Hi, How important is it to get a compressor with a moisture trap? What could happen w/o one? Thx
Generally yes, as the moisture trap is contained within the pressure regulator, or is it the other way round? Both are needed.
I would say that if you use a 'fridge type oil-bath pressor, or one with a tank, yes.
It’s a good idea to have a moisture trap either at the compressor or in-line. When air is compressed, water is squeezed out. If it gets into your airbrush it can easily spoil your finish by spitting little blobs of water. This is especially important is you live in an area where you have high humidity.
I have a pretty large compressor, so my setup for airbrushing uses a moisture trap and regulator between the supply hose and the airbrush hose. Hope this helps!
Mike
For some time I went without a water trap, supplying the air from the compressor tank into a separate six gallon tank, which then fed the airbrush. No moisture problems in the paint that I knew of, (but no assurance they didn’t exist.) Then I replaced the separate tank with one that had a drain at the bottom, at first use I was surprised that on opening drain when finished, I got about 1/4 ounce of water to drain out. I installed a trap and that seemed to take care of it.
When I went with an entirely new setup, on the advice of the dealer I installed a trap right at the very exit point of the air from the compressor tank, completely surprised me just how much moisture is generated in the process. I live in wet Western Oregon, lot’s of rainfall and fog, that may pose a greater threat than the weather where you are.
So yes, I vote for a good water trap. Plus, if your tank has a drain valve make sure to drain following every use, always rotating the tank to place the drain at the very lowest point possible. It seems really important to not leave any moisture in the tank, as that can not only shorten the tanks life, but can actually pose a hazard.
Patrick
Me, too - a moisture trap is just a little added insurance! But is a moisture trap essential? Dependent upon humidity where you live maybe, maybe not. But it surely doesn’t do harm to have one and could prevent a ruined paint job. Too, you can add one right at your airbrush (where it’s important) for not much money - Iwata, Master and even Harbor Freight sell one that attaches to your AB (unless you have Badger or Paasche which use a different thread). Here’s one on Amazon for ~$7.00:
I have a very similar one from Iwata - much more expensive but the same in function.
Yes, it depends on where you live. Here in Colorado, where the humidity is usually less than 20%, I have never seen a drop of water in the trap. But when I lived in Atlanta, with lots of humidity, I never saw any water in there, either. Go figure!
Before I added a moisture trap, an extended session of airbrushing, or one that involved near constant running, would cause the compressor to get hot. That in turn lead to condensation in the tank, followed by water droplets in the line.
regards,
Jack
I always had a moisture trap in my system until I bought my current compressor, an Iwata Silver Jet. I thought I would try it without a trap and add a trap if needed. So far I have not had a problem. One big difference from my previous setups is that I previously always had a two stage tanked system, with the compressor running at high pressure and dumping it into the tank, where the hot air cooled before running it through the regulator. The Silver jet runs inherently at much lower pressure, so maybe that is why I am not having moisture problems.
Also don’t forget to drain the tank now and then