Dessicant Water Filters

jake98 · Oct 5, 2011

That's good info.. Thanks Colin :thumbsup:

ray66v · Oct 5, 2011

colinc said:
It could be a different desiccant; there are many. Calcium sulfate is a good one. It can be regenerated at around 200-250 C I think, or around 450 F. You can buy it with a built-in indicator (cobalt chloride, in case you're interested...) that is blue when the desiccant is dry and pink when it needs to be regenerated.

DRIERITE is a well-known vendor of the stuff. It's pretty cheap, and it can be used over and over again.

Thanks, looks like $90 for 10 lbs. so I will use what I have. There is an indicator on the tank.

I really don't do very much automotive painting anymore, so it is not that important now.

colinc · Oct 5, 2011

ray66v said:
Thanks, looks like $90 for 10 lbs.

Incidentally, gypsum is calcium sulfate hydrate. I bet you could crumble up some drywall, dry it off in your oven, and use that. You'd need to make sure the powder didn't get into your air lines, naturally.

Plaster of Paris is also calcium sulfate with a different degree of hydration. That should also work if you bake it in your oven at 450 F or so.

jake98 · Oct 6, 2011

Well, I looked at the indicator tonight and it was blue.. maybe I shouldn't check it right after welding a bunch.. :laughing:

grsthegreat · Oct 6, 2011

jake98 said:
Well, I looked at the indicator tonight and it was blue.... :laughing:

I am not sure..but i think that means that your pregnant?? :laughing:

ray66v · Oct 6, 2011

colinc said:
Incidentally, gypsum is calcium sulfate hydrate. I bet you could crumble up some drywall, dry it off in your oven, and use that. You'd need to make sure the powder didn't get into your air lines, naturally.

Plaster of Paris is also calcium sulfate with a different degree of hydration. That should also work if you bake it in your oven at 450 F or so.

Gaining dust to get rid of water is not a good trade.

It is hard enough to keep the desiccant dust from from accumulating in one of these filters, if you change it regularly.