Homemade Auto compressor drain

woodchucker

woodchucker

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A few years ago I wanted an auto compressor drain. But being too cheap to buy one, I adapted some stuff and made one. Today I noticed it wasn't working well, the problem was the filter was clogged. So I removed it, and then realized I should share it with you guys. So it has some drawbacks, one is that if you leave your compressor on 24x7 it won't work. It works when you shut the compressor off and it leaks air.. So that knocks out a bunch of you that don't have leaks. I do, I have a lot of plumbing going on. It feeds the wood shops, metal shop and garage. It's very simple and cost almost nothing.

It's HF mini filter and a couple of ball valves. The spring at the bottom of the cup releases when the pressure gets low, letting the water rush out. And when restarting the compressor it will push any remaing water out until pressure re-closes the valve. I've had it in use for 3-5 years...I don't remember how long..
Just thought I would share it with you guys. BTW I don't use wheels on this compressor, it's hardwired and just too big to move around, so I put it on blocks. It helped with the clearance underneath too.
SDC11965.JPG
Here's what I removed from the filter to get it going again. The filter was clogged from rusty water.
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I am a little confused, why the filter?

By the way, I really don't have a need for the auto-drain, so here is the economical way I drain my compressor. You can see how I solved the clearance issue.

Air_Compressor-2.JPG
 
Because the filter has a spring loaded release, so that when the pressure gets low, it opens and lets all the water out. This is why I wanted the filter, because it does it automatically.
I didn't want the water to have to rise to the OCCASION;) so I didn't do what you did. I used to only have a ball valve like you, but the compressor is in another room, and the switch in one of my shops. So it empties it when it loses pressure on it's own.
 
woochucker said:
Because the filter has a spring loaded release, so that when the pressure gets low, it opens and lets all the water out. This is why I wanted the filter, because it does it automatically.
I didn't want the water to have to rise to the OCCASION;) so I didn't do what you did. I used to only have a ball valve like you, but the compressor is in another room, and the switch in one of my shops. So it empties it when it loses pressure on it's own.
Click to expand...

Got it, using the drain on the filter. Yes, removing the filter element should get you back in business.

You know the water level does not need to as you say "raise to the occasion". I just crack the valve whenever I think of it. Some times there is very little water to empty it does not need to get to the level of the valve.
 
Thats a good idea Randy. I think I'll try that, the HF air filter deal didn't work for me. I tried the auto drain filter without a filter and it didn't last very long, started leaking too much air. Tried a name brand expensive one and it started leaking too. Down here in Alabama you really need a good air dryer, its so humid here. I really need to drain my 80 gallon vertical two stage more often, it does fill up faster than I expected.
 
SSage said:
Thats a good idea Randy. I think I'll try that, the HF air filter deal didn't work for me. I tried the auto drain filter without a filter and it didn't last very long, started leaking too much air. Tried a name brand expensive one and it started leaking too. Down here in Alabama you really need a good air dryer, its so humid here. I really need to drain my 80 gallon vertical two stage more often, it does fill up faster than I expected.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think the issue is that you are dealing with all the dirt and rust at the bottom of the tank and these filters just aren't made for that kind of contamination. I only had one issue with my set up and it was a defective fitting that needed to be replaced in 20 years.
 
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I haven't had a problem, hopefully I won't w/o the filter. If I do, I can' work on cleaning up the filter and replacing it, or buy a new unit.
Cheap enough
 
I drain my tank out the side of the building via a hose to open air. No filter,why would you want to filter the drain, get rid of all the garbage that may accumulate in the tank. I have an electric seloniod on the bottom of the reservoir. I unusually activate the drain weekly, depending on how often I use the compressor and local humidity
 
aliva said:
I drain my tank out the side of the building via a hose to open air. No filter,why would you want to filter the drain, get rid of all the garbage that may accumulate in the tank. I have an electric seloniod on the bottom of the reservoir. I unusually activate the drain weekly, depending on how often I use the compressor and local humidity
Click to expand...
Read post #4.
I would like a solenoid unit that could on a timed (every x hours) release the shmoo.
 
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