Cfm’s and filters

[DATEC]

One issue I have with your after cooler is it is shaped like a coil in the upright position. An after cooler is shaped like a cars radiator/A/C condenser with the lines going side to side (lf and rt) with the air flow going down hill, as the air cools and condenses the water the water will run down hill and drop harmlessly into our tank or an inline drain before entering the tank. With a vertical coil the water can lay at the bottom of each coil wrap which can get reheated and pushed to the next coil wrap lying there till it can get reheated and possibly enter the tank as a vapor again. I would look at the design of the after cooler and see if you can change it to lye flat of remake another one in the shape of a square with the flow doing down hill.

I would bet there is water lying at the bottom of each coil wrap.

 

[DATEC]

How much room do you have from the wall to the compressor's pulley/fan? you need to give it room to breathe fresh cool shop/outside air to be really effective but for me the design of the after cooler is my concern.

 

[MX442]

80 gallon duel stage - custom built with HUGE motor runs about 800 rpm

Motor size is only half of the equation. Cant really tell how big the pump is. But based on the ratio of motor to pump size from the picture, maybe the pump is too small?

Time how long it takes to fill the tank, and the on/off pressures. Enter the data into this calculator: http://aircompeq.com/formulas.htm

 

[Brad J.]

Next time you have an empty tank time how long it takes to fill up. Probably 5 minutes is good for an 80 gallon tank with that setup. If you haven't done it then it's probably time to service the valves in the head. Clean any carbon and inspect for good sealing surfaces. Automatic drains are worth every penny.
If you really want to cheaply get rid of the water then pick up one of these large fan driven aftercoolers. I have two that are rated for 100 cfm and gave 50 bucks for one and 150 for the other from ebay. I have one on my tractor rig and one on my shop setup running two compressors. Since they are way overkill then they take care of the water. The blast hose coming off the tractor rig used to get so hot it would almost burn and after an hour or two so much moisture would be in the lines it would sprayout as vapor and blast medie. This aftercooler eliminated that problem.

 

[dhutton01]

Doesn’t look like your lines are sloping up as they move away from the compressor. This helps the drop traps capture moisture.

Don

 

[Dave C 5]

Thanks everyone ! I have aloe to check - will real soon . Things I know: compressor is about 6” from wall , after compressor has been running I can actually touch the aftercooler tubing - not sure of cfm’s cause I can’t find anything on pump. Ran a mud hog tonight and compressor never shut off so that I suspect is an indication of low cfm’s. It’s what I have right now and upgrade is not an immediate option. Seems like it’s industrial enough but maybe it the way I have it plumbed

 

[Dave C 5]

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

How far from your comp

Doesn’t look like your lines are sloping up as they move away from the compressor. This helps the drop traps capture moisture.

Don

Air lines should fall (drop) as they move away from the compressor. 4" per every 50 ft. Idea is to direct the condensate into the drain lines oncorrectly setup piping. Going up as the line moves away would keep moisture in the lines easier.

 

[Dave C 5]

My lines come out of compressor and run 15 ft straight up - across 24 ft of ceiling then down back wall to a slant towards my compressor - makes a “vertical box”

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

Dave hardline your connection from the compressor to the piping. Minimum 3/4. That hose looks restrictive. Put your connection higher up on the wall line as well to allow condensate to fall out. Use a ball valve on the bottom. As you have it now it has nowhere to go. May not solve your overall problem, but it will help.

 

[Brad J.]

Check your valves for leakage. It won't cause moisture but your pump sounds weak.

 

[DATEC]

View attachment 5237

For sure that hose is a "no go" it is choking your cfm's. You really need a high pressure flex line from the compressor tank to a hard line. The compressor shakes and vibrates and the flex line absorbs it like the engine mounts in your car, also you should set the compressor on something that would do the same, mine is still on the pallet it was shipped on.

As far as your mud hog running and compressor not shutting off, that is ok, a quality made pro compressor is made to handle it. Mine will do that too with some tools I run, so long as your compressor keeps up with your tool while it is running you have no issues. If your compressor can't keep up while using a tool and you have to stop and let the compressor catch up then you need a bigger higher CFM compressor.

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

Alternative to a flex line is to use some hard rubber pads under the feet. I've done that for years with a hardline from the compressor to the wall and never had an issue. Cheap way to make some pads is an old tractor trailer mudflap.

 

[dhutton01]

How far from your comp

Air lines should fall (drop) as they move away from the compressor. 4" per every 50 ft. Idea is to direct the condensate into the drain lines oncorrectly setup piping. Going up as the line moves away would keep moisture in the lines easier.

I respectfully disagree. It depends on where you locate your drains. Mine sloes up and I have very little moisture beyond the traps....

Don

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

If it works for you that's great, just saying that's not standard practice. My Dad was a pipefitter for about 10 years in Texas and that's what he always told me. Logic would tell me that you want gravity working for you.

 

[dhutton01]

If it works for you that's great, just saying that's not standard practice. My Dad was a pipefitter for about 10 years in Texas and that's what he always told me. Logic would tell me that you want gravity working for you.

Depends on where you put the drains. And I am in Texas...

Don

 

[Dave C 5]

Thanks everyone ! Never thought about that small line choking things - with the huge 1 1/2 pipe I was using it didn’t make sense that compressor was struggling. My compressor sits on a large pallet . I’ll run out and get some connections today and see what happens .

 

[DATEC]

Thanks everyone ! Never thought about that small line choking things - with the huge 1 1/2 pipe I was using it didn’t make sense that compressor was struggling. My compressor sits on a large pallet . I’ll run out and get some connections today and see what happens .

You can go to NAPA or another vendor that makes hi pressure hoses. Take your fittings with you so they can match them as best they can, you may have to buy reducers to get to the exact size your system needs (I had to) no big deal, just get one with a big enough inside diameter, 3/4-1" will give you a good flow rate with no worries of restriction.

You want to isolate as much vibration the compressor makes as much as possible. From there you can install the rest of your system without worries.

 

[Dave C 5]

Update ! Been out here in a COLD garage timing my compressor fill time . Based on calculations and you tube - as big as this compressor is - only 13.5 cfm’s . Runs up to 155 psi kicks back on at 125 psi. Doesn’t sound too impressive but it’s what I got - compressor cost $400. How do those numbers sound ?

 

[Dave C 5]

A little bit of info - found a tag on the motor; Leland Electric Dayton Ohio . 1725rpms . According to pulley calculator I’m running 400 rpms . If I increase rpms do I increase cfm’s ? Don’t think I need a new compressor but maybe tweak this ?