Air dryer options

[figure1a]

Trying to figure out how much air drying power I need. I have a small Roland MDX-540 with the automatic tool changer which needs a compressed air supply. The little $10 inline silica gel option does not last long. All the refrigerated air dryer options start around $500 and seem like overkill. When I look at the specs all the units start using at about 5AMPs of 120v power. It doesn't seem like my unit uses that much air. Is this my best option or is there something else out there I should be looking at?

[underthetire]

You can get a small dryer at harbor freight. Last time I looked and today even I have a 25% off coupon. Makes it less than 300. Or, you can run vertical lines up the wall and back down that are twice the size of your horizontal lines. Place a water separator before and after the vertical lines. Gives the air a chance to slow down and cool in the lines, makes separation much better.

[figure1a]

Tried to get the harbor freight one with the coupon this morning. They were out and said it was discontinued. Web site says out of stock.

I might try the vertical line thing. Although right now the compressor is in the attic and makes an 8 foot drop into the garage. At the bottom of the drop is a water trap. Then the line goes to my mill at the end of a 25ft hose. The hose travels up about 6 feet before going into another water trap that is attached to the mill. I never have any water in the water trap on the mill. Do you think my setup is OK then? I have a silica gel filter in that 25ft run that starts off blue and then turns pink when it is wet. It turned pink after a couple days so I figured I needed a longer term solution.

[awemawson]

Silica gel can be recyled in your oven while the wife is out! Just warm it up for a while to dry. If you had two cartridges you could cycle them whilst the dinner is roasting <G>

[underthetire]

Get the hose out of the set up. Hose holds heat more than copper, by a lot, and that can lead to more water. Use short hose from the wall to the machine only. The desiccant filters like that type are prone to early replacement. I only use them for painting. There are other large desiccant filters that work well, they are full of pellets and stand 2 ft high. If your not seeing any water by the machine, this all may be overkill. We only use extra desiccant for the air bearing spindles. Those need it.

[packrat]

I have one of these on a plasma cutter and it works great. Takes out water, oil, and particles. M26 and M60