What air compressor line filter water trap kit to get?

[Rodney Nelson]

Hi Pelicans,

Is there a kit that I can get to take care of the water filtration and particle filtration, what else do I need?

I'm going to purchase a 60 gallon compressor... after being scared at looking all of the reviews everywhere, price being a big factor, this is my choice. Free delivery to my house and no tax, this works.

Eastwood 60 Gallon Belt Driven 3.7HP Air Compressor

I'm going to be using this for... wait for it... painting my car and some serious grinding after welding.

Thanks for your assistance,

Rodney

[Dpmulvan]

I made my air dryer out of copper and added several water traps and another reserve tank? I wouldn't strip off $500 for that compressor but it's your money.

[Cairo94507]

I just started my full garage remodel yesterday. Will be buying a compressor w/in the next 2-3 weeks so we can add air to the garage in addition to an in-ground mid-rise flush-mount scissor lift from BendPak. When a fellow member makes a comment to someone asking for advise or assistance about a product they have chosen without explaining their answer and providing an alternative, they are leaving that person in the dark. If the Eastwood compressor is not a good product, explain why and suggest one that might better suit their needs.

I have tentatively identified the Ingersoll Rand 60 gallon 5HP in 220 power supply for my garage. I went 220 because it has been explained that provides for better service life of the motor. I chose Ingersoll Rand as they are located about 25 miles from my home and I can pick-up my compressor directly from their factory. if I have a problem, they are right there to address it- hopefully.

Compressors in this size, which is maybe a bit overkill for a home 3-car garage, all seem to be in the $1K range, all in. The hardest thing is even when they say "Made in the USA", you find they may assemble them here, but they source parts from all over the world. In the end, you end up selecting one that meets your needs and hope you get lucky I guess. One of the variables rarely shared on compressor is the decibel rating. Now my compressor is going outside in a little "house" of its own as I do not want to have the loud noise in my garage. Installing it in a nice insulated shed, with plenty of ventilation will keep it clean and fairly quiet too.

I also plan to install a timer for the power switch so I don't end up leaving it on and it kicking on in the middle of the night. In my garage I will need a dedicated line to the lift for the locking mechanisms, and then I will likely add a quick-connect on the front half of one side wall and the rear half of the other side wall. The garage is only 30" across and 25" deep so having a air connect on other side should do it. I will run iron pipe in the walls for supply lines and stub it out so it keeps a clean appearance w/o having visible pipe running around the garage.

I am hoping that will take care of my air needs for the remainder of my life.

[Rodney Nelson]

I am on a budget and the eastwood seems to actually be a dewalt compressor. The reviews are much better on these units compared to the big box brands. The other plus is that there is no tax and free delivery to my door which is a big plus as I don't have a truck.

I need to have at least 13 cfm @ 30 PSI for the HPLV paint sprayer I'm interested in getting. If anyone knows of a better one for the price please let me know.

My plan is also to install outside in a "little house" and pipe everything back into the garage.

My main question here is the about the dryer and filter setup for a compressor to be used for painting. What is all necessary and where should I purchase?

[Rodney Nelson]

Agh... after more looking around, this is the same brand that is labled as Husky, Home Depot brand. It has terrible reviews. So, maybe I won't get this one...?

[Rodney Nelson]

I might have to up my game to this one... I just get worried when I see all of the reviews out there... for the big box brands... looks like they are junk...

This one looks pretty good, I was trying to stay away from the $1K mark.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ingersoll-Rand-Reciprocating-60-Gal-5-HP-Electric-230-Volt-with-Single-Phase-Air-Compressor-SS5L5/202889756

[Dpmulvan]

Go to surpluscenter.com and check out the stuff they have there. 80 gallon tank $349 many different 2 stage pumps like a 2 stage 36cfm for $495. Stay away from the big box/tractor supply stuff. Do some research on compressors. You would be better off buying The 17.5cfm compressor pump from HF for $169 and sourcing a motor and tank off craigslist rather than buying an Eastwood compressor.
To paint a car with a good gun requires 1/2 hose and about 30 ish psi going into the gun to get about 10psi at the tip that won't happen with one of those cheap overrated cfm air compressors. Im just saying do your homework, I couldn't afford to spend $1500 on a compressor so I bought parts and put my own together. As far as air drying you can make a manifold out of copper or buy a pretty decent electric dryer from HF for $300 and change.

[Cairo94507]

That Ingersoll Rand is the exact unit I am buying. Good luck.

[Rodney Nelson]

Originally Posted by Cairo94507

That Ingersoll Rand is the exact unit I am buying. Good luck.

Hi Cairo,

Check out this site before you buy... There are some serious reviews on it and they deliver to your door step with no tax, could be the cheaper way to go.

https://www.powerequipmentdirect.com/tools/stationary-single-stage-air-compressors.html

I have changed my mind looking at all of the reviews... not sure what to get....

[dwiniger]

Rodney, Tractor Supply has that 5HP Ingersoll Rand 230V 80 Gal stand up on Sale Now....$650....
I bought an Ingersoll Rand of a similar spec. 10 years ago, and it is still working great......I am interested in Filtration and H20 removal products, since I am getting ready for the painting stage....After about $3500 in Restoration Design metal.....LOL....

[Rodney Nelson]

I finally ended up ordering this compressor after many many hours of research. Yes I think there are better ones once you start to get over the 1k mark. However, the reviews for this compressor sold me, plus it has a twin pump, 60 gallon, and decent cfms. There are others out there with bigger motors but the reviews are absolutely horrible. What ever you do dont buy a husky, kobalt, dewalt, portercable 60 gallon 3.7 they seem to be made buy the same company with terrible reviews. This business seems pretty good as well with free delivery and no tax.

https://www.powerequipmentdirect.com/Puma-PK6060V-Air-Compressor/p591.html

[seafeye]

I've used a sears craftsman one now for about 15 years. One of those products that I'm 100% satisfied with. Bought it when they had a Father's Day sale. $649.00

https://www.craftsman.com/products/craftsman-professional-60-gallon-3-1-rhp-oil-lubricated-professional-air-compressor-150-max-psi-230-volt

http://m.sears.com/craftsman-professional-60-gallon-air-compressor-3.1-rhp/p-00916476000P

[Rodney Nelson]

Hi Everyone,

I thought I would go ahead and let everyone know my final decision. First thing to note is that if you have $1,500 or more to spend you can buy a very nice high quality compressor. The problem I had is finding one for $1,000 or less that is high quality. When you start looking at what is out there and their reviews, it is horrible. Especially, the big box brands, what ever you do, do not buy one of those. It seems that some on here may have got lucky but from what I can tell you have like a 50/50 chance. First off, I would only buy from this place...

https://www.powerequipmentdirect.com/

They have a great selection with reviews on everything, I read them all and I suggest you do the same. I ended up getting the compressor with the best reviews out of the bunch, a Puma. It was only $699 and meets all the needs you will most likely have. It's pump is a twin cylinder, which I think is better, than a single. Depending on where you are located and the deal available, most likely shipping will be free for what ever compressor you want, tax free, and may include free lift gate service. It took 2 weeks to ship out, and then another week to get here. The shipping company called prior to delivery to make sure I was here, and the guy unloading it with a lift gate put it on a pallet jack and rolled it right into my garage! That is worth it right there, just think what a pain in the butt it would be to actually go pick one of these up at the store and try to load it into your truck and then unload it, you would definitely need a couple of friends. It seems that everything drop ships from the manufacturer so it all depends on how quick the factory is regarding time to ship out. So, far I am extremely happy with my purchase, the Puma is very quiet, and the quality looks great. Time will tell.

As you can see in the pictures, after doing some homework, I found that it is a must to build a condensation trap out of copper, then after that to install the air filter/dryer. Also you don't want the air dryer right next to the compressor, it must be after the condensation trap otherwise you will be going through dessicant for your dryer after a days use. After looking at a lot of reviews I went with this filter/dryer setup.

Devilbiss QC3 Air Filter/Dryer

My compressor is 230V. I had to wire in a new outlet, which I'm sure most of you will. I would like to add, it is very easy, unless you have to crawl into a tight attic space like I had to. Simply get the right double breaker for your box, if your compressor is only three wires like mine, then one wire goes to ground, the other two to the breaker, easy peasy. If you have four wires then the extra just simply goes to the neutral bar in the breaker box. When you go to your local hardware store, make sure you get the correct matching plug for the receptacle. Different amps/volts plugs have different corresponding receptacles and the volts/amps for both must match otherwise the plug will not fit into the receptacle. Note; that none of the compressors will come with a plug. Enjoy the pics below.

[Rodney Nelson]

[Rodney Nelson]

[Rodney Nelson]

[stephers]

Hi I know that this is a year old post but wondering how your water trap pipe system is working for keeping the air dry?

Thanks, Rick

[Rodney Nelson]

HI Rick,

I can't believe that I wrote this post a year ago, it seems like yesterday!

The water trap I built really works and is 100% needed. I was a little skeptical the first time I decided to open up the valves to see if there was any water in there. A significant amount of water came out like half a glass.

When I was reading up on what to do I found a link that stated the reason people were having trouble with their desiccant going bad so quickly is that they had their dryer to close to the compressor and that they needed to put in this style of trap. Well they were right because if all of that water would of went to the dryer their desiccant would have been done in the matter of a day or so.

The best part about the trap is it helps to keep your tools free of water so they wont corrode and when painting any water in the lines will cause fish eyes... So, I've heard. Now I have not started using my set up for paint yet, but I'm confident it is going to perform pretty well, I just need to make sure I match my sprayer to the performance of my compressor.

Another thing I did on my set-up is that I have a diverter valve in between the copper trap and the dryer. I did this because I knew I would be doing a lot of metal fab work using my grinder and I was not so worried about getting every bit of water out of the line, this way my desiccant will last longer.

The trap was pretty easy to make once you got everything lined up. I never sweated copper lines before but it was easy and I did a pretty good job as there are no leaks, first try.

Good luck!

Rodney

[stephers]

OK Thanks Rick

[962porsche]

if your looking to paint then you should get a good desiccant water trap. you can add all kinds of other traps but they will not take out the water vapor that could and will come out of a spray gun with a compressor running for long times as your spraying.