Certainly, this is a beautifully compact design with most of the features of the cooling lines of a professional paint shop and works perfectly for a one-man shop. 2 small additions I would recommend are to add three vértice water traps along its length and to run the air downhill. In the uphill case, especially without multiple traps, the air is constantly flowing over a stream of water trying to come down, which interferes with its desire to drop to water it’s holding.
well the air isnt constantly flowing except when you are using it of course so i dont see there being an issue and as said the air cools and the water drops out of the air and obviously water is heavier than air.
Old bull /young bull......l have just spent about 2 hours looking at ideas for this concept but in the back of my mind basic physics kept saying to me there was a more effecient way, l saw all the versions you stated........low and behold while lm checking out CNC machines your vid pops up and confirms exactly what was on my mind except l hadnt taken the leap for that design. Thanks mate....bloody great!!! Im yr vintage and l very clearly see the logic of its simplicity!!!
Hello Brent, It is always enjoyable to hear from people who are interested in making an air cooler using my design. I think guys in our "vintage" are always looking for the way to make something in the most simplistic and logical way. Good luck with your air cooler and CNC machine (I'm jealous) that is a tool I'd love to have.....plus a Tig welder, Plasma cutter, etc, etc.....
Made one according to your design, thanx for the advice! I cleaned the pipes vigorously with sanding paper and ethanol before fluxing and soldering. Zero leaks on the solder joints! Also I use the flex piping for an additional pressure tank of an old compressor and the return from the cooler. I installed it from the motor to the tank so there is an extra drain option. Only downside is when the compressor shuts off, it releases the pressure from the cooler, but that is fine by me.
Dude this is the first person to actually explain how it works, i got it before but now makes real sense. My problem is i don't have space to do this in that scale and there must be more efficient means that don't involve static devices
This makes more sense than any other of the DIY after-cooler videos I've seen. A simple, yet effective design without restricting flow. Would love to see the temperature difference at each end of the copper tubing while the compressor is running. Well done Sir!
Hi Double D, I've never made any temperature readings at the beginning and end of the air cooler but I have used my cabinet sandblaster for several hours and still didn't have any moisture inside the inline water trap, hope this info helps and thank you....
@@jeffwillard2417 this is fantastic as this is the main reason im building one like this for the sand blasting cabinet. i discovered rather quickly water is a problem even though i got a water trap after the compressor and one at the cabinet as well which is after 30 metres of pipe/hose
Very simple and effective, I'm drawing one up to build as I'm having trouble with water as temps drop here in the fall in MN. I considered using 1/2" for cost but 3/4" will have 50% more surface area to reject heat so for anyone thinking of building one don't cheap out... :) One small modification, I'm going to turn that lower drain valve downward to drain into a container easier without kicking the fluid out sideways. Thanks for the video.
Hello Lone Oak, As long as you keep the minimum 50' overall length for the cooling effect and the upward slant of the lines you make make this in endless designs to fit your air cooling needs and your welcome..
I'm going to use this design, I just ordered a Dewalt compressor Model # DXCMV5048055, i'm going to use 3/4 copper pipe with your design, then maybe step it down to 1/2 with the maxline system. This is definitely the best air dryer design i've seen so far. Thanks for sharing.
This is exactly what I've been thinking of making. I had envisioned a toy marble machine that runs down a successive series of horizontal slopes rather than numerous vertical pipes. I don't see why more people don't think this way and let the water work more efficiently with gravity. As Einstein said, "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." Great engineering is only what the problem requires and no more. It's easy to over-engineer, yet difficult to make something perfect but simple and at low cost. And as you similarly said, I've watched many videos of DIY air condenser builds with many being more humorous than the last. It seems every armchair engineer wants to want to outdo one another with huge vertical systems and countless ball valves. Total overkill and waste of money. I think one guy had 10 water drain valves so I thank you for restoring my sanity here lol. My only critique is yours is set up for post tank cooling and not straight from the pump and the airflow is moving bottom up not top down which seems ok but also counter-intuitive. Pre-cooling with a condenser and water trap is more ideal to keep the tank free of water and not pump it full of hot expanded moist air. Cool dry air, being more condensed, also allows the tank to hold a greater volume of air at the same pressure. Lastly, I wouldn't think you would want the air moving one direction and the water condensate in the opposite direction. I like this set-up regardless, and feel that building a smaller, more compact unit like this could be optimal for direct out of pump condensing, but with a radiator fan on it, much like people have done with the Derale 15300 transmission cooler/condenser units or Derale 15800 (with fan built in). My pump is a large Saylor Beall 705 which is a two-stage pump with 5hp motor and 120 gallon tank. The pump is so robust I could use an 8hp motor. My main worry, as you briefly pointed out, is choking the pumps output by trying to force a large volume of air through a small cooling system on the front end. I believe the fittings and piping of the small Derale condenser units are all 1/2". If they were 5/8" or 3/4" I'd feel a lot safer about using them. They do seem to work great for some people but I'm concerned about pump life for the aforementioned reasons. I think I'll slightly down-scale what you have for pre-cooling with a 20" fan, (house or radiator style) and then possibly duplicate it again to a smaller extent if needed for additional post tank cooling/drying.
I'm glad you appreciate my simple but effective air cooler design and it sounds like you have the pre-air cooler all figured out. Good luck with your build and thanks for watching..
I did the copper pipe cooler years ago and it worked great. I moved a couple of years ago and the new garage didn't have enough wall space so I used a coil of 1/2" soft copper. I wrapped it around a plywood circle about 18" in diameter to make a uniform coil (think spring). I rigged it to spiral downhill to an automatic drain water separator at the bottom (air in at top, out at bottom). Air is back to ambient temp by the time it gets to the separator. I think the coil was 50' but it might have been 100'.
I am currently building one of these myself with 15mm copper pipe the same way as you have. i didnt like other ones on youtube especially the ones that run it vertical with several valves to drain it as i thought it was stupid to do that to be honest. the main gripe i had with it was you would have to very regularly open those valves maybe during just one use. i like the way you have done it as it allows some space in the p[ipe at the bottom to be able to store some water temporarily so you dont have to empty it so often. i would definitely empty it after each use or once a day though but the other systems had maybe 3 inch of pipe that could gather water temporarily and that just didnt make any sense to me. the way you explainerd how others do things then explained about yours i just chose your design. it makes a lot of sense the way you have done it and you said you made it 35 years ago so obviously its good otherwise you wouldn't still have it. and it is a very simple setup nothing too complicated and rightfujlly so it doesnt need to have 4 or so valves thats just over the top in my opinion. i have done mine slightly different though ive put the wood pieces closer to the centre not by much just enough so that the bends/joints on the copper pipe hang off the side of the wood. mainly because i dont trust my soldering lol. Also this way if i need to fix a joint i can use the blow torch and not worry about burning the wood. Yes, i do know you can use a soldering mat but i dont have great luck with those lol. i havent pressure tested it yet i need to get some fittings then i can put air in it to check for leaks before i mount it on the wall. i have done 2 strips of wood like you but ive also put some cross bracing between the 2 for support. it wont need it when its on the wall but while im working on it it stops the pipes flexing. Thank you again for this video its great!
Hi Toto, You can also make up the same design for a pre-air cooler, just add a fan wired to your pressure switch to keep the tubes cool by blowing cooler air on the copper tubes while its running. I'm glad the video helped your air cooling needs and thanks for watching.
I have a Saylor Beall that has a built in aftercooler that Saylor built into the compressor because its a real air compressor built by the good ole USA. I like your setup good job
That setup is nice.For most home guys it’s perfect. But when you get into larger compressors along with high air demand tools it will not keep up. I own a 2 stage V design compressor with vertical copper pipes 60’ installed onto a sheet of plywood. With a ball valve at the drop of every line (6 lines) at about 1’ from the bottom of drops so water would be less likely to go into t and more likely to drop to ball valve. Along with a 5 stage filtration system and high demand tool still get water into my desiccant filter. So I’m looking at adding a small section of copper into tub of ice water before my copper wall to increase cooling capacity.
I like this design, its the KISS theory. For those commenting on why the airflow is going 'uphill and the water having to go 'downhill', just reverse the airflow, everything will go 'downhill' then.
This is the best idea for a DIY after cooler that I've seen and I've looked at a LOT of them.. I will be building my own soon... Thanks for sharing and great idea/execution!
I most certainly have to not only agree with the person below me but you and your setup as well! Superb indeed! I've been watching videos here an there on this subject for a future air dryer setup at the campground my family owns an so glad I found yours (which is the last I'll be watching on this subject) also had to subscribe since learning about bee keeping has always been on my "to-do" list!
Best to cool the air down before it enters the tank,, l used a 25 foot roll of 1/2 inch copper tubing between the compressor pump with separator just before tank,,l ran 3/4 copper with drain drops at stations but I hardly ever get any water after doing the tubing between. It dropped the air temperature by 70 degrees
He answered all your questions so learn .listen to him again ,play video several times or many times . common sense goes a long way to under stand the language .understand what he said .
Very good info. Thank you. I thought of an old AC condenser core too, but as you say, too restrictive. I will probably build a similar set up like you have, but will use slant-fit baseboard heat lines, as they have the radiant fins on the lines, then I will not need as long a run, but will still need the zig zag. Great info. Also I plan to set up automatic blow offs, since I don’t want to keep opening the drains all day. I also live in a humid place. Right by the beach in Jersey.
I'm a 41year semi retired HVAC engineer FYI. If done correctly, the a/c condenser will work very well. Some people think the condenser is only one line going through the coil....but it's not and will have a header and several separate lines traveling through the coil. 4 or 5-> 3/8" lines will not restrict a 3/4" header. Just make sure to use a 5/8" or 3/4" (OD) feeder and collector on the input/ output...this is critical---> make sure to collect all the end run output 3/8" tubes and tie them into a 5/8" or 3/4" collector tubes....the factory will neck them all down to one 3/8" tube at its exit. Also make sure their is no cap tube or lines below 3/8" size in the condenser and....don't use one off of a heat pump
I have a water distillation unit that has a spiral condensing coil of finned stainless tubing, it takes water vapor at 212F and gets it cooled to liquid state at the end. It has a powerful fan under it and is very compact. I like the Idea of a compact efficient condenser. I'm sure this home brew 50' of copper pipe on the wall works OK under moderate duty conditions. I'd like to see how it holds up under heavy duty long running in summer heat. Gravity doesn't help much if the air isn't cooled enough.
this set up makes sense and seems to incorporat some basic old school plumbing ideas used with radiators long ago. but I don't understand how the hot air from the compressor pump itself is going back into the tank. If you have an after cooler isn't the idea to cool the air before it's in the tank to help eliminate moister build up in the tank itself from condensation due to internal/external temp. differentiation? this appears to just take the output from the compressor which I am assuming is the tank outlet, since it all terminates with the final filtration and orange flexible tubing on the coil. or is that somehow going back into the tank itself after cooling?
This design can be used for both pre and after air cooling, you'll need to fan cool the tubes for pre-air cooling. If you run your compressor for any length of time the 195-degree heated air will warm up the tank removing any cooling effect from the steel tank, this is where an after-cooler is most effective. The orange hose goes to an air hose in the part of the shop that is not cooled or heated, which I sometimes use to do projects. Thanks for watching.
This looks to be the most effective design I’ve seen. I’ve ordered a new compressor and it’s on it’s way, so I will need to get this completed quickly as it has to sit on the wall behind the compressor. I was wondering if you could either post a detailed drawing or picture or send one to me as of your coolers as there are some parts of it that are not quite as clear on the video as I think I need? I understand the cooler and dryer, but your drip legs and connections are puzzling. Thanks in advance, Kelly
Hi Kelly, It is all put together using copper solder fittings that are at any hardware store. The drip legs are just sections of the same copper pipe with some copper fittings that are 3/4" NPT female to 3/4" pipe solder fitting for the ball valve drains and the inlet from the compressor. For the air outlet end to your air regulator you'll need the same type of fitting but reduced down to your air regulator needs, they are usually 1/4", 3/8" or 1/2" NPT ("National Pipe Thread" is used in the USA, outside the USA it is called BSPT) Ounce you get it all cut and laid out to solder you'll see how easy it is to make. Good luck with your build..
Jeff, thanks for the quick reply. I ordered my parts from the big box store online this morning. I was able to slow down the video to ¼ speed then pause it in just the right places to take screen shots of the parts I wasn’t sure about. Then I blew them up and could see them more clearly. The most offending spot is the location of where your riser comes out from the drip line the makes a 90* up to the ball valve. It almost looks like there’s a + and not a T in that location. I got it now. Thanks again. Kelly
Interesting. I designed one very similar to yours. I use 10, 5 foot 3/4” copper pipes in a switchback fashion along the wall. Nice because there’s only one drain valve instead of one for each vertical pipe. I’d like to share my design with you. Get your comments. It’s all in power point. I enter mine from the top, so the air and water move in the same direction. Then I go into a refrigerated cooler with 3/4” soft copper tube in a double helix. The air enters from the bottom, cycles up through the inner helix, turns around and cycles down in the outer helix. This is all contained in a bucked that has chilled water circulating through. Last night I thought how I might reconfigure the hard copper switchback by turning each 180 degree turn around out by 5 degrees. So it becomes sort of a rectangular helix. This sticks out about 4” from the wall, but cuts the height in half. Let me know if you want to see my plans. We obviously think alike on this and I want your thoughts. Good work. Paul
I’m just about to build a system for my new compressor and saw your video. What is the length of the pipe between the bends please? I’m still don’t know if to put in a cooler between the compressor and tank as I am going to be painting cars?
Hi Russel, The beauty of this system is you can modify the length of pipe to fit your area. My first one that I built for my body shop had the same design but with 10' pipes and total of 60' but I needed that to remove moisture for the sandblaster. My best advice is to use a Motor guard filter after your air regulator and then thread a new air hose into it for a permanent airline for painting, that way you won't get any contamination paint. Some more advice don't buy the motor guard filters just use the cheapest which usually means the stiffest toilet paper you can find. To answer your first question the length of the pipes is 40", just make sure you have a minimum of 50' for your air cooler. You can also use this design a pre-air cooler just be sure to put a fan on the copper tubes.
I love your set up and I'm planning to use it. Thank you for posting! Question - there is a good amount of talk on line about people using Type M, Type L or Type K copper pipe for Air Compressor lines. Do you know which kind you used here? Would be great to know. Thanks. Hopefully I didn't miss it where you've already mentioned in the comments below.
Hi Rob, This is the copper I used, unfortunately the price has really gone up. If you really need a good air filter that has a replaceable filter (using cheap toilet paper) get a Motorguard air filter. Good luck with the build. www.lowes.com/pd/Cambridge-Lee-3-4-in-x-10-ft-Copper-M-Pipe/1000044577
Hey Jeff, this appeared, in all respects, logical, so I built it, almost identical to yours, only difference is my in and out is on left side, that's it. I was getting, for years, water vapor in air tools etc. especially with heavy compressor usage, 60 gal. tank 11.5 cfm, which was OK but then I needed to spray paint vehicles, not OK any more. After a week or so it seems to be working, including spray painting, (expensive stuff to screw up). For me it was worth the time of 2 days to make despite the big box store hit for 60' of 3/4" copper and fittings (ouch) and hydraulic hose fittings. I would upload pic if I could, people like to show off their work even if it is copied I guess. I think the only time this would give me trouble is in the event of wicked heavy compressor usage, like almost constant, the water droplets might not be able to fight the velocity of the air going through, that kind of air usage is very rare for me though. I did view, of course, many of the other TH-cam designs which are predominantly vertical runs, I don't understand the logic of the physics there, air would have to pass through a gauntlet of a minimum of 3/4" of water on every loop unless drained repeatedly. To each their own I guess, thank you very much for sharing your design/concept !!! David in Maine
Hello David, Your welcome and I'm glad yours turned out so well. Try a Motor Guard air filter, in my body shop days I used one after the water/air separator and just before the air regulator they worked great. Just use the cheapest and roughest toilet paper for the replacement filters.
@@jeffwillard2417 I will consider that, I saw that mentioned multiple times in the other posts. I also looked up the price, (I think $100 or so), at build time I installed a cheap HF desiccant dryer dedicated to paint sprayer hose only. Obviously won't last more than 1 or 2 squirt sessions I believe and if I have trouble beyond that then your toilet paper holder will probably be next. I'm sure Fla. humidity is much more of an issue than an odd unusual humid hot summer up here which has been the case this year. thx david ps keep those bees down there !!!!!!
It is a filter base and filter assembly that I purchased online from Surplus Center. Most any filter assembly with work just make sure it has a burst pressure rating of 200 psi or more.
Thanks for the video, so you don't have anything setup to try to keep the water out of the compressor tank? Seems most units connect between the compressor and the tank? Just curious what the benefits of either.
HI Rick, Your are referring to a pre-air cooler that is between the compressor and the tank. A pre-air cooler is helpful to begin the condensation of the moisture, people have said that they are making two of these air coolers, one as a pre-air cooler and an after air cooler, just make sure you have a fan on the pre-air cooler because the air out out the compressor head is about 190 degrees and the hotter the copper gets the less it will cool.
The moisture isn’t squeezed out of the air (to a dramatic extent) until the air sees the great pressure drop, hence the need to dry only as the air comes down to your needed pressure. What tiny amount of condensate that forms in the high pressure air in the tank is removed by that beautiful bowl shaped bottom and opening the draincock daily. Just make sure you have at least 50’ of rigid pipe AFTER the tank as shown here, but preferably with a few more moisture traps along its length.
Hi Dion, I got it from Surplus Center online, it has a 250-psi burst rating and all oil filters are a pleated paper filter except for Hastings oil filters that uses a fiber material. Good luck...
Great intro to a cooling / drying system! Just need two question answered as I prepare to cut my tubing to 36" lengths for my build, which I calculated will reach six feet high to get 50' of radiator (about 16 cross overs)...Read through all the comments but am still confused: 1. Regarding getting the slant right, did you make your connectors for the rise of each 180 degree corner the same length and then merely "lift" opposite ends of each cross flow run a bit higher as your mounted them, or, did you cut longer connections to form slightly "higher" ends at one side of the system than the other? 2. Where to find whip hoses (I need four for my build that includes an auxiliary tank to fill in tandem with or independently from my compressor, plus two hose reels where I supply the lead hose), and what to use for 3/4" to 3/8" adapters and valves? (feel so dumb about these).
Hello Escort36, Always remember there are no dumb questions, that is how people learn and shorten their learning curve on everything. The section between the two elbows can be as short or long as you would like them, mine are just long enough to have about a 3/4" space between the two 90 degree fittings. You are correct all you have to do is anchor one side then slightly lift the other to make the downward slant, you don't need a steep angle for it to drain. Wherever they make hydraulic hoses near you ask them if they have a more flexible single braid hydraulic hose (one wire of steel wrap on the hose) in the size you need, I'm sure they will most places do, if no one near you does you can also order them on line. You'll need one end of the hose with a fixed fitting and one end with a swivel end in what ever pipe size you need. You can use cheaper hose but with hydraulic hose you never have to worry about it bursting open. When you make the air cooler just use the sweat on fittings in 3/4" (NPT) pipe and then you can use 3/4' pipe ball valves and a reducer from 3/4" down to the 3/8" pipe or 1/2" pipe (NPT) line whichever you going to use for your water separator, air filter and your air regulator. Be careful when ordering online because a lot of stuff comes from China and they make pipe fittings in both BSP (British Standard Pipe) and NPT, always buy the "NPT" (National pipe thread) Good luck..
Jeff I like your approach to reducing the moisture from the compressed air the best of any I have seen, the one question no one has asked is what schedule of copper pipe did you use? K or L or do you know? Thank you! 🛫
Hello FalconJet Driver, I purchased it at Lowes years ago and it is the M type classification with a burst pressure of about 700 PSI, it is your standard ridged pluming copper. It now costs $16.25 for each 10' length, have fun building it.
I use vertical PVC with 3 different ball valves. Love it! I did it this way because it blows up and I want people to tell me how stupid I am. Oh, I was also smart enough to make a safety box/wall in front of it. Delete me
How did you handle the unloader valve? Without moving it, you drain the air in your cooler every time the motor stops. This is my last hang up. I need to deactivate the unloader between the compressor and check valve on tank, and put one between the compressor and check valve going into the cooler. Can you help me with how to do this? Thanks, Paul
Hi Paul, You got me a little confused on this, you should be using the exit air port on the tank not the unloader or check valve for the after air-cooler but if your making one for a pre air-cooler you need to come off the pump discharge side into the cooler and then into the tank. Depending on the compressors pluming you may have to a three way tee at a top tank fitting. Now the next problem is matching up the threads, imported compressors will be metric or a BSP pipe thread. If your making a pre cooler be sure to run a fan on the tubes to keep them cool while the pump is running. Good luck and thanks for watching.
@@jeffwillard2417 Hi Jeff. I don’t know the lingo so I don’t know what an exit air port is. But as it stands, there is a 1/2” soft copper tube going from the compressor to the check valve in the tank. The check valve has a little 1/4” exit port that runs 1/4” soft copper to the pressure switch. This is connected to an unloader valve. So when the compressor switches off, the pressure switch knows and opens the unloader valve to drain the line between compressor and tank. So I think I figured it out. Disconnect the 1/4 line and replace it with a flexible hose going from the unloader valve up to the exit from the compressor. The pressure switch won’t know that I changed the other end from the tank input to the compressor output. So now I will have a 1/2” outlet at the compressor, connected to a 3/4” male mpt. This is connected to a 3/4 x 3/4 x 1/4” tee. The 1/4” hose will connect to the tee and the other flexible hose connects to the 3/4” outlet on the other side of the tee. (Following this?). So now the unloader valve will only purge the air between the compressor and my cooler. My copper pipes will be painted black and stand off from a plywood backing by a few inches. 50’ of 3/4” copper pipe and then into 100’ of a 3/4” soft copper double helix in a chilled bath. Then into the tank. Thanks for your help Jeff.
Hi Todd, I had a gentleman from South Africa making one for his plasma cutter, that is one of the two things on my To-Get list a Tig Welder and Plasma cutter.
Hello Jeff, Wonderful design, thanks for sharing with us , do you have approximately what percentage of moisture gets removed from air . I am going to use this for dehydration system of vegertables so I will be heating air again , Kindly do share your suggestions if you have any.
Hi Ashutosh, That is an interesting idea you have, the amount of moisture removed depends on how much humidity is in the air that needs to be cooled and condensed. I wish I could give you more info for your dehydration system, let me know how it works out for you, good luck...
Would it work better to hook up the Condenser in between the Compressor and the Tank ? And that would help keep the Tank Dry. Or would that be to muchfor the condenser to handle right off of the Compressor ? Because right off of the Compressor the air would be hotter and maybe moving faster. And I say movingfaster because moving the air from Compressor to the Tank First would be like hitting a Big Speed Bump. The Tank would be like a bigger Cooler Tube for the air to hit before going in to the Condenser. ( I don't know just thinking out Loud )
Hello BR, It would probably help as a pre-cooler between the compressor and tank, with that much air moving through the copper lines you would need to cool them with a fan. The average shop compressor produces 10 to 20 CFM and that is a lot of air to cool. They are easy to make , you could make two coolers and place one before the tank and one after. Good luck..
I like your setup and I can see some very solid, physics based advantages but, you never point out the reasons the copper pipe setup in the up-down-up-down configuration is not as good as yours. Please explain. Thank you.
The air coming FROM your tank is actually freezing because it's being DEcompressed (ever had an air tool ice up after extended use?). The air going TO the tank is the 200 deg. hot humid air, where these coolers are most effective?
Can you please explain why you think uphill is better than downhill for the majority of the cooler? Seems that fighting gravity would hold much of the water that's condensing out of the air within the cooler itself. It seems reasonable that once you open the first ball valve, a good chunk of the water would be blown out, but wouldn't you get more of it if it were going downhill as it cooled? Thanks!
This design would probably work in either air flow direction but I think the airflow going uphill will keep the condensation/water away from the filter much better as the condensation/water is draining back downhill away from the filter and regulator. Either way you make it have fun and good luck with the build.
hi Jett how are you . i got a question so if you don’t mind answering . i got a compressor but the air is not stock inside the barrel ( tank) and no pressure coming from that so what’s the problem of my compressor thank you again if you’re gonna answer my question regards Elvio
i will build your design , its the simplest. any idea what drop in pressure and flow we will expect? its 15meters of pipe it will restrict the flow and drop the pressure while using a tool that needs high flow (air hoses do the same). can we use a 15 meters non insulated copper pipe and bend it like your example to avoid the soldering and the elbows?it should work the same . can we use like 4 rows of 3 meters each to minimize the elbows and the soldering if we copy your design?
If you are use air tools with an air regulator a pressure drop it wouldn't be noticeable. If you are using a direct connection for an air coupler high pressure line, there would be a slight drop but not enough to hinder the effect of a sandblaster. You just need to make sure that you use a 19mm (3/4") diameter copper for a flow of air with minimal resistance, a smaller diameter copper will give you restricted air flow when using large volumes of air.
@@jeffwillard2417 i think either using or not a regulator , when using 10meters long air hose the drop will be there.am i wrong? for the flow you are correct 3/4 is plenty to have good flow , plus the high flow fittings at the tools. but the max pressure doesnt drop proportional to your hose length?
The majority of the air pressure drop will be at the end of your air hose, from hose I.D. size and length. Use the recommend manufacture air pressure on any of your air sanding tools and keep them oiled they will last longer.
Thanks for the info, I’m going to use return bends to keep the flow up as well. Is that spin on filter made specifically for air? Haven’t seen one used like that, where did you get the filter base?
Hi Dan, It is actually an oil filter assembly, I bought it for the base but it has worked great as a secondary filter so I never changed it to an air filter. You can interchange to an air filter by the thread size and gasket size in any auto parts store. Here is the web site for the base; www.surpluscenter.com/Hydraulics/Hydraulic-Filters/Filters/3-8-NPT-7-GPM-Return-Line-Filter-9-7291.axd
why did you decide to have the condensate flowing against the air flow. inlet at the top instead of the bottom. it seems the water would drain easier with the air pushing it as well as gravity? tks
Hi Lee, I just think it is more efficient to have the condensed water droplets flow directed away from the air outlet than having the air push the droplets towards the air outlet and filters.
It's a well known fact that expanding air cools. I have been thinking about a manifold type build with several 3/16's (6 to 8) orifices dumping into another manifold that has at least a 3/4 feed out. I do like this design though
The flaw in that plan is that after you expand the air, it's not compressed any more. The goal is to have cool *compressed* air, not cool uncompressed air.
Hi Jeff. I really like this model allot over the up down up down design. I'm really interested to hear your thoughts on installing this system after the compressor head and before the tank? To prevent moisture inside the tank and have dry air directly out of the tank. Do you think this is a good idea? or not so much? Thanks so much for taking the time to share this video!!
Hi Taylor, This design will work perfectly for a "pre-air cooler". You'll need to wire a fan to the pressure switch so when it is pumping air the fan is cooling the lines, otherwise the 195 degree heated air will quickly heat the copper lines and negate any cooling effect of the copper pipe. Good luck with your build and thanks for watching...
They are basically the same principle but the vertical design needs a ball valve drain at the bottom of each tube junction/connection, otherwise the air flow will push the condensed water over into the next tube. So your saving approx $20.00 to $40.00 in ball valves used for drains, by building the horizontal design which is self draining by gravity to the one ball valve.
Why not to use just soft copper tube and wind it to huge copper tube coils with water trap at down? I think it's will be much more effective, time saving, and may be less expensive, because you not need to buy copper couplings, not so much soldering, etc...
This video is to show how simple an air cooler can be made, you can use whatever size copper that will fit your needs. Just keep in mind that you should use a minimum of 3/4" copper line for proper moisture condensing and to reduce any air volume restrictions.
my husband really like the setup you have. Can you please send a list of materials you used for it? I would really appreciate it. Thank you for your time
Hi Jessica, That is easy, Lowes or Home Depot will have 10 foot lengths of 3/4" copper pipe, get a minimum of 5 pieces to give yourself 50' of cooling. The overall design length will be up to your husband and wall space, the first one that I made I used the full 10' lengths of copper without cutting them, I had more wall space in my old shop. You just need to figure out how many copper elbows and tees you'll need, I used 1/2" brass ball valves for the drains I got those on Ebay. Next add a finale moisture trap then a filter I used a screw on filter, the links are below. Hope this helps.. www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?dir=asc&order=EAScore%2Cf%2CEAFeatured+Weight%2Cf%2CSale+Rank%2Cf&q=air+filter www.surpluscenter.com/Hydraulics/Hydraulic-Filters/Filters/3-8-NPT-7-GPM-Return-Line-Filter-9-7291.axd www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?dir=asc&order=EAScore%2Cf%2CEAFeatured+Weight%2Cf%2CSale+Rank%2Cf&q=Air+Regulator
I like your video how about some measurements and almost all the after coolers I’ve watched they run the compressor to the after cooler back to the tank .you said you had 50 ft of copper at my Home Depot it’s $ 440.00 plus tax and fittings
Hi William, The cost at our Lowes per 3/4" X 10' piece is $23.27 and Home Depot is $32.79, so the cost for five 10' sections $116.35 @ Lowes and $163.95 @ Home Depot, I'm not sure why there is such a big cost difference. I guess the best bet is to shop around, good luck..
This is an after-cooler connected to the air tank outlet. You can also make this as a pre-air cooler connected to the compressor head before the air goes into the tank, you just need to put a fan on it to cool the tubes.
I love the simplicity of this design. I kind of went ridiculous in the other direction, it’s not simple at all unfortunately. I am just finishing up with my intercooler (between pump and tank) using a 1/2” in, 1/2” out B&M transmission cooler, with a matching automotive fan, run by a computer power supply that I have triggered by the compressor’s automatic switch (220v setting.) I put an auto drain on the low side, another auto drain on the tank, and a large desiccant filter after the tank. For all the work I’ve put into it, I really hope it works! If not, I’ll be taking it all back down and replicating your dryer setup. It’s for sand blasting, plasma cutting and powder coating. I’m crossing my fingers!
Hi Mike, With all that you put into your cooling system even if it didn't work exactly the way you wanted it to I think I would just leave it on because it sounds impressive. You can always make one of these simple line coolers and attach anywhere away from your tank but I hope your original system works well for you.
Hi Six4Foot, Years ago when I was doing a lot of sandblasting using a pressurized blaster, large CFM's of dry air was ultra important. So back then I was using a Motor Guard filter before the high pressure coupler to remove any residual moisture that may have gotten past the water traps and water separator/filter, a clogged sandblaster is a pain I never needed a desiccant filter. Here is a tip if you purchase a Motor Guard filter don't buy their filters use the cheapest and stiffest rolls of toilet paper you can find, that is what I used :) :)....
Hi Ken, It is all 3/4" ridge copper pipe some 90 degree elbows and a Tee that is sold at any Lowe's, Home Depot or plumbing supply store. You should make it so it is a minimum of 50' in length or longer and make it to fit whatever space you have on your wall. On the end you'll need a water/separator trap and an air regulator, look on Amazon or Harbor Freight for the best prices. Good luck in your air cooler building.
That’s a damn good idea! Best one I’ve seen to date! Been there over 30 years you say? How often do you have to open the ball valve & drain out the condensation? Will this work for painting cars??
Hi Paul, Thanks, I made up this design back when I had a Body Shop 35 years ago, the one in this video is in my wood working shop. The original was the same design but with 6 cross pipes and each one was 10' long. At the outlet end I had a water/air separator, then a high pressure air coupler, after that was a Motor Guard paper air filter and finally the air regulator. The trick with the Motor Guard filter is to use the cheapest and stiffest toilet paper you can find, don't buy their filters. Plus screw a new air hose into to a paint regulator so it can't be removed, that is to eliminate any air contamination from using another air hose to paint with. Well at least that is what I did and the system worked very well and didn't cost much. The condensation depends on the outside humidity but you could crack the ball valves every few days to see what you've been collecting..
Hello Jeff, great video and thanks for sharing! Few questions. I have a 60 gal, 155 max PSI, 14.5 cfm at 90 PSI (pretty typical) air compressor. Minus the cost of copper, if I ran 25 ft of 1in copper tube would this equally cool the air as a 50ft 3/4 copper tube. After reading all 300+ comments I haven't seen anything that questioned the length-to-pressure drop ratio. For my compressor with 25ft of 1in tube+high flow fittings+25ft of 3/8 air hose = 50+ft or more of length. Would my compressor still push enough PSI at the end of the hose for automotive painting and tools?
Hello Sheldon, I would stay with the 3/4" for several reasons, cost the 3/4" is much cheaper and the 50ft of 3/4" gives you a longer cooling process. I don't experience any loss of pressure using my air tools. If you're going to run a sandblaster you can always make a tee before the air cooler to connect an auxiliary compressor and compensate for the extra air pressure/volume required for sandblasting. The specs sounds like you have about the same compressor as me.
I Love the gigantic water traps. Can be made the size of an A4 sheet by just using a small radiator(trans cooler or similar) and then an auto water trap straight after. No need at all for a giant setup like this. Plus straight copper tube doesn't have a huge amount of surface area, hence the need for so much tube.
Hi John, The problems with PVC is it has more of an insulating effect with the heated compressed air, it won't dissipate the heat as copper does. Plus there is always that chance of bursting when the PVC starts to break down from contaminated air with oil or if exposed to sunlight (UV rays)
Looks like a simple and effective design. I am interested in building a similar setup, but as I have a fair bit of room, I was considering stretching out the width of it to some 6 meters, with only 3 horisontal legs. With that in mind, a question came up: does the actual number of horisontal lines matter? Or the amount of rise, height difference between the top and bottom of the system? I hope you could clarify that. Thank you in advance!
Hi Timo, That will work also, it actually would be like the first air cooler I made for my body shop which was 60' (18 meters) long using 10' long copper pipe. Just keep the uphill design and the drops for water drainage. That is what I like about the design is it can be adapted to any size or space needed. Good luck with your build.
@@jeffwillard2417 ....why would you use an uphill design? The velocity of air will be entraining the water along the pipe with its flow. It would be much better to let the air push it down to your trap and also work with gravity. Otherwise....you depend on gravity to drain the water back down the pipe, to the trap. when the airflow shuts off...and hopefully it will be off long enough for the water to get to the trap before it restarts.
Hey Jeff, thanks for sharing your design, love the video. Does your system have a step down after the air passes through the 3/4 copper cooling tubes? Could I make this system and have it connect to my 3/8 filter/regulator/hose and not have any issues? Or does it need to be 3/4 tubing from the compressor to the air tool? I hope my questions make sense. Thanks! Also, awesome what you do with bees!
Hi Beau, The only reduction in pipe size from the compressor and air cooler is at my air filter/trap assembly which is 3/8" NPT and that size continues with the air regulator and air hose, which is the most common size in shops and garages. Only industrial situations that need huge amounts of air go above the more common 1/4" , 3/8" or 1/2" air filter and regulator pipe sizes. This air cooler will connect to your existing 3/8" air filter, reg and hose just fine, thanks for the bee compliment and watching the video, I hope this helps.
I know this was posted almost 2 years ago but I'm getting ready to make one for my quincy air compressor. Did you just slightly bend the piping to get that out of level run on the long pipes? Hope I explained my question good enough.
Hi Robert, Yes it was, the copper pipe has enough flex in it for a 1" incline on each row of tubes. Just incline the first pipe (bottom pipe) then incline each pipe approx 1" on the mount after the first one, easy peasy ... Good luck.
Hi Damon, It doesn't bother the soldered joint at all, the pipe flexes enough to achieve the incline. The one I'm using now was made 15 years ago and still works perfectly.
The reason a small diameter aircond condenser works is because you pull the air off right as it comes out of the compressor, which is low flow anyway, run it thru the cooler and then allow the air to EXPAND as it enters the tank. You have yours backwards or dont have a storage tank as you are cooling it after it exits the large storage tank. That is totally backwards.
I have used this design air cooler for over 30 years starting in my Body Shop and I'm still using a smaller version in my work shop. They both worked great producing completely dry air...... for being totally backwards as you say it is, as I always say each to their own.
Hello Jeff, thanks for sharing, how did you connect the air compressor with the first pipe? I heard you said you used a 3/4 inch hydraulic something...I need the exact pieces in order to make the right connections please. I appreciate it
I used the one wire single wrap 3/4" hydraulic hose which is the most flexible and two crimped on swivel 3/4" NPTF (pipe thread female) to make up my hose that is about 45" long, most auto and farm supply store's will make them up while you wait. The hydraulic hose does several things it removes the vibration from the compressor so it is not transmitted to the air cooler and it also made it easy to go through the outer wall into my shop, I'm all about doing it the simple and easy way......
Hi Jeff, I came for the electric knife uncapper then found your air dryer assembly. Very happy I did. Apart from a handful of hives I buy and rebuild skid steers as a hobby too. It’s how I get my “play money”. I will end up building one of these as it can get quite humid where I am in Australia and the water separator filters just don’t do a good enough job and saturate quickly. You mentioned a sand blaster. Is it homemade? Is it just a cabinet size or something that would suit sandblasting a few ton skid steer? I need to build one of those too. 😃 Thank you Sir, Cheers 🍻
Hello Nigel, It sounds like your a busy man. In the past I have spent many hours on the business end of a pressurized sandblaster with every body part covered in sand and dust, so I know how important it is to keep the air dry. I now have a factory build free standing cabinet blaster for small parts. I used this same design air cooler back in my blasting days that was 60' long in just the copper cooling pipes, a little longer than the one I'm using now the video. Good luck in your build.
@@jeffwillard2417 Thanks Jeff, I’m in two minds with the blaster. Thinking of possibly making a wet blaster to help negate the dust and health concerns. Pros and cons of both types, slight corrosion being one of course. Great info on the air dryer. I’ve got plenty of free wall space here. No more moisture at the spray gun will be nice. Will start collecting the parts 👍👍 Cheers 🍻
This design works as a pre-air cooler or an after-air cooler, wherever you want to use it. You'll need to fan cool the tubes if used as a pre-air cooler.
Hi Jack, From all the info I have seen a 50-50 tin lead solder will give you a 200 PSI rating and the 95-5 solder is 500 PSI rating, both are well within the average shop's compressor regulator setting for pressure cut off. If I an remembering correctly, the burst pressure of the 3/4" copper pipe is 600 PSI.
@@jeffwillard2417 The working pressures of soldered joints are substantially less above room temperature. For 50-50 tin-lead, the working pressure is only 100 psi at 200F. 95-5 tin-antimony is much better, about 300 psi at 200F. Your numbers are fairly accurate at 100F, but for this application, high temps are more relevant.
Hi John thanks for the info, I reference this link for my information on page #28 www-eng.lbl.gov/~shuman/NEXT/MATERIALS&COMPONENTS/Pressure_vessels/copper_tube_handbook.pdf
Can this be done in black iron pipe? I have very limited experience soldering copper. Just bought a 60 gallon 2 stage compressor for my home garage. Its bigger than i should need but that was the point.
Hi Mike, The big problem with iron pipe is eventually it will rust out plus the excess weight, copper is lighter and has a quicker heat transfer than steel. Soldering copper is really quit simple, like I said in the video just make sure to remove all the dull oxidation inside the fittings and outside the pipe before soldering. Just get the copper hot enough so the solder gets drawn into the joint let the torch do the work. Practice with some copper pipe and fittings you can't ruin it, if it doesn't come out the first time just unsolder the joint and start again. I'm sure there is a bunch of You-Tube videos on how to solder copper pipe, it will be a skill that you will use over and over in your life, Good luck....
@@jeffwillard2417 the line coming into the copper, is that coming out of the tank or out of the compressor itself? Im not sure if i need to come out of the compressor to the copper then into the tank. Or just out of the tank into the copper
Hi Mike, Mine is coming out of the tank and the inlet hose is a single braid 3/4" hydraulic hose with one fixed end and one swivel, this hydraulic hose also helps in reducing the vibration to the copper pipes. An air cooler that is between the compressor and tank is called a pre-air cooler which people are using this design to make and one after the tank is called an after air cooler. If your using a lot of compressed air you'll need a fan on the pre-air cooler or the copper pipe will heat up and loose it's ability to dissipate the heat from the heated compressor air.
@@jeffwillard2417 only time ill be using it alot is when im painting which wont be but a couple times over the life of the compressor. Only have 1 paint project planned but it wont be continuous for long periods of time. Thats why i figured the air after cooler combined with a filter/dryer/regulator setup after the air cooler but before my hose reel would work just fine
I've been thinking about building one of these "air dryer systems" as well. I have a question for you, would there be a benefit of having longer tubes at the bottom going to the 4 drain valves so that more moisture could drain to the bottom? Also, could this same system be build out of the plastic air compressor pipes or PEX that is often seen in commercial shops or large garages? The question is, are the pipes that make up this "air dryer system", required to be copper or brass? Both of those are far more expensive that PEX tubing. What is you opinion? Thank you.
Hi Jim, PVC and PEX being a plastic material does not dissipate the heat like copper does, plus it is affected buy the Sun's U.V. making it brittle. Copper may cost more but it will last a lifetime and you'll never have to worry about a line blowout and possible shards of PVC flying through the air. A little extra cost for copper in the beginning is worth it. You could modify the bottom line drain but I would just crack the ball valve and drain it more often...... Good luck in your air cooler build.
Hi Thumper, It is pretty simple after the air cooler lines I have a flex hose with swivel ends (a hydraulic line with swivel ends is better) then in goes into a water separator trap, I then have a separate air hose coupler for high pressure (sandblasting), then into a spin on paper oil filter (a motor guard air filter is the best), then into an air regulator and finally into an air hose coupler. Hope this helps..
Hello George, I'm sure you already know that you use the air equipment that fits your needs, this system I made and shared with everyone is for the the shop/hobbyist with a 9 to 16 CFM compressor. It supplies ultra clean air for all of my spray guns, air tools and my large sand blast cabinet. This system is not made for a high production industrial shop that uses huge volumes of air or well maybe if they increased the line size and length of the cooler. You can also purchase whatever inlet/outlet size water trap/filter you need to match your air supply and use. I'm sorry if my design offends you, this is to give people an idea what they can do on their own and it works great for me.....
hey bud I'm thinking of a 1/2" coil condenser figure I would feed the air in the top and use the natural taper of the coil to let the water settle toward the bottom of the coil you have any ideas on what type of filter /water trap I could use at the bottom of the coil to collect the water?
There is a easier way and in my opinion better way, mount the cooler between the compressor an the airtank and let the water flow in the airtank. The benefit is you dont have the resistance of the cooler while using big airtools. So you can use smaller and cheaper pipes, the air direct from the compressor is the hottest so your cooler work more efficent. And because all water get collected in the tank you has only one spot you need to drain, which you can do with an automatic valve.
Oh so simple .. So beautiful. Not a mess of valves and two smart traps. Only thing making me sad is the copper $$. Hah I run an art air brush.. I use brass fittings to isolate tampons, it's a small draw of air and it works as good as a 300 Buck unit. Just hard to purchase the "Part" unless your female partner gets for you. Great Video Ill be sketching that up for when I can get the copper Thanks Much !! ........ Only thing I could add is to lay it all out stretch just a little then brace it down.. so you have a little angle on the parallel parts.(Wouldn't even have to solder like that, as it would stretch) it would then certainly all drain down hill... no biggie though.
@@jeffwillard2417 another great air dryer to put after pipe system and before desiccant filter, is the TOILET PAPER ROLL holder/dryer! Motorguard makes it, about 50-$60. Works great
I used a Motorguard filter in my body shop years and years ago and it did work great, I had my painting air line screwed directly into it for a permanently "clean air hose" I used the cheapest toilet paper rolls you could get instead of their filter replacement. Back then they were $50.00 to $60.00 now they cost $70.00 to $100.00.
Among all the different designs I´ve seen I guees this is the most functional, creative, simple and cheap.
Thank you for sharing the information 😲😳👍
You're most welcome
This is the best one I've seen yet.
Thank you, I hope it helps.
Certainly, this is a beautifully compact design with most of the features of the cooling lines of a professional paint shop and works perfectly for a one-man shop. 2 small additions I would recommend are to add three vértice water traps along its length and to run the air downhill. In the uphill case, especially without multiple traps, the air is constantly flowing over a stream of water trying to come down, which interferes with its desire to drop to water it’s holding.
well the air isnt constantly flowing except when you are using it of course so i dont see there being an issue and as said the air cools and the water drops out of the air and obviously water is heavier than air.
Old bull /young bull......l have just spent about 2 hours looking at ideas for this concept but in the back of my mind basic physics kept saying to me there was a more effecient way, l saw all the versions you stated........low and behold while lm checking out CNC machines your vid pops up and confirms exactly what was on my mind except l hadnt taken the leap for that design. Thanks mate....bloody great!!! Im yr vintage and l very clearly see the logic of its simplicity!!!
Hello Brent,
It is always enjoyable to hear from people who are interested in making an air cooler using my design. I think guys in our "vintage" are always looking for the way to make something in the most simplistic and logical way. Good luck with your air cooler and CNC machine (I'm jealous) that is a tool I'd love to have.....plus a Tig welder, Plasma cutter, etc, etc.....
Made one according to your design, thanx for the advice! I cleaned the pipes vigorously with sanding paper and ethanol before fluxing and soldering. Zero leaks on the solder joints! Also I use the flex piping for an additional pressure tank of an old compressor and the return from the cooler. I installed it from the motor to the tank so there is an extra drain option. Only downside is when the compressor shuts off, it releases the pressure from the cooler, but that is fine by me.
Hi Jurik,
Sounds like you did a great job, thanks for watching...
Dude this is the first person to actually explain how it works, i got it before but now makes real sense.
My problem is i don't have space to do this in that scale and there must be more efficient means that don't involve static devices
As long as you keep the basic design you can configure this air cooler into any space available and it will still work.
This makes more sense than any other of the DIY after-cooler videos I've seen. A simple, yet effective design without restricting flow. Would love to see the temperature difference at each end of the copper tubing while the compressor is running. Well done Sir!
Hi Double D,
I've never made any temperature readings at the beginning and end of the air cooler but I have used my cabinet sandblaster for several hours and still didn't have any moisture inside the inline water trap, hope this info helps and thank you....
@@jeffwillard2417 this is fantastic as this is the main reason im building one like this for the sand blasting cabinet. i discovered rather quickly water is a problem even though i got a water trap after the compressor and one at the cabinet as well which is after 30 metres of pipe/hose
Very simple and effective, I'm drawing one up to build as I'm having trouble with water as temps drop here in the fall in MN. I considered using 1/2" for cost but 3/4" will have 50% more surface area to reject heat so for anyone thinking of building one don't cheap out... :) One small modification, I'm going to turn that lower drain valve downward to drain into a container easier without kicking the fluid out sideways. Thanks for the video.
Hello Lone Oak,
As long as you keep the minimum 50' overall length for the cooling effect and the upward slant of the lines you make make this in endless designs to fit your air cooling needs and your welcome..
As a plumber I approve this. Actually I did my setup the same. used wirsbo.
I'm going to use this design, I just ordered a Dewalt compressor Model # DXCMV5048055, i'm going to use 3/4 copper pipe with your design, then maybe step it down to 1/2 with the maxline system. This is definitely the best air dryer design i've seen so far. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Scott,
Your welcome and the air cooler will do an excellent job removing moisture for you..
This is exactly what I've been thinking of making. I had envisioned a toy marble machine that runs down a successive series of horizontal slopes rather than numerous vertical pipes. I don't see why more people don't think this way and let the water work more efficiently with gravity. As Einstein said, "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." Great engineering is only what the problem requires and no more. It's easy to over-engineer, yet difficult to make something perfect but simple and at low cost.
And as you similarly said, I've watched many videos of DIY air condenser builds with many being more humorous than the last. It seems every armchair engineer wants to want to outdo one another with huge vertical systems and countless ball valves. Total overkill and waste of money. I think one guy had 10 water drain valves so I thank you for restoring my sanity here lol.
My only critique is yours is set up for post tank cooling and not straight from the pump and the airflow is moving bottom up not top down which seems ok but also counter-intuitive. Pre-cooling with a condenser and water trap is more ideal to keep the tank free of water and not pump it full of hot expanded moist air. Cool dry air, being more condensed, also allows the tank to hold a greater volume of air at the same pressure. Lastly, I wouldn't think you would want the air moving one direction and the water condensate in the opposite direction.
I like this set-up regardless, and feel that building a smaller, more compact unit like this could be optimal for direct out of pump condensing, but with a radiator fan on it, much like people have done with the Derale 15300 transmission cooler/condenser units or Derale 15800 (with fan built in). My pump is a large Saylor Beall 705 which is a two-stage pump with 5hp motor and 120 gallon tank. The pump is so robust I could use an 8hp motor. My main worry, as you briefly pointed out, is choking the pumps output by trying to force a large volume of air through a small cooling system on the front end. I believe the fittings and piping of the small Derale condenser units are all 1/2". If they were 5/8" or 3/4" I'd feel a lot safer about using them. They do seem to work great for some people but I'm concerned about pump life for the aforementioned reasons. I think I'll slightly down-scale what you have for pre-cooling with a 20" fan, (house or radiator style) and then possibly duplicate it again to a smaller extent if needed for additional post tank cooling/drying.
I'm glad you appreciate my simple but effective air cooler design and it sounds like you have the pre-air cooler all figured out. Good luck with your build and thanks for watching..
I did the copper pipe cooler years ago and it worked great. I moved a couple of years ago and the new garage didn't have enough wall space so I used a coil of 1/2" soft copper. I wrapped it around a plywood circle about 18" in diameter to make a uniform coil (think spring). I rigged it to spiral downhill to an automatic drain water separator at the bottom (air in at top, out at bottom). Air is back to ambient temp by the time it gets to the separator. I think the coil was 50' but it might have been 100'.
I guess you could say its the same principle different design..
I like the coiled tube design, no need to sweat in a jillion 90º elbows!
I’d pay you to build me one, how much roughly does it cost to make?
I am currently building one of these myself with 15mm copper pipe the same way as you have. i didnt like other ones on youtube especially the ones that run it vertical with several valves to drain it as i thought it was stupid to do that to be honest. the main gripe i had with it was you would have to very regularly open those valves maybe during just one use. i like the way you have done it as it allows some space in the p[ipe at the bottom to be able to store some water temporarily so you dont have to empty it so often. i would definitely empty it after each use or once a day though but the other systems had maybe 3 inch of pipe that could gather water temporarily and that just didnt make any sense to me.
the way you explainerd how others do things then explained about yours i just chose your design. it makes a lot of sense the way you have done it and you said you made it 35 years ago so obviously its good otherwise you wouldn't still have it. and it is a very simple setup nothing too complicated and rightfujlly so it doesnt need to have 4 or so valves thats just over the top in my opinion.
i have done mine slightly different though ive put the wood pieces closer to the centre not by much just enough so that the bends/joints on the copper pipe hang off the side of the wood. mainly because i dont trust my soldering lol. Also this way if i need to fix a joint i can use the blow torch and not worry about burning the wood. Yes, i do know you can use a soldering mat but i dont have great luck with those lol.
i havent pressure tested it yet i need to get some fittings then i can put air in it to check for leaks before i mount it on the wall. i have done 2 strips of wood like you but ive also put some cross bracing between the 2 for support. it wont need it when its on the wall but while im working on it it stops the pipes flexing.
Thank you again for this video its great!
Hi Toto,
You can also make up the same design for a pre-air cooler, just add a fan wired to your pressure switch to keep the tubes cool by blowing cooler air on the copper tubes while its running. I'm glad the video helped your air cooling needs and thanks for watching.
Wow that’s. Good idea
I was about to build mine going up down, up down, but this seems a lot more simpler and most likely will go with this one
I have a Saylor Beall that has a built in aftercooler that Saylor built into the compressor because its a real air compressor built by the good ole USA. I like your setup good job
Fantastic video! I have watched a dozen videos and none are as good as this! Thank you for taking the time to share.
Your welcome and thanks for the compliment..
I just finished building one like your design, thanks for sharing it with us.
I'm trying to design a system right now for my new 60 gallon. This is very useful for me right now.
I'm Glad my design can help you..
Good practical advice in both the video and comments. Lots of knowledge to be gained by going through them all...
Thank you, I'm glad to help.
That setup is nice.For most home guys it’s perfect. But when you get into larger compressors along with high air demand tools it will not keep up. I own a 2 stage V design compressor with vertical copper pipes 60’ installed onto a sheet of plywood. With a ball valve at the drop of every line (6 lines) at about 1’ from the bottom of drops so water would be less likely to go into t and more likely to drop to ball valve. Along with a 5 stage filtration system and high demand tool still get water into my desiccant filter. So I’m looking at adding a small section of copper into tub of ice water before my copper wall to increase cooling capacity.
I like this design, its the KISS theory. For those commenting on why the airflow is going 'uphill and the water having to go 'downhill', just reverse the airflow, everything will go 'downhill' then.
Hi OCD,
I'm glad you like it, I live by the KISS Theory....
This is the best idea for a DIY after cooler that I've seen and I've looked at a LOT of them.. I will be building my own soon... Thanks for sharing and great idea/execution!
Your welcome and have fun building....
I most certainly have to not only agree with the person below me but you and your setup as well! Superb indeed! I've been watching videos here an there on this subject for a future air dryer setup at the campground my family owns an so glad I found yours (which is the last I'll be watching on this subject) also had to subscribe since learning about bee keeping has always been on my "to-do" list!
Thank you and you'll enjoy beekeeping, even after all these years I'm still amazed by these little creatures and their tasty honey is a big plus.
Thank you this makes a ton of sense building this weekend!!!
Best to cool the air down before it enters the tank,, l used a 25 foot roll of 1/2 inch copper tubing between the compressor pump with separator just before tank,,l ran 3/4 copper with drain drops at stations but I hardly ever get any water after doing the tubing between. It dropped the air temperature by 70 degrees
He answered all your questions so learn .listen to him again ,play video several times or many times . common sense goes a long way to under stand the language .understand what he said .
Thank You...
I build this air dryer; it works great. Total cost: approximately $245.
Hi Efrain,
I'm glad your happy with the air coolers results..
Great way and explain only problem nowadays is COPPER PRICES
Hi Dan,
Thanks for watching. Even though copper prices are high you only need to build it once and it will last a life time...
Needs a Donkey Kong standing at the top
That one made me laugh, good one...
😂
Just to let you know, I’m doing it😎
Very good info. Thank you. I thought of an old AC condenser core too, but as you say, too restrictive. I will probably build a similar set up like you have, but will use slant-fit baseboard heat lines, as they have the radiant fins on the lines, then I will not need as long a run, but will still need the zig zag. Great info. Also I plan to set up automatic blow offs, since I don’t want to keep opening the drains all day. I also live in a humid place. Right by the beach in Jersey.
It sounds like you have a pretty good design planned out, good luck with your build..
I'm a 41year semi retired HVAC engineer FYI. If done correctly, the a/c condenser will work very well. Some people think the condenser is only one line going through the coil....but it's not and will have a header and several separate lines traveling through the coil. 4 or 5-> 3/8" lines will not restrict a 3/4" header. Just make sure to use a 5/8" or 3/4" (OD) feeder and collector on the input/ output...this is critical---> make sure to collect all the end run output 3/8" tubes and tie them into a 5/8" or 3/4" collector tubes....the factory will neck them all down to one 3/8" tube at its exit. Also make sure their is no cap tube or lines below 3/8" size in the condenser and....don't use one off of a heat pump
simple and effective...best mini hand-pointer on TH-cam (condensor too) =o)
Thanks, I wanted to bring a little humor into the video using the pointer..
@@jeffwillard2417 You need to see the Japanese Best Motoring videos. Their pointers are pretty cool too.
Ideal. Thanks for the design!. Reminds me oil/water separate tanks in the oil fields.
Thank you!
Good stuff. Love the pointer stick. Brilliant!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Simple to the point good job, thanks for posting.
You're welcome!
I have a water distillation unit that has a spiral condensing coil of finned stainless tubing, it takes water vapor at 212F and gets it cooled to liquid state at the end. It has a powerful fan under it and is very compact. I like the Idea of a compact efficient condenser. I'm sure this home brew 50' of copper pipe on the wall works OK under moderate duty conditions. I'd like to see how it holds up under heavy duty long running in summer heat. Gravity doesn't help much if the air isn't cooled enough.
this set up makes sense and seems to incorporat some basic old school plumbing ideas used with radiators long ago. but I don't understand how the hot air from the compressor pump itself is going back into the tank. If you have an after cooler isn't the idea to cool the air before it's in the tank to help eliminate moister build up in the tank itself from condensation due to internal/external temp. differentiation? this appears to just take the output from the compressor which I am assuming is the tank outlet, since it all terminates with the final filtration and orange flexible tubing on the coil. or is that somehow going back into the tank itself after cooling?
This design can be used for both pre and after air cooling, you'll need to fan cool the tubes for pre-air cooling. If you run your compressor for any length of time the 195-degree heated air will warm up the tank removing any cooling effect from the steel tank, this is where an after-cooler is most effective. The orange hose goes to an air hose in the part of the shop that is not cooled or heated, which I sometimes use to do projects. Thanks for watching.
This looks to be the most effective design I’ve seen. I’ve ordered a new compressor and it’s on it’s way, so I will need to get this completed quickly as it has to sit on the wall behind the compressor. I was wondering if you could either post a detailed drawing or picture or send one to me as of your coolers as there are some parts of it that are not quite as clear on the video as I think I need? I understand the cooler and dryer, but your drip legs and connections are puzzling. Thanks in advance, Kelly
Hi Kelly,
It is all put together using copper solder fittings that are at any hardware store. The drip legs are just sections of the same copper pipe with some copper fittings that are 3/4" NPT female to 3/4" pipe solder fitting for the ball valve drains and the inlet from the compressor. For the air outlet end to your air regulator you'll need the same type of fitting but reduced down to your air regulator needs, they are usually 1/4", 3/8" or 1/2" NPT ("National Pipe Thread" is used in the USA, outside the USA it is called BSPT) Ounce you get it all cut and laid out to solder you'll see how easy it is to make. Good luck with your build..
Jeff, thanks for the quick reply. I ordered my parts from the big box store online this morning. I was able to slow down the video to ¼ speed then pause it in just the right places to take screen shots of the parts I wasn’t sure about. Then I blew them up and could see them more clearly. The most offending spot is the location of where your riser comes out from the drip line the makes a 90* up to the ball valve. It almost looks like there’s a + and not a T in that location. I got it now. Thanks again. Kelly
Thanks Jeff! I appreciate you sharing this neat setup and saving me some money.
Your welcome Beau, Your parents gave you a really cool sounding name, much better than mine.
Interesting. I designed one very similar to yours. I use 10, 5 foot 3/4” copper pipes in a switchback fashion along the wall. Nice because there’s only one drain valve instead of one for each vertical pipe. I’d like to share my design with you. Get your comments. It’s all in power point.
I enter mine from the top, so the air and water move in the same direction.
Then I go into a refrigerated cooler with 3/4” soft copper tube in a double helix. The air enters from the bottom, cycles up through the inner helix, turns around and cycles down in the outer helix. This is all contained in a bucked that has chilled water circulating through.
Last night I thought how I might reconfigure the hard copper switchback by turning each 180 degree turn around out by 5 degrees. So it becomes sort of a rectangular helix. This sticks out about 4” from the wall, but cuts the height in half.
Let me know if you want to see my plans. We obviously think alike on this and I want your thoughts.
Good work.
Paul
finally a good design
Hi Bill,
I'm glad you liked it, it is simple and cheap which are my two favorite words.
I’m just about to build a system for my new compressor and saw your video.
What is the length of the pipe between the bends please?
I’m still don’t know if to put in a cooler between the compressor and tank as I am going to be painting cars?
Hi Russel,
The beauty of this system is you can modify the length of pipe to fit your area. My first one that I built for my body shop had the same design but with 10' pipes and total of 60' but I needed that to remove moisture for the sandblaster. My best advice is to use a Motor guard filter after your air regulator and then thread a new air hose into it for a permanent airline for painting, that way you won't get any contamination paint. Some more advice don't buy the motor guard filters just use the cheapest which usually means the stiffest toilet paper you can find. To answer your first question the length of the pipes is 40", just make sure you have a minimum of 50' for your air cooler. You can also use this design a pre-air cooler just be sure to put a fan on the copper tubes.
I love your set up and I'm planning to use it. Thank you for posting! Question - there is a good amount of talk on line about people using Type M, Type L or Type K copper pipe for Air Compressor lines. Do you know which kind you used here? Would be great to know. Thanks. Hopefully I didn't miss it where you've already mentioned in the comments below.
Hi Rob,
This is the copper I used, unfortunately the price has really gone up. If you really need a good air filter that has a replaceable filter (using cheap toilet paper) get a Motorguard air filter. Good luck with the build. www.lowes.com/pd/Cambridge-Lee-3-4-in-x-10-ft-Copper-M-Pipe/1000044577
Hey Jeff, this appeared, in all respects, logical, so I built it, almost identical to yours, only difference is my in and out is on left side, that's it. I was getting, for years, water vapor in air tools etc. especially with heavy compressor usage, 60 gal. tank 11.5 cfm, which was OK but then I needed to spray paint vehicles, not OK any more. After a week or so it seems to be working, including spray painting, (expensive stuff to screw up). For me it was worth the time of 2 days to make despite the big box store hit for 60' of 3/4" copper and fittings (ouch) and hydraulic hose fittings. I would upload pic if I could, people like to show off their work even if it is copied I guess. I think the only time this would give me trouble is in the event of wicked heavy compressor usage, like almost constant, the water droplets might not be able to fight the velocity of the air going through, that kind of air usage is very rare for me though. I did view, of course, many of the other TH-cam designs which are predominantly vertical runs, I don't understand the logic of the physics there, air would have to pass through a gauntlet of a minimum of 3/4" of water on every loop unless drained repeatedly. To each their own I guess, thank you very much for sharing your design/concept !!!
David in Maine
Hello David,
Your welcome and I'm glad yours turned out so well. Try a Motor Guard air filter, in my body shop days I used one after the water/air separator and just before the air regulator they worked great. Just use the cheapest and roughest toilet paper for the replacement filters.
@@jeffwillard2417 I will consider that, I saw that mentioned multiple times in the other posts. I also looked up the price, (I think $100 or so), at build time I installed a cheap HF desiccant dryer dedicated to paint sprayer hose only. Obviously won't last more than 1 or 2 squirt sessions I believe and if I have trouble beyond that then your toilet paper holder will probably be next. I'm sure Fla. humidity is much more of an issue than an odd unusual humid hot summer up here which has been the case this year.
thx
david
ps keep those bees down there !!!!!!
It looks like it makes a lot of sense and works. I'm wondering what you used to install a car oil filter to the air line to catch particles?
It is a filter base and filter assembly that I purchased online from Surplus Center. Most any filter assembly with work just make sure it has a burst pressure rating of 200 psi or more.
Thanks for the video, so you don't have anything setup to try to keep the water out of the compressor tank? Seems most units connect between the compressor and the tank? Just curious what the benefits of either.
HI Rick,
Your are referring to a pre-air cooler that is between the compressor and the tank. A pre-air cooler is helpful to begin the condensation of the moisture, people have said that they are making two of these air coolers, one as a pre-air cooler and an after air cooler, just make sure you have a fan on the pre-air cooler because the air out out the compressor head is about 190 degrees and the hotter the copper gets the less it will cool.
The moisture isn’t squeezed out of the air (to a dramatic extent) until the air sees the great pressure drop, hence the need to dry only as the air comes down to your needed pressure. What tiny amount of condensate that forms in the high pressure air in the tank is removed by that beautiful bowl shaped bottom and opening the draincock daily. Just make sure you have at least 50’ of rigid pipe AFTER the tank as shown here, but preferably with a few more moisture traps along its length.
Thanks for the info. I will more than likely go with your style system. Where did you get the “spin on oil filter” air filter system?
Thanks,
Decon
Hi Dion, I got it from Surplus Center online, it has a 250-psi burst rating and all oil filters are a pleated paper filter except for Hastings oil filters that uses a fiber material. Good luck...
Best design. Better than having 3 ball valves having to purge each one.
Thanks seephor, that is what I thought when I made this air cooler design a long time ago....
Great intro to a cooling / drying system! Just need two question answered as I prepare to cut my tubing to 36" lengths for my build, which I calculated will reach six feet high to get 50' of radiator (about 16 cross overs)...Read through all the comments but am still confused:
1. Regarding getting the slant right, did you make your connectors for the rise of each 180 degree corner the same length and then merely "lift" opposite ends of each cross flow run a bit higher as your mounted them, or, did you cut longer connections to form slightly "higher" ends at one side of the system than the other?
2. Where to find whip hoses (I need four for my build that includes an auxiliary tank to fill in tandem with or independently from my compressor, plus two hose reels where I supply the lead hose), and what to use for 3/4" to 3/8" adapters and valves? (feel so dumb about these).
Hello Escort36,
Always remember there are no dumb questions, that is how people learn and shorten their learning curve on everything.
The section between the two elbows can be as short or long as you would like them, mine are just long enough to have about a 3/4" space between the two 90 degree fittings. You are correct all you have to do is anchor one side then slightly lift the other to make the downward slant, you don't need a steep angle for it to drain.
Wherever they make hydraulic hoses near you ask them if they have a more flexible single braid hydraulic hose (one wire of steel wrap on the hose) in the size you need, I'm sure they will most places do, if no one near you does you can also order them on line. You'll need one end of the hose with a fixed fitting and one end with a swivel end in what ever pipe size you need. You can use cheaper hose but with hydraulic hose you never have to worry about it bursting open.
When you make the air cooler just use the sweat on fittings in 3/4" (NPT) pipe and then you can use 3/4' pipe ball valves and a reducer from 3/4" down to the 3/8" pipe or 1/2" pipe (NPT) line whichever you going to use for your water separator, air filter and your air regulator. Be careful when ordering online because a lot of stuff comes from China and they make pipe fittings in both BSP (British Standard Pipe) and NPT, always buy the "NPT" (National pipe thread) Good luck..
jeff could you tell me the exact flex lines you used at inlet from compressor & why not use same 1 at outlet?
Sorry this one slipped pass me. I used 3/4" single braid hydraulic line, with a 3/4" pipe thread swivel on one end and a fixed fitting one the other.
Jeff I like your approach to reducing the moisture from the compressed air the best of any I have seen, the one question no one has asked is what schedule of copper pipe did you use? K or L or do you know?
Thank you! 🛫
Hello FalconJet Driver,
I purchased it at Lowes years ago and it is the M type classification with a burst pressure of about 700 PSI, it is your standard ridged pluming copper. It now costs $16.25 for each 10' length, have fun building it.
I use vertical PVC with 3 different ball valves. Love it! I did it this way because it blows up and I want people to tell me how stupid I am. Oh, I was also smart enough to make a safety box/wall in front of it. Delete me
Seth, Why would I delete you, it is comical the way you have it worded. Your comment brought a smile to my face....
@@jeffwillard2417 I'm happy my intention worked. Smile everyone, it all works, some techniques just work better than others. I'm a cheapskate is all.
How did you handle the unloader valve? Without moving it, you drain the air in your cooler every time the motor stops.
This is my last hang up. I need to deactivate the unloader between the compressor and check valve on tank, and put one between the compressor and check valve going into the cooler.
Can you help me with how to do this?
Thanks,
Paul
Hi Paul, You got me a little confused on this, you should be using the exit air port on the tank not the unloader or check valve for the after air-cooler but if your making one for a pre air-cooler you need to come off the pump discharge side into the cooler and then into the tank. Depending on the compressors pluming you may have to a three way tee at a top tank fitting. Now the next problem is matching up the threads, imported compressors will be metric or a BSP pipe thread. If your making a pre cooler be sure to run a fan on the tubes to keep them cool while the pump is running. Good luck and thanks for watching.
@@jeffwillard2417
Hi Jeff. I don’t know the lingo so I don’t know what an exit air port is. But as it stands, there is a 1/2” soft copper tube going from the compressor to the check valve in the tank. The check valve has a little 1/4” exit port that runs 1/4” soft copper to the pressure switch. This is connected to an unloader valve. So when the compressor switches off, the pressure switch knows and opens the unloader valve to drain the line between compressor and tank.
So I think I figured it out.
Disconnect the 1/4 line and replace it with a flexible hose going from the unloader valve up to the exit from the compressor. The pressure switch won’t know that I changed the other end from the tank input to the compressor output.
So now I will have a 1/2” outlet at the compressor, connected to a 3/4” male mpt. This is connected to a 3/4 x 3/4 x 1/4” tee. The 1/4” hose will connect to the tee and the other flexible hose connects to the 3/4” outlet on the other side of the tee. (Following this?).
So now the unloader valve will only purge the air between the compressor and my cooler.
My copper pipes will be painted black and stand off from a plywood backing by a few inches. 50’ of 3/4” copper pipe and then into 100’ of a 3/4” soft copper double helix in a chilled bath. Then into the tank.
Thanks for your help Jeff.
Simple mechanism. I should put one in for my everlast plasma cutter.
Hi Todd,
I had a gentleman from South Africa making one for his plasma cutter, that is one of the two things on my To-Get list a Tig Welder and Plasma cutter.
Hello Jeff,
Wonderful design, thanks for sharing with us , do you have approximately what percentage of moisture gets removed from air .
I am going to use this for dehydration system of vegertables so I will be heating air again , Kindly do share your suggestions if you have any.
Hi Ashutosh,
That is an interesting idea you have, the amount of moisture removed depends on how much humidity is in the air that needs to be cooled and condensed. I wish I could give you more info for your dehydration system, let me know how it works out for you, good luck...
Would it work better to hook up the Condenser in between the Compressor and the Tank ? And that would help keep the Tank Dry. Or would that be to muchfor the condenser to handle right off of the Compressor ? Because right off of the Compressor the air would be hotter and maybe moving faster. And I say movingfaster because moving the air from Compressor to the Tank First would be like hitting a Big Speed Bump. The Tank would be like a bigger Cooler Tube for the air to hit before going in to the Condenser. ( I don't know just thinking out Loud )
Hello BR,
It would probably help as a pre-cooler between the compressor and tank, with that much air moving through the copper lines you would need to cool them with a fan. The average shop compressor produces 10 to 20 CFM and that is a lot of air to cool. They are easy to make , you could make two coolers and place one before the tank and one after. Good luck..
I like your setup and I can see some very solid, physics based advantages but, you never point out the reasons the copper pipe setup in the up-down-up-down configuration is not as good as yours. Please explain. Thank you.
Well let's see; fewer valves, gravity self-draining to one location, compact design, quicker to make and that's just a few.
The air coming FROM your tank is actually freezing because it's being DEcompressed (ever had an air tool ice up after extended use?). The air going TO the tank is the 200 deg. hot humid air, where these coolers are most effective?
Can you please explain why you think uphill is better than downhill for the majority of the cooler? Seems that fighting gravity would hold much of the water that's condensing out of the air within the cooler itself. It seems reasonable that once you open the first ball valve, a good chunk of the water would be blown out, but wouldn't you get more of it if it were going downhill as it cooled? Thanks!
This design would probably work in either air flow direction but I think the airflow going uphill will keep the condensation/water away from the filter much better as the condensation/water is draining back downhill away from the filter and regulator. Either way you make it have fun and good luck with the build.
hi Jett how are you . i got a question so if you don’t mind answering . i got a compressor but the air is not stock inside the barrel ( tank) and no pressure coming from that so what’s the problem of my compressor thank you again if you’re gonna answer my question regards Elvio
Remove the line from the compressor head to the tank and inspect for a blockage and also make sure the compressor is pumping air. Good luck.
They make 180 degree copper fittings to save a little time on the soldering.
i will build your design , its the simplest. any idea what drop in pressure and flow we will expect? its 15meters of pipe it will restrict the flow and drop the pressure while using a tool that needs high flow (air hoses do the same).
can we use a 15 meters non insulated copper pipe and bend it like your example to avoid the soldering and the elbows?it should work the same .
can we use like 4 rows of 3 meters each to minimize the elbows and the soldering if we copy your design?
If you are use air tools with an air regulator a pressure drop it wouldn't be noticeable. If you are using a direct connection for an air coupler high pressure line, there would be a slight drop but not enough to hinder the effect of a sandblaster. You just need to make sure that you use a 19mm (3/4") diameter copper for a flow of air with minimal resistance, a smaller diameter copper will give you restricted air flow when using large volumes of air.
@@jeffwillard2417 i think either using or not a regulator , when using 10meters long air hose the drop will be there.am i wrong? for the flow you are correct 3/4 is plenty to have good flow , plus the high flow fittings at the tools. but the max pressure doesnt drop proportional to your hose length?
The majority of the air pressure drop will be at the end of your air hose, from hose I.D. size and length. Use the recommend manufacture air pressure on any of your air sanding tools and keep them oiled they will last longer.
Thanks for the info, I’m going to use return bends to keep the flow up as well. Is that spin on filter made specifically for air? Haven’t seen one used like that, where did you get the filter base?
Hi Dan,
It is actually an oil filter assembly, I bought it for the base but it has worked great as a secondary filter so I never changed it to an air filter. You can interchange to an air filter by the thread size and gasket size in any auto parts store. Here is the web site for the base; www.surpluscenter.com/Hydraulics/Hydraulic-Filters/Filters/3-8-NPT-7-GPM-Return-Line-Filter-9-7291.axd
why did you decide to have the condensate flowing against the air flow. inlet at the top instead of the bottom. it seems the water would drain easier with the air pushing it as well as gravity? tks
Hi Lee,
I just think it is more efficient to have the condensed water droplets flow directed away from the air outlet than having the air push the droplets towards the air outlet and filters.
It's a well known fact that expanding air cools. I have been thinking about a manifold type build with several 3/16's (6 to 8) orifices dumping into another manifold that has at least a 3/4 feed out. I do like this design though
Hi William,
That would be a good experiment in air cooling, when you get it finished let us You-Tubers know the results. Good luck with the build.
The flaw in that plan is that after you expand the air, it's not compressed any more. The goal is to have cool *compressed* air, not cool uncompressed air.
Hi Jeff. I really like this model allot over the up down up down design. I'm really interested to hear your thoughts on installing this system after the compressor head and before the tank? To prevent moisture inside the tank and have dry air directly out of the tank. Do you think this is a good idea? or not so much? Thanks so much for taking the time to share this video!!
Hi Taylor,
This design will work perfectly for a "pre-air cooler". You'll need to wire a fan to the pressure switch so when it is pumping air the fan is cooling the lines, otherwise the 195 degree heated air will quickly heat the copper lines and negate any cooling effect of the copper pipe. Good luck with your build and thanks for watching...
what is the benefit over the vertical configuration? Seems both work effectively.
They are basically the same principle but the vertical design needs a ball valve drain at the bottom of each tube junction/connection, otherwise the air flow will push the condensed water over into the next tube. So your saving approx $20.00 to $40.00 in ball valves used for drains, by building the horizontal design which is self draining by gravity to the one ball valve.
Why not to use just soft copper tube and wind it to huge copper tube coils with water trap at down? I think it's will be much more effective, time saving, and may be less expensive, because you not need to buy copper couplings, not so much soldering, etc...
This video is to show how simple an air cooler can be made, you can use whatever size copper that will fit your needs. Just keep in mind that you should use a minimum of 3/4" copper line for proper moisture condensing and to reduce any air volume restrictions.
Excellent video! thanks!!
Your welcome and good luck with your build...
my husband really like the setup you have. Can you please send a list of materials you used for it? I would really appreciate it. Thank you for your time
Hi Jessica,
That is easy, Lowes or Home Depot will have 10 foot lengths of 3/4" copper pipe, get a minimum of 5 pieces to give yourself 50' of cooling. The overall design length will be up to your husband and wall space, the first one that I made I used the full 10' lengths of copper without cutting them, I had more wall space in my old shop. You just need to figure out how many copper elbows and tees you'll need, I used 1/2" brass ball valves for the drains I got those on Ebay. Next add a finale moisture trap then a filter I used a screw on filter, the links are below. Hope this helps.. www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?dir=asc&order=EAScore%2Cf%2CEAFeatured+Weight%2Cf%2CSale+Rank%2Cf&q=air+filter
www.surpluscenter.com/Hydraulics/Hydraulic-Filters/Filters/3-8-NPT-7-GPM-Return-Line-Filter-9-7291.axd
www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?dir=asc&order=EAScore%2Cf%2CEAFeatured+Weight%2Cf%2CSale+Rank%2Cf&q=Air+Regulator
Thank you so much for the information.
I like your video how about some measurements and almost all the after coolers I’ve watched they run the compressor to the after cooler back to the tank .you said you had 50 ft of copper at my Home Depot it’s $ 440.00 plus tax and fittings
Hi William,
The cost at our Lowes per 3/4" X 10' piece is $23.27 and Home Depot is $32.79, so the cost for five 10' sections $116.35 @ Lowes and $163.95 @ Home Depot, I'm not sure why there is such a big cost difference. I guess the best bet is to shop around, good luck..
Is that dryer after an air tank? Or is it connected directly to the pump outlet? I ask because I don't see that air going in to a receiver tank.
This is an after-cooler connected to the air tank outlet. You can also make this as a pre-air cooler connected to the compressor head before the air goes into the tank, you just need to put a fan on it to cool the tubes.
I love the simplicity of this design. I kind of went ridiculous in the other direction, it’s not simple at all unfortunately. I am just finishing up with my intercooler (between pump and tank) using a 1/2” in, 1/2” out B&M transmission cooler, with a matching automotive fan, run by a computer power supply that I have triggered by the compressor’s automatic switch (220v setting.) I put an auto drain on the low side, another auto drain on the tank, and a large desiccant filter after the tank. For all the work I’ve put into it, I really hope it works! If not, I’ll be taking it all back down and replicating your dryer setup. It’s for sand blasting, plasma cutting and powder coating. I’m crossing my fingers!
Hi Mike,
With all that you put into your cooling system even if it didn't work exactly the way you wanted it to I think I would just leave it on because it sounds impressive. You can always make one of these simple line coolers and attach anywhere away from your tank but I hope your original system works well for you.
Do you have a link of the transmission cooler you used?
What did you use to get the copper pipe brush to reach all the way to clean the middle of the 43" pipes?
You only need to clean the outer ends of the pipe and the inner on the fitting for soldering. No need to clean the inside the copper pipes.
question, for your needs, the filter with dessicant/silica was not necessary?
Hi Six4Foot,
Years ago when I was doing a lot of sandblasting using a pressurized blaster, large CFM's of dry air was ultra important. So back then I was using a Motor Guard filter before the high pressure coupler to remove any residual moisture that may have gotten past the water traps and water separator/filter, a clogged sandblaster is a pain I never needed a desiccant filter. Here is a tip if you purchase a Motor Guard filter don't buy their filters use the cheapest and stiffest rolls of toilet paper you can find, that is what I used :) :)....
HI, I like your idea better than what is on the tube for dry air. Do you have a parts list I can use ?? Thanks
Hi Ken,
It is all 3/4" ridge copper pipe some 90 degree elbows and a Tee that is sold at any Lowe's, Home Depot or plumbing supply store. You should make it so it is a minimum of 50' in length or longer and make it to fit whatever space you have on your wall. On the end you'll need a water/separator trap and an air regulator, look on Amazon or Harbor Freight for the best prices. Good luck in your air cooler building.
@@jeffwillard2417 Thanks Jeff, for the parts list. I too live in Fl. this humid air is something else !!! best regards, Ken
That’s a damn good idea! Best one I’ve seen to date! Been there over 30 years you say? How often do you have to open the ball valve & drain out the condensation? Will this work for painting cars??
Hi Paul,
Thanks, I made up this design back when I had a Body Shop 35 years ago, the one in this video is in my wood working shop. The original was the same design but with 6 cross pipes and each one was 10' long. At the outlet end I had a water/air separator, then a high pressure air coupler, after that was a Motor Guard paper air filter and finally the air regulator. The trick with the Motor Guard filter is to use the cheapest and stiffest toilet paper you can find, don't buy their filters. Plus screw a new air hose into to a paint regulator so it can't be removed, that is to eliminate any air contamination from using another air hose to paint with. Well at least that is what I did and the system worked very well and didn't cost much. The condensation depends on the outside humidity but you could crack the ball valves every few days to see what you've been collecting..
Sweet! Thank you Jeff.
Hello Jeff, great video and thanks for sharing! Few questions. I have a 60 gal, 155 max PSI, 14.5 cfm at 90 PSI (pretty typical) air compressor. Minus the cost of copper, if I ran 25 ft of 1in copper tube would this equally cool the air as a 50ft 3/4 copper tube. After reading all 300+ comments I haven't seen anything that questioned the length-to-pressure drop ratio. For my compressor with 25ft of 1in tube+high flow fittings+25ft of 3/8 air hose = 50+ft or more of length. Would my compressor still push enough PSI at the end of the hose for automotive painting and tools?
Hello Sheldon,
I would stay with the 3/4" for several reasons, cost the 3/4" is much cheaper and the 50ft of 3/4" gives you a longer cooling process. I don't experience any loss of pressure using my air tools. If you're going to run a sandblaster you can always make a tee before the air cooler to connect an auxiliary compressor and compensate for the extra air pressure/volume required for sandblasting. The specs sounds like you have about the same compressor as me.
Spot on my man 👍🏻
Glad you think so!
I Love the gigantic water traps. Can be made the size of an A4 sheet by just using a small radiator(trans cooler or similar) and then an auto water trap straight after.
No need at all for a giant setup like this. Plus straight copper tube doesn't have a huge amount of surface area, hence the need for so much tube.
Nice Project Indeed. What is the Size/Specs of your Pump and Motor vs at output(System)...? Greg
Hi Greg,
It is 14 CFM @ 40, 12 CFM @ 90, 4 hp motor, 60 gallon tank, its the most common size for a small shop.
Just wondering can't you use PVC? It would be a heck of a lot cheaper and a lot less work..
Hi John,
The problems with PVC is it has more of an insulating effect with the heated compressed air, it won't dissipate the heat as copper does. Plus there is always that chance of bursting when the PVC starts to break down from contaminated air with oil or if exposed to sunlight (UV rays)
Looks like a simple and effective design. I am interested in building a similar setup, but as I have a fair bit of room, I was considering stretching out the width of it to some 6 meters, with only 3 horisontal legs. With that in mind, a question came up: does the actual number of horisontal lines matter? Or the amount of rise, height difference between the top and bottom of the system? I hope you could clarify that. Thank you in advance!
Hi Timo,
That will work also, it actually would be like the first air cooler I made for my body shop which was 60' (18 meters) long using 10' long copper pipe. Just keep the uphill design and the drops for water drainage. That is what I like about the design is it can be adapted to any size or space needed. Good luck with your build.
@@jeffwillard2417 ....why would you use an uphill design? The velocity of air will be entraining the water along the pipe with its flow. It would be much better to let the air push it down to your trap and also work with gravity. Otherwise....you depend on gravity to drain the water back down the pipe, to the trap. when the airflow shuts off...and hopefully it will be off long enough for the water to get to the trap before it restarts.
@@freepatriot6313 All I can say is that the design works and has for years.....
Hey Jeff, thanks for sharing your design, love the video. Does your system have a step down after the air passes through the 3/4 copper cooling tubes? Could I make this system and have it connect to my 3/8 filter/regulator/hose and not have any issues? Or does it need to be 3/4 tubing from the compressor to the air tool? I hope my questions make sense. Thanks! Also, awesome what you do with bees!
Hi Beau,
The only reduction in pipe size from the compressor and air cooler is at my air filter/trap assembly which is 3/8" NPT and that size continues with the air regulator and air hose, which is the most common size in shops and garages. Only industrial situations that need huge amounts of air go above the more common 1/4" , 3/8" or 1/2" air filter and regulator pipe sizes. This air cooler will connect to your existing 3/8" air filter, reg and hose just fine, thanks for the bee compliment and watching the video, I hope this helps.
I know this was posted almost 2 years ago but I'm getting ready to make one for my quincy air compressor. Did you just slightly bend the piping to get that out of level run on the long pipes? Hope I explained my question good enough.
Hi Robert,
Yes it was, the copper pipe has enough flex in it for a 1" incline on each row of tubes. Just incline the first pipe (bottom pipe) then incline each pipe approx 1" on the mount after the first one, easy peasy ... Good luck.
Yes it will flex several feet until you get it mounted mine looked like a slinky until i had it secured
If all the ends are 90 degree bends do you just kind of bend them a little upwards to create the slope? Not a problem to bend the joints?
Hi Damon,
It doesn't bother the soldered joint at all, the pipe flexes enough to achieve the incline. The one I'm using now was made 15 years ago and still works perfectly.
the first 5 feets could be in copper and the rest in pex?
You will never have the same cooling effect. All copper is the way to go, it may cost more but will last you a lifetime.
@@jeffwillard2417 good 🙋♂️
The reason a small diameter aircond condenser works is because you pull the air off right as it comes out of the compressor, which is low flow anyway, run it thru the cooler and then allow the air to EXPAND as it enters the tank. You have yours backwards or dont have a storage tank as you are cooling it after it exits the large storage tank. That is totally backwards.
I have used this design air cooler for over 30 years starting in my Body Shop and I'm still using a smaller version in my work shop. They both worked great producing completely dry air...... for being totally backwards as you say it is, as I always say each to their own.
Hello Jeff, thanks for sharing, how did you connect the air compressor with the first pipe? I heard you said you used a 3/4 inch hydraulic something...I need the exact pieces in order to make the right connections please. I appreciate it
I used the one wire single wrap 3/4" hydraulic hose which is the most flexible and two crimped on swivel 3/4" NPTF (pipe thread female) to make up my hose that is about 45" long, most auto and farm supply store's will make them up while you wait. The hydraulic hose does several things it removes the vibration from the compressor so it is not transmitted to the air cooler and it also made it easy to go through the outer wall into my shop, I'm all about doing it the simple and easy way......
Hi Jeff,
I came for the electric knife uncapper then found your air dryer assembly. Very happy I did. Apart from a handful of hives I buy and rebuild skid steers as a hobby too. It’s how I get my “play money”. I will end up building one of these as it can get quite humid where I am in Australia and the water separator filters just don’t do a good enough job and saturate quickly.
You mentioned a sand blaster. Is it homemade? Is it just a cabinet size or something that would suit sandblasting a few ton skid steer? I need to build one of those too. 😃
Thank you Sir,
Cheers 🍻
Hello Nigel,
It sounds like your a busy man. In the past I have spent many hours on the business end of a pressurized sandblaster with every body part covered in sand and dust, so I know how important it is to keep the air dry. I now have a factory build free standing cabinet blaster for small parts. I used this same design air cooler back in my blasting days that was 60' long in just the copper cooling pipes, a little longer than the one I'm using now the video. Good luck in your build.
@@jeffwillard2417
Thanks Jeff,
I’m in two minds with the blaster. Thinking of possibly making a wet blaster to help negate the dust and health concerns. Pros and cons of both types, slight corrosion being one of course.
Great info on the air dryer. I’ve got plenty of free wall space here. No more moisture at the spray gun will be nice. Will start collecting the parts 👍👍
Cheers 🍻
Shouldn't this go between the compressor and the tank? This appears to be post-tank, no?
This design works as a pre-air cooler or an after-air cooler, wherever you want to use it. You'll need to fan cool the tubes if used as a pre-air cooler.
@@jeffwillard2417 ah makes sense. Thanks for the advice 👍
I'm wondering - what is the approximate maximum psi that soldered copper joints can handle? That is, if they are properly soldered?
Hi Jack,
From all the info I have seen a 50-50 tin lead solder will give you a 200 PSI rating and the 95-5 solder is 500 PSI rating, both are well within the average shop's compressor regulator setting for pressure cut off. If I an remembering correctly, the burst pressure of the 3/4" copper pipe is 600 PSI.
@@jeffwillard2417 The working pressures of soldered joints are substantially less above room temperature. For 50-50 tin-lead, the working pressure is only 100 psi at 200F. 95-5 tin-antimony is much better, about 300 psi at 200F. Your numbers are fairly accurate at 100F, but for this application, high temps are more relevant.
Hi John thanks for the info, I reference this link for my information on page #28 www-eng.lbl.gov/~shuman/NEXT/MATERIALS&COMPONENTS/Pressure_vessels/copper_tube_handbook.pdf
Can this be done in black iron pipe? I have very limited experience soldering copper. Just bought a 60 gallon 2 stage compressor for my home garage. Its bigger than i should need but that was the point.
Hi Mike,
The big problem with iron pipe is eventually it will rust out plus the excess weight, copper is lighter and has a quicker heat transfer than steel. Soldering copper is really quit simple, like I said in the video just make sure to remove all the dull oxidation inside the fittings and outside the pipe before soldering. Just get the copper hot enough so the solder gets drawn into the joint let the torch do the work. Practice with some copper pipe and fittings you can't ruin it, if it doesn't come out the first time just unsolder the joint and start again. I'm sure there is a bunch of You-Tube videos on how to solder copper pipe, it will be a skill that you will use over and over in your life, Good luck....
@@jeffwillard2417 thank you sir! Im definitely gonna try it! Dont want any water on the system
@@jeffwillard2417 the line coming into the copper, is that coming out of the tank or out of the compressor itself? Im not sure if i need to come out of the compressor to the copper then into the tank. Or just out of the tank into the copper
Hi Mike,
Mine is coming out of the tank and the inlet hose is a single braid 3/4" hydraulic hose with one fixed end and one swivel, this hydraulic hose also helps in reducing the vibration to the copper pipes. An air cooler that is between the compressor and tank is called a pre-air cooler which people are using this design to make and one after the tank is called an after air cooler. If your using a lot of compressed air you'll need a fan on the pre-air cooler or the copper pipe will heat up and loose it's ability to dissipate the heat from the heated compressor air.
@@jeffwillard2417 only time ill be using it alot is when im painting which wont be but a couple times over the life of the compressor. Only have 1 paint project planned but it wont be continuous for long periods of time. Thats why i figured the air after cooler combined with a filter/dryer/regulator setup after the air cooler but before my hose reel would work just fine
I've been thinking about building one of these "air dryer systems" as well. I have a question for you, would there be a benefit of having longer tubes at the bottom going to the 4 drain valves so that more moisture could drain to the bottom? Also, could this same system be build out of the plastic air compressor pipes or PEX that is often seen in commercial shops or large garages? The question is, are the pipes that make up this "air dryer system", required to be copper or brass? Both of those are far more expensive that PEX tubing. What is you opinion? Thank you.
Hi Jim,
PVC and PEX being a plastic material does not dissipate the heat like copper does, plus it is affected buy the Sun's U.V. making it brittle. Copper may cost more but it will last a lifetime and you'll never have to worry about a line blowout and possible shards of PVC flying through the air. A little extra cost for copper in the beginning is worth it. You could modify the bottom line drain but I would just crack the ball valve and drain it more often...... Good luck in your air cooler build.
@@jeffwillard2417 Understood, thank you.
Jeff could you detail more on your setup after the main feed line?
Hi Thumper,
It is pretty simple after the air cooler lines I have a flex hose with swivel ends (a hydraulic line with swivel ends is better) then in goes into a water separator trap, I then have a separate air hose coupler for high pressure (sandblasting), then into a spin on paper oil filter (a motor guard air filter is the best), then into an air regulator and finally into an air hose coupler. Hope this helps..
Simple and effective. Do you have a drawing available? I will build this. pofinmt
Only the design that is on the wall. You can modify the length and height to your needs just make sure you have a min of 50' of copper pipe.
No , the water separator mounted on wall reduced down...i had one and it didn't remove much water,,just reduced flow,,,
Hello George,
I'm sure you already know that you use the air equipment that fits your needs, this system I made and shared with everyone is for the the shop/hobbyist with a 9 to 16 CFM compressor. It supplies ultra clean air for all of my spray guns, air tools and my large sand blast cabinet. This system is not made for a high production industrial shop that uses huge volumes of air or well maybe if they increased the line size and length of the cooler.
You can also purchase whatever inlet/outlet size water trap/filter you need to match your air supply and use. I'm sorry if my design offends you, this is to give people an idea what they can do on their own and it works great for me.....
hey bud I'm thinking of a 1/2" coil condenser figure I would feed the air in the top and use the natural taper of the coil to let the water settle toward the bottom of the coil you have any ideas on what type of filter /water trap I could use at the bottom of the coil to collect the water?
Just fabricate a simple T-trap, were a section of copper pipe drops down to catch the condensed moisture and a fitting above that for the dry air.
There is a easier way and in my opinion better way, mount the cooler between the compressor an the airtank and let the water flow in the airtank.
The benefit is you dont have the resistance of the cooler while using big airtools. So you can use smaller and cheaper pipes, the air direct from the compressor is the hottest so your cooler work more efficent. And because all water get collected in the tank you has only one spot you need to drain, which you can do with an automatic valve.
Oh so simple .. So beautiful. Not a mess of valves and two smart traps.
Only thing making me sad is the copper $$. Hah I run an art air brush.. I use brass fittings to isolate tampons, it's a small draw of air and it works as good as a 300 Buck unit. Just hard to purchase the "Part" unless your female partner gets for you. Great Video Ill be sketching that up for when I can get the copper Thanks Much !! ........
Only thing I could add is to lay it all out stretch just a little then brace it down.. so you have a little angle on the parallel parts.(Wouldn't even have to solder like that, as it would stretch) it would then certainly all drain down hill... no biggie though.
I have to admit that your Tampon air filter/dryer is probably the most "unique" one that I have heard about, Thanks for sharing...
@@jeffwillard2417 another great air dryer to put after pipe system and before desiccant filter, is the TOILET PAPER ROLL holder/dryer! Motorguard makes it, about 50-$60. Works great
I used a Motorguard filter in my body shop years and years ago and it did work great, I had my painting air line screwed directly into it for a permanently "clean air hose" I used the cheapest toilet paper rolls you could get instead of their filter replacement. Back then they were $50.00 to $60.00 now they cost $70.00 to $100.00.
Appreciate you sharing!!
You are most welcome..