------



## Jwest7788 (Oct 20, 2016)

Digging up this long dead thread because I happened to be reading it, with some updates now that a few months have gone by.



Tom Kitta said:


> Wouldn't used "Ferrari" solution or home made version of it be far cheaper and effective than say 100ft of copper pipe? The cost of the pipe, cost of fittings, cost of installation (time is never free), and finally space taken up >> cost of dryer? I am sure a 20cfm dryer used could be had for 400.



Yeah, when you look at it that way, a used chiller would probably be close to the price I paid. (Not including time, I think the total at the end of the day was around $300)
There is something to be said for a passive solution though. Right now, I don't have many outlets to spare. Im sure many know the feeling.

With my solution I get super handy, although probably redundant, exit ports at all my primary work stations, which after some time has passed, I still think it fantastically convenient. I could've used a hose reel, but this is very nice.
Also, having each section have it's own regulator makes my day a ton easier, each is set custom to the tool most frequently used at each location. Again, not needed, when often you only have (maybe) an hour a day to work, any time savings is good stuff.

Moisture still has never been an issue, haven't painted yet, but between the larger compressor and my cooling lines, I can blast all day on my benchtop sandblaster, never sputter any water, and the compressor actually still has time to shut off and rest (higher CFM then I need). I beleive for painting, all I would need is a small in-line desiccant filter, as there is no risk of liquid water at the gun.

There is an amazing satisfaction to opening the main drain and not hearing any air blow through for a full 3-4 seconds, before finally the last of the water is blown out of the drain leg.

All said and done, for my needs, I would definitely re-do this setup if I ever move. Overkill? Probably, but I'm very happy with the setup.


----------



## Tom Kitta (Oct 20, 2016)

One of my cheapo regulators for $20 died a week ago or so - it is now leaking air. Not sure what exactly happened - it survived for around a year. I set the air line for like 75 and kept it there forever so its not like it got used a lot. Cheap China strikes again.


----------



## Jwest7788 (Oct 20, 2016)

Tom Kitta said:


> One of my cheapo regulators for $20 died a week ago or so - it is now leaking air. Not sure what exactly happened - it survived for around a year. I set the air line for like 75 and kept it there forever so its not like it got used a lot. Cheap China strikes again.


Thats the worst!

I do have One leak in my system I haven't taken the time to track down. When the pressure in the lines gets low enough, all of my filters open up all at the same time. A few times now it's scared the crap out of me, particularly when working very late.


----------



## Janger (Oct 20, 2016)

How much water comes out when you open the valve? Litres?


----------



## Jwest7788 (Oct 20, 2016)

probably not liters, and the drain tube is only ~1/8"-1/4" ID, but a good amount after a day of usage for sure. I imagine if we lived on the coast, then yeah, liters, lol.

Edit: Here's a guy that never drained his compressor:


----------



## Tom Kitta (Oct 20, 2016)

Wow. Feels like I need to drain mine today 

BTW on recent auction I saw two 15hp compressors with 3 80Gal tanks connected go for just $600 CAD + fees... Wish I had space with 80CFM it would be hard to run out of air.


----------



## Jwest7788 (Oct 20, 2016)

Tom Kitta said:


> BTW on recent auction I saw two 15hp compressors with 3 80Gal tanks connected go for just $600 CAD + fees... Wish I had space with 80CFM it would be hard to run out of air.



Very cool, another auction on Tuesday if I recall, maybe someone will get lucky and have some new equipment to show off.



Tom Kitta said:


> Wow. Feels like I need to drain mine today



Yeah, remember to drain your tanks guys, the danger of a poorly maintained tank is pretty extreme. There's alot of stored energy in 60 gallons of 130PSI air.

And pressure test your tank if it's older then a couple decades... That old 80 gallon for example, I didn't trust it until it was tested. (Professional test is always recommended, but the below adds enough peace of mind for me)

Process: Fill with water and seal with everything blocked off except a single grease nipple. Grease gun easily pushes far beyond 400PSI, and if it's full to the brim with water it only takes a couple squeezes to hit a test pressure --> Hold it there overnight
If the tank fails, then it only oozes some water. If it fails under pressure...
See 1:28 - 



 - Also see: https://sites.google.com/site/metropolitanforensics/cause-of-explosion-of-air-compressor-tanks


----------



## Dogpounder (Oct 21, 2016)

Great advice, I'm headed to the forge right now to drain the old girl in there!


----------

