# Filter or Filter/Drier alone?



## tananaBrian (Oct 26, 2012)

Hi,

Finally in the finishing stages of setting up our new boat building shop and the boat that's under construction is getting close to the painting stage. Up until now, we've had our Ingersoll-Rand compressor set up with the air hose directly connected to it with a 1/4"-1/2" NPT adaptor ...no filters of any kind ...but have just been using the compressed air to blow things out of the shop and off the build projects now and then. Quick and dirty. Now that we'll need to use the system for painting, I want to finish setting it up.

Previously (different shop), I used a Sharpe F88 filter that claims to remove oil/water/dirt from the air flow combined with hose-end filters to the air gun. A pretty marginal set up at best, but was OK at the time. These boats aren't Corvettes! Anyway, I still have the Sharpe F88 but have also (coming out of storage now) an RTi Stealth 3950 filter/drier that I'd like to use. It's got 1/2" NPT fittings on it. I believe that the 39*60* also removes oil, but I don't have that one. _ I think, correct me if I'm wrong, that I need an oil-removing filter/separator between the air supply and the 3950, no? That's one of my questions. Or is it OK to run the 3950 directly off the air supply? I really don't want to neck down the 1/2" NPT steel piping so I can insert the F88 since it only has 3/8" NPT fittings on it... if I need a filter, which would you suggest? _For your information, my set up is as follows:

Air compressor -> air cock -> elbow to riser pipe (no drain here) that rises 50". I have a 30' long horizontal run with about a 6" drop from the supply end to the other end. This run terminates in a T-fitting, the bottom leg of which has a 36" dropper and air cock w/short nipple to act as a drain. The top of this T has a 10" riser to an elbow, then a horizontal run of 12", then an elbow for the dropper. That's as far as I've gone. I need to pipe in the filter/separator and filter/drier (not a desiccant drier, just the 3950), then use the RTi regulator/gauge to which the air hose connects.
_
Other than my filter questions, does this setup sound OK as well?_ It's my best one yet...

Thanks,
Brian

PS: We're 50+ miles outside of Anchorage and should be able to get any filter we want in town.


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## Nardin (Oct 28, 2012)

http://www.2002tii-restoration.org/tools/compressor.htm


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