Moisture question
- Thread starter Puppadore
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Feed your compressor nothing but dri Nitrogen and it eliminates ALL moisture and oxidizers no need for all the other crap trying to keep moisture out.
By the way it also eliminates any chance of detonation in the compressor ie no oxygen no fire.
An added benefit your gun shoots faster because of the smaller molecule of N2
By the way it also eliminates any chance of detonation in the compressor ie no oxygen no fire.
An added benefit your gun shoots faster because of the smaller molecule of N2
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Most people buy a compressor for the freedom of not having to rely on a bottle to fill their gun and/or to eliminate the hassle, inconvenience and cost of filling an SCBA bottle at a dive shop or paintball shop. So while it’s not a bad idea to feed your compressor with nitrogen it kind of negates why most people buy a compressor in the first place.
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This is why I use a particulate pre filter to dehumidify my air in low humitynin a desert.
I use 3 cats, aka Californiaairtools, 10 gallon compressors, each cooled by a modified 12 inch floor fan in a temperature controlled room, emptying into a 10 gallon tank, then to a Altaros air cooled booster.
I drain the cats each use and keep the tank valve open and start each compressor with the valve open to blow any water out, then close the valve.
My humidity runs from 60 to 15 percent, but it was down to 6 percent yesterday, it is desert in a 1200 year drought cycle.
My booster is air cooled and generates no moisture or heat, actually runs cold to the touch. The booster has a 5th dessicant filter inside the cabinet that never shows signs that moisture is reaching it.
I use the 4 desiccant filters in-line between the 3 way connection that connects the compressors and the auxiliary tank they pump into.
The oilers cat compressor motors will reach 100F and the cylinder heads on the oilers system reaches 85 degrees. It takes 1.5 hours of a 30/70 on off cycle which lets them run cooler and produce less water to fill my 30 minute bottle from 3500 to 4500 psi.
My humidity is low but even with the cooling effort on the cats and the air cooled design of the Altaris, the pictured filters will need a complete changing of the dessicnt media.
The 10 gallon auxiliary tank that is between the filters and the booster is always dry.
My vents never hiss, no moisture enters the scba tank.
But if your using a hand pump, or a small Chinese compressor your in denial if you think your not putting water in your system. Those tampon filters are basically worthless.
Regards,
Roachcreek
I use 3 cats, aka Californiaairtools, 10 gallon compressors, each cooled by a modified 12 inch floor fan in a temperature controlled room, emptying into a 10 gallon tank, then to a Altaros air cooled booster.
I drain the cats each use and keep the tank valve open and start each compressor with the valve open to blow any water out, then close the valve.
My humidity runs from 60 to 15 percent, but it was down to 6 percent yesterday, it is desert in a 1200 year drought cycle.
My booster is air cooled and generates no moisture or heat, actually runs cold to the touch. The booster has a 5th dessicant filter inside the cabinet that never shows signs that moisture is reaching it.
I use the 4 desiccant filters in-line between the 3 way connection that connects the compressors and the auxiliary tank they pump into.
The oilers cat compressor motors will reach 100F and the cylinder heads on the oilers system reaches 85 degrees. It takes 1.5 hours of a 30/70 on off cycle which lets them run cooler and produce less water to fill my 30 minute bottle from 3500 to 4500 psi.
My humidity is low but even with the cooling effort on the cats and the air cooled design of the Altaris, the pictured filters will need a complete changing of the dessicnt media.
The 10 gallon auxiliary tank that is between the filters and the booster is always dry.
My vents never hiss, no moisture enters the scba tank.
But if your using a hand pump, or a small Chinese compressor your in denial if you think your not putting water in your system. Those tampon filters are basically worthless.
Regards,
Roachcreek
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This moisture paranoia inside PCPs is way, way overblown.
Been Handpumping in a tropical island for a decade and a half and never found any problems inside my guns.
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heat do not change the water vapor/air ratio - volume of water on the inlet side = volume on the outlet side
hot air will carry more water vapor that cold air, colder air on the inlet side of compressor = less water vapor to pass through to the outlet side
the higher pressure on the outlet side reduces volume air to the water ratio
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Yea, that's why I said "may" because I wasn't sure if heat would but from what I read compressing the air does bring out any moisture. What I can say for sure is having a filter on the air intake did in fact eliminate the moisture I was experiencing.
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I'm missing something about compressing nitrogen. If nitrogen is in a bottle, why can't you put it directly into the gun?
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The bottled nitregeon in sold many areas is at a pressure that is too low for Airguns, 2200 psi, so it needs to be boosted up in pressure by some sort of a compressor.
I think water gets into most of our pcp’s, but like the post above states, it may not always do harm. Tom Gaylord for years said it comes out when we shoot the pc p’s. Probably the vapor we see exiting the barrel under certain conditions.
My Shoebox compressors that I used in a very wet wester Oregon, a few years back, always spitted water when I bled them upon filling, so I checked them regularly. I never found rust or corrosion, or at least what I could identify as such.
Having said that what will the water do when combined with the local pollution in your respective atmosphere?
Regards,
Roachcreek
I think water gets into most of our pcp’s, but like the post above states, it may not always do harm. Tom Gaylord for years said it comes out when we shoot the pc p’s. Probably the vapor we see exiting the barrel under certain conditions.
My Shoebox compressors that I used in a very wet wester Oregon, a few years back, always spitted water when I bled them upon filling, so I checked them regularly. I never found rust or corrosion, or at least what I could identify as such.
Having said that what will the water do when combined with the local pollution in your respective atmosphere?
Regards,
Roachcreek
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These guys are making things way too complicated. Yep!! Yes you can fill directly from the bottle to the gun.
I use an 6000 psi nitrogen tank that I get from ARC3 Welding and Gas Supply Co. You will have one or some other company name in your area.
The tank is 510 cubic feet.
I bought a simple fill adapter from Joe somebody, his company is well known just forget what it is at the moment. I got the fill adapter and gauge around 7 years ago and he still sells them. Or if you are a worry wart you can purchase a 400 dollar dual regulator assembly. I simply use the gauge and adapter and watch the gauge on the gun and slowly fill it. I do replace the small high pressure fill whip each year.
So 510 cu ft tank. Yearly rent is 140 bucks. and tax.
Refill or exchange is 89 bucks. And tax.
If you have a 480 cc bottle on your rifle and you fill at 2000 psi you will 144 fills from that big bottle. A small tank such as on a Daystate Revere you will get almost 300 fills or more.
If you are residential you have to go pick it up yourself they only deliver to Commercial businesses. If you live in a sub division then regulations prohibit sale to such customers.
Bottom line for me is 1.73 cost per fill. I generally fill a PCP around 24 times per month, so I get 6 months per tank
I have no worry at all with moisture issues.
In comparison the use and cost of say the Nomad 2 at 800 bucks.
24 fills per month equals around more or less 2 hours of run time on the compressor.
If the compressor actually does last 20 hours before it dies (most die long before hence the reason there are no long term reviews as the compressors do not last long enough for a long term review) if it last 20 hours that is for me 10 months.
Cost is over all around $5.50 per fill as I can count on the small compressor dying most likely long before those 20 hours.
I do have to watch out for moisture issues.
I have had two Nomad 2 compressors. The original one lasted six hours. It was sent back and replaced with a new one, I sold the new one unused with full disclosure to someone on this site , I stressed it would fail, only a matter of time.
Hope this helps those who are considering nitrogen versus compressed air.
Cheers
Kit
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It is impossible to dry the intake air enough to stop it reaching 100% humidity on the output side, so you really need a water separator on the output, and some moisture absorption. Intake air drying will just reduce the amount of water the separator has to deal with, which is not really much help, since it is so much quicker to purge a water separator than dry/recharge your desiccant.
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