compressor gloat

[merrill77]

Thanks to all for the compressor advice and the list of uses for a compressor. I was considering the Air General 60gal from HF to replace my little PC pancake screamer. Patience apparently really is a virtue, as I came across a great deal on this:



It's just over a year old (according to the date code on the tank). For just a bit more than the price of the Air General, I got that beast, plus a regulator, a few oilers, a pretty beefy hose reel filled with hose, 100' of 1/4" lightweight line, 100' of 3/8" medium line and a bunch of PEX lines and fittings.


A HUGE shout of thanks goes to DaveD, who volunteered to drive down with me and load and unload it.

You can bet that air tools will be all over my xmas list

[JimmyC]

It looks good Chris, I'm sure that you'll be happy with it.

Good Luck.

[WoodWrangler]

I'm jealous! A larger compressor is on my wish list ... unfortunately I have to time it with an outside building for it and more electricity!

Enjoy it!

[Woodman2k]

Chris,
That Tan looks familiar ,congrats on the fine choice,that 3hp will last forever.Keep that tank drained and you will be forever rewarded with lots of nice dry air.
Greg

[merrill77]

Thanks...yeah I need to get a more convenient drain on it...or an auto-drain mechanism. Do you know of an auto-drain that fits this unit?

Originally Posted by Woodman2k

Chris,
That Tan looks familiar ,congrats on the fine choice,that 3hp will last forever.Keep that tank drained and you will be forever rewarded with lots of nice dry air.
Greg

[Woodman2k]

Chris,
I'm very amiliar with the auto drain,I have one on my tool box in work.Let me check around and see if i can find one with the adjustable timer and duration solenoid.They have 110volt coils so it would not be a major deal to setup.I'll let you know.
Greg

[merrill77]

Originally Posted by Woodman2k

Chris,
I'm very amiliar with the auto drain,I have one on my tool box in work.Let me check around and see if i can find one with the adjustable timer and duration solenoid.They have 110volt coils so it would not be a major deal to setup.I'll let you know.
Greg

Thanks!

I was actually thinking of one like this. Any idea if they will work on my unit?

Chris

[Travis Porter]

It will fit, but I am curious as to how this one works. I need to put one on my compressor and if it works for the price, I am definitely going to get one.

PS - Congrats on the compressor! That is a NICE HAUL!!

[merrill77]

Originally Posted by Travis Porter

It will fit, but I am curious as to how this one works. I need to put one on my compressor and if it works for the price, I am definitely going to get one.

I believe the air line goes from the pressure blow-off valve on the pump. When the motor stops, pressure from the pump is released via the valve - giving a momentary shot of pressure through the hose which actuates the drain valve. At least, that is how I read it somewhere. So every time the pump stops, the tank is drained.

[Mike Gilley]

Originally Posted by merrill77

Thanks!

I was actually thinking of one like this. Any idea if they will work on my unit?

Chris

I picked up this auto drain unit a few months ago, with the intention of installing it some time this summer (HA!) .
I looked through the manual that came with it, and discovered that it won't work with my air compressor, at least not without making additional changes. The manual states the following:

Note: The Drainer Kit is designed to be used on compressors that have poly or nylon “unloader” tubing and not with compressors with “unloader” tubing made of Copper or Aluminum.

My compressor has a aluminum 'unloader' tube, so I set this aside with the intention of looking in to it further at a later time (sometime between now and whenever ).

here's the manual for this kit. I would recommend looking it over to see if it would be worth while or not.

[DaveD]

Glad I was able to help. Good way to spend a Saturday morning.

The only reason that auto drain won't work in aluminum/copper is the fittings they supply aren't the right type. I would also pipe whatever auto drain you install with copper tubing and not any poly pipe. Poly pipe is the cheap way to go and I personally wouldn't trust it long term.

When you get the compressor to its final resting spot you want to have that aux filter/regulator as far away (piping/hose length wise) from the compressor as practical. It will do a much better job on cooler air (filtering moisture out) rather than the hot air right out of the tank. Its also a good idea to have a regulator as close to the 'tool' as practical.

Don't leave the compressor plugged in when not at home or in the shop. If a line/fitting ruptures the compressor will run till it destroys itself. It might take 10-20 hours to do that but it will eventually either seize up or the motor will crap out. It will also get real hot before quitting.

I have this M30 filter for my plasma cutter because it needs really dry air.
http://motorguard.com/air_2_2.html
IIRC its a little less than $100 if you search the internet.

[Woodman2k]

Chris,
I'm not familiar with the HF style auto-drain.Ours is a 110 volt coil powered solenoid that has a timer for how often it fires and also a timer for how long it fires and has a regulator to control the force that it discharges.As far as poly pipe on the discharge,we use it up to 350 horse power and around 300 cfm.We also use it on units that are upwards to 1200 cfm because it never see's the full brunt of what the compressor is capible of.You also don't want a nasty combo of whatever coming out of the base of your tank and going out a metallic pipe or hose for no good reason.Poly(synflex) is what we use on all but full pressure tank connections that will be cyclic.I have not witnessed any failures in all my testing other than when a limp wrist did not push it in to the o-ring.I'll check on that auto-drain tomorrow.
Greg

[DaveD]

I can see I wasn't clear in my poly pipe comment. I really meant not to use it on the pressure/control side of the 'thingy'. Heck you could use just about anything for the discharge side.