On Board Air Install 2022 F350 - need help saving $

[Yoda]

First Moderators if this is not the correct place to post this please move or delete as needed.

So with the air bags on hold I dug out my old 550 Viair compressor and the 2.5 gallon steel tank. I used my bore scope to peak inside the tank through a fitting OMG "rust" - its toast from sitting under the truck for 18 years and never drained. I also wonder how good the compressor is to. It does run though, but is not IP rated.

So time for a new set up under the truck. I read through what Howard howson and Rob Cate&Rob did with thier in the bed installs and learned about the water separator. so lets start there. Does it pull water out of the air coming in the intake line, or just if water is present - like driving in the rain? Howard in your install you have it after the intake filter, before the compressor - correct? My understanding water is created in the compression cycle and will collect in the tank, thus needing a tank drain or water separator there?

Next tank material - wold aluminum be better than steel? I found one the will fit in front of the spare tire https://www.lmperformance.com/113762...hed.html?gad=1. Its only $40 more than a 2.5 gallon steel one. However I have never heard of this seller.

The area outlined is just in front of the spare mount and is 34" wide by 8.5" tall and 12" deep. so a typical 6" diameter tank will fit. I was going to drill and tap the front spare tire cross member and bolt the tank to it using the side of the legs so the drain is down. Should I put a remote drain in the system? I found some drain valves with a lanyard I can remote mount. I also think I can mount the air compressor in the same area using this mount https://www.viaircorp.com/air-access...ountingbracket That way is should see very little water.

For compressor I have chosen this one https://www.viaircorp.com/c-models/4...n-2-compressor OR I can get it in a kit with a steel tank https://www.viaircorp.com/new/contin...uty-oba-system However there is a bunch of stuff in the kit I don't need like the hose air chuck, wiring, etc. I also want 3/8" lines to the air horn and the kit tank only has 1/4" fittings

So I think I will order the fittings and air line I need online, hopefully saving money.. Thoughts on this approach? Any recommendation on where to get the fittings, etc

Wiring - I have plenty of wire and fuse options, and I was going to wire it to one of the 40A up fitter switches. The compressor pulls 23 amps max.so I can probably get away with 8 awg wiring. Could I use 10 awg? I don't know how voltage critical the compressor is. Thoughts?

Thanks for getting me off on the right foot this time

Keith

[howson]

Howard in your install you have it after the intake filter, before the compressor - correct? My understanding water is created in the compression cycle and will collect in the tank, thus needing a tank drain or water separator there?

Keith,
For the wiring and upfitter switch questions, is the thread you looked at: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...uty-ada-system ?

The VIAIR installed in my truck's bed ( https://www.viaircorp.com/ada/ada-constant-universal ) does have it's own tank and has a drain which I use. That's in addition to the water separator on the input. Remember--I live in Florida where the humidity is typically ridiculous. In a drier climate it wouldn't be necessary.

Howard

[Yoda]

Keith,
For the wiring and upfitter switch questions, is the thread you looked at: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...uty-ada-system ?

The VIAIR installed in my truck's bed ( https://www.viaircorp.com/ada/ada-constant-universal ) does have it's own tank and has a drain which I use. That's in addition to the water separator on the input. Remember--I live in Florida where the humidity is typically ridiculous. In a drier climate it wouldn't be necessary.

Howard

That's the thread. I was going to wire power direct to up fitter 6 with 30A inline fuse. I know I don't need the fuse as 6 is already fused in the up fitter block, but those fuses are harder to find unless I am mistaken. I was going to leave up fitter 6 as hot only with truck on. . Not sure I understand why you have the relay in there, but there must be a reason. It also looks like you used 8 awg now reading it a second time. Any thought on the aluminum tank and putting it together piece meal?

Thanks for the additional information on you placement of the water separator - makes sense.

BTW I have been into the up fitter bundle as I have switch 1 set for turning on the DC-DC solenoid. The short leads are a pain to work with.

Thanks for your help.
Keith

[howson]

Not sure I understand why you have the relay in there, but there must be a reason.

Keith -- sorry, that's an old schematic when I had the old VIAIR pump tied into the airbags. That is no longer the case. In the current setup there's just the one Upfitter switch (1) powering Air Lift's OEM compressor. I need to reaccomplish the drawing! I apologize for any confusion.

For the aluminum tank and "piecemeal" question my opinion would be an uninformed one. Country Campers is the one to consult when it comes to metallurgy (or whatever it's called) which is what I think you're getting at. No doubt the other smart folks here will have some insight (first names that pop up in my mind but are by no means the only ones are TedS and Jlawles2 ).

Howard

19 Oct 23 Update: See https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...uty-ada-system, post 19, for the update promised above.

[Country Campers]

Aluminum will react faster to temperature swings that cause condensation which would be produced inside the tank, steel would be slower but as you have found will rust. Buyers choice here.

Brian

[Jlawles2]

Keith,

You can kill and convert the rust if it's just internal surface rust pretty easily. First thing would be to "rock" the inside the tank by finding some type of abrasive material (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Mosser-L...1140/204372347) and some "rocks" to roll them around inside the tank to break loose any corrosion if the rocks themselves are not abrasive. You can roll the tank around on the ground, shake it, or find some other method to agitate the rocks inside the tank for them to work.

After that, dump copious amounts of https://www.amazon.com/Ospho-605-Met...10&sr=8-5&th=1 or https://www.amazon.com/Henkel-NAVAL-...s%2C154&sr=8-3 (mix this one with hot water as it's literally like jelly).

After that, I would then oil the inside the tank while warming it up (opens the pores of the metal to promote rust prevention). If you are brave you could even dump self etching primer like https://www.eastwood.com/sem-self-et...hoCcyUQAvD_BwE inside the tank and roll that around to coat the tank instead of oil.

[TedS]

A desiccant air dryer will remove water vapor from the air. Do you need a reservoir(tank)? Why? I use a tank because my air tool consumption is greater than the air compressor delivery. For just makeup air less than or equal to the compressor delivery, I would say no.

[Yoda]

Jlawles2 The only problem is the tank is rated for 150 psi and I want to use a compressor at 200 psi. Also in order to get the the airflow to the horns and aux chuck I need 3/8 fittings which my current tank does not have . If I go aluminum is there an interior treatment I should uses while it is new? I am tempted to get the exterior powder coated to minimize the mag chloride and road salt used here in the winter. Thoughts?



Thanks for the help folks
Keith

[TedS]

Use a stainless steel tank for no rust accumulation, no coating necessary. Polish it for a little extra bling.

[Yoda]

A desiccant air dryer will remove water vapor from the air. Do you need a reservoir(tank)? Why? I use a tank because my air tool consumption is greater than the air compressor delivery. For just makeup air less than or equal to the compressor delivery, I would say no.

Given my hungry air horns (30 year old Grovers (37" and 34") I need the tank....it is for safety with distracted drivers ...or...........

I looked at the SS tanks - not many in the 200psi range and a bit more money. Most are a bigger diameter, so fitment would be an issue. However I will do a bit more searching

Thanks for the idea
Keith

[Jlawles2]

To combat corrosion in the aluminum both interior and exterior see if you can find a type 3 anodizing. https://www.precisioncoating.com/har...zing-type-iii/

Type 3 is basically what the military uses on the M16 platform.

Unless you find something like Stainless, K5, Hastelloy (https://www.metalsupermarkets.com/wh...f%20properties.), etc that are high corrosion resistant materials, you are subject to corrosion.

Have you considered a composite tank? https://www.amazon.com/Acecare-Cylin...4&sr=8-10&th=1 Then you just need a super compressor as 200 psi is not even a consideration for working that tank.

[Yoda]

Push to connect or compression fittings..the boondoggle

Most of the kits today come with push to connect fittings - they appear to be simple and easy to use (have not used them).. I have only used compression fittings and rarely have issues.

I did a lot of reading today and see that there are issues with push to connect leaking. For those that have used them what is your history.. Many threads out there of folka replacing them, but most posts are about 3 years old. Has industry solved the issues?

I gave up making my own U-bolts and ordered what I need on line - hopefully I chose wisely. https://uboltstore.com/ Still trying to figure out where the Grovers will really fit. With the dust caps on the fitment gets tight. I don't want them too low, but may need to do so. However they will still be protected by the running board. I have found at least three locations for the compressor. Trying to stay close to the tank so I don't need to extend the outlet hose.

Hopefully I will hear back next week on the questions I posed to the sellers. Its starting to get cold now, so time to get things installed is starting to get short - might be a spring project anyway waiting for black Friday sales.

Thanks for any thoughts
Keith

[Jlawles2]

Push to connect fittings basically need to be cut off every time they are disconnected or start leaking.

Push to connect tend to have issues when the fitting and tube can move relatively to each other.

[Yoda]

Push to connect fittings basically need to be cut off every time they are disconnected or start leaking.

Push to connect tend to have issues when the fitting and tube can move relatively to each other.

Thanks Joseph
So with the abuse the truck vibrations, I am probably better off with the compression fittings. Now to find a good source for them and DOT approved tubing and fittings that will handle 200 psi.
Keith

[Jlawles2]

Check out the Eaton hose: https://www.imperialsupplies.com/item/0911284


you can also try a local truck and trailer repair shop to see if they will sell it to you by the foot since you probably do not want to buy 100ft when you need 20.