Are these cooling fins on my compressor worth saving?

[julianf]

Different question / same compressor!

Here's the photo -

The pipe between the two cylinders has a coil of, what i assume are, cooling fins.

They seem fairly pointless, as theyre between cylinder one and two, rather than two and the tank... But the unit has been messed about with so much, it may not have been the original design.

However, this unit also has them -

Im wanting to repaint the unit. The coiled fins are proving awkward.

Remove the pipe, and add a straight length? Or do you really think theyre an essential part of the kit?

 

[PhillipM]

They're not pointless, they're in a good place, because they improve the efficiency of the second piston.
However, I have seen them for sale in various places, might be worth just buying new and replacing them after you've painted?

 

[julianf]

That would suit me - do you have any links to retailers?

I also considered putting a tee between the two cylinders, and routing to the tank from that. Would take out the 'second cylinder' aspect. For the sake of a bit of copper, i could almost run twin pipes right to the unloading valve.

 

[rtbcomp]

They're not pointless, they're in a good place, because they improve the efficiency of the second piston.
However, I have seen them for sale in various places, might be worth just buying new and replacing them after you've painted?

Is it two stage or just twin? The red one looks like a twin, so one cylinder won't feed the other.

Every bit of cooling helps, I would try to add an aftercooler to the output of the 2nd cylinder.

 

[normspanners]

Is it two stage or just twin? The red one looks like a twin, so one cylinder won't feed the other.

Looks to me like just a twin because the pipe with the cooling fins is going into a tee on the wouldbe second stage pot. Plus inlets look to be on the far side so cant be two stage IMO.
PS the second picture the pump is a constant run machine IE doesn't switch off, when at pressure, it just unloads the compressor pump. Thats good for running off generators or having petrol/diesel engines etc.

Every bit of cooling helps, I would try to add an aftercooler to the output of the 2nd cylinder.

X2

 

[julianf]

My unit was a constant run machine. It was fixed to (i think) some sort of engine on a vehical.

It was electric by the time the person i purchased it from came to it, but still constant run. The owner before me fitted the pressure switch.

I think it was always a twin though, rather than two stage. If it were two stage, then the cylinder head on one side would, i suspect, be rotated, so as the inlet on one was on the same side as the outlet of the other, but mine (and the red one in the photo) are both on the same side.

Indeed, on the red one you can see the filters (the black things) so its certainly just twin. Mine has no filters fitted yet.

 

[normspanners]

Yours hasn't got unloaders on the heads so I may not have been designed as a constant run machine.
Unless it had a different unloader system fitted.

 

[julianf]

As i say, it was constant run when it was in the previous owners possession, just on electric.
Heads have plugs in them that are a different colour to the rest of the machine (ie have been added later)

But, regardless of all of that... : )

All i need to do is work out what im going to do with it!

I dont really want to battle these existing fins. They look like they should be attached to the pipe, but are no longer (ie there are markings on the pipe where it looks like they were attached, but now its just an apple peel style spiral around the pipe)

...so they may not be doing a whole load any more as it is.

They were also caked in crud when i got it, so they certainly were not doing much then either.


I guess somthing like hot water tank high recovery coil would be the thing to use... But i think theyre normally only rated to about 3.5bar.

 

[Screwdriver]

Give it a decent wash (if you haven't already) mask off the offending cooling pipe with newspaper, paint the unit, matt black the cooling fins with barbecue spray paint.

 

[normspanners]

I just use 12mm soft copper, as long as practical coiled round in the air flow of the flywheel.
A lot of standard pipes are too short and fracture due to vibration at the nuts.
You need to cool that air as much as possible because the heat damages the NRV especially if it has rubber seals.

 

[rtbcomp]

The other giveaway is that a 2 stage pump will have different diameter cylinders.

 

[PhillipM]

Yeah, apologies, should have gone to specsavers. Mind, it's not often a manufacturer fits something they don't need to...

 

[rtbcomp]

I suppose the cooled air from one cylinder cools the air from the other one when they mix.