Meet the Next Evolution in Industrial Cleanup: The EasySwitch Wet-Dry Vac — Now Available in ATEX

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

In fast-paced industrial environments, cleanup demands can change in seconds. One moment you’re recovering spilled coolant, the next you’re vacuuming metal chips or fine dust. Equipment that can’t keep up slows productivity, increases risk, and drives maintenance costs. That’s where the EXAIR EasySwitch Wet-Dry Vac changes the game — and now, with the introduction of the ATEX version, it’s ready for even the most hazardous environments.

One Vacuum. Two Modes. Zero Downtime.

The EasySwitch Wet-Dry Vac was engineered to eliminate one of the most common pain points in industrial housekeeping: switching between wet and dry cleanup.

Traditional vacuums often require time-consuming filter changes, tools, or even separate units. The EasySwitch simplifies this process with a patented, tool-free design that allows operators to transition from liquid recovery to dry debris removal in seconds.

A single latch releases the filter element for quick removal when moving to liquid mode — then reinstalls just as easily for dry applications.

Powered by Air — Not Electricity

Unlike electric shop vacs that rely on motors prone to wear, the EasySwitch operates entirely on compressed air.

This pneumatic design delivers several operational advantages:

  • No motors to clog or burn out
  • Maintenance-free operation
  • Safe for liquid recovery
  • Continuous duty capability
  • Reduced risk of electrical hazards

With no moving parts in the vacuum generator, reliability increases while maintenance requirements drop — a major win for plant managers and maintenance teams alike.

Not that it’s particularly difficult to change the filter in my trusty shop vac, but this is indeed an “Easy Switch”.

Introducing the ATEX EasySwitch: Built for Explosive Atmospheres

For facilities operating in hazardous locations, standard equipment isn’t enough. That’s where the ATEX-rated EasySwitch Wet-Dry Vac comes in.

ATEX certification refers to equipment approved for use in potentially explosive atmospheres — environments where flammable gases, vapors, mists, or combustible dust may be present.

These include industries such as:

  • Chemical processing
  • Oil & gas
  • Paint & coatings
  • Food processing (combustible dust)
  • Pharmaceutical manufacturing

The ATEX EasySwitch is engineered to mitigate these risks through explosion-protected design, allowing safe pneumatic vacuum operation in classified hazardous areas.

Because the EasySwitch already operates without electricity, it provides a strong foundation for hazardous-location safety — now enhanced with ATEX compliance for regulated environments.

The Bottom Line

The EasySwitch Wet-Dry Vac redefines industrial cleanup with:

  • Instant wet/dry conversion
  • Tool-free filter changes
  • Pneumatic, maintenance-free operation
  • Powerful vacuum performance

And now, with the ATEX version, it extends those benefits into the most demanding and hazardous work environments.

Whether you’re managing coolant recovery on the shop floor or maintaining compliance in explosive atmospheres, the EasySwitch platform delivers the flexibility, safety, and performance modern industry demands. If you have any questions, please reach out.

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer / Sales Operations Engineer

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Efficiency: Air Tools That Pay for Themselves

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

In manufacturing, compressed air is often called the “fourth utility.” Like electricity, water, and gas, it’s essential for keeping production running. But unlike the others, compressed air is frequently misapplied, or wasted, making it one of the most expensive utilities in a plant.

The good news is that the right tools can dramatically improve compressed air efficiency. In many cases, they pay for themselves quickly through energy savings, reduced downtime, and improved productivity. That’s where EXAIR engineered compressed air products come in.

Let’s look at a few examples of air-powered tools that deliver measurable ROI.

Air Amplifiers: Move More Air with Less Energy

Moving large volumes of air is a common requirement in industrial environments—whether for ventilation, drying, cooling, or removing fumes. Traditional compressed air nozzles can consume a lot of air while producing relatively small airflow.

Model 120024 4″ Super Air Amplifiers are commonly used to exhaust welding smoke and fumes.

Air Amplifiers use the Coandă effect to entrain large volumes of surrounding air, dramatically increasing airflow while minimizing compressed air consumption. In many cases, they can increase airflow up to 25 times the supplied compressed air.

This means you can:

  • Move more air with less compressed air input
  • Reduce overall compressor load
  • Lower energy costs

For applications like ventilating enclosures, exhausting smoke or fumes, and cooling parts, air amplifiers can often replace inefficient open pipe blow offs or multiple air jets.

Super Air Knives: Efficient Blowoff for Drying and Cleaning

Blow off is one of the most common—and most wasteful—uses of compressed air. Many facilities still rely on drilled pipe or open copper tubing, which wastes enormous amounts of compressed air while generating excessive noise.

Super Air Knives create a laminar sheet of high-velocity air across the entire length of the knife. This provides powerful and uniform blow off while using significantly less compressed air than traditional methods.

Benefits include:

  • Reduced compressed air consumption
  • Uniform drying and cleaning
  • Low noise operation
  • No moving parts and minimal maintenance

Applications range from removing water after washing processes to blowing debris off conveyors, sheets, or molded parts.

Efficiency in compressed air usage isn’t just about saving energy—it’s about improving productivity, reliability, and process performance. When you replace inefficient air practices with engineered solutions, you often gain benefits across the entire operation.

If you’re looking to reduce compressed air waste or improve a blow off, cooling, or static problem, the right air tool may be a small investment with a big return.

And in many cases, it’s an investment that pays for itself.

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer / Sales Operations Engineer

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Stop Starving Your Tools: How to Beat Pressure Drop in Compressed Air Systems

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

If you’ve ever noticed your pneumatic tools losing their “punch” or your machines throwing low-pressure faults, you’re likely dealing with the silent thief of industrial efficiency: pressure drop.

Pressure drop is the reduction in air pressure from the compressor discharge to the actual point of use. It’s not just a performance issue; it’s an expensive energy drain. Most facilities try to fix it by cranking up the compressor pressure, which is like trying to fix a leaky garden hose by turning the spigot up—it just wastes more energy and stresses the system.

Here is how to tackle it and how EXAIR products help you win the fight.

1. Size Matters (The Piping Dilemma)

The most common cause of pressure drop is undersized piping. Think of your compressed air system like a highway; if you try to cram 1,000 cars into one lane, traffic slows down.

  • The Fix: Always size your main headers and distribution lines for the maximum potential flow, not just your current average. Using a “loop” system instead of a single “dead-end” header allows air to flow in two directions to reach a high-demand tool, effectively doubling the capacity of the pipe.

2. Smooth Out the “Plumbing”

Every elbow, tee, and valve creates friction. Standard plumbing fittings often have sharp turns that create turbulence, slowing down the air.

  • The Fix: Minimize the use of 90-degree elbows where possible (use long-radius sweeps instead) and ensure you aren’t using restrictive, undersized quick-connect couplings at the tool.

3. Eliminate the “Spiky” Demand

Large, intermittent air consumers can cause the pressure in the entire line to “sag.”

  • The Fix: Use a receiver tank (surge tank) near the point of high demand. This acts as a local battery, providing the necessary volume instantly without pulling from the main header and causing a system-wide drop.

How EXAIR Combats Pressure Drop

EXAIR is built on the philosophy of “doing more with less.” Our products are engineered specifically to maximize force while minimizing air consumption, which is the most effective way to reduce pressure drop at the end of the line.

Engineered Super Air Nozzles

EXAIR Nozzles

Standard “open pipe” blowoffs are air hogs. They create massive localized pressure drops because they dump huge volumes of air inefficiently. EXAIR Super Air Nozzles use a small amount of compressed air to entrain large volumes of surrounding “free” room air.

  • The Result: You get high-velocity discharge with significantly lower compressed air demand, keeping the pressure stable for the rest of your tools.

Digital Flowmeters

You can’t fix what you can’t measure. EXAIR Digital Flowmeters allow you to see exactly where the air is going in real-time. By monitoring different zones of your plant, you can pinpoint exactly which branch or machine is causing the pressure drop, making it easy to identify leaks or bottlenecks.

Precise Pressure Regulators

Using more pressure than a process requires (artificial demand) is a leading cause of system-wide drops. EXAIR Pressure Regulators ensure that each application gets exactly the PSI it needs and nothing more. By lowering the pressure at the point of use to the minimum required, you preserve the “headroom” in your main lines.

The Bottom Line, combating pressure drop is about velocity and volume. By optimizing your piping layout and switching to high-efficiency end-use products like our intelligent, point-of-use compressed air products, you stop starving your tools and start saving on your electric bill.

If you’re ready to stop turning up the compressor, and start fixing the flow, give us a call!

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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Twitter: @EXAIR_AW

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EXAIR High Lift Reversible Drum Vac™ System: Overview

Published on by John BallLeave a comment
30, 55 and 110 Gallon High Lift Reversible Drum Vac Systems

Not all liquid vacuums are the same.  Have you seen motor burnout, loud noises, single directional flow, and potential electrical hazards?  EXAIR manufactures a pneumatic venturi pump to remove all those issues, the High Lift Reversible Drum Vac System.  It does not have any moving parts to wear; a two-way action to fill or expel liquid from standard drums; and is quiet.  They only use compressed air to generate a powerful vacuum to lift liquid into a drum; and with a simple twist of the knob, it will push the liquid out.  And by using compressed air, no electricity is required, making it safe to use.  They work great for fluid transfers or liquid spills, and the High Lift Reversible Drum Vac can fill a 55-gallon (208L) drum in 85 seconds from 15 feet of lift.  And with the powerful vacuum pressure, it can move thick liquid with viscosity up to 1400 centipoise through 20 feet (6m) of hose.  How can this product be useful for you?  If you work with liquids in a cistern, underground tanks, higher viscous fluids, or pits, EXAIR has a product for you; the High Lift Reversible Drum Vac System.  They are reliable and simple to use, and that is why it was awarded the 2015 Product of the Year by Plant Engineering.  In this blog, I will go over the specifications and packages that EXAIR offers.

The High Lift Reversible Drum Vac has stainless steel construction for corrosion resistance.  It comes with a built-in safety relief valve to avoid over pressurizing and an internal float to stop any over-filling of the drum.  The air consumption is only 43 SCFM (1,218 SLPM) at 80 PSIG (5.5 Bar), and it has a quiet noise level of only 83 dBA.  Systems are available in 30-, 55- and 110-gallon capacities (114L, 208L, and 418L respectively) in different packages.

The standard package will include the two-way pump assembly, shutoff valve, 20′ (6m) vacuum hose, a 90° quick release elbow, a standpipe, and an aluminum chip wand.  The standpipe is cut to length for the properly sized drum (the drum is not included in this option).  The standpipe extends inside the drum to remove as much liquid as possible when emptying. 

The Deluxe package will include all the items shown above in the Standard package and adds a drum dolly, ABS spill recovery kit, (2) extension wands, crevice tool, skimmer tool and a magnetic toolholder.

The Premium package will include all the items in the Standard package and adds the drum with lock ring and lid, drum dolly, ABS spill recovery kit, (2) different lengths of aluminum crevice tools, skimmer tool, a magnetic toolholder and a 20′ (6m) compressed air hose.

EXAIR’s High Lift RDV makes cleaning out pits up to 15′ deep easy and fast.

As I mentioned above, not all liquid vacuums are the same.  The EXAIR High Lift Reversible Drum Vac System is maintenance-free for long-lasting use in industrial environments.  We offer a 30-day unconditional guarantee for U.S. customers if you wish to try them out.  And from now until May 31, 2026, EXAIR is having a promotion.  With the purchase of one of our Industrial Housekeeping Products, you will receive a Vac-u-Gun with a vacuum bag, a $174.00 value, for free with qualified purchases.   If you have any questions about the High Lift Reversible Drum Vac System or any of our other Industrial Housekeeping Products, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR.  We will be happy to help you.

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb