Without an air line filter - water, oil, and dirt can cause major damage to pneumatic tools, destroy factory equipment, ruin a paint job, and even contaminate food in a production facility.
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Proper air treatment is critical to the health of your air system, and compressor filters are an inexpensive investment compared to a costly repair/replacement job.
Shop Air Line FiltersTo better understand how these filters work, we will break them down into 8 main components.
As air enters, the internal cap forces it into a downward spiral. Just be sure to size the inlet appropriately for your compressor. You should never use a smaller filter on a larger line.
The filter cap directs the flow of air through the filter. An arrow on the outside of the filter indicates the direction of air flow, and should not be installed backwards.
In order for the air to be discharged from the filter, it must follow the air path. The air path consists of entering a cyclonic phase and passing through the filter element.
The filter discharge is the orifice through which the air leaves the filter. The sizing of the discharge should match the inlet size. An under-sized filter will restrict air flow.
The filter element is the part that actually filters the air. The filter element catches particulates you wish to remove from the air. As the filter does its job, it becomes clogged with those particulates.
Once the filter is clogged, it will need to be cleaned or replaced. If CFM (cubic feet per minute) decreases, it may be due to a clog in the filter element. Using too fine of a filter element can cause more frequent clogging.
The filter bowl makes up the largest visible part of the air compressor filter. It connects to the cap housing by either threading into it or twisting and locking into place.
The filter quiet zone is a zone at the bottom of the filter bowl where contaminants, oil, and water are collected. There is usually a horizontal barrier that hangs down from the bottom of the filter element that prevents debris from becoming re-entrained in the air.
Eventually, the water, oil, and debris in the bottom of the filter bowl must be drained. Some filters come with manual drains, requiring you to periodically remove the plug and drain the contents.
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Other filters come with float-operated drains or electric auto drains. Failure to regularly open and drain the collected water and debris will cause the water to rise above the barrier and become re-entrained.
Air line filters are measured by the size of the particles they can catch. These particulates are so small they have to be measured in microns (1 micron = one-millionth of a meter). For comparison, a human hair is about 100 microns across and a red blood cell is 8 microns in diameter.
If you are using fine particulate filters, let's say a 5-micron filter, the element inside will trap seemingly invisible particulates smaller than a red blood cell! To avoid immediate clogging of the unimaginably tiny holes in the filter element, it's best to have a general-purpose filter installed upstream to catch larger particulates. Doing so will save you from frequently replacing the small-sized filters, or tossing them altogether!
Next: Air Line Filter Buyer's GuideAir Compressor Buyer's Guide Navigation
Air compressors provide power to various air tools and machines in many different industries and home applications. These include tools used in construction sites, like sandblasters and impact wrenches. Unfortunately, compressed air consists of harmful substances and contaminants that require immediate removal to function correctly, reduce repair costs, and prolong life. As a matter of fact, a cubic foot of compressed air contains millions of dirt, oil, and water particles. In this buying guide, we’ll be discussing the benefits of air tool filters, how they work, and how to choose the Best Air Tool Filter for your tools.
Generally, air tool filters or airline filters serve as an effective air strainer. They are used in condensed airlines to prevent solid, liquid, and even vapor contaminants from entering your air compressors. They stop these damaging contaminants that can improve their efficiency and function. Depending on the working environment and type of application, the compressed air might even contain toxic chemicals like lead, mercury, or other heavy metals that are very dangerous to health. Without air tool filters, the pneumatic system components such as cylinders and valves will be greatly affected. Hence, regular and proper air filtration is an essential factor to avoid critical tool damages and issues. It can also prevent airlines and fittings from swelling and undergo premature wear.
In addition, once the air enters the inlet, the air filter will instantly trap all the unwelcome particles. Hence, it’s very important to consider the size of the air compressor intake or inlet before you choose the size of the air filter for your tools. And, of course, what will you do to the contaminants trapped by the air filter? After every application, you should clean and drain all the collected debris and contaminants. Some air tool filters are drained manually, while others come with electric auto or float-operated drains. This process will effectively help you lengthen the life of your air tool filters. But before anything else, you need to know the essential compressor air filter elements in selecting the best air tool filter.
Choosing the best air tool filter for your system is one of the best ways to maintain maximum performance and prevent unnecessary wear on your tools. However, the buying process can be challenging, especially if you are not equipped with the right knowledge and guidance from the experts. So if you don’t know where to start, here are some of the best factors to consider:
Air compressors come in different types and applications. Hence, buying their essential components such as fittings, filters, hoses, and other requirements is crucial. While you can rely on the included manual and instructions for your compressed air system, it’s still best if you really know what you are getting. This will help you prevent issues while assembling the parts and components. Also, in case you lost the manual, it’s a good idea that you have a reliable air tool company to reach out to that can help you with your particular air compressor type and model.
Finding a good balance between service intervals and filtration rating is important. You need to determine the specific air quality requirements for your air tool application, so you can choose the best filter for your system. Aside from that, you need to know what type of particles you are trying to filter out so you would know how big or small the holes in your filter should be. The compressed air system’s downstream components are the ones to determine the required micron rating. Commonly, industrial air tools use 40-micron filtration, while other sensitive tools use the five-micron option.
Different pneumatic applications require different levels of airflow and pressure. As a result, filters are available in various types and sizes, such as an air compressor inline oil filter and a water trap filter for air compressor. You can find some filters that are capable of handling up to 1,000 standard CFM. Once you know the specific airflow requirements for a particular application, it is easier for you to choose the right size of air filters by identifying the suggested maximum pressure drop.
Restring the airflow is also one of the important functions of filters. Hence, they should be durable and efficient enough to withstand even tough filtering processes. Like any product, there is considerable distinction in the quality and efficiency of each air filter. That is why experts always recommend purchasing a unit from reputable air tool filter manufacturers and dealers.
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