Please help with advice on water in compressor

[DHUFFMAN]

I have a real bad moisture issue with my compressor.. I have put the $40 water seperator on the side of the side of the compressor and use 2 inline filters at the Gun and still get water coming out of the gun...I also drain the compressor after every use and tons of water comes out of the bottom
Anyone have any advise?? Thank you in advance.

[marklaken]

here's a decent thread that deals with this issue a bit:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=65610&highlight=water+air+compressor

look at the link to the picture...i set something like that up in my garage (not cheap...maybe $80 in black pipe/fittings...mine is about 30' long)...put my filter at the end of the piping just before my quick connect for the hose...i have not run any inline filters at my gun and have no water problem, so long as i remember to drain it before each day's use...alot of water drains from the very end drain every day...zero water drains from my filter...it's been more humid than ussual this year in colorado, but it's still a dry place...
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Mark Laken
Fort Collins, CO

[Nessal]

Seriously...just run some galvanized pipes. You'll be amazed at how well they work. I only have 25ft of galvanized pipe between my compressor and my filter and the air that comes is cool while the compressor is HOT. To be honest, I actually pump the compressor up and spray at myself because it's so damn hot here in CA.

[Chubber]

Never put a water trap near the compressor tank. It is useless there. I usually put it on the end of 25 feet of hose that has about 10 feet coiled in a bucket with cold water in it. Then the moisture trap, then another 20 feet of hose, another small trap and the gun regulator. The second trap will show any moisture that makes it through the line. Fill the bucket with ice if you really want cool, dry air, but the ice melts fast.

Drain your tank only in the morning when it is cool. Draining it when it is hot won't get most of the water, the heat flashes it back to vapor.

Chubber
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Chubber
'71 Deluxe 7 Passenger Bus (Resto thread)
'72 Fastback
'74 Super Beetle Convertible (Sold)

[Blaubus]

ditto on what all these guys say... the water needs to condense over 25 ft. at least, (fifty is better) before it reaches the seperator. if you live in a humid clime , than it wont be enough this time of year. i should know- the hudson valley of NY is a jungle right now.

i use two filters after my seperator- not in a row but in side-by-side! i split the line, filter it, and then converge the line- tapered thread brass fittings. this keeps the CFM high. this is only useful cuz i also use 3/8" hose and 3/8"quick connects- and NO regulator at the gun! this is the way to do HVLP.

large reusable filters can be had for about a hundred, but the auto body supply folks wont tell you this. they insist you must either buy the sooper dooper 400 dollar seperater/regulator console, or you are stuck with crappy disposable filters. if you want to buy the $100 one, just pm and i will email the page from my industrial supply catalog... or order the catalog from MSC, 1 800 645-7270, but careful what you wish for- this thing is 4000 pages long.

[Chubber]

Another couple of ideas that you can take care of on the cheap:

1) I use a full sized Cambell Haussfield filter/seperator in the middle of the line. It is like $20-30, you can find them everywhere.
2) I use a "mini" filter/seperator at the gun. It is only about $15 at Home Depot. It doesn't do really well seperating the moisture, I mostly use it as a way to see if there is any water in the line. You will see it right away if there is. In order to make it absorb water faster, fill it about 2/3 of the way with "crystal" cat litter, which is really Silica Gel. Change the gel about every hour of spraying or when it stops absorbing water. $5-7 for enough for about 100 hours of spraying.
3) Icewater in your bucket that the hose is laying in will make it work much better. It will melt fast though.
4) Start spraying in the morning and try to be done by noon. That will help with the humidity. If it gets too hot and humid you risk dripping water off of you onto the paint as you spray.

Good luck. I just finished my convertible and it came out really well, though a little orange peel from using the wrong temp converter. Another reason I tried to do the spraying as soon as the sun came up.

Chubber
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Chubber
'71 Deluxe 7 Passenger Bus (Resto thread)
'72 Fastback
'74 Super Beetle Convertible (Sold)

[Blaubus]

actually the relative humidity is lower at 3pm than it is in the cool of the morn. just wait for a cool spell. if you are in the NE that will happen this weekend. i find that highs of 82 after a hot spell yields some very dry conditions. but if you are doing this all outside and you have no garage be aware that a high of 82 with become a low of 62. the hardener will not do its thing lower than 60 degrees. so a high of 84 would be ideal.