Mike,
I think the reason that you are not getting any water droplets at your separator is because none is getting to it - remember that the Shoebox flows very little air: 10 CF per hour (the rating of the F10) is only 0.16 per minute, and when compressed to ~100 psi that 0.16 is only about 0.02 CFM of compressed air flow. I only ever get water in my separators when I am running very high air flows, as the air eventually ends up "hot" through the whole manifold system right up to the tool - usually an air powered grinder. I don't even find an issue with most air nailers or impact wrenches due to the intermittent use by just one person (crews, like with roofing, is another matter - but I don't do that).
So you are probably good already, but one good trick you could do it run your shop compressor well before you use the Shoebox - fill it and then let the air cool and condense out the water for a long while. In my case, I keep my shop compressor pressurized all the time - I only drain it fully once or twice a year (but I do blow out the condensate every month or so, or after heavy use). I want pressurized air ready to go when I need it for whatever I am doing, even if just blowing dust out of things. It is no problem for the compressor either, at least in my book - once used, a shop compressor's tank will never fully be dry ever again. I agree it is bad to have a bunch of standing water in it, but we never get all of it out, so there will always be some liquid water in it, and the RH in the tank will always be 100% even after the very first cycle. My first shop compressor lasted over 25 years before I replaced it, and even then it still worked fine - I just wanted something quieter. I now have a bigger one what holds 26 gallons of air between 125 and 175 psi for it's cycle - it does not need to come on when running the Shoebox for any less than about 2 hours, depending on how full it was at the start.
I think the reason that you are not getting any water droplets at your separator is because none is getting to it - remember that the Shoebox flows very little air: 10 CF per hour (the rating of the F10) is only 0.16 per minute, and when compressed to ~100 psi that 0.16 is only about 0.02 CFM of compressed air flow. I only ever get water in my separators when I am running very high air flows, as the air eventually ends up "hot" through the whole manifold system right up to the tool - usually an air powered grinder. I don't even find an issue with most air nailers or impact wrenches due to the intermittent use by just one person (crews, like with roofing, is another matter - but I don't do that).
So you are probably good already, but one good trick you could do it run your shop compressor well before you use the Shoebox - fill it and then let the air cool and condense out the water for a long while. In my case, I keep my shop compressor pressurized all the time - I only drain it fully once or twice a year (but I do blow out the condensate every month or so, or after heavy use). I want pressurized air ready to go when I need it for whatever I am doing, even if just blowing dust out of things. It is no problem for the compressor either, at least in my book - once used, a shop compressor's tank will never fully be dry ever again. I agree it is bad to have a bunch of standing water in it, but we never get all of it out, so there will always be some liquid water in it, and the RH in the tank will always be 100% even after the very first cycle. My first shop compressor lasted over 25 years before I replaced it, and even then it still worked fine - I just wanted something quieter. I now have a bigger one what holds 26 gallons of air between 125 and 175 psi for it's cycle - it does not need to come on when running the Shoebox for any less than about 2 hours, depending on how full it was at the start.
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