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Why is my air compressor making so much water?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Johnny Sparkle, Mar 26, 2006.

  1. Johnny Sparkle
    Joined: Sep 20, 2003
    Posts: 1,217

    Johnny Sparkle
    Member

    I put in a new dryer yesterday to combat the water, but there is so much it is still coming through. My air tools don't like it very much. The compressor is getting pretty warm, is it supposed to? I have it behind a makeshift wall to cut down on the noise, but there is plenty of space above for air to get through. The pic of the water coming out of the dryer is after about 10 minutes of use. The water doesn't hit the receptacle, before anyone asks.

    I'm not sure what to do here, any help would be appreciated.
     

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  2. Upchuck
    Joined: Mar 19, 2004
    Posts: 1,576

    Upchuck
    Member
    from Canada BC

    lots of humidity in the air this time of year with the snow melting and whatnot
     
  3. They will do this -- especially with high humidity and when you're running them hard (like air sanders) and they are hot.

    Do you have a drain in the bottom of the tank? You most likely have lots of water in the bottom of the dang thing. Also - you might want to put an air-filter down stream a bit -- as it will remove more water once the air cools (which happens downstream).
     
  4. Johnny Sparkle
    Joined: Sep 20, 2003
    Posts: 1,217

    Johnny Sparkle
    Member

    I've been draining it out every night. I have the dryer at the end of my piping, but I was told I may have my piping a bit too short, it's only about 10 feet long right now. I might end up lengthening it. It just seems to make an unusual amount of water, though I am running an air sander and die grinder, so it is on quite a bit.
     

  5. rattlecanrods
    Joined: Apr 24, 2005
    Posts: 408

    rattlecanrods
    Member

    Try setting up a box fan to blow over the pump. Cooling the pump will cut down on the production of condensation. This worked amazingly for me while I was sandblasting.
     
  6. polisher
    Joined: Jul 28, 2002
    Posts: 651

    polisher
    Alliance Vendor

    We put an old twenty gallon tank in our line nearly 20 feet from the compressor, then a watertrap and filter and water still gets by.
    Guess a big old expensive commercial dryer is gonna be the only way.
     
  7. Digger_Dave
    Joined: Apr 10, 2001
    Posts: 2,517

    Digger_Dave
    Member Emeritus

    The one picture shows the compressor in a fairly tight space. Like rattlecan says, you would help things if you could cool the compressor down with some cooler (outside) air. Or run large diameter hose to the compressor air inlets to the outside. (cooling the heads would be better)

    Then as polisher says, a second air receiver (old compressor tank) hooked into the outlet line as far down stream as possible (could even be set outside the shop) would give the moisture in the air, time to condense. The extra tank also acts as a "buffer" (extra capacity) that cuts down on "cycle time" of the compressor as well. (helps if you use your air tools a lot)

    Keep in mind that in high humidity conditions the air seperator or dryer is going to "pull off" lots of moisture which is what they are supposed to do. (moisture will collect in the tanks also)

    Another accesory I use is an "Automatic Line Oiler"; (automatically puts a shot of oil in the line going to your air tools) lets the tools live longer. I set up a box with a filter, moisture trap, a line oiler and a retractable hose on castors, to use just with air tools.
    The couplers are different than the regular air line couplers so oil contaminated hose can't be accidently used for paint or sandblasting
     
  8. gasheat
    Joined: Nov 7, 2005
    Posts: 714

    gasheat
    Member
    from Dallas

    I have always heard to keep the hose off the cold concrete floor. It supposedly speeds condensation.
     
  9. williebill
    Joined: Mar 1, 2004
    Posts: 3,273

    williebill
    Member

    I have a fan that blows cool air across the pump anytime the compressor is running...also bought a dehumidifier a few years ago for the garage..The house heat and air are piped into the garage,but the dehumidifier sucks out a ton of water any time I turn it on..Not sure it helps much,my compressor blows a lot of water,too,but I figured anything that cut down on humidity in the garage was a good thing.
     
  10. atch
    Joined: Sep 3, 2002
    Posts: 5,625

    atch
    Member

    wish i had a pic of it: my neighbor has a cabinet making shop (kitchen type cab'ts for new homes) and when they use air they REALLY use air. they have two big compressors. he made condensors for them out of old refrigerator heat exchangers. i don't remember exactly how they are positioned, but i think i remember a tank on the bottom of each one where the water collects; and they are in the air stream that the compressor pulley/fan creates. and the compressors are outside the shop under a porch style roof that they built for just the compressors.i'll see if i can take a pic sometime and post it.just a thought in case it helps anyone or gives someone an idea.
     
  11. kenagain
    Joined: Dec 15, 2005
    Posts: 820

    kenagain
    Member
    from so cal

    another thing that helps is to put a down leg off a tee fitting where it comes out of compressor line run the output up in the air and around to where you use it and another drop leg there with tee to supply= use a couple of china freight ball valves to blow legs down when using it
     
  12. Is your motor a 3450 RPM model? And is that a single stage pump?
    If so that is the main source of the excessive moisture......
    The pump rpm is fast[about exactly double] on the single stage compressors and makes a lot of water.....
     
  13. slamdpup
    Joined: Apr 27, 2005
    Posts: 1,094

    slamdpup
    Member

    i have on my compressor 2 water traps. self drainers ..1 off the tank and the other at the end of about 20 feet of pcv (3/4'') ..i dont have a water problem at all..i empty my tank about once aweek...the self drainers are the way to go
     
  14. eye bone
    Joined: Jul 13, 2005
    Posts: 655

    eye bone
    Member


    Also make sure you change the oil regularly (once a year, or whatever your rig requires). Obviously more friction causes it to run hotter, and when it's wet like this winter the hotter it's running the more condensation it will create. Anything you can do to cool it down should help (some really good ideas in this thread).

    Make sure you keep draining that water from the tank. Over the years it can rust a weak spot into it with disastrous results.

    Also I run a water trap at the compressor and one I hang on my belt loop, or at my airbrush easel.

    That's my two cents. Good luck with that!
     
  15. I'm gonna get me one (or 2) of these...

    http://www.paragoncode.com/shop/compressor/

    FL is juicy and my 60 gallon tank always has a little water in it, that thing would finish the problem for good.

    I have 1/2" black pipe lines running into the rafters (Home Depot was moving to a new building and everything was 60% off), after the first 10 foot run (angled to let the water in the line run towards the next drop), I made a drop that went all the way down to a spare 20 gallon tank and back up again, then after the second 10 ft run (same angle thing), I have a drop, that goes down to a petcock a few feet off the floor and then up to an oiler/water separator, and I have the quick connects there one for tools (oiler side) and one for the touch up gun/sandblaster.
     
  16. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,931

    squirrel
    Member

    the solution I've found (as if anyone from AZ should be contributing to a humidity thread!) is to run a pipe around the top of the shop, with air drops every 20 feet, and a drain below each air outlet. Use the last drop on the system when you're doing high air demand stuff. In my shop the compressor is near the "machine shop" end, then the air piping goes around to the opposite side of the shop and then down to the end where I do the sandblasting. When opening all 5 drains in turn, the one at the end of the line is usually dry.
     
  17. FiddyFour
    Joined: Dec 31, 2004
    Posts: 9,024

    FiddyFour
    Member

    the longer your lines are, and the longer your drops are the better. as squirrel said.

    one added benifit of longer line runs, is added capacity to the system... more capacity = less compressor running = less heat = less condensation
     
  18. FNG777
    Joined: Mar 11, 2005
    Posts: 60

    FNG777
    Member
    from mass.

    The Boys at our Truck Shop were having the same problem They somewhat solved the problem by attaching one of those stick- on 110 volt heaters to the airtank. The warmth from the heater helps keep the air dryer.
     
  19. Slide
    Joined: May 11, 2004
    Posts: 3,021

    Slide
    Member

    During the more hmid times of the year, my dad says he actually lets the drain of the compressor "leak" a little all the time. The hiss can be annoying, and you'd need a compressor that's well more than capable of handling whatever demands you put on it, but it can be an option.

    Another thing that I have seen done that works real well is to run a hose from your compressor to the wall, hooking that to a hard line that goes up to where your wall meets the ceiling. Then run your horizontal line down the wall, but letting go kinda down hill... dropping a few inches every 10 feet or so. Then tee off this line to go back down the wall to your connection for the lead hose & tools.

    But... here's the important part: point your tee up, then use a couple elbows so the drop to your "outlet" goes up, makes a u-turn then down the wall.

    Then at the end of the "almost horizontal" run, turn 90 degrees down toward the floor. At the end of this, put a ball valve or gate valve to drain the condensation in the lines.

    What all this does, it gets moisture running down hill... eventually to the drain valve mentioned in the last paragraph. Since the tees to your "outlets" are on the top side of the down hill run, the moisture will not try to defy gravity and go up into your "tool" lines.
     

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