Yesterday I was using an air drill on the work bench on my CNC machine room. I stage blanks on that bench and do some minor secondary work there. Mostly de-burring the backside of thru holes. I keep an air
drill with a ball valve for speed control at that bench with a counter
sink tool for deburring and adding a slight chamfer to the back side of holes.
When I picked up the drill it sounded funny and didn't run right. I
turned up the air flow and water came out of the vents.
OH SHIT!
I bled the valve on the wall manifold where the drill was connected and
water came out. Not a lot, but not a little. Then I walked up stream
to the next down drop, that feeds a machine, and quite a bit more came
out of that one. The FRL was also bubbling out the top of the oiler.
There was also a fair amount of water in the separator. Fortunately I
have not used that machine in over a week (maybe two), so its not likely
any water got into the air cylinder on it that activates the tool
release. It was the only on machine separator that had water in it, but almost every air manifold on every down pipe drained water when I opened
the ball valve I installed on every one of them.
I think I was right on the edge of catastrophe.
When I checked the compressor and dryer there was a bit of water in the
air tank. It might have been more than normal, but not much. The separator upstream of my air dryer had some water, but again it seemed
like a normal amount or only a little more at most. I drain both of
those every day I am in the shop. Sometimes twice.
Then I checked the manual drain on the air dryer, and it also seemed
about normal or just a little wetter than normal. Finally I checked the safety check separator. The one directly down stream of the air dryer.
It was WET. By that point I wasn't surprised, but it confirmed the air dryer either wasn't working or wasn't keeping up. Usually if I am
running every machine, and doing some manual air usage I'll get some
water past the air dryer on a humid day, but humidity was only 15%
yesterday according to online weather sources. I wasn't running a lot
of machines or using a lot of secondary air. It felt hot outside at
110F, but not that humid sweltering hot when the humidity climbs.
I'd already shut everything down, and was just testing off tank
pressure. My air dryer is an older style Harbor Freight unit, and its
good for maybe 20-25 CFM at 100 PSI. I've been running it over
pressure, and if I use an air blast on one of the machines it will get overwhelmed pretty quickly. All of my redundant separators and dryers
along with a 7 vertical up to feed are usually enough to protect my machines. Yesterday is the first time I ever had any water in a
separator on a machine. Fortunately just the first one on the line it
looks like.
Of course I drained all the drop tube drains, and disconnected that one machine from the air system. If I have to use that machine I can use a wrench, but I'd rather not.
Now I was confident as longs the compressor on the dryer isn't burned
out I can repair the dryer. I might be able to repair it even if it is, although its not as serviceable as something like a split system. I
also have a spare, brand new, still in the box air dryer on the shelf.
Never opened. In fact many years ago when I bought it from a closeout company there was a mix up and they wound up sending my four of them. I offered to let them pay freight to return, and they offered me a huge discount on the extra units to just keep them. I sold off two, and kept
one as a spare.
I was steeling myself to swapping them out, but instead I walked in the office, sat down at my desk, found a unit capable of drying 75CFM and
handles much higher pressure, and ordered it.
Not wanting to sit idle for several days I considered my options. I
decided the first thing to do was check out the unit currently
installed. I pulled the covers with it powered up. I don't recall noticing an error light (dumb idiot light only) on the front, and the
rests inside were not tripped. The fan was running, but the compressor
was not, and it was so hot it was painful to touch. Then I looked at
the other side and saw the condensing coil was covered in a layer of
lint. I blew the lint off, hit the fins with some cleaner and
compressed air, and turned the unit on again. The compressor pump
started up. I shut it down and called it a night.
Now I am about to walk back out there and power up the air dryer again.
If it works I'll run a light load for the next few days until the newer bigger dryer arrives. I'm actually ahead of schedule on customer jobs except for one I need to redesign so I might take a few days off rather
than swap in the spare if it doesn't work. I picked up a new Insta360
X5 sport/action camera, so I might go out and shoot some fishing video
to promote some of my mold designs.
Oh, yeah. I also ordered a brand new FRL from McMaster for that one
with water in it that was leaking out the top of the oiler. I could probably fix it, but I probably won't. It was a cheap FRL anyway. I'll probably just save the filter regulator, and toss the lubricator.
Be back in a minute.......
Okay, all I think I feel putting my hand on the compressor in the dryer
is heat building up, and the vibration from the fan. I seem to recall I could feel the pump a little more aggressively doing its thing than
that. I also didn't feel any temperature differential in the
refrigerant lines. Depending on the refrigerant (modern ones like 410
or its replacement) you may not get the super hot and super cold like
you did on the older stuff, but its still easy to tell by feel. I
think I have a compressor burnout. I learned to service refrigeration
when I was just barely a teen, so I am sure I could source a compressor
and repair it, but I don't think its worth it. Probably save the fan
motor and cap and take the rest to recycler. (Legal disposal of
refrigerant is a pain).
I left it running while I came into to type up that last paragraph. One last check (yes the air compressor is on and the shut off valve is open)
now that its been powered up for a few moments to see if its working and...
Nope! Still no temperature differential on the refrigerant lines. Its coming out. I can't complain. After the deal I got on the extra units, and being to sell them off at a substantial profit it was almost free,
and its outlasted the original air compressor it was connected to and a
few years into the second one.
Its coming out. I don't know if I'll swap in my spare or not. I guess
it will depend on how much my OCD pushes me to get jobs done verse going fishing and doing design work.
FYI: I think Harbor Freight discontinued these, because they were unavailable after I bought mine from a third party (shipped from Harbor Freight). Harbor freight has them again, but I bet its a newer revised model. I had to service this one a few times. Little things, but
things many people might have struggled with or not been able to take
care of. The new one is about twice the price I paid, but after all
these years that's no big surprise.
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message news:104hi3p$341h1$1@dont-email.me...
Okay, all I think I feel putting my hand on the compressor in the dryer
is heat building up, and the vibration from the fan. I seem to recall I could feel the pump a little more aggressively doing its thing than
that. I also didn't feel any temperature differential in the
refrigerant lines.
--------------------------------
The fairly inexpensive tool I find most useful for line voltage troubleshooting is a clamp-on ammeter, since it measures through wire insulation and shows if devices are drawing normal, abnormal or no
current, which voltage measurement doesn't.
This is a more expensive instrument that gives me almost X-Ray vision: https://www.amazon.com/VEVOR-Thermal-Imaging-Camera-Rechargeable/dp/ B0BGRS6JN4/ref=asc_df_B0BGRS6JN4?
It's excellent for revealing poor connections that heat up more than the
rest of the circuit and showing what's working and what isn't. I bought
it to find heat leaks in the house insulation. In cold weather it shows
the studs in the outside walls. I've read that they can reveal animals nesting in the walls.
Going a step further, these plus voltage sensing can detect when
something isn't drawing the current it should. https://www.amazon.com/Current-Sensing-Switch-Normally-Monitoring/dp/ B0BG4TRGQW/ref=sr_1_19?
I have one on my refrigerator, part of a project to make a sine wave
inverter turn on when the fridge wants it to and shut off the inverter
and its large DC idle current when the fridge turns off.
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message news:104js3j$3nthl$1@dont-email.me...
My dad had a buddy named Paul Drudge who ran a refrigeration business
out of Gila Bend (55 miles away) who would come out, and he taught my
dad a lot, but when Paul retired we were on our own. Nobody wanted to
drive 68 miles (from Yuma) to service a country grocery store.
------------------------------------
Were you somewhere around Mohawk, Dateland or Kofa?
On 7/8/2025 4:09 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:104hoe1$360ar$1@dont-email.me...
...
Before the crackdown on Freon I was trained to build industrial
refrigeration including brazing tubing, but I didn't have much
practical experience before recovery equipment became mandatory.
I learned to service refrigeration from a mail order course my dad took.
He learned to fix refrigeration because we lived far from town, and if
we didn't fix it ourselves it wouldn't get fixed. My dad had a buddy
named Paul Drudge who ran a refrigeration business out of Gila Bend (55
miles away) who would come out, and he taught my dad a lot, but when
Paul retired we were on our own. Nobody wanted to drive 68 miles (from Yuma) to service a country grocery store.
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:104hoe1$360ar$1@dont-email.me...
...
Before the crackdown on Freon I was trained to build industrial
refrigeration including brazing tubing, but I didn't have much practical experience before recovery equipment became mandatory.
On 7/8/2025 12:53 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message news:104js3j$3nthl$1@dont-email.me...
My dad had a buddy named Paul Drudge who ran a refrigeration business
out of Gila Bend (55 miles away) who would come out, and he taught my
dad a lot, but when Paul retired we were on our own. Nobody wanted to
drive 68 miles (from Yuma) to service a country grocery store.
------------------------------------
Were you somewhere around Mohawk, Dateland or Kofa?
A couple miles north of Dateland.
On 7/8/2025 4:09 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:104hoe1$360ar$1@dont-email.me...
...
Before the crackdown on Freon I was trained to build industrial
refrigeration including brazing tubing, but I didn't have much
practical experience before recovery equipment became mandatory.
I learned to service refrigeration from a mail order course my dad took.
He learned to fix refrigeration because we lived far from town, and if
we didn't fix it ourselves it wouldn't get fixed. My dad had a buddy
named Paul Drudge who ran a refrigeration business out of Gila Bend (55
miles away) who would come out, and he taught my dad a lot, but when
Paul retired we were on our own. Nobody wanted to drive 68 miles (from Yuma) to service a country grocery store.
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:104jt0c$3o9ss$1@dont-email.me...
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message news:104js3j$3nthl$1@dont-email.me...
My dad had a buddy
named Paul Drudge who ran a refrigeration business out of Gila Bend (55
miles away) who would come out, and he taught my dad a lot, but when
Paul retired we were on our own. Nobody wanted to drive 68 miles (from Yuma) to service a country grocery store.
------------------------------------
Were you somewhere around Mohawk, Dateland or Kofa?
https://www.aircraftarchaeology.com/b50superfortress.html
"Boeing B-50A Superfortress, #46-020, crashed on March 23, 1950, north
of the small desert towns of Hyder and Dateland in southwestern Arizona"
On 7/8/2025 2:38 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
On 7/8/2025 4:09 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:104hoe1$360ar$1@dont-email.me...
...
Before the crackdown on Freon I was trained to build industrial
refrigeration including brazing tubing, but I didn't have much
practical experience before recovery equipment became mandatory.
I learned to service refrigeration from a mail order course my dad
took. He learned to fix refrigeration because we lived far from
town, and if we didn't fix it ourselves it wouldn't get fixed. My dad
had a buddy named Paul Drudge who ran a refrigeration business out of
Gila Bend (55 miles away) who would come out, and he taught my dad a
lot, but when Paul retired we were on our own. Nobody wanted to drive
68 miles (from Yuma) to service a country grocery store.
After they medically retired Dad from working at Hill AFB in '76 he
opened an AC/R repair business . A large part of his business was
servicing farm equipment . Often sitting in a field several miles from
the nearest highway and frequently a hundred miles from town . There's a
LOT of dry wheat acreage in western Box Elder County Utahaha . And you
ain't farmin' 4,000 acres on an open tractor in that climate .
On 7/8/2025 4:09 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:104hoe1$360ar$1@dont-email.me...
...
Before the crackdown on Freon I was trained to build industrial
refrigeration including brazing tubing, but I didn't have much
practical experience before recovery equipment became mandatory.
I learned to service refrigeration from a mail order course my dad took.
He learned to fix refrigeration because we lived far from town, and if
we didn't fix it ourselves it wouldn't get fixed. My dad had a buddy
named Paul Drudge who ran a refrigeration business out of Gila Bend (55
miles away) who would come out, and he taught my dad a lot, but when
Paul retired we were on our own. Nobody wanted to drive 68 miles (from Yuma) to service a country grocery store.
On 7/8/2025 2:33 PM, Snag wrote:
On 7/8/2025 2:38 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
On 7/8/2025 4:09 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:104hoe1$360ar$1@dont-email.me... >>>>> ...
Before the crackdown on Freon I was trained to build industrial
refrigeration including brazing tubing, but I didn't have much
practical experience before recovery equipment became mandatory.
I learned to service refrigeration from a mail order course my dad
took. He learned to fix refrigeration because we lived far from
town, and if we didn't fix it ourselves it wouldn't get fixed. My
dad had a buddy named Paul Drudge who ran a refrigeration business
out of Gila Bend (55 miles away) who would come out, and he taught my
dad a lot, but when Paul retired we were on our own. Nobody wanted
to drive 68 miles (from Yuma) to service a country grocery store.
After they medically retired Dad from working at Hill AFB in '76 he
opened an AC/R repair business . A large part of his business was
servicing farm equipment . Often sitting in a field several miles from
the nearest highway and frequently a hundred miles from town . There's
a LOT of dry wheat acreage in western Box Elder County Utahaha . And
you ain't farmin' 4,000 acres on an open tractor in that climate .
When I was still running The Security Consultant I got a referral from
the manufacturer to service a burglar alarm system for a country grocery store in Wenden Arizona. It is 128 miles from where my office was at
the time. I called them and explained I'd have to charge them mileage.
I just couldn't take 2/3 of a day to drive up and back to see them and
do what they needed for the cost of a service call. I also explained
that if I didn't have whatever they needed I might need to make two
trips. I'd be as prepared as I could be, but no promises. Their
response was they didn't care as long as I was actually willing to show
up and fix it. I fixed it. I wound up doing a handful of various
service calls over the years for them. Often if I needed to go to
Phoenix for something I'd take 95 to I10 instead of I8 t0 85 and just
charge them for the miles off the freeway. They were happy to have
somebody who would come out and fix things. I have mixed feelings about
it, but I'm kinda glad I never told them I could have fixed almost
anything in the store.
On 7/8/2025 4:48 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
On 7/8/2025 2:33 PM, Snag wrote:
On 7/8/2025 2:38 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
On 7/8/2025 4:09 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:104hoe1$360ar$1@dont-email.me... >>>>>> ...
Before the crackdown on Freon I was trained to build industrial
refrigeration including brazing tubing, but I didn't have much
practical experience before recovery equipment became mandatory.
I learned to service refrigeration from a mail order course my dad
took. He learned to fix refrigeration because we lived far from
town, and if we didn't fix it ourselves it wouldn't get fixed. My
dad had a buddy named Paul Drudge who ran a refrigeration business
out of Gila Bend (55 miles away) who would come out, and he taught
my dad a lot, but when Paul retired we were on our own. Nobody
wanted to drive 68 miles (from Yuma) to service a country grocery
store.
After they medically retired Dad from working at Hill AFB in '76 he
opened an AC/R repair business . A large part of his business was
servicing farm equipment . Often sitting in a field several miles
from the nearest highway and frequently a hundred miles from town .
There's a LOT of dry wheat acreage in western Box Elder County
Utahaha . And you ain't farmin' 4,000 acres on an open tractor in
that climate .
When I was still running The Security Consultant I got a referral from
the manufacturer to service a burglar alarm system for a country
grocery store in Wenden Arizona. It is 128 miles from where my office
was at the time. I called them and explained I'd have to charge them
mileage. I just couldn't take 2/3 of a day to drive up and back to see
them and do what they needed for the cost of a service call. I also
explained that if I didn't have whatever they needed I might need to
make two trips. I'd be as prepared as I could be, but no promises.
Their response was they didn't care as long as I was actually willing
to show up and fix it. I fixed it. I wound up doing a handful of
various service calls over the years for them. Often if I needed to
go to Phoenix for something I'd take 95 to I10 instead of I8 t0 85 and
just charge them for the miles off the freeway. They were happy to
have somebody who would come out and fix things. I have mixed
feelings about it, but I'm kinda glad I never told them I could have
fixed almost anything in the store.
Dad didn't have your self-restraint . If he saw a problem he could
fix he'd let the client know and offer to do the repair . And save the
client a charge for another repairman . He had more business than he
could handle sometimes .
On 7/8/2025 4:34 PM, Snag wrote:
On 7/8/2025 4:48 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
On 7/8/2025 2:33 PM, Snag wrote:
On 7/8/2025 2:38 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
On 7/8/2025 4:09 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message news:104hoe1$360ar$1@dont-email.me... >>>>>>> ...
Before the crackdown on Freon I was trained to build industrial
refrigeration including brazing tubing, but I didn't have much
practical experience before recovery equipment became mandatory.
I learned to service refrigeration from a mail order course my dad
took. He learned to fix refrigeration because we lived far from
town, and if we didn't fix it ourselves it wouldn't get fixed. My
dad had a buddy named Paul Drudge who ran a refrigeration business
out of Gila Bend (55 miles away) who would come out, and he taught
my dad a lot, but when Paul retired we were on our own. Nobody
wanted to drive 68 miles (from Yuma) to service a country grocery
store.
After they medically retired Dad from working at Hill AFB in '76
he opened an AC/R repair business . A large part of his business was
servicing farm equipment . Often sitting in a field several miles
from the nearest highway and frequently a hundred miles from town .
There's a LOT of dry wheat acreage in western Box Elder County
Utahaha . And you ain't farmin' 4,000 acres on an open tractor in
that climate .
When I was still running The Security Consultant I got a referral
from the manufacturer to service a burglar alarm system for a country
grocery store in Wenden Arizona. It is 128 miles from where my
office was at the time. I called them and explained I'd have to
charge them mileage. I just couldn't take 2/3 of a day to drive up
and back to see them and do what they needed for the cost of a
service call. I also explained that if I didn't have whatever they
needed I might need to make two trips. I'd be as prepared as I could
be, but no promises. Their response was they didn't care as long as I
was actually willing to show up and fix it. I fixed it. I wound up
doing a handful of various service calls over the years for them.
Often if I needed to go to Phoenix for something I'd take 95 to I10
instead of I8 t0 85 and just charge them for the miles off the
freeway. They were happy to have somebody who would come out and fix
things. I have mixed feelings about it, but I'm kinda glad I never
told them I could have fixed almost anything in the store.
Dad didn't have your self-restraint . If he saw a problem he could
fix he'd let the client know and offer to do the repair . And save the
client a charge for another repairman . He had more business than he
could handle sometimes .
I also had the concern of being a licensed contractor. Performing work outside the scope of my licenses came with certain risks.
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