very nice, this is how people make life nice for themselves. Congrats.

I have a automatic drain on the bottom of the compressor tank, in
addition to the air dryer downstream. Dry air is very nice.

i

On 2018-04-07, Bob La Londe wrote:
I've got a filter separator on each side of my air dryer. I figure if I
can get some out before it hits the dryer I its good for the dryer, and
the one after is so I can check to make sure the dryer is doing its job.

The dryer does automatically open a float valve to blow out moisture if
it fills up, but my daily routine is to shut off the air valve from the
compressor and drain the distribution lines ever day at the end of the
day. The water trap in the dryer opens under low pressure and blows out
any and all water. It works fairly well. Since I routed the drain line
so it doesn't have a trapping affect and drains into a plastic coffee
can the water trap hasn't needed to be cleaned as often this way. The
last time I opened it up all I had to do was wipe out the bowl.

Anyway, as part of my shut down I open the drain valve on the lead
separator. Its a plastic screw plug thing. The one on the downstream
side is just spring loaded. Anyway, a couple times I have screwed it
out a hair to far and the parts just took off. This morning I had the
same thing happen again, only I didn't find all the pieces this time.
Oops.

Then I thought to myself, "Screw this. I want a decent valve on the
bottom of that bowl. Maybe a nice little ball valve." At first I
thought about drilling and tapping the inside of the plastic bit, but
then I checked a 3/8 ball valve I have several of for making machine
coolant assemblies. It screwed right on. The plastic "thing" on the
bottom of the bowl was a straight thread and of course the valve has an
NPT thread so I knew it would leak. I snapped an o-ring over the
threads, screwed the valve on snug by hand, and put the bowl back in
place. No leak. Dead simple solution. Sure the o-ring will fail
eventually, but its dead simple to replace it when it does.

Now I have a nice easy open ball valve on the bottom of the separator
bowl. Should be able to blow it clean in half the time now too without
a plug obstructing the hole.

I know. I know. Stupid, easy, anybody could do it, but sometimes I am
as pleased with solving a simple problem quickly and easily like that as
I am with solving a difficult design and machining problem.