Air Supply Suggestion

mike marvel

Member
Messages
268
Location
So. Florida
For air brushing or just spraying paint/finish, your best air supply should be dry, and cool. My technique is to locate the regulator and filter as far from the tank as possible. I've used many different types of filter/regulators including the ones that take a toilet paper roll.

For the money, a combination filter/regulator/gauge like this, works very well. Harbor Freight has one similar, for around $30 or less, but I couldn't find it on their site.

Locating the filter/regulator far from the tank performs a few functions. The filter will trap more moisture and contaminants than one on the tank. The reason for this is that at the tank there is blow by from the air pressure. Filters there, IMO, are sorta useless.

If your compressor is in a small space, your option would be to pipe from the tank as high as possible, turn a corner and pipe as far as possible, and then return down with a QD fitting. It's at that point, where you attach the filter/regulator. In the crude drawing below, you can see a supposed layout. The piping comes out and there should be a drain petcock below. The pipe rises and then returns down, with another drain. The filter/regulator is above that drain. A quick disconnect should be there, or a multi-outlet manifold can be added with more than one regulator. Some air tools, like an airbrush or a spray gun may only need 50 PSI or less. Other tools like a brad nailer may need 90 PSI.

Having some travel with the piping allows the air to cool somewhat. Having the air to travel up, allows moisture to be separated.
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+1 to what Mike said. :thumb: Cool the air before trying to dry and filter it. I think my system runs the air through about 50 feet of 3/4" pipe (with multiple water traps along the way) before it gets to the filter. Here's the route it takes before it goes overhead to the "air station" on the other side of the garage. (The air station where the filters and quick disconnect fittings are.)

Air Drying Rack As-Built 800.jpg
 
mike and vaughn if you look at the pics i have up you will see that i have done that,, i have over 50 ft of black pipe going up and down before it hits the trap area.. and as for the link mike i have one of those at the end in the finish room which is shown.. thanks for the response thus far though:)
 
I showed my system in Larry's thread and can you explain to me why I don't have no moisture problems with my system and I broke all the so called rules?
 
No I only open them every few months and that's if I remember to do it. I haven't had to drain the tank either once I put on the auto tank drain from harbor freight.

I'm just curious why I don't have moisture problems and broke all the rules to prevent moisture and some one like Larry is having moisture problems and followed all the rules and accepted practices?
 
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