Chinese High Side Filter Dryer Hack

[rnabholz]

Full credit to Killfire for leading the way on this one.

I wanted to address the high side drying out of my Shoebox Max, but $400 was a bit too much after the compressor purchase.  I had heard about the chinese filter and was very interested when I read Killfire's contribution regarding the hacks he made to the filter in the Ebay Compressor thread. 

$68 delivered for the filter, another $22 shipped for the Zeolite media, 253mm's of 1" Schedule 40 PVC and 2 o-rings.

Here are links to the filter and drying media

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/This-is-a-gift-free-of-mechanical-parts-the-link-is-used-for-customers-pay-the/32602913439.html?spm=2114.10010108.1000013.1.5EMraA&traffic_analysisId=recommend_2088_1_82199_new&scm=1007.13339.82199.0&pvid=24f0717b-8e8e-4d6d-995c-d71f67844578&tpp=1

http://www.ebay.com/itm/311845008955?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I just finished assembling it - took some pictures along the way that you can see here:

 http://www.homebuiltastronomy.com/HighSideFilter/

I will be giving it a run soon, and will report back, but I think it is a solid set up for those budget minded among us.

[rnabholz]

Just did a quick pressurization of the hose, filter and fill hose.  It took the Shoebox Max about 16 minutes to pressurize the system from 0 to 4450psi, where the Shoebox shutoff mechanism kicked in.

No signs of any leaking, no odd noises or cracking sounds coming from the filter.  I am going to leave it at pressure for a while and see if it holds.

[Killfire]

Looks just like how I did mine. Great job and thanks for the pictures! I usually forget to take them once I get going.

[rnabholz]

My thanks to you for the inspiration.  Your description walked me right through it, I just thought some pics might help others.

Did you struggle like I did getting the second cap off?  Boy it was really on there.  I tried a strap wrench, and couldn't budge it.  That is when I wrapped it in a dozen layers of duct tape and clamped it in the vice.

One other note -  The internal threads are incredibly sharp.  I saw some paper remnants in them and reached in with my finger to wipe them out of there, and the project took a short break for first aid.....

Thanks again.

Rod

[Killfire]

My thanks to you for the inspiration.  Your description walked me right through it, I just thought some pics might help others.

Did you struggle like I did getting the second cap off?  Boy it was really on there.  I tried a strap wrench, and couldn't budge it.  That is when I wrapped it in a dozen layers of duct tape and clamped it in the vice.

One other note -  The internal threads are incredibly sharp.  I saw some paper remnants in them and reached in with my finger to wipe them out of there, and the project took a short break for first aid.....

Thanks again.

Rod

I didn't notice any sharp threads but my cap was a pain to remove as well. I think I wrapped a rag around it and used the vice.

[rnabholz]

A final touch for this (and other filters), some caps to keep the media fresh and ready to go in between sessions.

Thread protectors in 5/16th” make a nice cap on the male side and a equally nice plug for the female side.

[Valkyrie0002]

I placed my order for the filter and media.

[Mukilteo]

I ordered  two filters May 17th and they arrived today May 24th. So one week.
No box, just wrapped in many layers of bubble wrap and tape.
No damage tho, everything in perfect shape.
No instructions of any sort.

[bandg]

Excellent idea and pictures are very good.    Thanks to you and Killfire.

[rnabholz]

You are welcome. Glad you found it useful. 

Rod

[Killfire]

Hah! And my wife says I'm good for nothing! That'll teach her.

[Mukilteo]

I bought two filters.
I will use a unmodified one as a prefilter.
I also plan to mount them vertically with the supply feed at the bottom.
Which brings to mind what size o-rings did you use.
Are they a tight fit in the canister so there isn't any leakage around the outside of the one inch PVC insert?

[Killfire]

I bought two filters.
I will use a unmodified one as a prefilter.
I also plan to mount them vertically with the supply feed at the bottom.
Which brings to mind what size o-rings did you use.
Are they a tight fit in the canister so there isn't any leakage around the outside of the one inch PVC insert?

Unfortunately I don't remember the size. I took the filter and cotton into the store with me. The trick is to cut the pvc a little long so when tightening the ends it will compress them to seal.

[benj397]

I used 3mm X 25mm o-rings on mine.   Roll the o-rings on the pipe.  Put the plugs in so they are about 3-4 mm out of the pvc.  Then roll the o-ring off the pipe onto the plug.  The pipe at 253mm in length seemed right to me.  Once end caps are screwed on, there was no discernible movement within the housing.

[larspawn]

Ok I'm making one. Can someone elaborate on the cotton filters?  What are you using and how thick?

Also, how often are you changing the media?  I assume it isn't reusable/dryable?

[Mukilteo]

Ok I'm making one. Can someone elaborate on the cotton filters?  What are you using and how thick?

The cotton fiber filter and a extra one come with the filter cartridge.
And replacements can be gotten here.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Air-compressor-oil-water-separatorFiber-filter-cotton-coreOil-water-separator-filter-element/32771088772.html?trace=msiteDetail2pcDetail

[rnabholz]

For the paper filter, I use a chunk about 2" or so at each end.

According to this reference,

http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/chemistry/chemical-synthesis/learning-center/technical-bulletins/al-1430/molecular-sieves.html

The 13x Zeolite can be recharged using heat of 400 to 600 degrees Fahrenheit.

As to how often, that will likely vary, but the quantity in the package from the eBay link above will fill the cylinder many many times. You should always have fresh media available, even if you changed it every run, and did a regeneration bake less regularly.

[benj397]

Ok I'm making one. Can someone elaborate on the cotton filters?  What are you using and how thick?

Also, how often are you changing the media?  I assume it isn't reusable/dryable?

The canister already has one in it and and an extra one is included.   Mine was in 2 pieces.  One was longer than the other.  The shorter one was 3.25 inches long.  I cut it roughly in half and used each piece in one end of the PVC.  It did take a couple tries to get the sieve filling right because you want it tight.   I first started out with a plug in 1 end with the o-ring in place.  Then filled the pvc with the molecular sieve to about an inch from full.  I lightly tamped it with a 1/2 wooden dowel.  You don't want to crush the sieve material.  I then put the plug in (be sure o-ring is already on the pvc at that end) and checked the amount still hanging out.  I had too much out so I removed a little molecular sieve and put plug back in.  Then rolled the o-ring off the pipe onto the plug. 

Very easy to do.   Not sure when I'll check/replace mine. I decided to just leave mine connected full time.  One end is connected to the compressor which should not allow air to pass to the filter and the other end has a brass plug in it (one used as a pressure test plug).

My compressor is different than the $400 one discussed in the other thread.  Oh, I decided to do a paracord wrap instead of tape to protect it from the vise.  Figured a vise would be needed each time it needed opening.

BTW, the female foster that came with mine would not lock onto the male foster of my tanks but would connect to the male foster of the canister.  So, I removed the hose from my compressor and used the supplied hose to connect the compressor to the canister and then screwed my compressor hose to the canister to use for filling.  I put a piece of split loom over the hose to the canister so that any vibration would not cause the spring on the hose to wear on the compressor metal pipes. 

Mine is below.  My compressor was an earlier version of the air charger sold today.  It did not have a radiator or fan so I added those (behind the silver tower with gauge). I also added an hour meter along with replacing the fuse with a resettable circuit breaker and added an actual on/off switch.  It was designed to plug and unplug originally to turn off the water pump and compressor.

[rnabholz]

By way of follow up, I have had the filter with the mods in place for about 5.7 hours now.  For details on the runs you can see my log here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oygaCsqJRjNGGTpXGPIYnAU1ZkyqWbBh5Tz7ODzHb24/edit?usp=sharing

As you will see I had a couple of issues, unrelated to the filter, but I have been able to make the corrections and all is working fine now. 

I did a 900psi top off into my 44cf tank yesterday.  Today I opened up the filter to examine the interior of the filter tube, the PVC, o-rings, tampons and the 13x Zeolite.

Once the PVC tube was extracted from the tube, my first observation is that the o-rings are till in place, and showing some signs of compression against the face of the caps.and PVC ends.

The tampons show no evidence of water staining. Shaking the pvc, no sound of moving granules is heard, so it is still packed as tightly as it was when placed inside.

Not having a proper scale, I improvised a simple balance.  I dumped the “used” zeolite into one of two identical containers.  In the other I placed fresh Zeolite, matching as closely as possible the volume of the used container.  Placing them on the balance showed that the used material was slightly heavier.

The inside of the filter tube was pristine, no signs of any adverse processes.

Fully acknowledging the less than scientific methodology, I am still pleased.  The o-rings were in place and are showing signs of compression, the tampons also held their position, and I believe that the weight difference probably demonstrates that the used material was holding moisture.

Six hours does not make for much of a trial, but before I went too far, I wanted to check things out.  I put all of the same components back into the filter and will extend their run for a bit to see how things look.  In future trials I will weigh the Zeolite prior to use so that I have a baseline that might yield a more definitive result.

Submitted for what it is worth….thanks for reading.

[Killfire]

Awesome thanks for the update! I haven't opened mine to check it recently but ill have to do that soon.