Planning to upload an update video with before after temperatures on tank, before after of heat that the upgraded comp oil reduces, and with new plumbing up front and hose reel review once I get them. Links will be added to video for that!

Thanks for showing your upgrades and sharing your knowledge!

That would be an after market transmission cooler. With 1/2 pipe threads. And your oil drain on the compressor you may want to take out that plug install a pipe nipple of any length that gets you out to a more easily serviced position then cap the end. Making it far easier to drain the oil without making a mess

The HF black and red 50' 3/8" hose is fantastic. Husky even uses the same OEM for their abrasion resistant 3/8" rubber hose

Something I learned a few years ago here on KZfaq about running the main air outlet tap as in where you would connect your hose or hoses to go to your air tools is that it's best to run your pvc or steel or brass line up high on the wall and then from there run it at a downward angle for say 2 or 3 ft, to wherever you want the level of your main line at to tap in with your air outlet fittings, and put your water separator and filter there, then from that point run your line along the wall level and put your outlet tap somewhere along in that point or if you want multiple outlets to be able to connect your air hose at different points along your garage instead of running a long hose from one outlet all the way across your floor then you run your line as far along the wall that you need to. To try to make my point simpler what I'm saying is that the air and moisture that exits out of your compressor needs to run a fair distance, like say maybe 6 ft, or more, before the water condenses and separates from the air to be able to drain into the water separator more effectively, if the separator is too close to the compressor outlet the air and water remains a vapor and the water doesn't have much of a chance to separate. Running the line at a downward angle for a distance and then tying your separator/filter in at the end of that run at the point where you'd level the line back out helps because the water will separate and then run downhill into your separator at that point, then from that point, from the separator you can run your line level along your wall and put your air hose outlet tap or taps from that point on. I realize that I rattled on for a long time here about it but sometimes it's difficult for me to be able to explain what I'm trying to convey in a few words. I hope I made sense here, I personally haven't set up my shop like this yet because we're still renting a house but when we buy one hopefully in the next year or so I'm most likely going to try to set it up this way. Anyway, I like your ideas here, pretty dang nifty. 👍

I like the way you planned it all even though you planning on upgrading in the future, but I also got one like it but haven’t opened it yet because of space issues. But I definitely congratulate you for your time & effort to show us that you don’t always need something big to do the job. “Save $ guys & do your homework as always”. Damn good example here 🇻🇮

Never reduce the flow,,it's 1/2 for a reason , you will shorten the compressor life by reducing the flow from back pressure

Great thinking and upgrades! Practically speaking, you almost never have to change compressor oil because there is no combustion byproducts. After cooler must be rated above max compressor pressure. Even though you don't get tank water, keep daily drain habit up because in warm climate that might increase. During once recent garage repair, my compressor ran continuously, I discovered loads of tank water. Any water left in tank can cause internal corrosion, making dangerous tank. Never buy/gift used compressor w/ old tank, because you don't know how tank was cared for; it could be ticking bomb. Work safe.

Awesome video man, thanks!

That's a great setup my dude! I kept messing with used compressors but the rusty tanks always had me worried. This is a really good fix for that.

U have a pretty cool set up and great after cooler nice job

I used the card board from my US GENERAL top box. To make a sound damper box on top of my Craftsman compressor. Works great lowering noise levels. No cost hack

That was definitely a great idea. Very thorough and explained in very detail. Thanks and great job.

Awesome very well explained and knowledge gained the efficient way .Simple and practical .well done .makes a lot of sense

Great video... one of the limiting factors to get me to start using my plasma cutters. Dry air. No hurry, though I really do like the simplicity and cost effectiveness of your design. Definitely very inspirational, thanks for sharing. Liked, commented and subscribed.

You're gonna get water in the bottom of the tank no matter what, just part of the process of compressing air. The cooler isn't removing moisture from the lines, its just preventing it from turning into water. You need good traps and a dehumidifying machine if you want to paint professionally. I work in a shop and have seen how they run those 500+ gallon tanks. They have dehumidifiers that are about the same size of the tank. What your cooler does is effectively let the tank store more air per cubic inch. This is how two stage pumps work, one pump compresses air a first time, feeds it through a cooler, then compresses the air a second time to make it extremely packed. Which is how those big pumps can push so much air, because they literally compressing air several times before storing it.

mindblown...great thinking!!

the best way to separete water before it goes to the piping is to keep the tank cool and, as much as possible, install the compressor air intake somewhere it picks up the dryer air as possible.

Nice Build!👍

Why not screw a pipe into the drain plug and have it stick out .

I ran a 3” nipple with a 90* pointe downward and a plug for the oil drain. No cutting required

Great job

Just wanna say I've had the loud 21 gallon for 8-9 years now. Biggest issue is the factory nipple and regulator choke it down to a 1/8" output. It's great once they're replaced. Wish I had the money for this one back in my 20's, but it definitely wasn't built to be thrown away after a year or so.

Pretty cool idea

The transmission/oil cooler helps remove water and also increases cfm because heat=increased pressure . Soft copper line and flare fittings are a great way to plum it up. It's plenty strong for the task. And will further aid in the cooling if the air. Also if u were to make a shroud to wrap the edges if the cooler and end close to the fan/ large pulley it would pull more air. An electric fan is a easier option.

I bought a Husky 60 gallon two years ago and am finally getting around to adding an aftercooler. To anyone out there who has a compressor, water in your air will destroy a tank and tools. After cooler will save you lots of frustration.

This is the same compressor I have. It is so much quieter than my old one. I used the old tank for extra volume after my drier system.

Damn. Smart!! Great vid.

Nice Frankenstein job...looks like it should be in a Mad Max movie...

Great vid. very informative! Would love to see an additional video of how you trained the beaver to cut that frame...

Nice job. I'm looking at a Menards with similar flow but oil free and plan to do this to it.

I extended mine with A brass 1/8 tube and a treaded coupler where I screwed in the bolt

Great idea this is 👍

Extend the drain pipe like you did and just drain it daily. Then just use a water separator on hose output. A good quality one removes basically all water on output. The tank is strong enough to handle a bit of water in it. Hell of a lot cheaper. I also paint with my air compressor. So can't have water on the air. Never had issues

I like your setup. Attaching the aftercooler to the compressor is a great idea. I have a full sized condenser set aside to incorporate into my own setup and it's been years now. LOL I haven't done anything with it yet but I've always wanted to upgrade my 21 gal for the 29 gal also. Thanks for the motivation.

I was recently given one of those it had a bad switch I replaced that but it seems like the threads at the bottom is fine threads and I wanted do something like you have to drain the tank where did you get a fitting to match or it's just me not seeing right

I did something like this many years ago when i started painting cars and just needed to shoot a bumper. But i have great advice from the compressor snobs that are auto painters 😂. Go to your local junkyard and look for a xj jeep Cherokee and pull the ac compressor. Do a grease conversion and drill the outlet a few bit sizes bigger weld some bolts onto that base and get a 4inch pulley for that motor and attach it all together with what you have and youl have a great much quieter 15cfm compressor. You also could look for those Volkswagen vans from the 90s that use the bigger version of that pump as you do have a 2hp motor then you get about 20cfm. But the jeep ones are plentiful and cheap. Lmao my shop has actually ran on a gas powered 2 stage using 3 of these pumps for about 1 year now. I still have my small one unit compressor hooked up to the system and use it 2 yrs later when i dont need the air of the gas compressor. It will hold 120psi while painting a whole car as long as its just me using air after all.

if you had noticed on the gas compressor at harbor freight the pump had a pipe to drain oil from the same pump as yours. i dont know what part number is. im thinking of buying the 29 gal air compressor . hows yours holding up. thanks.

i basically did the same thing... works amazingly well.

Nice job.

Try adding an intake muffler. Brings the decibels down. Did it to mine and much quieter. Pvc piping elbow, cap, steel wool and some filter element. Can aim the piping to the floor or any other direction to reduce noise as well.

I wish this post was active - I have questions on substitute hoses since that link is broke and wondering about the float valve. If the float valve was added or if it's available as an option on the water collector?

Wouldn't it be easier to get the big 2 phase compressor and do all iron piping through out the shed with auxiliary tank of higher compactly ? And have 3 filters?

Now I know what Rube Goldberg's air compressor looks like!

Like your design concept. Can you create a line flow diagram for your set up. good job explaining your set up....

Could the second hose on the output side of the cooler just be a standard air hose or dose it need to be the high pressure heat hose?

I like your idea to cool the air before get to the tank. Can I use the Fin radiator cooler instead of after cooler? And why you choose the belt driven air compressor instead of oil-less (belt-less) compressor?

@4:03 Pressure washer hose good to 2000 degrees?? PsI, sure. But will it handle high temps?

thinking about doing the could that system paint a whole car anyone knows of this compressor hoteche and is it any good

I may do this on my 60g Kobalt. Not a bad idea to preserve the inside of your tank! Thanks for sharing!

I have a 7 hp 60 gallon and paint on occasions. I have tried so many water separators and was about to build my own decedent dryer. I am definitely going to try it your way. Thanks for the great video

I just drain my tank daily, before I leave my shop I turn off the compressor and open the drain valve. Costs me $0. I do run 4ft of desiccant lines on each outlet though, they change color when they’re needing to be recharged with a 45min cook in the toaster oven in a tray. Here in Los Angeles that’s about 2x/yr unless we get a lot of rain. Each of my sewing machines has an oil/water separator on the inlet anyhow, just in case. Weekly/monthly shop maintenance schedules keep things tidy and in good order. I’m running a 26gal “quiet” Kobalt vertical tank compressor. Not in need of high cfm, but the maintenance principle is the same

Great idea to preserve the tank. Is that cooler really rated for that much pressure though? It looks like a regular transmission cooler, and those don't run much pressure, if any. I've got a bigger 5hp 60 gallon compressor, and this kind of thing seems like a good idea to keep water out of the tank for sure.

This is why we need to oil our air tools after every days use.....water!!

Can you put 2 after coolers ? Maybe 1 on comprwssor and one after a filter down the line for someone like me with 80 gallon compressor? Here wisconsin is humid

I added a 1/4x8" extension to my drain valve with a ball valve - works well (don't have the same compressor but my oil used to leak on the pump when changing also).

I found one, 30 gal Kobalt $379 on sale, 155 psi vtwin compressor unit. All parts replaceable Lowes. Highly recommended Buy it use it less connections less problems. Other than painting or sandblasting most all mechanic tools are battery powered, great for blow drying Safety Kleen off parts if need be.

Nice setup...going to do the same..more or less

I did this exact thing on my kobalt 30 gallon but used hydraulic lines as my air lines.

What psi can the cooler handle?

I am not sure if you can add the CFM of compressor and a tanks. CFM calculations take in consideration the pump capacity, tank capacity, the hp of the motor and time it takes to fill the tank. If you have two compressors working in parallel then yes you can add the cfm's. Great work, Thank you!

telling people they won't have to drain their compresor any more is a good way to wind up on national news / KZfaq Fails collections, even if you rig your cooler between compressor and tank.

The 21gallon sounds like an oil less compressor , wouldn't have one of them !!! :-)

What I don’t get is that the water will be in the air regardless of temperature? The only thing that’s working is that you have the filter that collects the water right after It condenses out right?

I need one of these setups for my everlast plasma cutter rig.

Do you have a part number for the cooler?

Do they make an after cooler for nostrils?

Propably the SMC waterseparator filter after the Cooper doing most of the work here. Mostly would work allmost the same without the aftercooler.

Would really help for use of a plasma torch. Damp air kills them, good job

Ok thanks brother

One thought I had is: Aren't you altering the cooling of your Compressor? Seems to me it would be blocking cooler air's passageway to the pump.

You should’ve added the drain extension like you did for the oil for the compressor. That’s what I did with mine. It’s not like that mine is a kobolt from Lowe’s. I have a 60 gallon air compressor with a two-stage pump and I have the same tank that you have plugged into my 60 gallon as a extra air tank.

The cooler can handle 150 psi?

The transmission and engine oil coolers I looked at are rated at 125 to 150 PSI. My compressor shuts off at 125, so there is no safety margin. An Air Conditioner coil would be better since they are rated well over 200°. Automotive coils would come with fittings. A coil for a small window unit would work, but will require using compression fittings, or use the solder for AC systems (not plumbing solder).

Just a quick note, you mentioned stepping down from 1/2 to 3/8 right after the motor, bad idea if that is the case. You essentially created a bottle neck which will steal cfm down pipe. They sell 1/2 transmission coolers (eg derale has them) and you could have used flexible 1/2 copper (sold at the big box stores) to connect to the two and not affected your pressure downstream.

If u extend your intake from your air compressor, run the intake to the exterior of your garage to where it is not sucking air from the room its in but piped to draw air from outside. It would be much quieter. I ALSO HAVE AN EXPANSION TANK ON MY 26.. MINE IS FROM LOWES & I CALL IT A PIG BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE A PIG!!!!! P.S. I GOT MY AIR COMPRESSOR FOR $68. IT WAS A RETURN...

With out watching the whole video. I stopped as you said “ second thing is “... You could have extended the drain port with a nipple fitting/cap long enough to help access your oil drain intervals... Just a simple add on to not have to cut into your compressor mount... Greg

Frankencompressor but I bet it works well lol

The after cooler is a great idea except is that after cooler you are using made to hold the air pressure of the air compressor ? If not it could be dangerous if it explodes.

Are you sure about two compressors combined will double CFM? The thing that keeps me from buying the sandblast cabinet is that it requires SOO much cfm (12.0+) to operate.

BUT... what pressure is that radiator rated at?

OP: do you have a source or link for these blue short length high pressure hoses? I'm in need for these but don't know where to look!

Or just put an automatic drain. We use them on commercial compressors. Works perfectly fine.

I have that compressor I just felt it wasn’t big enough that’s why I got a 60 gallon from Lowe’s just under 600 bucks three years ago I got free delivery and 10% off if I got their credit card after I got the compressor I paid off the credit card to capitalize on the 10% discount and the free delivery. I did put an hour meter on my compressor so I know how many hours it’s been running when it shuts off it stops counting even if there’s no electricity for whatever reason it does not lose the time that it has ran.

Could you have used a pump to remove the oil instead of using the drain plug?

Just extend the drain with a piece of pipe. Hell of a lot easier

I have the same compressor just bought build to 145 max psi is that normal

HF air compressor warranty only covers replacement 1 time just fyi, i learned the hard way.

will this after cooler work for a two-stage 80 gal compressor

Better than making a DIY water trap with vertical lengths of pipe?

The setup i would have if i lived in the US, considering how cheap stuff is there buy two small compressors or one big one for 1k and have 12-17CFM with a massive tank or buy second hand commerical and never look back.

Someone had an idea and a pot of coffee !

Pressure washer hose that's good up to 2000 degrees? Please tell me more..... Lol

4:08 is 2000 PSI not 2000 degrees. lol. Otherwise, the whole thing would be a melted blob on the floor.

That is an absolutely Genius concept! However, it may have some room for improvement. I am currently in the process of copying your design ( i.e. parts are in the mail to me now ) I believe to put it bluntly, you over-complicated your set up. Not to say it doesn't work for you! But I require high CFM, the flow rate on my tools is around 10 CFM @ 90 PSI meaning every fitting has to be a minimum of 3/8" inner diameter, where 1/2" would be ideal but may not be easy to find all the fittings I need and swapping back and forth from Army/Navy to M/F (NPT) I'm gonna try and simplify it. Can let you guys know how it goes... Shipping is slow, probably a month away from the hands on part of this adventure.. I just got a brand new compressor, so from day 1 I'd like the tank to be bone dry, its also easy to see if any new rust forms because its clean inside at the moment.

Kind of late to do after the fact but I would suggest measuring your threads on your oil plug and install a quick drain plug. There's a company called fumoto that sells them as well as an "off brand" that's a couple bucks cheaper called ez-drain. They have different models, some of them have nipples so you can attach a small piece of tube to drain into a container. They're great to install on generators too, since the plugs are so hard to get at without spilling oil all over the frame. Edit: I just scrolled down the comments and I like the idea of a ball valve plumbed in as well. It would probably cost less to make one. I'd center punch and drill the existing plug and solder some 1/4" tubing and install a "needle valve" for about 3 bucks.

How many hours are you supposed to change the oil, ive never changed mine

on uouroil drain why didnt you make a pipe extension

Great set up! The link to the blue high pressure hose wont work unfortunately. would you be willing to share the product info for those?

is the cooler still holding up. also where did you get the filter the return of the cooler back to the compressor tank. Great job by the way.