Last week I pointed out the important locations for measuring your compressed air system pressure throughout your compressed air system. One of the critical points to measure system pressure was before and after each filter. This leads into another question that I receive every once in a while, “How do I tell when the filter needs to be changed?” The answer to this is easy, when you see more than a 5 PSIG pressure drop across the filter. This means that the element within the filter has become clogged with sediment or debris and is restricting the volume available to your downstream products.
This can lead to decreased performance, downtime, and even the possibility of passing contaminants through the filter to downstream point of use components. In order to maintain an optimal performance when using EXAIR filter separators and oil removal filters, monitoring the compressed air pressure before and after the unit is ideal.
Replacement filter elements are readily available from stock, as well as complete rebuild kits for the filter units. Changing the filters out can be done fairly easily and we even offer a video of how to do it.
The life expectancy of a filter element on the compressed air is directly related to the quality of air and the frequency of use, meaning it can vary greatly. If you tie a new filter onto the end of a compressed air drop that has not been used in years, you may get a surprise by the filter clogging rather quickly. However, if you maintain your compressor and your piping system properly then the filters should last a long time. Generally we recommend checking your filters every 6 months.
If you have questions about where and why to filter your compressed air contact us.
Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF