Why dry air is so important

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Roachcreek said:
I live in the high desert, we get down in the teens in humidity. I use a Altaros booster powered and supplied from 3 CAT oil less compressors that I filter through 4 exterior dessicant filters and a final and 5th dessicant filter inside the Altaros cabinet. I do not use a water and oil trap type as my 3 shop compressors are oil less. Oddly enough I actually add some silicone oil to the Altaros booster now and then.

After filling my bottle, I breakdown the system, empty the dessicant material and replace it with dry material.

The air hose between the 3 shop compressors and the first 4 dessicant filters will have water dripping from it, even when the humitity is 15 to 20%.

On the filtered side with a 2 hour run, there is zero water, to the point that the water filter in the Altaros cabinet has never needed changing.

Point here, we make water compressing air, even in dry environments.

Now I have run my system with one, two and three CAT, Californiaairtooils, compressors They individually put out about 5.2 cfm at 140 psi I have them running at. As I added compressors to the system, my water manufacturing volume dropped. More compressors means less work for the individual compressor and less heat, and there in us the golden rule of pcp compressors, HEAT IS THE ENEMY OF AIR COMPESSORS.

I also modded each compressor by strapping a 12 inch modified floor fan to the top of each one, those CATS love those fans, as did the tech guys at CAT.

I used to have the system in my garage, but adding the third compressor meant that I ran out of dedicated electrical lines so I moved it all into the Kitchen where I had three 110 lines.

I used to live and pest on a vineyard in western Oregon, I used a Shoebox and cheap Harbor freight filters, basically a water feature. People fall off their bikes and drown in western Oregon. I shudder to think what that did to my 0cp’s.

Roachcreek

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Nice set up. If you wanted to step it up a bit, you could put a copper coil in that mini fridge or a radiator that can handle the compressors max psi and remove even more moisture. 😬
 
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I also of course empty my compressor tanks to drain water after using and keep that drain open, only closing it AFTER starting the compressor.

It runs so well now and water is simply not a problem.

I have also been montering heat in the cylinders, heads and motors for about 15 months now, getting to the point that I can comfortably leave it run.

Can you say paranoia? Just read of so many compressor failures here.

I considered plumbing an exterior water system around the motor and cylinders as I have emergency water stored in new 35 gallon plastic trash cans sitting in my garage. Adding the 3 rd generator, which I did as a experiment, we I originally bought it as a spare when on sale, really made the system shine.

You want to strive for a on off ratio of 40/60 on and off to allow the shop compressor to cool down, my ratio now is better than 30/70.

The actual Altaros Booster is a entirely different matter, it is like the Energiser bunny, it just keeps running. The Altaros booster uses a lot of air, mostly to cool it, it runs cold to the touch.

The system allows the compressors to run individually and simultaneously into a auxillery 10 gallon tank located down stream from the water filters and supplies the Altaros booster, that tank has never had water build up.

RC
 
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rcs9250 said:
I worked for ten years in a dive shop. One of my duties was to maintain the Mako 21 CFM compressor. We were required to send samples out quarterly for analysis for oil, carbon monoxide (CO) and moisture mainly, but they also checked other contaminants too.
In scuba, other than the two obvious oil and CO, water/moisture was the enemy, especially with deeper cold water diving.
When air is released from a high pressure to a low pressure, cooling is a by product. If there’s moisture in the air you can experience icing in some of the components of one of your two regulators and freeflow occurs. A freeflow won’t kill you but it means the end of a dive and hopefully you can safely make it back to the surface.
With an air rifle that moisture, which eventually accumulates into liquid. That liquid can mix with lube that was in the gun or because of minerals in that water will start corrosion on aluminum and brass parts. I’m semi sure manufacturers do not use steel for internal components, I’m betting on stainless steel. Regardless, moisture in any pneumatic system is never a good thing.
Pressurizing and drying air is never cheap or easy, regardless of the pressure you are pumping to.
Alkin, Bauer, Coltri, Alpha Carette, Tuxing, Ingersol, Mako etc all use post compression drying to produce the preferred grade E air by use of a dessicant drier called a molecular sieve. Fire stations, if they don’t have a dive team, will pump grade D air which allows a bit more moisture than grade E, but still dry enough for air guns.
Bottom line, a molecular sieve is the most practical way to remove mousture to the relative humidity that’s spec’d in grade D and E air.
Some people are lucky after years of hand pumping but for most upper tier PCP’s and the damage moisture can do it’s not worth it to me.
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Good imput.
 
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Mike_Lenardon said:
Makes me glad I have a scuba shop fairly close. Clean breathable air at 11 bucks a fill.

Thanks for the pic Troy
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I hate to tell you but your gun can accumulate moisture just by filling it when the temperature is right and you refill your gun the high pressure going from your tank to the gun will create moisture sorry
 
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This is why I try prefer airguns with easily replaceable bottles with valve included. If it get's ruined from the nasty Florida air, I can replace it no problem. I haven't had to yet but my AirForce Talon and Condor and my multiple Hatsans have easily removable and fairly cheap tanks and tubes - simple fix if they get rusted. In fact I already have spares for each just due to wanting to camp with them for days without running out of air.
 
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