Planning to upload an update video with before after temperatures on tank, before after of heat that the upgraded comp oil reduces, and with new plumbing up front and hose reel review once I get them. Links will be added to video for that!
Something I learned a few years ago here on TH-cam about running the main air outlet tap as in where you would connect your hose or hoses to go to your air tools is that it's best to run your pvc or steel or brass line up high on the wall and then from there run it at a downward angle for say 2 or 3 ft, to wherever you want the level of your main line at to tap in with your air outlet fittings, and put your water separator and filter there, then from that point run your line along the wall level and put your outlet tap somewhere along in that point or if you want multiple outlets to be able to connect your air hose at different points along your garage instead of running a long hose from one outlet all the way across your floor then you run your line as far along the wall that you need to. To try to make my point simpler what I'm saying is that the air and moisture that exits out of your compressor needs to run a fair distance, like say maybe 6 ft, or more, before the water condenses and separates from the air to be able to drain into the water separator more effectively, if the separator is too close to the compressor outlet the air and water remains a vapor and the water doesn't have much of a chance to separate. Running the line at a downward angle for a distance and then tying your separator/filter in at the end of that run at the point where you'd level the line back out helps because the water will separate and then run downhill into your separator at that point, then from that point, from the separator you can run your line level along your wall and put your air hose outlet tap or taps from that point on. I realize that I rattled on for a long time here about it but sometimes it's difficult for me to be able to explain what I'm trying to convey in a few words. I hope I made sense here, I personally haven't set up my shop like this yet because we're still renting a house but when we buy one hopefully in the next year or so I'm most likely going to try to set it up this way. Anyway, I like your ideas here, pretty dang nifty. 👍
That would be an after market transmission cooler. With 1/2 pipe threads. And your oil drain on the compressor you may want to take out that plug install a pipe nipple of any length that gets you out to a more easily serviced position then cap the end. Making it far easier to drain the oil without making a mess
Bring it closer to you or tunnel to it. French drain? Lol..Still not enough clearance not to be a pain. I stopped after that. But 1/2" definitely aftermarket unless you're working on an Allison. Seems overkillish, however those auxiliary coolers were fairly reasonable even from the Dealer. I just know anything diesel related can easily quadruple in price.
100 % agree with you, i have 3 air compressors at work and 2 pressure washers that we change oil every week on, i did what you said put short nipples on and a ball valve works great and no mess, get a very small bucket and hang it on the valve and open valve so easy and close valve and use a bottle that you get at a rest for ketchup and squeeze the oil in, NO MESS
Great thinking and upgrades! Practically speaking, you almost never have to change compressor oil because there is no combustion byproducts. After cooler must be rated above max compressor pressure. Even though you don't get tank water, keep daily drain habit up because in warm climate that might increase. During once recent garage repair, my compressor ran continuously, I discovered loads of tank water. Any water left in tank can cause internal corrosion, making dangerous tank. Never buy/gift used compressor w/ old tank, because you don't know how tank was cared for; it could be ticking bomb. Work safe.
The oil drain plug? The things too tiny I tried to find a way to extend that out (like the tank drain plug) but couldn’t. It’s tiny so I cut the frame a little
@@gunsandgaragegear601 you can find that sized Nipple in 2", 3", 4" & 6" lengths at Fastenal & McMaster Carr, so you can extend the Oil Drain out to where it's convenient and not so messy.
I used the card board from my US GENERAL top box. To make a sound damper box on top of my Craftsman compressor. Works great lowering noise levels. No cost hack
Just wanna say I've had the loud 21 gallon for 8-9 years now. Biggest issue is the factory nipple and regulator choke it down to a 1/8" output. It's great once they're replaced. Wish I had the money for this one back in my 20's, but it definitely wasn't built to be thrown away after a year or so.
I bought a Husky 60 gallon two years ago and am finally getting around to adding an aftercooler. To anyone out there who has a compressor, water in your air will destroy a tank and tools. After cooler will save you lots of frustration.
@@gunsandgaragegear601 I used a roll of 1/2 inch copper tubing coil , from compressor and put 1/2 inch separator before the tank and,,, dropped my air temperature 100 degrees.. it's 25 ft of coils,,,best way I've found
the best way to separete water before it goes to the piping is to keep the tank cool and, as much as possible, install the compressor air intake somewhere it picks up the dryer air as possible.
Try adding an intake muffler. Brings the decibels down. Did it to mine and much quieter. Pvc piping elbow, cap, steel wool and some filter element. Can aim the piping to the floor or any other direction to reduce noise as well.
Extend the drain pipe like you did and just drain it daily. Then just use a water separator on hose output. A good quality one removes basically all water on output. The tank is strong enough to handle a bit of water in it. Hell of a lot cheaper. I also paint with my air compressor. So can't have water on the air. Never had issues
The transmission/oil cooler helps remove water and also increases cfm because heat=increased pressure . Soft copper line and flare fittings are a great way to plum it up. It's plenty strong for the task. And will further aid in the cooling if the air. Also if u were to make a shroud to wrap the edges if the cooler and end close to the fan/ large pulley it would pull more air. An electric fan is a easier option.
I was thinking the same regarding I'd most likely use copper piping to help further cool and I have plenty around. I was also thinking about using and old steel compressed gas tank inverted and modified to make a cylone filter to first remove water. Not certain I'd require... though that was the original plan along with more copper pipe to make the heat exchanger versus purchasing. I like this concept and paradigm of thinking being more compact.
I did something like this many years ago when i started painting cars and just needed to shoot a bumper. But i have great advice from the compressor snobs that are auto painters 😂. Go to your local junkyard and look for a xj jeep Cherokee and pull the ac compressor. Do a grease conversion and drill the outlet a few bit sizes bigger weld some bolts onto that base and get a 4inch pulley for that motor and attach it all together with what you have and youl have a great much quieter 15cfm compressor. You also could look for those Volkswagen vans from the 90s that use the bigger version of that pump as you do have a 2hp motor then you get about 20cfm. But the jeep ones are plentiful and cheap. Lmao my shop has actually ran on a gas powered 2 stage using 3 of these pumps for about 1 year now. I still have my small one unit compressor hooked up to the system and use it 2 yrs later when i dont need the air of the gas compressor. It will hold 120psi while painting a whole car as long as its just me using air after all.
You should’ve added the drain extension like you did for the oil for the compressor. That’s what I did with mine. It’s not like that mine is a kobolt from Lowe’s. I have a 60 gallon air compressor with a two-stage pump and I have the same tank that you have plugged into my 60 gallon as a extra air tank.
Just a quick note, you mentioned stepping down from 1/2 to 3/8 right after the motor, bad idea if that is the case. You essentially created a bottle neck which will steal cfm down pipe. They sell 1/2 transmission coolers (eg derale has them) and you could have used flexible 1/2 copper (sold at the big box stores) to connect to the two and not affected your pressure downstream.
I just drain my tank daily, before I leave my shop I turn off the compressor and open the drain valve. Costs me $0. I do run 4ft of desiccant lines on each outlet though, they change color when they’re needing to be recharged with a 45min cook in the toaster oven in a tray. Here in Los Angeles that’s about 2x/yr unless we get a lot of rain. Each of my sewing machines has an oil/water separator on the inlet anyhow, just in case. Weekly/monthly shop maintenance schedules keep things tidy and in good order. I’m running a 26gal “quiet” Kobalt vertical tank compressor. Not in need of high cfm, but the maintenance principle is the same
It may not cost you anything to drain your compressor, but it takes power to fill it back to the pressure you had. Solar panels put our electric bill at $65 per year for a 2000 sq ft house with multiple ac units, in the Inland Empire, but I don't drain an 80 gallon tank, or the 60 gallon tank in the other garage. My auto drain runs every time the compressor cycles, so it only goes off and makes sound and wastes air when I have the compressors switched on. The other maintenance is good. I use regular water air separators down to 5 microns, then M30 paper filters down to 0.01 microns to get the rest of the water and oil. It keeps the air dry for the plasma table and tools, but I also use a disposable filter inline right before the whip to my powder coating gun. Luckily we don't get a ton of moisture in SoCal.
It’s a big difference. The heat at the top fitting in the after cooler is like 300 degrees. It’s like 70 at the bottom fitting right before dumping into the tank.
I like the way you planned it all even though you planning on upgrading in the future, but I also got one like it but haven’t opened it yet because of space issues. But I definitely congratulate you for your time & effort to show us that you don’t always need something big to do the job. “Save $ guys & do your homework as always”. Damn good example here 🇻🇮
I like your setup. Attaching the aftercooler to the compressor is a great idea. I have a full sized condenser set aside to incorporate into my own setup and it's been years now. LOL I haven't done anything with it yet but I've always wanted to upgrade my 21 gal for the 29 gal also. Thanks for the motivation.
I am not sure if you can add the CFM of compressor and a tanks. CFM calculations take in consideration the pump capacity, tank capacity, the hp of the motor and time it takes to fill the tank. If you have two compressors working in parallel then yes you can add the cfm's. Great work, Thank you!
telling people they won't have to drain their compresor any more is a good way to wind up on national news / TH-cam Fails collections, even if you rig your cooler between compressor and tank.
Only person I've seen do it right and not restrict air flow,,,I used a roll of 1/2 inch copper tubbing,, all 25 foot coiled up 3 years ago,, and havnt drained hardly any water since,,cost me 75 dollars for all.
The transmission and engine oil coolers I looked at are rated at 125 to 150 PSI. My compressor shuts off at 125, so there is no safety margin. An Air Conditioner coil would be better since they are rated well over 200°. Automotive coils would come with fittings. A coil for a small window unit would work, but will require using compression fittings, or use the solder for AC systems (not plumbing solder).
I found one, 30 gal Kobalt $379 on sale, 155 psi vtwin compressor unit. All parts replaceable Lowes. Highly recommended Buy it use it less connections less problems. Other than painting or sandblasting most all mechanic tools are battery powered, great for blow drying Safety Kleen off parts if need be.
@@gunsandgaragegear601 Mine is belt driven with oil filled V-twin compressor cast iron made in America. Rated at 155psi shuts off at 160. Had it for 7 years working on cars and jeeps out of my garage. Only problem was I had to replace the safety valve this year. I do like the fact that your a thinker though.
The after cooler is a great idea except is that after cooler you are using made to hold the air pressure of the air compressor ? If not it could be dangerous if it explodes.
I have a 7 hp 60 gallon and paint on occasions. I have tried so many water separators and was about to build my own decedent dryer. I am definitely going to try it your way. Thanks for the great video
I have that compressor I just felt it wasn’t big enough that’s why I got a 60 gallon from Lowe’s just under 600 bucks three years ago I got free delivery and 10% off if I got their credit card after I got the compressor I paid off the credit card to capitalize on the 10% discount and the free delivery. I did put an hour meter on my compressor so I know how many hours it’s been running when it shuts off it stops counting even if there’s no electricity for whatever reason it does not lose the time that it has ran.
@@gunsandgaragegear601 So diy th e pipe.. Check that th-cam.com/video/32pzriZO1xc/w-d-xo.html male and female, and keep pipe threader to your toolbox for any future work. Thanks
Great video... one of the limiting factors to get me to start using my plasma cutters. Dry air. No hurry, though I really do like the simplicity and cost effectiveness of your design. Definitely very inspirational, thanks for sharing. Liked, commented and subscribed.
The setup i would have if i lived in the US, considering how cheap stuff is there buy two small compressors or one big one for 1k and have 12-17CFM with a massive tank or buy second hand commerical and never look back.
I went the commercial unit. 80 gallons with a real 5hp motor and a pump the size of a harley motocycle engine. It is a westinghouse air brake company pump, which became leroi and then dresser company. The design was used for the brakes on trains and for commercial shops. $750 from my neighbors field and a week of pestering to get that one and not the other brand he had hooked to his shop. Luckily I researched the compressor and found out it is pressure lubed and parts kits are available still. It would cost around $3,000 to $6,000 for a new unit built with a pressure lubed pump. It is rated at 17.3 cfm at 175 psi and a little less at 250 psi. It is making 20 cfm based on how fast the tank fills. 5.5 minutes from 0 to 170 psi on an 80 gallon tank. It is perfect for a serious 1 person shop and runs a plasma table and blast cabinet with the big skat blast tips.
You're gonna get water in the bottom of the tank no matter what, just part of the process of compressing air. The cooler isn't removing moisture from the lines, its just preventing it from turning into water. You need good traps and a dehumidifying machine if you want to paint professionally. I work in a shop and have seen how they run those 500+ gallon tanks. They have dehumidifiers that are about the same size of the tank. What your cooler does is effectively let the tank store more air per cubic inch. This is how two stage pumps work, one pump compresses air a first time, feeds it through a cooler, then compresses the air a second time to make it extremely packed. Which is how those big pumps can push so much air, because they literally compressing air several times before storing it.
The very first thing I would have done and would still do is move that compressor outside of the shop and get rid of all those 1/4" fittings and hose at the compressor and plumb it with at least 1/2" lines or maybe 3/4" and run that through the wall and run that pipe around the shop to some quick disconnects and hose reel, I had my small compressor outside under a shed roof for a long time and am in the process of building a big shed roof behind the shop and I have a 60 gallon one sitting temporarily inside and I can not wait to get it outside, that is the only way to go, I cannot stand all that noise, Thanks
I think it has less to do with oiled vs oil free, and more to do with belt drive vs direct drive. Direct drive compressors have to spin a smaller pump faster to get the same output as a belt drive.
What about removing the junk regulator, as they very all decrease air flow , use in line regulator way better , think I’ll buy the compressor and use the 33 gallon oil less my wife bought me as the storage . Thanks
Good idea! As you can tell my setup was not pretty. But functional. You can easily remove the junk cooler, plumb copper to an after cooler, and then run it cleaner into the tank. This is still working 5 years later.
With out watching the whole video. I stopped as you said “ second thing is “... You could have extended the drain port with a nipple fitting/cap long enough to help access your oil drain intervals... Just a simple add on to not have to cut into your compressor mount... Greg
If you want the best air hoses go with blubird it has a 300 psi working pressure and a 1200 psi burst rating. Flexzilla only has a 300 psi burst rating. Blubird is far more superior. And I haven’t even mentioned it’s temperature ratings are amazing as well -50° to 190°F
Kind of late to do after the fact but I would suggest measuring your threads on your oil plug and install a quick drain plug. There's a company called fumoto that sells them as well as an "off brand" that's a couple bucks cheaper called ez-drain. They have different models, some of them have nipples so you can attach a small piece of tube to drain into a container. They're great to install on generators too, since the plugs are so hard to get at without spilling oil all over the frame. Edit: I just scrolled down the comments and I like the idea of a ball valve plumbed in as well. It would probably cost less to make one. I'd center punch and drill the existing plug and solder some 1/4" tubing and install a "needle valve" for about 3 bucks.
Perhaps you could have taken out the oil plug and put a small diameter pipe that is maybe 6" long with either the plug on the end or a shutoff valve, rather than cutting the frame? Similar to the water drain pipe you added...
In the compressor engine takes like 5 minutes at least to fill up the 29 gal tank imagine how much takes to fill up both tanks? You should switch that engine for at least a 3 hp one.
If u extend your intake from your air compressor, run the intake to the exterior of your garage to where it is not sucking air from the room its in but piped to draw air from outside. It would be much quieter. I ALSO HAVE AN EXPANSION TANK ON MY 26.. MINE IS FROM LOWES & I CALL IT A PIG BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE A PIG!!!!! P.S. I GOT MY AIR COMPRESSOR FOR $68. IT WAS A RETURN...
Wouldn't it be easier to get the big 2 phase compressor and do all iron piping through out the shed with auxiliary tank of higher compactly ? And have 3 filters?
@@gunsandgaragegear601 Having sold hyd, pressure, LP, NG etc etc hoses for yrs, that normal duty pressure washer hose will brittle over time due to heat
I have scavenged some evaporators from top-freezer fridges I was thinking of doing this with. Just have to make sure it will withstand 150psi. Solder some fittings to inlet/outlet.
if you can run on 220 you dont need a separate breaker. everyone in America has 220 your stove drier and washing machine run off 220. personally what iwould do is get 2 of those compressor heads and 2 motors get 1 or 2 large propane tanks convert those it would work better. i need a vertical compressor (im in the uk) they are usually double the price if not more, i can make my own if i buy all the parts separately cheaper than the usual horizontal ones we have here.
That is an absolutely Genius concept! However, it may have some room for improvement. I am currently in the process of copying your design ( i.e. parts are in the mail to me now ) I believe to put it bluntly, you over-complicated your set up. Not to say it doesn't work for you! But I require high CFM, the flow rate on my tools is around 10 CFM @ 90 PSI meaning every fitting has to be a minimum of 3/8" inner diameter, where 1/2" would be ideal but may not be easy to find all the fittings I need and swapping back and forth from Army/Navy to M/F (NPT) I'm gonna try and simplify it. Can let you guys know how it goes... Shipping is slow, probably a month away from the hands on part of this adventure.. I just got a brand new compressor, so from day 1 I'd like the tank to be bone dry, its also easy to see if any new rust forms because its clean inside at the moment.
The flexzilla hose reels are not as good as they could be. My hose reel will not retract all the way when the pressure is on. Depressure it and it goes in all the way. The soft hose expands too much. I’ll take the old school hose reel for sure.
The after cooler is a good idea. 3/4 in and out fittings would have been better. Auxiliary tank install makes no sense to me. One line straight the auxiliary tank and one supply line.
Great idea to preserve the tank. Is that cooler really rated for that much pressure though? It looks like a regular transmission cooler, and those don't run much pressure, if any. I've got a bigger 5hp 60 gallon compressor, and this kind of thing seems like a good idea to keep water out of the tank for sure.
I added a 1/4x8" extension to my drain valve with a ball valve - works well (don't have the same compressor but my oil used to leak on the pump when changing also).
AN this one seems smaller than 1/4, I brought the plug to HD and Lowe’s and no one had a pipe that small to extend. So plan b was to make it more accessible for a funnel.
Yours its pretty quiet, i have the same one and i sold it because for painting cars its not that great but on toher side its a good compressor for power tools.
What I don’t get is that the water will be in the air regardless of temperature? The only thing that’s working is that you have the filter that collects the water right after It condenses out right?
This is correct. You can't get every drop of water, but the first stage water trap catches alot and further up the system going into the line you will get another moisture trap/dryer do the rest.
I was recently given one of those it had a bad switch I replaced that but it seems like the threads at the bottom is fine threads and I wanted do something like you have to drain the tank where did you get a fitting to match or it's just me not seeing right
Good idea but if you use air get some air 60 or 80 gallon , I’ve had my compressor for some 18 years auto drain and never had a problem although I’m I. The market for a new one thinking Quincy 80 gallons 71/2 hp pricy but specifications are great .
Can you put 2 after coolers ? Maybe 1 on comprwssor and one after a filter down the line for someone like me with 80 gallon compressor? Here wisconsin is humid
Been watching a lot of these videos it seems no one gets that when you cool it at the pump heads the water never condenses into droplets but its still there and going into your tools as VAPOR ! These are a bad idea, what you want to do is let it get hot and then condense it after and get rid of the water! Having water draining out is a good thing you get rid of it that way, this way it stays around as VAPOR ! There is humidity in the air if you don't condense it and get rid of it its still there.
@@MrFredsAdventures just use water separator, it's more safe for your tools than adding more expensive tanks/expensive oilless compressor. buy more straight to the point with air filter water separator, you can check online in amazon or ebay or walmart. cheaper solution yet proven effective. if you still want to buy cooler, you can use directly from output compressor (from the piston engine output) to your tank
Hi Guys. I am getting a shit ton of water through my tools. I have a water filter coming right off the top by the Regulator. Hardly no water comes out of that nor the tank. So why am I getting so much water blasting out my tools. They are gonna get ruined if I don’t get help. Thanks Guys. By the way my tank is a 30 Gal. I did purchase the 60 Dollar desiccant/water filter at Harbor Freight that I have not installed yet. Will that help where I have the other filter I mentioned earlier? Thanks Again Big Jim.
That's exactly what he's doing! The air gets hot as its compressed. Instead of cooling in the lines and condensing, its cooling right after the compressor head. Thus, condensate is in your dog leg, or tank, and not running through your lines.
Gonna call BS on this. 2 reason. Know why, vapor cools and you’d think if I drained the whole tank every few weeks that a single drop of water would come out of the bottom. And secondly, the water filter I have hanging down always spits out water, that had been collected through the cooler. I could put a bucket under that thing
I like your idea to cool the air before get to the tank. Can I use the Fin radiator cooler instead of after cooler? And why you choose the belt driven air compressor instead of oil-less (belt-less) compressor?
You probably could have rigged up a barbed connector to your drain for draining your oil and just used a cap of some sort to cap it off. not likely that reservoir carrying the oil is carrying much pressure. The other thing would be to find a long stud that would fit, drill a hole through it and find a cap nut.
I wish this post was active - I have questions on substitute hoses since that link is broke and wondering about the float valve. If the float valve was added or if it's available as an option on the water collector?
Atmospheric Air contains water. If you have humidity, you have water in the air. Your aftercooler cools the compressed heated air, but the water must condense out. The water does not disappear. If you are not getting water out of your tank, where is the condense water hiding ?
Yep. Into the water trap. Normally just one water trap like that will not be enough. But with the aftercooler and the little drip trap it stops all water. And I still on occasion empty out the tank out the bottom, NO WATER. It’s awesome.
Planning to upload an update video with before after temperatures on tank, before after of heat that the upgraded comp oil reduces, and with new plumbing up front and hose reel review once I get them. Links will be added to video for that!
th-cam.com/video/M5F7eyJBKpM/w-d-xo.html
Moving into a new place with a 30x40 outbuilding shop, will do an updated video after!
You should have just put on a short pipe extension nipple, instead of chopping the frame.
Something I learned a few years ago here on TH-cam about running the main air outlet tap as in where you would connect your hose or hoses to go to your air tools is that it's best to run your pvc or steel or brass line up high on the wall and then from there run it at a downward angle for say 2 or 3 ft, to wherever you want the level of your main line at to tap in with your air outlet fittings, and put your water separator and filter there, then from that point run your line along the wall level and put your outlet tap somewhere along in that point or if you want multiple outlets to be able to connect your air hose at different points along your garage instead of running a long hose from one outlet all the way across your floor then you run your line as far along the wall that you need to.
To try to make my point simpler what I'm saying is that the air and moisture that exits out of your compressor needs to run a fair distance, like say maybe 6 ft, or more, before the water condenses and separates from the air to be able to drain into the water separator more effectively, if the separator is too close to the compressor outlet the air and water remains a vapor and the water doesn't have much of a chance to separate. Running the line at a downward angle for a distance and then tying your separator/filter in at the end of that run at the point where you'd level the line back out helps because the water will separate and then run downhill into your separator at that point, then from that point, from the separator you can run your line level along your wall and put your air hose outlet tap or taps from that point on.
I realize that I rattled on for a long time here about it but sometimes it's difficult for me to be able to explain what I'm trying to convey in a few words. I hope I made sense here, I personally haven't set up my shop like this yet because we're still renting a house but when we buy one hopefully in the next year or so I'm most likely going to try to set it up this way. Anyway, I like your ideas here, pretty dang nifty. 👍
That would be an after market transmission cooler. With 1/2 pipe threads. And your oil drain on the compressor you may want to take out that plug install a pipe nipple of any length that gets you out to a more easily serviced position then cap the end. Making it far easier to drain the oil without making a mess
Bring it closer to you or tunnel to it. French drain? Lol..Still not enough clearance not to be a pain.
I stopped after that. But 1/2" definitely aftermarket unless you're working on an Allison. Seems overkillish, however those auxiliary coolers were fairly reasonable even from the Dealer. I just know anything diesel related can easily quadruple in price.
100 % agree with you, i have 3 air compressors at work and 2 pressure washers that we change oil every week on, i did what you said put short nipples on and a ball valve works great and no mess, get a very small bucket and hang it on the valve and open valve so easy and close valve and use a bottle that you get at a rest for ketchup and squeeze the oil in, NO MESS
Great thinking and upgrades! Practically speaking, you almost never have to change compressor oil because there is no combustion byproducts. After cooler must be rated above max compressor pressure. Even though you don't get tank water, keep daily drain habit up because in warm climate that might increase. During once recent garage repair, my compressor ran continuously, I discovered loads of tank water. Any water left in tank can cause internal corrosion, making dangerous tank. Never buy/gift used compressor w/ old tank, because you don't know how tank was cared for; it could be ticking bomb. Work safe.
Good point I never thought of rust inside he tank weakening the tank...and POP.
That's a great setup my dude! I kept messing with used compressors but the rusty tanks always had me worried. This is a really good fix for that.
Never reduce the flow,,it's 1/2 for a reason , you will shorten the compressor life by reducing the flow from back pressure
I ran a 3” nipple with a 90* pointe downward and a plug for the oil drain. No cutting required
Now I know what Rube Goldberg's air compressor looks like!
Why not screw a pipe into the drain plug and have it stick out .
Ringo Gingo thats exactly what i was going to comment!
He said the drain valve was fouled up @ 01:31. So he upgraded.
The oil drain plug? The things too tiny I tried to find a way to extend that out (like the tank drain plug) but couldn’t. It’s tiny so I cut the frame a little
Yes, do your crankcase oil plug the same way the tank water drain with a ball or gate valve. Look for 1/8 NPT nipple & ball/gate valve.
@@gunsandgaragegear601 you can find that sized Nipple in 2", 3", 4" & 6" lengths at Fastenal & McMaster Carr, so you can extend the Oil Drain out to where it's convenient and not so messy.
The HF black and red 50' 3/8" hose is fantastic. Husky even uses the same OEM for their abrasion resistant 3/8" rubber hose
I used the card board from my US GENERAL top box. To make a sound damper box on top of my Craftsman compressor. Works great lowering noise levels. No cost hack
Just wanna say I've had the loud 21 gallon for 8-9 years now. Biggest issue is the factory nipple and regulator choke it down to a 1/8" output. It's great once they're replaced. Wish I had the money for this one back in my 20's, but it definitely wasn't built to be thrown away after a year or so.
I bought a Husky 60 gallon two years ago and am finally getting around to adding an aftercooler. To anyone out there who has a compressor, water in your air will destroy a tank and tools. After cooler will save you lots of frustration.
Brother's Forge amen
@@gunsandgaragegear601 I used a roll of 1/2 inch copper tubing coil , from compressor and put 1/2 inch separator before the tank and,,, dropped my air temperature 100 degrees.. it's 25 ft of coils,,,best way I've found
the best way to separete water before it goes to the piping is to keep the tank cool and, as much as possible, install the compressor air intake somewhere it picks up the dryer air as possible.
Try adding an intake muffler. Brings the decibels down. Did it to mine and much quieter. Pvc piping elbow, cap, steel wool and some filter element. Can aim the piping to the floor or any other direction to reduce noise as well.
I was thinking this on my 5 in 1 ridgid.
Shop i worked in had like 4" pvc intake routed outside. It was awesome
Link man... please offer a link to such muffler after making a suggestion
@@anthonyrochon3907 Dude all you have to do is do a search for compressor intake muffler. Dont be lazy do your own research.
@@thisone. okay
Extend the drain pipe like you did and just drain it daily. Then just use a water separator on hose output. A good quality one removes basically all water on output. The tank is strong enough to handle a bit of water in it. Hell of a lot cheaper. I also paint with my air compressor. So can't have water on the air. Never had issues
I extended mine with A brass 1/8 tube and a treaded coupler where I screwed in the bolt
The transmission/oil cooler helps remove water and also increases cfm because heat=increased pressure . Soft copper line and flare fittings are a great way to plum it up. It's plenty strong for the task. And will further aid in the cooling if the air. Also if u were to make a shroud to wrap the edges if the cooler and end close to the fan/ large pulley it would pull more air. An electric fan is a easier option.
The CFM is limited to the pump output, the cooler has zero to do with CFM unless it's restricting the actual flow.
I was thinking the same regarding I'd most likely use copper piping to help further cool and I have plenty around. I was also thinking about using and old steel compressed gas tank inverted and modified to make a cylone filter to first remove water. Not certain I'd require... though that was the original plan along with more copper pipe to make the heat exchanger versus purchasing. I like this concept and paradigm of thinking being more compact.
Nice Frankenstein job...looks like it should be in a Mad Max movie...
Vee-in-nYc lol thanks. Works great I’ll post another update video when we finish moving into our new shop outbuilding in about 4 months.
Not the prettiest plumbing job, eh. Could have all been done with copper line... get even more heat dissipation.
I did something like this many years ago when i started painting cars and just needed to shoot a bumper. But i have great advice from the compressor snobs that are auto painters 😂. Go to your local junkyard and look for a xj jeep Cherokee and pull the ac compressor. Do a grease conversion and drill the outlet a few bit sizes bigger weld some bolts onto that base and get a 4inch pulley for that motor and attach it all together with what you have and youl have a great much quieter 15cfm compressor. You also could look for those Volkswagen vans from the 90s that use the bigger version of that pump as you do have a 2hp motor then you get about 20cfm. But the jeep ones are plentiful and cheap. Lmao my shop has actually ran on a gas powered 2 stage using 3 of these pumps for about 1 year now. I still have my small one unit compressor hooked up to the system and use it 2 yrs later when i dont need the air of the gas compressor. It will hold 120psi while painting a whole car as long as its just me using air after all.
You should’ve added the drain extension like you did for the oil for the compressor. That’s what I did with mine. It’s not like that mine is a kobolt from Lowe’s. I have a 60 gallon air compressor with a two-stage pump and I have the same tank that you have plugged into my 60 gallon as a extra air tank.
You’re right.
Just a quick note, you mentioned stepping down from 1/2 to 3/8 right after the motor, bad idea if that is the case. You essentially created a bottle neck which will steal cfm down pipe. They sell 1/2 transmission coolers (eg derale has them) and you could have used flexible 1/2 copper (sold at the big box stores) to connect to the two and not affected your pressure downstream.
Also creating heat In The bottle neck
Pressure and volume (CFM) are two different things, changing the pipe size has zero effect on pressure but will change the actual flow rate CFM.
I just drain my tank daily, before I leave my shop I turn off the compressor and open the drain valve. Costs me $0. I do run 4ft of desiccant lines on each outlet though, they change color when they’re needing to be recharged with a 45min cook in the toaster oven in a tray. Here in Los Angeles that’s about 2x/yr unless we get a lot of rain. Each of my sewing machines has an oil/water separator on the inlet anyhow, just in case.
Weekly/monthly shop maintenance schedules keep things tidy and in good order.
I’m running a 26gal “quiet” Kobalt vertical tank compressor. Not in need of high cfm, but the maintenance principle is the same
what kind of desiccant lines are you running?
It may not cost you anything to drain your compressor, but it takes power to fill it back to the pressure you had. Solar panels put our electric bill at $65 per year for a 2000 sq ft house with multiple ac units, in the Inland Empire, but I don't drain an 80 gallon tank, or the 60 gallon tank in the other garage. My auto drain runs every time the compressor cycles, so it only goes off and makes sound and wastes air when I have the compressors switched on. The other maintenance is good. I use regular water air separators down to 5 microns, then M30 paper filters down to 0.01 microns to get the rest of the water and oil. It keeps the air dry for the plasma table and tools, but I also use a disposable filter inline right before the whip to my powder coating gun. Luckily we don't get a ton of moisture in SoCal.
Propably the SMC waterseparator filter after the Cooper doing most of the work here. Mostly would work allmost the same without the aftercooler.
It’s a big difference. The heat at the top fitting in the after cooler is like 300 degrees. It’s like 70 at the bottom fitting right before dumping into the tank.
This is why we need to oil our air tools after every days use.....water!!
Great vid. very informative! Would love to see an additional video of how you trained the beaver to cut that frame...
One thought I had is:
Aren't you altering the cooling of your Compressor? Seems to me it would be blocking cooler air's passageway to the pump.
No
i basically did the same thing... works amazingly well.
This is the same compressor I have. It is so much quieter than my old one. I used the old tank for extra volume after my drier system.
I like the way you planned it all even though you planning on upgrading in the future, but I also got one like it but haven’t opened it yet because of space issues. But I definitely congratulate you for your time & effort to show us that you don’t always need something big to do the job. “Save $ guys & do your homework as always”. Damn good example here 🇻🇮
I like your setup. Attaching the aftercooler to the compressor is a great idea. I have a full sized condenser set aside to incorporate into my own setup and it's been years now. LOL I haven't done anything with it yet but I've always wanted to upgrade my 21 gal for the 29 gal also.
Thanks for the motivation.
Rob's Wrenches absolutely the 29’s the way to go, even stock
I am not sure if you can add the CFM of compressor and a tanks. CFM calculations take in consideration the pump capacity, tank capacity, the hp of the motor and time it takes to fill the tank. If you have two compressors working in parallel then yes you can add the cfm's. Great work, Thank you!
CFM rating on the compressor is at the input side of the pump, not the output to the tank. Cool concept 👍
I’ve done a few tests for how long it takes to fill and it seems to be between 6-7cfm iirc. Works good enough for me and runs all my tools!
CFM rating has zero to do with the inlet and is 100% based on pump output.
telling people they won't have to drain their compresor any more is a good way to wind up on national news / TH-cam Fails collections, even if you rig your cooler between compressor and tank.
Would really help for use of a plasma torch. Damp air kills them, good job
That was definitely a great idea. Very thorough and explained in very detail. Thanks and great job.
Thanks for showing your upgrades and sharing your knowledge!
Only person I've seen do it right and not restrict air flow,,,I used a roll of 1/2 inch copper tubbing,, all 25 foot coiled up 3 years ago,, and havnt drained hardly any water since,,cost me 75 dollars for all.
yeah, you could build that whole set up from copper tube and fittings and maybe a bender.
I may do this on my 60g Kobalt. Not a bad idea to preserve the inside of your tank! Thanks for sharing!
Great set up! The link to the blue high pressure hose wont work unfortunately. would you be willing to share the product info for those?
Sorry. I don’t get notifications. It’s just any kind of hose you can use that’s high heat. You can also use copper pipe.
HF air compressor warranty only covers replacement 1 time just fyi, i learned the hard way.
The transmission and engine oil coolers I looked at are rated at 125 to 150 PSI. My compressor shuts off at 125, so there is no safety margin.
An Air Conditioner coil would be better since they are rated well over 200°. Automotive coils would come with fittings. A coil for a small window unit would work, but will require using compression fittings, or use the solder for AC systems (not plumbing solder).
It doesn’t actually get 125psi in there I don’t think but. 5 years later still works.
Like your design concept. Can you create a line flow diagram for your set up. good job explaining your set up....
I found one, 30 gal Kobalt $379 on sale, 155 psi vtwin compressor unit. All parts replaceable
Lowes. Highly recommended
Buy it use it less connections less problems. Other than painting or sandblasting most all mechanic tools are battery powered, great for blow drying Safety Kleen off parts if need be.
Jimmy still more money. Also not belt driven.
@@gunsandgaragegear601 Mine is belt driven with oil filled V-twin compressor cast iron made in America. Rated at 155psi shuts off at 160. Had it for 7 years working on cars and jeeps out of my garage. Only problem was I had to replace the safety valve this year. I do like the fact that your a thinker though.
The after cooler is a great idea except is that after cooler you are using made to hold the air pressure of the air compressor ? If not it could be dangerous if it explodes.
It's plenty safe
Air just flows through it. It doesn’t hold it at 130psi or anything. It’s safe though.
I have a 7 hp 60 gallon and paint on occasions. I have tried so many water separators and was about to build my own decedent dryer. I am definitely going to try it your way. Thanks for the great video
How’s it working for you?
Did you get around to it?
All you need is 120$ sharpe dryer
I have that compressor I just felt it wasn’t big enough that’s why I got a 60 gallon from Lowe’s just under 600 bucks three years ago I got free delivery and 10% off if I got their credit card after I got the compressor I paid off the credit card to capitalize on the 10% discount and the free delivery. I did put an hour meter on my compressor so I know how many hours it’s been running when it shuts off it stops counting even if there’s no electricity for whatever reason it does not lose the time that it has ran.
Just extend the drain with a piece of pipe. Hell of a lot easier
demoCRAPS suck find me an 1/8” extended piece of pipe that is one side male and one side female to put this endcap on.
@@gunsandgaragegear601 So diy th e pipe..
Check that th-cam.com/video/32pzriZO1xc/w-d-xo.html male and female, and keep pipe threader to your toolbox for any future work.
Thanks
Great video... one of the limiting factors to get me to start using my plasma cutters. Dry air. No hurry, though I really do like the simplicity and cost effectiveness of your design. Definitely very inspirational, thanks for sharing. Liked, commented and subscribed.
The setup i would have if i lived in the US, considering how cheap stuff is there buy two small compressors or one big one for 1k and have 12-17CFM with a massive tank or buy second hand commerical and never look back.
I went the commercial unit. 80 gallons with a real 5hp motor and a pump the size of a harley motocycle engine. It is a westinghouse air brake company pump, which became leroi and then dresser company. The design was used for the brakes on trains and for commercial shops. $750 from my neighbors field and a week of pestering to get that one and not the other brand he had hooked to his shop. Luckily I researched the compressor and found out it is pressure lubed and parts kits are available still. It would cost around $3,000 to $6,000 for a new unit built with a pressure lubed pump. It is rated at 17.3 cfm at 175 psi and a little less at 250 psi. It is making 20 cfm based on how fast the tank fills. 5.5 minutes from 0 to 170 psi on an 80 gallon tank. It is perfect for a serious 1 person shop and runs a plasma table and blast cabinet with the big skat blast tips.
Or just put an automatic drain. We use them on commercial compressors. Works perfectly fine.
Nice job. I'm looking at a Menards with similar flow but oil free and plan to do this to it.
You're gonna get water in the bottom of the tank no matter what, just part of the process of compressing air. The cooler isn't removing moisture from the lines, its just preventing it from turning into water. You need good traps and a dehumidifying machine if you want to paint professionally. I work in a shop and have seen how they run those 500+ gallon tanks. They have dehumidifiers that are about the same size of the tank. What your cooler does is effectively let the tank store more air per cubic inch. This is how two stage pumps work, one pump compresses air a first time, feeds it through a cooler, then compresses the air a second time to make it extremely packed. Which is how those big pumps can push so much air, because they literally compressing air several times before storing it.
The very first thing I would have done and would still do is move that compressor outside of the shop and get rid of all those 1/4" fittings and hose at the compressor and plumb it with at least 1/2" lines or maybe 3/4" and run that through the wall and run that pipe around the shop to some quick disconnects and hose reel, I had my small compressor outside under a shed roof for a long time and am in the process of building a big shed roof behind the shop and I have a 60 gallon one sitting temporarily inside and I can not wait to get it outside, that is the only way to go, I cannot stand all that noise, Thanks
The 21gallon sounds like an oil less compressor , wouldn't have one of them !!! :-)
I think it has less to do with oiled vs oil free, and more to do with belt drive vs direct drive. Direct drive compressors have to spin a smaller pump faster to get the same output as a belt drive.
Nope that 21 gal was oiled also.
U have a pretty cool set up and great after cooler nice job
Frankencompressor but I bet it works well lol
What about removing the junk regulator, as they very all decrease air flow , use in line regulator way better , think I’ll buy the compressor and use the 33 gallon oil less my wife bought me as the storage . Thanks
Good idea! As you can tell my setup was not pretty. But functional. You can easily remove the junk cooler, plumb copper to an after cooler, and then run it cleaner into the tank. This is still working 5 years later.
Didn't need to cut the notch for the oil drain. Just put on a longer pipe like I did and that make it even easier to drain.
Damn. Smart!! Great vid.
With out watching the whole video. I stopped as you said “ second thing is “... You could have extended the drain port with a nipple fitting/cap long enough to help access your oil drain intervals... Just a simple add on to not have to cut into your compressor mount... Greg
It was a very weird size. But hindsight I should’ve done that first. Just looks ugly but it did the job.
Water separator prior to dumping in tank probably is helping with no water into tank
If you want the best air hoses go with blubird it has a 300 psi working pressure and a 1200 psi burst rating. Flexzilla only has a 300 psi burst rating. Blubird is far more superior. And I haven’t even mentioned it’s temperature ratings are amazing as well -50° to 190°F
Kind of late to do after the fact but I would suggest measuring your threads on your oil plug and install a quick drain plug. There's a company called fumoto that sells them as well as an "off brand" that's a couple bucks cheaper called ez-drain. They have different models, some of them have nipples so you can attach a small piece of tube to drain into a container. They're great to install on generators too, since the plugs are so hard to get at without spilling oil all over the frame.
Edit: I just scrolled down the comments and I like the idea of a ball valve plumbed in as well. It would probably cost less to make one. I'd center punch and drill the existing plug and solder some 1/4" tubing and install a "needle valve" for about 3 bucks.
Watcher Watchmen i found the right extended pipe for it now! Will do a new video sometime
I did this exact thing on my kobalt 30 gallon but used hydraulic lines as my air lines.
Perhaps you could have taken out the oil plug and put a small diameter pipe that is maybe 6" long with either the plug on the end or a shutoff valve, rather than cutting the frame? Similar to the water drain pipe you added...
In the compressor engine takes like 5 minutes at least to fill up the 29 gal tank imagine how much takes to fill up both tanks? You should switch that engine for at least a 3 hp one.
If u extend your intake from your air compressor, run the intake to the exterior of your garage to where it is not sucking air from the room its in but piped to draw air from outside. It would be much quieter. I ALSO HAVE AN EXPANSION TANK ON MY 26.. MINE IS FROM LOWES & I CALL IT A PIG BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE A PIG!!!!! P.S. I GOT MY AIR COMPRESSOR FOR $68. IT WAS A RETURN...
Wouldn't it be easier to get the big 2 phase compressor and do all iron piping through out the shed with auxiliary tank of higher compactly ? And have 3 filters?
Nice Build!👍
4:08 is 2000 PSI not 2000 degrees. lol. Otherwise, the whole thing would be a melted blob on the floor.
Oby-1 you’re right it’s 4000 PSI actually. High pressure water pressure hose. But it is also 200 degrees rated. And has held up great.
@@gunsandgaragegear601 Having sold hyd, pressure, LP, NG etc etc hoses for yrs, that normal duty pressure washer hose will brittle over time due to heat
Tom Brown which hose? Blue one?
@@tombrown1032 so what hose do u recommend coming out of compressor?
@@organicvids coming straight from compressor head or manifold, always use copper tubing
I have scavenged some evaporators from top-freezer fridges I was thinking of doing this with. Just have to make sure it will withstand 150psi. Solder some fittings to inlet/outlet.
if you can run on 220 you dont need a separate breaker. everyone in America has 220 your stove drier and washing machine run off 220. personally what iwould do is get 2 of those compressor heads and 2 motors get 1 or 2 large propane tanks convert those it would work better.
i need a vertical compressor (im in the uk) they are usually double the price if not more, i can make my own if i buy all the parts separately cheaper than the usual horizontal ones we have here.
That is an absolutely Genius concept! However, it may have some room for improvement. I am currently in the process of copying your design ( i.e. parts are in the mail to me now ) I believe to put it bluntly, you over-complicated your set up. Not to say it doesn't work for you! But I require high CFM, the flow rate on my tools is around 10 CFM @ 90 PSI meaning every fitting has to be a minimum of 3/8" inner diameter, where 1/2" would be ideal but may not be easy to find all the fittings I need and swapping back and forth from Army/Navy to M/F (NPT) I'm gonna try and simplify it. Can let you guys know how it goes... Shipping is slow, probably a month away from the hands on part of this adventure.. I just got a brand new compressor, so from day 1 I'd like the tank to be bone dry, its also easy to see if any new rust forms because its clean inside at the moment.
Did you make a TH-cam video on your revision ?
The flexzilla hose reels are not as good as they could be. My hose reel will not retract all the way when the pressure is on. Depressure it and it goes in all the way. The soft hose expands too much. I’ll take the old school hose reel for sure.
The after cooler is a good idea. 3/4 in and out fittings would have been better. Auxiliary tank install makes no sense to me. One line straight the auxiliary tank and one supply line.
Awesome very well explained and knowledge gained the efficient way .Simple and practical .well done .makes a lot of sense
Great idea to preserve the tank. Is that cooler really rated for that much pressure though? It looks like a regular transmission cooler, and those don't run much pressure, if any. I've got a bigger 5hp 60 gallon compressor, and this kind of thing seems like a good idea to keep water out of the tank for sure.
I added a 1/4x8" extension to my drain valve with a ball valve - works well (don't have the same compressor but my oil used to leak on the pump when changing also).
AN this one seems smaller than 1/4, I brought the plug to HD and Lowe’s and no one had a pipe that small to extend. So plan b was to make it more accessible for a funnel.
Yours its pretty quiet, i have the same one and i sold it because for painting cars its not that great but on toher side its a good compressor for power tools.
What compressor do you need for painting?
@@WordupG 60 galon compressor with a 5 hp motor with good scfm capacity but you still can do it with a 30 gallon one .
I need one of these setups for my everlast plasma cutter rig.
Todd Paulsen yes you do that’s what a lot of guys running these that I got the ideas from have it for.
@@gunsandgaragegear601 Thanks for the video. I'm finally going to make one.
Better than making a DIY water trap with vertical lengths of pipe?
You could build the whole set up with copper tube, a bender and / or soldered fittings.
Someone had an idea and a pot of coffee !
What I don’t get is that the water will be in the air regardless of temperature? The only thing that’s working is that you have the filter that collects the water right after It condenses out right?
This is correct. You can't get every drop of water, but the first stage water trap catches alot and further up the system going into the line you will get another moisture trap/dryer do the rest.
I was recently given one of those it had a bad switch I replaced that but it seems like the threads at the bottom is fine threads and I wanted do something like you have to drain the tank where did you get a fitting to match or it's just me not seeing right
Good idea but if you use air get some air 60 or 80 gallon , I’ve had my compressor for some 18 years auto drain and never had a problem although I’m I. The market for a new one thinking Quincy 80 gallons 71/2 hp pricy but specifications are great .
Jerry PEAL don’t need that much.
Could you have used a pump to remove the oil instead of using the drain plug?
You will get better CFM flow rates if you bypass the built in regulator....
Can you put 2 after coolers ? Maybe 1 on comprwssor and one after a filter down the line for someone like me with 80 gallon compressor? Here wisconsin is humid
Been watching a lot of these videos it seems no one gets that when you cool it at the pump heads the water never condenses into droplets but its still there and going into your tools as VAPOR ! These are a bad idea, what you want to do is let it get hot and then condense it after and get rid of the water! Having water draining out is a good thing you get rid of it that way, this way it stays around as VAPOR ! There is humidity in the air if you don't condense it and get rid of it its still there.
Your's is the second comment I've seen concerning cooler location. Can you expound a little more on the best location and setup?
@@MrFredsAdventures just use water separator, it's more safe for your tools than adding more expensive tanks/expensive oilless compressor. buy more straight to the point with air filter water separator, you can check online in amazon or ebay or walmart. cheaper solution yet proven effective.
if you still want to buy cooler, you can use directly from output compressor (from the piston engine output) to your tank
Hi Guys. I am getting a shit ton of water through my tools. I have a water filter coming right off the top by the Regulator. Hardly no water comes out of that nor the tank. So why am I getting so much water blasting out my tools. They are gonna get ruined if I don’t get help. Thanks Guys. By the way my tank is a 30 Gal. I did purchase the 60 Dollar desiccant/water filter at Harbor Freight that I have not installed yet. Will that help where I have the other filter I mentioned earlier? Thanks Again Big Jim.
That's exactly what he's doing! The air gets hot as its compressed. Instead of cooling in the lines and condensing, its cooling right after the compressor head. Thus, condensate is in your dog leg, or tank, and not running through your lines.
Gonna call BS on this. 2 reason.
Know why, vapor cools and you’d think if I drained the whole tank every few weeks that a single drop of water would come out of the bottom.
And secondly, the water filter I have hanging down always spits out water, that had been collected through the cooler. I could put a bucket under that thing
I like your idea to cool the air before get to the tank. Can I use the Fin radiator cooler instead of after cooler? And why you choose the belt driven air compressor instead of oil-less (belt-less) compressor?
Pressure washer hose that's good up to 2000 degrees? Please tell me more.....
Lol
Awesome video man, thanks!
You probably could have rigged up a barbed connector to your drain for draining your oil and just used a cap of some sort to cap it off. not likely that reservoir carrying the oil is carrying much pressure. The other thing would be to find a long stud that would fit, drill a hole through it and find a cap nut.
It's not that complicated. It's 1/4 not. Buy a 4' nipple and plug
I wish this post was active - I have questions on substitute hoses since that link is broke and wondering about the float valve. If the float valve was added or if it's available as an option on the water collector?
Great job
Atmospheric Air contains water. If you have humidity, you have water in the air. Your aftercooler cools the compressed heated air, but the water must condense out. The water does not disappear. If you are not getting water out of your tank, where is the condense water hiding ?
Gary z zzRyh. K n. Bohrman he put a water trap after the cooler
Yep. Into the water trap. Normally just one water trap like that will not be enough. But with the aftercooler and the little drip trap it stops all water. And I still on occasion empty out the tank out the bottom, NO WATER. It’s awesome.
Nice job.
@4:03 Pressure washer hose good to 2000 degrees?? PsI, sure. But will it handle high temps?
mindblown...great thinking!!
Pretty cool idea