Who has their own air compressor set up at home for the occasional need to air up a tire of blow dust out of their computer or vacuum cleaner?

I was blowing dust out of my vacuum and noticed a cloud of moisture coming out the blow gun each time I pulled the trigger which can't be good for putting air in tires.

I'm looking for advice on connecting a water separator to the air compressor to prevent moisture from coming out the end of hose with the air. Where its best to hook it, next to the compressor or a distance away from it and any recommendations on a water separator. Please feel free to add pictures of your setup as this can be very confusing. I can't imagine why air compressor companies don't put water separators on them before you buy it.

My compressor is a 4 gallon 200 PSI Fortress from Harbor Freight. I only use it maybe once per year to air a tire and blow dust out of computers and vacuum and maybe use a small nailer to build something once in a blue moon but I mainly bought it to blow out the cowl drains on W221 which is perfect for it but don't want moisture going in tires or computers.

 

I have an old oil sump Craftsman compressor (around 12 gal). I drain the water maybe annually. I use it for tires and have definitely blown out computer parts with it. Honestly I don't think twice. The compressor isn't creating or adding any moisture. Generally painting applications are the only ones that really require the water separator but obviously given the choice, dry air is better for tires and probably computers. However, I do wonder if dry air on computer parts is going to increase the chance of ESD....

 

does that unit have a water drain on it? If not then an inline separator will help. Install it about 10-12 feet after the compressor so that the air cools down further. Drain before and after any use. Best mounted so the chamber is vertical with air coming in from the top and the drain on the bottom. Obviously you will need more hose and fittings :-)

 

yep mine is a 2 cylinder Campbell Hausfield given to me in 1979 and was several years old at that point. still runs perfectly

 

I Have a 10-gallon Craftsman.I have never had a moisture issue. I drain the air and leave the peacock in the tank open to drain any leftover moisture.

 

Used to have a harbor freight 20 gallon installed in my basement was super loud didn't quite have enough supply to keep up. Think I paid less than $150 for it and sold it for maybe a hundred. Upgraded to a 60 gallon 3 horse. Now I don't run out of air also mounted in basement much quieter unit don't have to listen to it in the garage and it's cleaner dryer air so I don't have to worry about sucking in tons of water. Have a hose real mounted in garage wit shut off valve and keep it powered on all the time. Never have water in the line but do get water in the bottom of the tank once in awhile. Also made this loop in the pipe to collect any water that does get into the plumbing. Yes most of what I use compressed air for is cleaning, works great.