Air dryer for plasma cutter

[GWD]

This Harbor Freight air dryer was in a post a year ago with no follow-up on how it functions. It is far less expensive than refrigerated units for the occasional user.

Has anyone tried it and does it work well enough for plasma cutting?

http://www.harborfreight.com/desicca...yer-97686.html

Thanks.

[performance]

Several of our customers have bought them. I haven't heard any complaints.

[sschefer]

3-M makes an inline disposable dryer that works great. I saw an unnammed variation of them at HF yesterday but I trust 3-M and I'm not sure of the HF quality.

I have a pretty dry system with several water trap drops but I still use them on all my air tools and spray guns. They're cheap, I buy them by the case and change them frequently.

I get them at the local Dupont paint store.

[geezer]

This Harbor Freight air dryer was in a post a year ago with no follow-up on how it functions. It is far less expensive than refrigerated units for the occasional user.

Has anyone tried it and does it work well enough for plasma cutting?

http://www.harborfreight.com/desicca...yer-97686.html

Thanks.

I have one, there is nothing fancy about them, basically a piece of pipe with dessicant in it, most people who have them, mount them wrong. They are supposed to be placed a minimum of 25 feet from the compressor to get cooler air. few people do that. The advantage they have is the capacity, rated at 17 CFM, which is more than the little junky in line ones can handle.

The best is still the refrigerated systems but they cost.

[GWD]

I have one, there is nothing fancy about them, basically a piece of pipe with dessicant in it, most people who have them, mount them wrong. They are supposed to be placed a minimum of 25 feet from the compressor to get cooler air. few people do that. The advantage they have is the capacity, rated at 17 CFM, which is more than the little junky in line ones can handle.

The best is still the refrigerated systems but they cost.

Thanks to all for the information. eBay has a couple of refrigerated units that I'm bidding on. If that doesn't pan out then the desiccant option looks good.

The plasma cutter will not be use commercially or even daily so getting real fancy is not a priority. (However, I do tend to overdo it sometimes.:p)

[geezer]

Thanks to all for the information. eBay has a couple of refrigerated units that I'm bidding on. If that doesn't pan out then the desiccant option looks good.

The plasma cutter will not be use commercially or even daily so getting real fancy is not a priority. (However, I do tend to overdo it sometimes.:p)

The HF model and a quality inline similar to the 3M model mentioned by steve placed a little further down the line should be all you really need. The HF will do most of the work and the 3M will catch the rest.

[GWD]

Well, I'm going to get something just to be safe. All good ideas on this site.

Fired up the PP 70 for the first time today and no water accumulated in the compressor's trap or the cutter's trap - not a drop. The 80 gallon compressor tank and gas-shut off drain valve on the tank's bottom probably help. The valve is opened only occasionally and, at most, a cup of water comes out. No rust.

CA is pretty dry compared to elsewhere in the country. That is until we get the cold "tule fog" that lasts weeks on end. That has me a bit concerned.

I'll write a quick review in a few days

[GWD]

The HF model and a quality inline similar to the 3M model mentioned by steve placed a little further down the line should be all you really need. The HF will do most of the work and the 3M will catch the rest.

The bids on the refrigerated units on eBay did not pan out. They ended up going for over $400 - a bit out of my territory.

The HF 3 foot long desiccant dryer is in place now but a smaller second in-line one, also from HF, was too restrictive and the air pressure to the torch drops by 30 pounds with it in place. Maybe the 3M one would be less restrictive.

The large HF dryer is near the compressor but it is attached with a 50 ft. coiled nylon hose. It probably doesn't matter what the physical distance is from the compressor but rather how long the line is to enable cooling.

Also, a timed tank drain was installed to keep the water out of the main tank.

That is about all I can do to dry things out right now. It seems to work and no water is showing up in the traps.

[geezer]

GWD, As far as cutting costs go, I was toying with the idea of using and old 110 v window Air Conditioner and a roll of copper tubing to make my own fridg. dryer unit. Cool the shop and dry the air at the same time, I'm sure a lot of us have stuff laying around that could be improvisd. Just a thought or as they say another brain fart in motion.

[dirtyfarmer]

I've been using a small disposable in-line filter/dryer branded as "Speedaire", on my PP256, mounted just after the unit's air regulator. Grainger has these in 2-paks for, I think, $18.00. They are small, but rated for 125psi and 15CFM. I get consistent steady cutting with one of these installed. Also, instead of throwing them out when they turn pink, I remove the nylon protective cage and just place the filter on a trivet on top of my wood stove until the beads inside turn back to blue.

[GWD]

Looks like those might work better than the little HF ones if the air flow remains consistent and without restriction.

Here is what the HF one looks like. Not sure why it restricts. Maybe I should take it apart and find out.

http://www.harborfreight.com/inline-...ter-94733.html

Have you tried checking the regulator's gauge when the torch air is running to see if there is a significant drop in pressure? (With and/or without the dryer filter).

[dirtyfarmer]

I'll see about checking those pressures tomorrow. Right now, it's 13deg. outside and I only heat my barn/shop when needed. I will also take a picture of my set-up for switching my PP256 from argon to air for tig or plasma work. Just a few male/female air pressure Q.D.s.

[Steve]

Try this link. http://www.dune-buggy.com/webs/Off-R...ompressor.html It is an intercooler for air compressors and from what I have heard, it works really well.

[deranged]

I've been using a small disposable in-line filter/dryer branded as "Speedaire", on my PP256, mounted just after the unit's air regulator. Grainger has these in 2-paks for, I think, $18.00. They are small, but rated for 125psi and 15CFM. I get consistent steady cutting with one of these installed. Also, instead of throwing them out when they turn pink, I remove the nylon protective cage and just place the filter on a trivet on top of my wood stove until the beads inside turn back to blue.

I use some sold by Milton PN#S1173, that are very similar to these. I have mine just before the regulator on the cutter to grab any water still left in the line. They take care of the the water issues quite well, are inexpensive, easily portable, and can be dried and re-used.

ATD also has them PN 7820