Compressed air dryer questions

[Justin00Stang]

I ran 350' of 1/2" pex throughout my new 40x60 shop. There are about 20 drops throughout. I have a closet where I am going to mount my compressor and such, with a switched 20a 120v line and a switched 220v 20a line, so I can turn the stuff off when I am not going to be in the shop for a few days.

I would like a dryer on the line to make for better plasma cutting and painting.

I've seen some stuff on ebay and I think harbor freight has a small dryer for around $200-$400 depending on new or used.

10CFM at 100psi should be plenty of capacity for me, as I will only be running one tool most of the time.

Anything to look for when buying a dryer?

Do dryers run all the time, or only when the air is flowing? I do have a switched outlet so I can turn it off when I am not using the shop, which can be days at a time. My electric bill is pretty high having ac in the shop as well, so I am doing everything I can to keep costs down.

[crzdriver]

There are many different kinds of driers. We actually have a refridgerated air drier in my shop, but this would be overkill for what you want. They work when the air passes through them. I'm not much for some of Harbor Freight's products, but you can get one from Parker, Goodyear, Aeroquip for not too much dough.

[Justin00Stang]

I was thinking of going refrigerated, but you bring up a good point, for my low use, maybe dessicant type would be sufficient?

[Mark Lindquist]

Mark

I have one that was for a 30 hp screw air compressor. They thought it was bad. A small refrigerant leak. I don't believe the ratings scfm dew point of the Harbor freight units. It's like the rated 5 hp compressors have 2 hp motors.A 5 hp motor will run 25amps these run 12 at 230 volt. You need to know your air usage and look at some good specs.

[Vicegrip]

Desiccant dryers will produce far dryer air but are not intended for treating the entire shop air system. (With that said I have a home made and very large one on my home shop system. I can bypass the dryer when using air for non critical apps)
Neg 40 deg dew point output with 70 deg air temp input. I would always have a desiccant dryer with a good filter before and after the dryer feeding a plasma cutter. Super dry air cuts better and saves on consumables. The desiccant can be recharged by heating in an oven at 250 deg until it changes color or if not a color change for 3 hours with a stir or 2 during heating.