Spraying air temp

[Bennett Bryner]

Not sure where to post this but... In my current situation, my compressor is in an attached, non-heated garage, and about 30ft of 1/2 line goes to my detached garage where I spray. Now that the temps have been freezing or below, I noticed that my water trap has had zero water in it. I have heard that the air temp must be higher than outside air temp for the water to condense, which isnt happening until it leaves the gun.

Where the main feed line goes in to the heated, detached garage, there is a water/oil separator, then a RTI MD4 desiccant filter, then 25ft 3/8" flexzilla to the gun.

Any issue running cold air through the gun? Should I insulate my feed line from the compressor? Once the line hits the detached garage, should I run a hard line around the garage to allow the air to heat up before hitting the dryer/separator?

Thanks for all the help!

Bennett

 

[crashtech]

That's an interesting question, and although our compressor lives in a shed attached to the main building, we have about a 25' run before the refrigerated dryer, and then another 75' or so before it reaches the desiccant dryer in the booth. So even in subzero temps, condensation is not a problem. One advantage of cold air being ingested into the compressor is that cold air can't hold as much water as warm air, so right there the problem of moisture is cut way down. I'd be interested in what those with more knowledge on the subject have to say. I think in extreme cases, if your air supply is too cold, you could get some condensation or even icing at the nozzle.