I'm going to be moving my air compressor soon, and I need to repair some leaks in the process, so I thought this would be a good time to add an after cooler to my setup. I've seen pictures online, but I haven't talked to anyone who has done this. Here in the Southeast we have to deal with hot and humid summers, so temperature and moisture are a concern, especially when using high volume like spraying paint. I'd like to keep my tank cooler and water free, so I'm thinking of adding a tube-and-fin radiator with fan and a water separator before the tank. Something like below. Has anybody here done this?
Air Compressor After Cooler
- Thread starter BlueC
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- air compressor cooler
Aftercooler is an absolute game changer for moisture control. That and an unloader operated tank drain is extremely efficient.
I have a big commercial Champion compressor with a cooler inside the belt gaurd right against the compressor pulley so it gets good air flow.
I have a 3 stage filter/dryer setup at my cnc plasma and never get any water out of it.
I have a big commercial Champion compressor with a cooler inside the belt gaurd right against the compressor pulley so it gets good air flow.
I have a 3 stage filter/dryer setup at my cnc plasma and never get any water out of it.
Waited til it got dark to take a pic with a flash to see the cooler. It's all factory Champion plumbing.
Finned copper line between the first and second stage. Copper line comes out of the second stage, in to the top of an 18"x24" cooler, out the bottom, and to the tank.
The round aluminum component in the bottom right is the unloader operated tank drain.
Don’t know the cost difference between building your own cooler or buying a refrigerated air dryer?
Ingersoll-Rand D12IN Refrigerated Air Dryer, Beige https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C3IDTO6/?tag=wranglerorg-20
Ingersoll-Rand D12IN Refrigerated Air Dryer, Beige https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C3IDTO6/?tag=wranglerorg-20
A lot. A homemade setup will utilize something like a Derale tube-and-fin oil cooler costing around $75, a water separator costing around $75, a small fan $25, and probably $25 in hard line. So somewhere in the $200-250 range plus an hour or two of setup.
