Ghetto air dryer?

look here for some direction: https://irate4x4.com/forum/general-t...sma-cutter-air

I have 4' vertical legs with 3 drops with ball valves to empty drops and I still get moisture. Almost to the point of trying one of the HF dryers.

I was hoping to avoid buying a dryer since I so infrequently use air. How much piping do you have between the compressor and the drops?

About 3'

Ok this is apparently a Tuesday type question, but I used to work at a body shop, and maybe there were systems at play that I was aware of when i was 16, but the little orange ball things you screw on right at the paint gun, sand blaster, etc..aren't enough? I know there were occasional glass bowl things in the line to catch water very so often too.

i have 100' of 1/2" pex sloping back to the compressor before the first air drop. i run almost everything straight off that. plasma etc..

for painting and blasting i have this drying/ filter. i made it a long time ago and it has served very well, nice being portable.

I bought a harbor fright water trap and a quart of rechargeable desiccant beads off of eBay to run my plasma.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/283327757232
https://www.harborfreight.com/indust...nit-68247.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/indust...nit-68247.html
https://www.ebay.com/itm/283327757232

Opened the canister up and up and packed the bead inside. Bought a short whip hose to run from the output back to the input to keep the unit sealed when not being used.

Being on the east coast, I don't think piping will be enough to draw moisture out of the air, not if the plasma is continuously used.

An after cooler inbetween your compressor outlet and tank is a good first step. You could build a franzinator if you wanted even cheaper. Even with that, I get moisture in my lines that catch in the filters/dryers.

Dessicant works, but you need a lot of it for it to last, and the air system needs to be tight so that the dessicant doesn't just waste away when you're not using it.

HF dryer is on sale 300$ instead of 400
first time i see it on sale