Compressor electrical and autodrain question

Don't you hate when I do that!

Florida! Even when I lived in California, during the rainy season the water would flow big time.

Those are all excellent suggestions.

Well, we will have to agree to disagree....best wishes to ya Greg......Ross

Reply to
Ross Mac
Loading thread data ...

So far, I have a tire inflator, two blow guns (shows my appreciation of guns), and a HF air sander. :)

i
Reply to
Ignoramus10062

Well watch out! You WILL get the bug to buy more air powered tools. Once you catch it, there is no cure! You have a great start with that compressor. Take care of it and you will never need to replace it! Greg

Reply to
Greg O

Thank you. It is a pleasant thing to own. Regarding taking care of the compressor, would it be proper to say that oil needs to be changed when it becomes dark?

Also, the motor has a grease gun adaptor. How often should I grease it?

I am now draining moisture, it is a clear liquid, but OMG, there is a lot of it in the tank! (at least a pint has dripped by now, still dripping).

i
Reply to
Ignoramus10062

Reply to
carl mciver

Hours run is the usual criteria. Do you have a manual? If not, check out similar machines for an idea of time.

Not very often. Again, hours ru n is what determines it. Good motors can go years bwtween lubes. I'd not do it more than once a year. I've seen some that say every five years.

As long as it is clean, it is water. If it gets milky, you are getting some oil in it. That is also common over time, especially after the rings wear a bit.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Just as an explaination..I do commercial repair of machine tools. CNC and manual.

The water/air issue and the requirements have a hell of a lot of variables. The #1 being...how humid is your outside air? I work in the Southwest, which includes Aridzona and the beaches of California.

Many many of those locations have so little moisture in the air..that virtually no appreciable amounts of water will build up in a days time, others need special treatment for water build up in a few Minutes.

Ive a shop in Costa Mesa (Newport Beach) California, that HAS to have driers, down drops, coallescing filters, coolers/chillers and bleeders because if they dont..the air system will collect at least 5 Gallons of water per hour. During the winter months..it was the norm to pick up an air hose and shoot a 1/4" stream of water from any air hose every 30 minutes. On the other hand..Ive a shop in Chandler Arizona that has a single coalescing filter 20 foot from the compresser than needs to be drained every other day.

So one cannot make blanket statements that one has to have, or doesnt need driers, etc etc. My home shop for example, in the summer months may...may... collect a gallon of water a month. In the winter during fog season, may collect that during a day. California High Desert.

So I get by quite nicely with a self draining water trap at the end of a 50' hose that connects my remote compressor to the system. The tank itself has a homebrew auto-drain.

Its very location specific.

Gunner

It's better to be a red person in a blue state than a blue person in a red state. As a red person, if your blue neighbors turn into a mob at least you have a gun to protect yourself. As a blue person, your only hope is to appease the red mob with herbal tea and marinated tofu.

(Phil Garding)

Reply to
Gunner

Thanks. Maybe I should attach a 220V hourmeter to the motor.

Given my very light use, it will probably be sufficient. I bought this thing because I am spoiled by military surplus stuff and disdain cheap consumer stuff.

It is clear, but thanks for the info.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus10062

Can't argue too much with that!....Though I would suspect that most of the country would require a dryer at least part of the year. No doubt the deserts of California, Arizona and even Nevada might be OK most of the time. I am curious...if you repair CNC's doesn't water cause you corosion and seizure problems with air bearings....Of course I am assuming here that there *are* air bearings on your equipment.......Oh well....this got covered pretty well in all the posts and most of them have something valuable to add including your own.....take care Gunner, Ross

Reply to
Ross Mac

In your case I would change the oil once a year, probably too often, but oil is cheap. If the oil is dark, you waited too long! It would probably be a good idea to change it now, as you probably don't know when it was changed last.

The motor I would give it one pump once a year at the most. I service motors that run 4000 hours a year that we lube once a year. Probably once now and again in three or four years would be sufficient!

A pint of water in a 80 gallon tank is nothing to be worried about. At the machine shop I worked at I would drain the tanks everyday and get close to a gallon in the summer time.

The auto drain from Grainger would be a great idea. Almost nobody remembers to drain the tank as often as they should! The drain from Grainger freaked me out a bit as it will drain when it sees fit to, not dependant on the compressor cycling. When I first put it on I would be out in the quiet garage and all of a sudden the loud hiss! The first time it happened I was trying to figure out what broke, then it closed again! Greg

Reply to
Greg O

Yup! My point exactly. Depends on use and location. If you are blowing up bicycle tires for the kids, or driving an impact wrench once a month or so, a dryer is a luxury. If you have some precision, or expensive equipment that NEEDS dry air to survive, then it is a requirement. Greg

Reply to
Greg O

Thanks.

I agree, in fact I already bought an I-R auto drain such as this:

formatting link
Thank you for your suggestion.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus10062

I thank you for your well-intended clarification. I am sure it was helpful to those for whom the term "Horrible Freight" was not immediately recognizable as a humerous mispronunciation of "Harbor Freight." To others who spontaneously, involuntarily ejected the contents of their mouths because their laughter could not be contained when they read that epithet, I commend to you the benefits of the "spill-proof" keyboard.

Reply to
modervador

Yes..water can be a serious problem with air bearings, or more likely, air purged bearings. Its not due to the amount of water that the bearings may run in..heat of the bearings tends to keep them dry, or the water may be displaced by the oil/air misting lube systems.

The problem generally is long term and is a result of the machine being shut down over a holiday, or a long weekend, or even a slow period. Then the bearings rust like a bastard, and when the the machine is turned on again...shrug.

If you would like to look at what water in a spindle cartridge looks like, Ive got a series of pictures of one that was shut down over a christmas holiday, after the air purge filled the cartridge with water. They are on one of my drives, Ill dig em out.

Gunner

It's better to be a red person in a blue state than a blue person in a red state. As a red person, if your blue neighbors turn into a mob at least you have a gun to protect yourself. As a blue person, your only hope is to appease the red mob with herbal tea and marinated tofu.

(Phil Garding)

Reply to
Gunner

But..but ONLY if you have a wet air problem in the first place.

Gunner

It's better to be a red person in a blue state than a blue person in a red state. As a red person, if your blue neighbors turn into a mob at least you have a gun to protect yourself. As a blue person, your only hope is to appease the red mob with herbal tea and marinated tofu.

(Phil Garding)

Reply to
Gunner

Seen it many times! and you are correct....Ross

Reply to
Ross Mac

On 27 Feb 2005 19:25:14 -0800, the inscrutable snipped-for-privacy@worldnet.att.net spake:

Yes, either waterproof keyboards or keyboard condoms are a must whilst reading Usenet. Humor can lurk behind any dark post here.

-- "Menja bé, caga fort!"

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Like we sometimes get up here--I can get several gallon (s) a day under the 'right' conditions.........

Reply to
PrecisionMachinisT

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.