Mounting Filter-regulator-lubricator

[Jim Elbrecht]

I just bought my first air compressor and some cheap tools.

Thought I'd do it right and get a filter/regulator/lubricator set.

Since I'll be using this setup far from the garage about 1/2 the time, I want things to be portable- so mounting the FRL to a bench isn't practical.

I was sure I'd see a million different ways of mounting the FRL on a jobsite- but I'm drawing a blank. Is it my google skills, poor choice of keywords, or is it something so obvious that no-one has ever had to ask before?

A couple thoughts I've had were- mount it on a box that holds my tools- mount it on a sawhorse-like affair that also holds a hose retractor.

How is it usually done? Thanks, Jim

[Joe]

FRL's are usually large and heavy (relative to air line plumbing) and should be well supported. Some contractors have a length of angle iron welded to the compressor frame for support. U-clamps can then be used to tie the FRL to the angle iron. Compressors vibrate rather much, so connection to the compressor output should be via a short length of flex hose such as Aeroquip or similar. Something like that may be what you need. HTH

Joe

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

Thanks-

I'll probably end up doing something in iron, but I read in some FAQ that I ran across on the web (and it makes sense to me-of-little-knowledge) that the FRL should have 20 feet of hose between the compressor and the filter. This allows the air to cool & condense so the water can be deposited in the bowl instead of the tool. From what you say, this isn't necessarily field practice.

Maybe it's more cost efficient when you're paying someone to keep it simple -- or is the whole idea of cooling/condensing just an engineer's theory that in real life doesn't effect much?

Jim

[Joe]

Since most compressors output directly to the storage tank, a 'cooling' hose is redundant. That's why tanks must be drained on a regular basis. However, there are commercial compressors fitted with several types of dryers, refrigeration types, coalescing types and absorption types. Some of these variants are often needed in auto body painting for ther new critical catalyzed finishes. HTH

Joe