Month: July 2015

The Bigger, The Better

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

One of my favorite hobbies over the summer months is going camping with my family. I grew up camping with my grandparents, brother and 2 cousins. My grandparents did have a camper but the majority of the time, the 4 of us kids, camped behind the trailer in tents. My wife on the other hand was a “newbie” to the whole camping scene so when we decided to begin this adventure we purchased a low-cost, lightweight hybrid style camper so she could have all the amenities to keep her comfortable – a bed, A/C, toilet and TV.

This year we were planning on going on an early vacation in May so I wanted to get the camper out of storage and prepare it before we left so when we got back we could start our weekend camping trips right away. I headed over to the storage lot only to find a tree branch had fallen through the roof! Needless to say, I was not a “happy camper” (pun intended). Not only that but it appeared it happened some time ago as the ceiling and certain parts of the floor were getting soft from rain. I immediately called my insurance company to file a claim and dropped the unit off at my local RV shop.

Roof 1
View of branch through the roof
Ceiling 1
Uuummmm – I need to speak to the “Branch Manager”

After about a week, I received the call from the RV shop advising of the repair costs which were about $3,000 higher than the actual value of the trailer. The insurance reviewed this information and determined the unit as a total loss and would be issuing us a check for the market value of the unit. We were somewhat bummed because we really liked our little camper and the memories we shared. Our oldest son learned to ride his bike w/o training wheels and he caught his first fish while camping in that trailer. Now that my wife is on board with camping and with the extra $ in our pocket, it’s time to shop for a bigger, new camper – I am thinking 5th wheel! This also means a truck upgrade to something bigger, at least a 3/4 ton, something I am sure will make my wife happy.

Keeping with the bigger theme, here at EXAIR we recently released our NEW 1/2″ Atomizing Nozzles. The larger size allows for higher flow rates and larger coverage areas.

Model EF5010SS
NEW Model # EF5010SS – 1/2″ NPT External Mix Narrow Angle Flat Fan Pattern Atomizing Nozzle

We offer the following options:

Internal Mix Narrow Angle Round Pattern – Flows up to 231 GPH, require pressurized liquid and air.

Internal Mix Wide Angle Round Pattern – Ideal for covering a large area, adjustable to a fine mist or heavy spray.

Internal Mix Flat Fan Pattern – Perfect for efficient output of costly liquids.

Internal Mix 360° Hollow Circular Pattern – Provides 360° even flow in all directions.

External Mix Narrow Angle Flat Fan Pattern – Able to handle thicker fluids than internal mix and providing independent air and liquid control.

Siphon Fed Round Pattern – For non-pressured liquid applications, up to 24″ of suction lift.

All of the above are also available with our No Drip feature to stop the liquid flow after the air supply has been turned off.

Justin Nicholl
Application Engineer
justinnicholl@exair.com
@EXAIR_JN

 

 

Another Piece To The Puzzle

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

With having three young children, puzzles are a very popular item in my house.   Whether it is a wooden puzzle where you are matching different color fishes into their corresponding recess on a board, or maybe a classic Rubik’s Cube that I will get half way through solving when one of my daughters wants to help mess it up.  (Which I absolutely love to help them do because I watch their face as they turn each side and it is simply a look of pure joy and amazement. No matter the case, the puzzles always get solved and then they are guaranteed to be done again.

Cabinet Cooler

Here at EXAIR, I look at nearly every application I come across as a puzzle.   Sometimes, we have the exact piece that has a precise place and fit.  This could be a Cabinet Cooler System to cool and overheating electrical panel.  More often than not, it’s not that easy.  We spend a good margin of our time creating a picture in our head of what the customer’s application is and we try to find that missing piece to the puzzle that will complete their needs.

This is one of the great things about the Application Engineering Department here at EXAIR, each one of us has a very diverse professional background and very different life experiences which permits us to cover just about any scenario you can throw at us.  If one of us hasn’t experienced it, there is a good chance we have someone outside of our department who has and we will bring them in on the problem solving.  It’s not too uncommon for certain applications to even make it into the eyes and ears of the President of EXAIR due to his extensive background with many industries.

The point is, if we can’t figure it out, we know who to ask, if they don’t know, we’re going to try our hardest to get you the right product to fit your needs and exceed your expectations the first time. If not, we honor a 30 day guarantee on stock products and will take the product back so you know that we have exhausted all options.   We’ve even been known to call former customers back when we come out with new products that will fit their needs we weren’t able to meet.

30 Day Guarantee
30 Day Guarantee

If you think you have a hard to solve compressed air application, contact us.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer Manager
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

The Trusty Reversible Drum Vac, 16 Years Later

Published on by Dave WoernerLeave a comment

This week a customer sent us a Reversible Drum Vac to refurbish. From time to time a Reversible Drum Vac may need (depending on cleanliness of the supply air) cleaning due to particulate from the compressed air line landing inside the air chamber of the Reversible Drum Vac. EXAIR regularly rebuilds, cleans and tests Reversible Drum Vacs that customers send in to have us return them to new condition. You can also easily refurbish the Drum Vac at your facility: Here is a link to our How-To video for cleaning your Reversible Drum Vac. This particular Reversible Drum Vac though was clearly special.

IMG_5195
16 Year Old Laser Marked Reversible Drum Vac
IMG_5194
16 Year Old Laser Marked Reversible Drum Vac

At first glance, the Reversible Drum Vac had been laser marked by the customer to permanently label their unit. The customer just so happened to be a laser marking shop, so I’m sure it was convenient for them. But digging deeper, the company originally purchased the unit in 1999, this Reversible Drum Vac could get its Learner’s Permit in most states. During the 16 years our customer was using the Reversible Drum Vac, we never heard from them. After 16 years they contacted us but not for a problem. They just wanted us to clean and inspect the unit to ensure maximum efficiency. This unit, though a bit dirty, was still operating very well. EXAIR put it through our refurbish process and brought it back to performance specifications that matched a new product.

The Reversible Drum Vac is a compressed air operated vacuum that attaches to a 55 gallon drum to create a vacuum that can also empty a 55 gallon drum in 90 seconds. The Reversible Drum Vac pulls a vacuum on the drum creating a siphon the pulls the liquid into the drum. With this technology the liquid never pass through the Reversible Drum Vac, which leads to its tremendous longevity. It is the perfect vacuum to empty coolant sumps, isolate contaminated liquids, or clean floor spills. The Reversible Drum Vac have no motors to wear out or impellers to clog so they last longer than their electrically operated counterparts.

Dave Woerner
Application Engineer
@EXAIR_DW
DaveWoerner@EXAIR.com

Cabinet Cooler Systems Prevent Heat from Causing Control Panel Problems

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment

No matter the time of year, we routinely help customers solve overheating problems with electrical enclosures.  Sometimes these problems are ongoing and not dependent on the external environment.  Other times, seasonal temperature rises cause enclosure temperatures to creep higher and higher until thermal runaway takes hold and/or components fail.

To prevent an overheating condition, and to keep electronics operational, we help countless customers calculate their heat load and recommend Cabinet Cooler Systems accordingly.

Such was the case for an OEM which contacted me recently with the enclosure below.

Can you cool this 1
An industrial electrical enclosure in need of an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System
Can you cool this 3
Left half of the enclosure
Can you cool this 2
Right half of the enclosure

Our customer manufactures and installs electrical enclosures for use in industrial environments.  This particular enclosure has been in use for several months, and recently encountered an overheating condition on a hot summer day.  I’ve had the pleasure of working with this particular OEM on multiple occasions, so along with the photos above, they supplied all relevant information from our Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide, and even the sketch below.

Can you cool this 4
Dimensional sketch

Gathering details like the sketch above allow us to recommend the best possible solution for the problem at hand.  For example, knowing that the cabinet is composed of two sections and completely sealed from each other allowed for installation of (2) separate systems for each side.  This allows for separate temperature controls, tailored to the specific devices inside each side of the cabinet halves.

If you have an application similar to the one above, or need assistance with your application, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE