How would you feel if you had to breathe dirty or oily air? You probably wouldn’t like it much, so you might imagine that there’s a good chance that your pneumatic equipment doesn’t like to be exposed to this either. Anyone who operates any kind of pneumatic system should be sure to invest the time and effort into ensuring that the air coursing through it is clean, dry and free of unnecessary oil.
Of course, there’s always the possibility that you use a filter regulator lubricator combination, which inserts just the proper amount of oil to keep your equipment running smoothly while also cutting down on other types of particulate pollution. If that’s the case, then keeping the upstream air oil-free is probably the only real concern. Nevertheless, you’ll want to be sure that everything is working just fine along every part of the system so your pneumatic gear won’t cut out on your prematurely.
Take a look at these relatively easy ways to clean up and dry out the air that’s moving through your system. It could be that just a few minutes of work can help to completely revolutionize the way that you manage your existing installation.
1) Keep Your Gear Physically Clean
Perhaps the number one tip for keeping your air clean and free of oil and moisture is to keep the equipment physically clean and dry. You’d be surprised how much difference the most basic maintenance procedures can have on compressed air-driven equipment. Just take a few moments before each deployment and clean things up.
Once you’re done and plan to put things away, take a few more moments to wipe everything down before packing it up. While compressed air-driven gear is indeed durable and sturdy, there’s no reason that you can’t dedicate at least a little time to making sure that it’s in good shape.
2) Use a Dryer Or Chiller System
Just like how the most basic maintenance steps can have a profound impact on the pneumatic tools that you’ve been using, even the most basic chiller or dryer can help to improve actual air quality. If you’ve had any kind of problem-related to moisture or temperature, then these are an excellent solution to what you’ve been dealing with.
Best of all, they can actually pay for themselves over time because they may be able to cut down on wear and tear caused by moisture or operating equipment out of spec. Keep in mind that you never want to exceed the manufacturer’s suggested ratings for any piece of gear, so a dryer might be a vitally important piece of equipment too depending on your particular use case.
3) Clean & Install Filters
Some people prefer to use integrated filters while others install them along with different fittings and anywhere they might be concerned that dust or debris can enter their otherwise locked systems. This is an excellent idea for air quality.
You also need to remember to properly maintain these filters so they can last their entire lifespan without starting to eject an additional amount of debris into the stream of air. This is especially important for those working with devices that do any kind of spraying, painting or sandblasting because it’s more of a risk when dealing with them.
4) Repair & Patch All Leaks
Depending on how serious the situation is, you might need to install tubing or flat out replace some. Tightening connectors and making sure that all of your fittings are attached together properly can also go a long way toward blocking out every leak. Not only do air leaks limit the efficiency of your installation, but they also provide an area for moisture and debris to enter the circuit. This increases the chances of your air getting dirty or wet.
5) Use Sturdy Stainless Steel Components
Corrosion is often one of the biggest reasons that fittings start to break down and even leak. While a lack of maintenance is, of course, one of the issues that cause this in the first place, corrosion is another. This is especially true for those who are also dealing with a humidity problem. Stainless steel components can help to greatly improve the resiliency of your system against the corrosive forces that so often threaten it.
6) Move Your Compressor To An Area With Cleaner Ambient Air
In most cases, you won’t have to worry too much about ambient air provided that you remain at all times in your company’s dedicated and clean workshop. However, those who go outside on a regular basis or bring pneumatic tools to different job sites will need to check out the air around them. Dust and other debris can get trapped in the system. While a compressor’s onboard filters should be able to deal with these, they can get overwhelmed over time.
On top of this, there’s at least some amount of ambient oil vapor in most built-up areas. This is a contaminant deposited by internal combustion vehicles and the lubricants they employ. Some estimates suggest that the outdoor area can contain anywhere from 0.05 mg/m³ all the way to 0.50 mg/m³ of oil vapor. That means you’ll want to make sure you pick a nice clean spot to put your equipment if at all possible.
7) Inspect Your System Regularly
Project managers who spend a ton of time around pneumatic systems get to the point where they’re able to spot leaks based solely on the sounds they hear coming out of the tubing. If you make sure to regularly inspect everything, then you’ll find sources of problems before they mushroom into something else. At the same time, you could be cultivating skills that will continue to serve you for the rest of your career regardless of what kind of projects you may end up working on in the future.
8) Keep Spare Parts Around
When problems do come out of the woodwork, you’ll want a supply of spare parts to fix them quickly. These components contribute to preventative maintenance by having them in stock, in case you need to swap out a check valve. They also reduce operational costs by having an inventory.
Decide if you want repairable or nonrepairable cylinders. Repairable ones cost more while nonrepairable ones can run the risk of waste. Find the ideal air purifying system, from desiccant driers to filter elements. When you know ahead of time, then you save time researching new classes.
Clean Your Dirty Air With SMC Pneumatics
SMC Pneumatics is your go-to for maintaining your compressed air systems. You can remove water with our filters.
Contact us with our online form so you can get everything you need to revamp even the most complex pneumatic installation. Trust our expertise to get the oil and water vapor out of your system.