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Week 5 Back to Basics — Keep The Flow Steady

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

This week’s installment in the Six Steps to Compressed Air Optimization focuses on making use of intermediate storage.

The purpose of intermediate storage in a compressed air system is to eliminate spikes in demand from your compressor. A common example is a blowoff operation that only needs air for a few seconds at a time, followed by periods of inactivity. By installing a receiver tank at the point of use, you reduce the immediate strain on your compressed air system and smooth out the peaks in consumption.

For readers with an electrical background, you can think of intermediate storage as the compressed air equivalent of a capacitor—absorbing demand spikes and helping the system run more evenly.

When applied correctly, intermediate storage improves system efficiency, reduces strain during intermittent operations, and is relatively simple to install and maintain. A properly sized receiver tank can make a big difference in stabilizing your system’s performance while extending equipment life.

We’re now just one step away from completing the Six Steps to Compressed Air Optimization. In the final installment, we’ll cover how to properly control your system for maximum efficiency.

Until next time, keep optimizing.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Week 4 Back to Basics— Shut It Down When It Isn’t Needed

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

Well, trusty blog readers, we are now two-thirds of the way through the Six Steps to Optimizing Your Compressed Air System.

So far, we’ve:

The next step is simple but powerful: turn off compressed air applications when they’re not needed.

If your process doesn’t require compressed air continuously, the EXAIR Electronic Flow Control (EFC) can help. This device uses a sensor to automatically control how long your compressed air operation runs, turning it on only when needed.

A great example is from a customer who used compressed air to clean computer monitors. When the screen wasn’t in the airstream, the air was simply wasted. With the EFC, air was shut off automatically whenever it wasn’t needed—saving energy, reducing costs, and extending the life of equipment.

The objective in this step is crystal clear: when your compressed air doesn’t need to be on, turn it off and save.

For more information on the EFC—or on any part of our Six Steps to Optimizing Your Compressed Air System—feel free to contact us.

Until next week, keep optimizing.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Feeling Exhausted?

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment
Our current calendar.

The school year has started here in Cincinnati. For some families, it’s the very first year in the school system; for others, it’s the last. Every year in between brings its own mix of emotions. Personally, I look forward to the sports and events, watching the camaraderie grow between my daughters, their friends, and their teams.

This year, we have a 10th, 7th, and 5th grader. One is about to get her learner’s permit, one is trying out for school volleyball, and one is in her final year of elementary. It feels like a big year all around. The pace of activities has been so fast that it’s hard to fully process what’s happening—and that same thing can easily happen in our work lives.

At home, my wife and I often feel like we’re treading water, bouncing from one thing to the next. We use downtime not just to catch our breath, but also to talk through what’s working, what’s not, and how to prepare better for the weeks ahead. When we skip those conversations, tension builds, and we end up storming as a team. The same holds true in a production environment: without regular evaluation and planning, the whole system suffers.

In manufacturing, output rarely stops. Even when a sector halts for a planned shutdown, the project list is carefully managed to minimize disruption. The focus is always on keeping production moving—whether that means picking up speed, adding shifts, or running longer hours. But smooth production depends on proactive planning.

Take compressed air systems as an example. A simple habit like measuring pressure drop across filters can prevent costly downtime. By installing pipe tees and pressure gauges upstream and downstream of filters, you can monitor performance. Once the differential hits 5 psig, it’s time to plan for an element replacement. Adding this to a maintenance schedule and aligning it with your purchasing cycle turns an unexpected expense into a controlled, predictable one.

Pressure gauges and filters with indicators are both great options for monitoring filter performance.

Just like meal prep and calendar reviews keep our family life running more smoothly, preventive maintenance and equipment monitoring keep production lines efficient. For parents entering the whirlwind of school activities—hang in there. Build a community with the other parents around you. It truly takes a village, just like it takes every department working together to deliver a finished product.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Is It Plugged In? Let’s Go Back To the Basics 1 of 6

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

Today, I want to kick off something a little different with the blog and start back at the basics. Over the next series of posts, we’ll walk through the Six Steps to Optimizing Your Compressed Air Systems. The goal is simple: to help you evaluate your current setup, identify opportunities for improvement, and put real numbers to the savings you can achieve.

Six Steps to Optimizing Your Compressed Air System

The first step to optimization is to measure and understand your compressed air consumption. There are several ways to do this, but one of the most effective is with our Digital Flow Meter paired with a Summing Remote Display or a USB Data Logger.

  • The Digital Flow Meter provides real-time data on compressed air usage.
  • The Summing Remote Display allows you to track cumulative usage over a 24-hour period (or longer).

By installing these tools, you can measure usage across your entire system or isolate a single machine. Once you start gathering data, you’ll quickly see the difference that EXAIR products can make in reducing consumption and improving efficiency.

With usage data in hand, you’re ready to move on to step two—stay tuned for the next installment. If you’d like to jump ahead or talk through your system directly, I’d be happy to connect.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF