DIY Compressed Air Dryer | What Is An Air Drier?

[@skypallman6169]

You've motivated me to engineer something awesome and see how well it works. compressor with its own little room ..slightly insulated with a fan on each side pushing and pulling circulating air throughout the compressor room. Going to do a setup very similar as yours with a heat exchanger, but I'm going to put an in wall AC unit that will obviously fire into the compressor room. So the room will have constant airflow and then actual air-conditioned air being blown out directly into a fan blowing through the heat exchanger. Not only having a water filter before the tank.... But also running another 25 to 30 ft of airline, then running to another water filter with pressure gauge... and then a desiccant filter....then out to my main line. And most normal circumstances when people are putting the water filters so close to the output of their compressor without doing a heat exchanger are really shooting themselves in the foot. It's really 25 to 50 ft down the line when the water vapor really starts. That way my idea above will knock out every aspect. 👍 Great video. Best setup I have seen yet. Thank you for your time and effort and sharing this with us

[@91rss]

baking pan with a computer server fan attached connected to the rad face works great. and low draw. they are 120 volts . For a water collector you can put the coarse stainless steel pot scrubber pads inside and it gives moisture a place to condense on.

[@johnbarker5009]

This is a really great setup. There are a lot of videos for DIY air dryers on YT, but yours is particularly well thought out and constructed. The squirrel cage is a good move, better than just using the fan built into the compressor pulley, though that works too. I think your setup lends itself to multiple use, including a fan to circulate air within the shop with a ducting to bring air in from outside when desired, and with a filter downstream from the heat exchanger could supply fresh air for a home paint booth. Your water separator/drain vessel is also a really, really good design. Nice job and thank you for sharing.

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Thanks

[@flintstoneengineering]

Very effective Brad, nice work.

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Thanks!

[@wxfield]

If the internal rusting in the condensing trap starts to be a problem, maybe drill a threaded fill port at the top and fill it full of rust converter (tannic acid), let it sit a bit then drain it out. Plug the fill hole. This device is amazing..insanely clever. I bought a refrigerated condensing unit for our shop. It works..but the price..OMG. Cheers my friend..hope you are well.

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Thanks Warren. That's a good idea. I've been more diligent about draining the sump, which has reduced the rust quite a bit.

[@063317Art]

Nice setup. For a sight glass you could use a sight glass for a boiler

[@chadharrison8653]

Dry clean air is imperative to some businesses. I designed the air delivery system for my little brother's powder coating business. I started with the Prevost air system lines. I used their plan and added a few modifications to go with the EMAX 10-HP 120-Gallon Variable Speed Rotary Screw Air Compressor Fully Packaged w/ Dryer. So no dryer was figured into my design, although when this $16,000.00 dollar compressor had a catastrophic failure after the first mandatory oil change with E'Max labeled oil ( they no longer sell btw) , the airline design ended up saving him a lot of possible issues. His Gema powder coating system suffered zero damage from the oil and water that blew into his lines. It blew right through the dryer and passed all of the initial fail-safes that were in place, to a blow-off valve, I had set to just under the maximum pressure limits. 90% of the contaminants were taken care of there and the other 10% got into the line loop, but never made it to his tools. He was terrified the Gema setup he was using was compromised when the compressor failed. The system was on loan from Gema as a beta tester and had not even been released for sale in the US market. He was the only Gema Customer in FL that was chosen to demo the system pre-release and feared his relationship with Gema would be hurt after working very hard to build it. Thankfully everything worked out and that is the very system he powders with today. Your video is great and very informative. Thanks, for the detailed explanation. BTW it looks like you have a dream setup of tools for a DIY fabricator like myself.

[@JohnDoesGarage]

Great design. Any chance of finding out more about the heat exchanger you used? Who makes it, model number? Maybe even a link to a website where we can buy one? I did a quick search and couldn't find one that looked like the one you have. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Also, you have some serious skills and equipment. Mine will be more primitively built I assure you.

[@TheJagjr4450]

ZORO TOOLS.

[@mouadbarih2771]

Great work, i suggest to add a small ball that float so you can see the level inside the , but i am not sure if it can withstand the pressure inside

[@BaconbuttywithCheese]

Cool build. I like your lathe tap holder.

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Thanks

[@ronyerke9250]

Wow. You really put a lot of work into removing water from your compressed air, and it shows. Something that also shows might be good to address as well; dust going through your blower. Some air filtration is adviseable there, too, as many house fires have started in the dust that collected on blowers without filters.

[@lodollar23]

Fantastic build.

[@PaulThomas-qo9vy]

Wow ! Excellent design, planning & fabrication, using an authentic aftercooler made to flow & cool air! Nice custom baffeled water trap with great capacity! Well thought out sir! Paul from S. Central Tx.

[@oONeMesiS0o]

Do you have a link to the Heat exchanger?

[@jasone3166]

Thanks for sharing. I'm thinking of setting up something like this and you have a lot of great ideas.

[@larrygriffin7024]

Very nice set up but every body doesn’t have the tools ⚒️ to make this thanks for sharing

[@ArnoldsDesign]

👍

[@calebbridges]

I wonder if submerging the intercooler unit in water tank would work rather than the squirrel cage fan? Maybe not if the water would warm up during long sessions? Just brainstorming. Any thoughts?

[@anthonyrochon3907]

I have a 9hp gas powered, 30lb tank. It has a 1" npt outlet on compressor to tank. I'm concerned about the pressure if I was to go direct to rad first. That's 1" not 1/2" or 3/4" like everyone else's compressor seems to be.

[@greatdane3343]

Nice job mate. I like you tool post tap driver 👍

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Thanks

[@Did625]

Great idea, nice machine work & really nice welds on your condensation trap!

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Thanks

[@Imwright720]

I have a nice 2” stainless pipe. I could make a nice water catch. Thanks for the idea

[@exemjazhuel3428]

nice done bro did you sell the plans for this and the links for the parts bro

[@carlosabreu922]

what is part number of the air cooled aftercooler, thanks you

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

You have a new subscriber! Great design! I just obtained a 5 hp Quincy compressor. Will need a water extractor system!!

[@SteveKran]

Arnold, great video! Would you please share the brand/model number or a link to the heat exchanger you used?

[@ArnoldsDesign]

You might not want to hear this, but the aftercooler was $284.37 when I bought it in 2020 on ZoroTools. I just found out it is now $419.74. www.zoro.com/akg-air-cooled-aftercooler-max-hp-25-100-cfm-c-70100bg/i/G2111706/?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclsrc=ds They also make a smaller one for $288.09: www.zoro.com/akg-air-cooled-aftercooler-max-hp-15-60-cfm-c-3560bg/i/G3188306/

[@SteveKran]

@@ArnoldsDesign I appreciate you sharing those links! I'm sure others do as well. It is a little expensive....time to look on FB marketplace! Thanks!!!

[@ArnoldsDesign]

@@SteveKran 👍

[@hisheighnessthesupremebeing]

Couldn't you put a small red (or other high visibility color) plastic ball or cylinder that floats on top of the water into the reinforced plastic tube to show the level ... The ball/cylinder has to be a loose fit but not so small it passes through the 90 degree bends

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Great idea. I might redo my sight tube now.

[@axisvaporhoningindustries4312]

I went with the copper tubing on the wall. Wondering if I should modify it a bit and add more of a reservoir.

[@ArnoldsDesign]

As long as it's not overflowing, it's probably ok as is. I drain this once a day.

[@TheMadMagician87]

What sort of acid(?) were you using at 14:57 to clean the metal after you did the tube notching on the fittings? Overall, quite a well thought out design, well done!

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Muriatic acid I picked up at a hardware store.

[@mrmotofy]

Harbor Freight has a refrigerated drier for $550 with very good reviews

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

Anyone that uses his mill as a drill press is okay in my book!!

[@scottkamper]

Where did you get the heat exchanger from?

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Zoro Tool

[@davidmorrisii69]

I need some help!

[@jdixon7000]

Do you have a link to the fan you used, or rough dimensions? Thanks

[@ArnoldsDesign]

I don't remember where I bought it now, but it's a Dayton blower, model 1TDT6, two speed 1/15hp.

[@jdixon7000]

Thanks!​@@ArnoldsDesign

[@rotarycomptech]

You’re never going to get a 35 to 40° dewpoint out of that after cooler on a hot summer day. There is no substitute for a refrigerated air dryer with the exception of a twin tower desiccant dryer

[@ArnoldsDesign]

I have absolutely no issue with water during the summer with this dryer on my dry cabinet, or powder coating. That is when I extract the most water. Of course I won't get the same dew point as a refrigerated dryer, but I also don't get the loss of air volume due to lower temps. I'm quite satisfied with this setup.

[@rotarycomptech]

@@ArnoldsDesign what do you mean by loss of air volume due to low temps?

[@ArnoldsDesign]

@@rotarycomptech Charles' Law. To put it simply, gas volume for a given pressure is directly proportional to the difference in temperature.

[@rotarycomptech]

@@ArnoldsDesign well, you lost me there never heard of that one before. I’m sure it does exist though. It must be a very, very small fractional amount of loss, considering there is no correction factor in sizing a compressed air system using a refrigerated compressed air dryer, however, at full rated capacity many refrigerated compressed air dryers will have a 3 two 5 PSID across them

[@ArnoldsDesign]

​@@rotarycomptech Understood. Lets say compressor inlet is room temp at 70°F, and refrigerated dryer output is 38°. That would result in a 6% loss in volume. With what I'm doing, I have no net loss in volume, bc my heat exchanger is also room temp, and is using the compressor outlet temperature difference (app. 185° to 70°) to condense out water vapor. Even with my higher dew point, I experience no condensation in cold lines, or water discharge from small diameter nozzles, jets, or moisture traps, i.e. pressure reducing areas. If I had an application that required bone dry air, then I would get a refrigerated air dryer, but it's not necessary for what I'm doing, especially since I'm running high duty cycles as is. If I had a much larger compressor, I wouldn't be concerned about 6% loss. I used to use a non regenerating desiccant setup, which worked fine, but I opted for my current setup, as it is less maintenance.

[@williamstock3007]

How well does this work in warmer temperatures? I live in Australia and I’m unsure if this would work well in summer weather

[@ArnoldsDesign]

That's when it shines the most. Warm rainy days you wouldn't believe the shit it catches. One project I don't regret doing at all.

[@williamstock3007]

@@ArnoldsDesign that sounds awesome, I’ll have to give it a crack

[@robert5]

Mount a small in-room air conditioner so it blows through the inter cooler. Set it to run when the air compressor runs. That will really pull the water out of the air.

[@jsteifel]

get a colored bead that floats and fits into your braided tube. it will allow you to see it better. get red ,yellow or blue, not brown or black.

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Good idea. If I built another one, I'd just omit the sight tube. As long as it's drained a couple times a day, there's no issue.

[@jsteifel]

yep, but it would be cool to have that one working.@@ArnoldsDesign so if you come across a bead that works....

[@kmcwhq]

Why the heck did KZbin stop email notifications for new subscriber videos? I never know when folks post new videos now. I recently picked up a 5hp CompAir Hydrovane compressor, tank mounted. It has an after-cooler between the comp. air outlet and the tank, but NO drain or drip leg, so apparently the water goes in the tank anyway! Funny but not funny. Really nice design Brad!

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Thanks! I think this after cooler was meant to be mounted directly to the compressor too, but I wanted cooler air flow over it. Regarding notifications, that could be why my views keep going down despite uploading videos again. It is what it is I guess.

[@kmcwhq]

@@ArnoldsDesign Yes it's been 3 or 4 years since they stopped email notifications. Many creators do not realize that. They keep telling viewers to click the bell......doesn't do any good anymore. KZbin said it wasn't used enough and viewers didn't value it so they shut it down, despite millions of viewers complaining about it being stopped. Can't get thru to the experts I guess.

[@ArnoldsDesign]

@@kmcwhq Yeah, youtube does pretty much what it wants.

[@matthewweir5265]

Just put a plastic ball that floats in your sight glass and you're sweet.

[@dillrepair]

you seem like the type of person that needs a 3d printer if you don't already have one.

[@ArnoldsDesign]

I've considered it.

[@davidmorrisii69]

Don't look simple to me, lol!.

[@pablito0603]

Am I the only one who noticed he used drill in reverse???? :( I checked two times, good thing he drilled anything. At least the first three times

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Nope. Editing video speed just makes it appear that way. I do have left handed drills here, but they're used for broken bolt extraction only.

[@chrissilva5659]

I wouldn’t call it silent lol

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Makes sense. It's not a silencer.

[@alimabrahim4462]

will a car radiator work

[@ArnoldsDesign]

I don't think they can handle the pressure that's used.

[@mrmotofy]

Look at transmission coolers frequently rated to 250psi. Find one with at least 1/2" fittings