Hello,
I have an air compressor in-line air filer – Model # 16008- that I got from Sears for $50 and it has never collected a single drop of moisture from this compressor since I put it on. I drain the tank on a regular basis and it always has moisture in it.
On one side of this filer it says ‘Inlet’, so I’m assuming that this is the air compressor side. If ‘inlet’ means outlet, then I don’t know what to think.
I called Sears and spent 25 minutes on the phone getting bounced around like a ping-pong ball. I now know less than when I called.
This is an extremely simple device which either is manfunctioning or in fact, inlet does mean outlet. If anyone can shed some light on this I would be very grateful. Thanks.
Phillip
Replies
I just took all of the fittings off of this air filter and took it out into the sun so I could have a good look at it. Results: the side with inlet printed on it is in fact, the exhaust side of this filter because this is the side that actuall enters the white filter material that is seen in the clear polycarbonate filter housing. So, if this is indeed correct, then three things come to mind:
1. In air compressor speak, inlet means outlet, or;
2. This particular air filter has the printing on the wrong side as well as the arrow on the top, or;
3. I'm an idiot for not taking a closer look at this BEFORE I installed it.
If I missed anything else here, please comment away.
Phillip
I would interpret "inlet" to be the side which recieves the air flow coming from the compressor and "outlet" to be the side discharging to the tool.
Path of air = compressor --> inlet side of filter housing --> filter media --> outlet side of filter housing --> hose --> tool.
Stranger things have happened - especially when translating english / Chinese.
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Hello Jim,Thanks for your comments.After looking at this air filter in bright sunlight so I could see a little better inside the inlet/outlet ports this is what I noticed. I hope I can explain it well enough.One port enters the filter housing and passes down through the filter material. The other port dispels the air after it passes through the filter. It is like a cylinder within a cylinder. I always thought that the air should enter the poly housing FIRST, and then pass through the filter material and out to the tool. This would then trap the water below the filter material and allow it to be drained via the drain valve at the bottom of the filter housing. As I said earlier, this is how I had it attached to my compressor, but it never collected a drop of water. And, again, configured this way, the 'Inlet' markings on the filter housing, faces the compressor.However, I am still puzzled as to why nary a drop of moisture was ever trapped in this filter even though draining the compressor would reveal quite a bit of moisture within the compressor tank. Perhaps there just is not enough moisture to trap? I blew into the filter and it fogged up immediately. Maybe my breath has more moisture that the air in the tank even though it is very humid here in Chicago today.Thanks again.Phillip
As air is placed under pressure, the moisture condenses instantly. It doesn't have a chance to travel to the hose. Most of the condensation should fall to the bottom of the tank.
You've never painted a car with a really expensive paint job I bet.
Inline air driers are the standard, not just filters. Any airline will have moisture in it, not just the compresser tank.
Sure molecular sieve is the way to go. I was talking in extremes. Sorry I said anything.
ChuckW,I hear what you're saying. Now I'm wondering if I should have understood more about this before I spent the money for this filter in the first place. I remember that in a job I had long ago, one of my duties was to drain a compressor filter every morning and it always seemed to have some water in it. Granted this was a commercial setup, so I suppose that was an entirely different set of circumstances. I guess from that experience, I was expecting to have the same air filter results with my measly 20 Gal compressor. Live and learn.
A filter and water separator are two different things.
A filter will only stop "dirt", moisture passes right thru it and down the hose to whatever you're using. Generally the amount of moisture is minute.
Unless you're doing something like painting, or working in freezing temps., the amount of moisture won't hurt properly oiled and maintained tools.
You need a water separator if you want to stop water before it enters the hose.
If your filter is just a filter, that's why there's no water in it!...buic
Edited 7/19/2007 10:25 pm ET by BUIC
Hello BUIC,I hear you loud and clear. The voices of experience have come through quite well.As I said earlier, from my past exerience with a large commercial compressor, I was expecting to see some water build-up in the filer after a year of use. This is why I began wondering if I had the filter on backwards or whether it was deficient in some way. After all of the good advice I have received here, it appears that all is well and good. I appreciate your comments.Regards,
Phillip
A filter won't collect water in the bowl unless it condenses in the hose or pipe leading to the inlet side.
TJK,Thanks for your comments. That must be why I never see any water in this filter. I just thought that since I was able to drain so much water out of the tank that some of that moisture had to be traveling down the hose to my nailer. Guess there just isn't enough moisture to worry about.
Let me understand what you're saying. Are you expecting the in-line hose filter to remove all the water in the whole system, tank and all?
No, I'm just wondering why no water ever collects in the filter.
The only water the filter will collect is liquid water. The moisture (water vapor) in the air passing through the hose won't be picked up unless there's some cooling process taking place. The only time in-line water filtration might happen is if your using the compressor in a semi-continuous cycle, compressor running and hose tool running for sustained periods at the same time. Most often, the compressor runs a bit then shuts off giving the air in the tank time to cool off, allowing the moisture in the compressed gas to condense out inside the tank. Once it condenses out, it has little chance of getting into the hose and out into the filter or hose. Of course, if the air in the tank it still quite warm and it cools a bit while traveling out through the hose, then some moisture will form and you might get some small amount in your in-line filter. As a small volume of compressed air (unit volume) enters the hose it exits out into the atmosphere fairly quickly so little cooling is possible. Adiabatic cooling happens quite soon after the air leaves the tool but then it mixes with the surrounding air and attains equilibrium almost instantaneously. This expansive cooling and deposition of liquid water, as a cloud, can be seen at the trailing edge of high performance aircraft, depending upon atmospheric conditions at the time. Temp and relative humidity are critical factors before it's visible.
woodway,Thanks for your astute response to my query. You're pretty savvy about all of this.I understand how pressure affects condensation but in truth, I never thought of it that way as it applied to my particular case. If the air doesn't cool down sufficiently, it won't condense, thus no water will be trapped in the filter: Makes sense - now!Nothing lost here though. I've learned a lot from all of you and I appreciate that a lot. Now I won't be worried about rusting away my nailer.Regards.
In industrial applications, like workshops, where the compressor is mounted at one end of the building and the lines run all over the shop, the tubing allows the compressed gas to cool quite a bit, then you run into water problems. With the typical compressor and 25 or 50 foot hose setup, not much cooling takes place and so not much need for in-line water catcher. Guys/Gals here have a lot of info, a collective set of minds that hold all kinds of backgrounds and information. Medical to rocket science, it's here at one time or another. One guy here, about four years ago, was a lead engineer for Canadian airplane manufacturer, Bombardier (sp) I believe, his side hobby was perfecting homemade rockets. He had enough background to be dangerous to society if he wanted but wasn't Taliban oriented. He worked on perfecting homemade rocket propellents, ignition devices and such. Similar to requirements for military explosive research and testing...ie like China Lake Navel weapons lab research employees but he just did it on his own.
From what I've read here nobody told you a water filter needs to be atleast 25 feet from the tank to let vapor recondense into water. That is unless it's an expensive drier which actually drops the air temp to 40* to condense the moisture.
Sears listed this in there older catalogs. I'm sure it's on the net somewhere. You can mount the filter on the wall and run a 25' peice of hose between it and the compressor. Hope this helps.
Headstrong, I'll take on anyone!
Jemcon,Now that I have been enlightened by all of you, I can see that the longer the air line is the more chance there is for the air to cool and moisture to condense. My filter is attached about 4" from the compressor, so little chance I'm ever going to see any perceptible moisture buildup. Four-inches is a long way from 25 feet.My filter is not expensive by any stretch and is definitely not an air drier. Regardless, it may now be a waste of money, but after the insides of the tank begin to rust, I may see some of that residue get trapped in the filter. Who knows?This is all pretty silly as I look back on it. I was worried that my tools were going to rust away before my very eyes due to this moisture. Not likely to happen anytime soon and that is good news.If I do ever have to use this compressor in a continuous mode operation, I will remember the 25 foot rule and move the filter 25 feet from the compressor.Thanks for the help. I appreciate it.
Always remember to oil your tools if they are not oil free nail guns. Some new nail guns are oil free. Any inpact guns or air ratchets should be oil before each use. NEVER oil paint spray guns. They sell a small prefilter that hooks right up to the gun for painting.
Headstrong, I'll take on anyone!