DIY Compressed Air Desiccant / Dryer / Filter for HVLP and to paint your car at home 

Just FYI, I've been using one for about five months and it exploded this evening. I'm just here looking at videos of other people's findings after I've already come to my conclusion. A couple weeks ago I saw some stress lines in it and I figured I would see it to its end because the odds of it happening when I was in the shop were very rare. I came out of the house at about 12 a.m. and heard my air compressor running with no load on it. It's the cyclic pressure spikes that are the demise of the material. I thought it could be a thing but also it was cheap enough for me to gamble with. It was definitely a more violent explosion than I thought it would be. Luckily my security camera and the shop caught it and there is shrapnel nearly to the other side of the shop from where it was. Also, desiccant is absolutely everywhere. It was like a crappy IED went off in here. I just want to give other people a heads up that are doing the same or may be looking to.

Hi David, I think this setup makes a lot of sense. The desiccant snake might be overkill but I really get the rationale behind the staged filtration setup, and I appreciate the research you’ve put in as well. I’m curious to know how well it’s been working and if there were any issues. I am setting up shop air at home for automotive paint as well, and have been scouring youtube for ideas and various insights. Also, reading white papers and application notes from industrial pneumatics suppliers is good, but exhausting. For myself, I have been approaching water separation and filtration as separate topics. I have really been looking at the after-cooler + moisture trap approach to condense out as much water as possible before entering the tank since this is a brand new compressor. And, I doubt any contemporary big-box brand compressor will hold up for 21 years if there is a lot of moisture in the tank. Anyway, thanks for the great video, the info here is very useful.

Any concern about desiccant dust? All that effort to get down to microns, but then there is usually some particles that want to come out of the desiccant.

Thats the BEST DIY Paint table Ive ever seen --- Great Job Dave!

From what you described, you have the same compressor I do and I am also in the process of getting a vehicle ready for painting. My compressor also makes a good bit of water and I was thinking or placing a drier between the compressor head and the tank to start with. I already have a drier that I can place between the tank and the line that I am hoping will be sufficient but I have to say that yours will definitely be superior. Very nice job. Good luck with your painting project. I am always happy to see folks getting into DIY auto projects. It's a lost art as most folks just fork out the cash and have someone else do it for them. Cudos...

the bottom line here is you found the right set up for your painting projects etc... and also you found how keep moisture from getting into your air tools and spray guns etc.. too good job. a while back i had the same problem till i finally got me a similar set up, if folks plan on doing this kind of diy get rid of that moisture first before you do anything else.

Very good job. Can you show a video of the inter assembly of the dessicant dryer please? Thank you!

What type model is the craftsman air regulator

Question.... will this also filter out oil as well?

What are the manufacture brands of all your filters?

How well did this whole setup work?

What is the purpose of using the water filter?