Hello gents,
I know this will almost be like asking “how long is a piece of string”, but I am wondering about desc. cartridge sizes. There seems to be lots of choices, but what size is functional enough, how long will a 2 quart, for example, last before needing recharging?
Of course it depends on ambient conditions, but can somebody give me a ballpark idea?
Thanks.
I discussed it a little bit on this topic how I determined my size.
I know there’s one other post out there that where it’s explained in better detail but I can’t find it.
Since this topic I’ve gone to a 1 gallon desiccant container but sometimes I might cut for 2 or 3 hours straight .
For most people the a quart size container should be about right it should last for 3 hours of cutting before the pressure dew point rises above what hypertherm would like to see.
Note . In most cases the beads will not fully change color before it’s actually above the pressure dew point that hypertherm specs.
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Ok, thanks for that Tin. I looked around awhile before posting, but couldn’t find what I was after either. So if you mean 3 hours of actual cut time, that sounds like quite a lot. Maybe I’ll save a few bucks and get the quart size then. More money for steel!
Thanks again.
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I do really like the gallon one that I purchased recently
It also came with a gallon of desiccant
https://www.zoro.com/arrow-pneumatics-desiccant-dryer-1-gal-d12-04xxl/i/G2789479/
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Yea, Arrow has a number of sizes. That one you mentioned is almost double the price up here in Gods country. I guess it costs to live in paradise.
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@curmudgeon - This guy has an interesting product line. Compressed Air Piping Systems - Ez Air USA I bought the starter kit and a 2” x 3’ piece of black pipe. I’ve only used it for a week or so, but it has taken all the moisture that used to collect in my moisture traps out of my lines. I was previously getting water spitting through my needle scaler (high volume air) and that has completely stopped. As for how long it lasts - depends on your use . You can remove the beads and bake them to recharge and start over.
Phil
Hi Phil, looks pretty interesting. I’m not quite sure where the 2" pipe fits into the setup. Can you send a pic of your assembled package?
Thanks.
I’m not home right now to take a pic, but they send you the nicely machined top and bottom fittings, internal tubing and filter/strainer ends, and a bag of desiccant big enough to fill a 2” x 3’ pipe. You screw the end caps on the pipe and fill the whole assembly with aluminum something-or-other beads. You also get a small bag of color changing beads to put at the top. The top cap has a clear port so you can see if they need baked. Expensive, but well made and seems to work. You know what they say - the sweetness of a cheap price soon fades while the bitterness of poor quality lingers long after.
@curmudgeon Here’s a YouTube link to where I first saw EZAir. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bg3n74q3C0 If you watch it he gives a discount code. I don’t know if it’s still good.
Phil
I watched the U-TUBE video, pretty remarkable. The first thing that struck me is the ease by which it could be expanded even bigger by simply using bell reducers to go to an even larger diameter pipe. I would be inclined to use galvanized though unless that produced some kind of reaction with the type of desiccant used.
Thanks a lot for sharing that!
Never forget the power of a compressor intercooler… Made a HUGE difference for me.
Incorporating one now!