Tag: hiking

When You Get To Asheville

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment
1 – Steve Martin & Edie Brickell – “When You Get To Asheville”

Over the past week, my amazing wife and I traveled to Asheville, NC for a long weekend away. This is our second year going down, and I can most certainly say that we will be going back. Our days consisted of going to a small mom-and-pop type diner for breakfast, loading the cooler with water, and then picking a hike to hit up. This time we hiked mostly in the Pisgah National Forest and while we did not hit the same elevation as last year, we still managed to double the first hike of the week on the second day and felt great once we reached the end. I also chose to make the hikes hard on myself by carrying my trusted GO-RUCK GR1 to carry our water, first aid kit, and a 30 lb. steel plate, because you should always choose the harder thing.

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While we weren’t at elevations like Pikes Peak in Colorado, we still felt the difference in the air between being in Cincinnati and being in the mountains. Maybe it was just the fact it was cleaner. When we crested a hill on the trail and stopped to take a quick break, we looked around and realized that after all the switchbacks we had just gone through, we looked over the valley we had just climbed out of and were at the tree tops of the valley and still nowhere near the top of the mountain. This got me to thinking about how I was working harder because I had a steel plate, walking too many lunches where I just sit for 30 minutes instead of walking and that is immediately connected to the ACFM calculations for an air compressor and just how a compressor will have to work harder to produce the same volume of air when elevated because the air is thinner. This is going to change the air density, which results in a lower atmospheric pressure due to higher altitude.

Altitude is just one of the factors that matters in the calculation to determine a compressor’s output at different locations. The other factors include relative humidity, which was way better in the mountains than here in Cincinnati, and the actual temperature, again better in Asheville than Cincinnati.

If you are wondering about the equations I am referencing, we’ve blogged about them many times and even have a Webinar that touches on the math and reasoning behind these different values. Check the equation below and the links above.

In case you were wondering, the post-Ruck/Hike hydration is always better after events, it also always helps to have a good partner in crime to enjoy all the experiences with you. Thankful for the ability to connect all these hobbies and my knowledge of compressed air on top of sharing it with others. If you want to discuss how to calculate some ACFM or SCFM consumption and outputs of your compressor or application, or if you want to talk about rucking, hiking, or any of your favorite trails, give me a call, chat, or tweet.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

1 – Steve Martin & Edie Brickell – “When You Get To Asheville” – CBS, Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RzhTN9zW3w

Compressed Air Leaks and the Problems They Cause

Published on by codybiehleLeave a comment

Over the Fourth of July I had a great opportunity to do some backpacking in the backwoods of the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York. “That sounds awesome!” is what most people would think; looking back on it, it was awesome. BUT, at the time it was the very definition of complete and total suffer fest. During my time on the trail, I learned three life lessons. First, always thoroughly study up on every bail out point along the trail. Second, water proofing has its limits; and thirdly, when things leak it is dreadful. After 7 miles of crawling over rocks and traversing lakes and streams in the pouring down rain everything was soaked and water was leaking through our rain jackets, leaving me and my girlfriend cold, wet, and sore as all get out – all on day one.

Heading up the Algonquin Mountain trail starting Colden Lake

Leaks don’t just stink when they appear in your rain coat, they are dreadful all around whether it is leaking faucets, a leaky basement or compressed air line leaks. Unlike the fact that I currently have no solution for the leaking rain coat, I do have a solution for your leaking air lines. Leaks are costly and an all-around waste of money that can have severe implications on how the air is being used and the entire system itself.

There are four main affects that a leak in your compressed air system can have and they are as follows; 1) leaks can cause a pressure drop across the system, 2) leaks shorten the life of almost all air supply system equipment, 3) leaks demand increased running time of the compressor, and 4) leaks produce unnecessary compressor capacity by demanding more and more air.

  • A pressure drop across your compressed air system can lead to a decreased efficiency of the end use equipment (i.e. an EXAIR Air Knife or Air Nozzle). This adversely effects production as it may take longer to blow off or cool a product or not blow off the product well enough to meet quality standards.
  • Leaks can shorten the life of almost all supply system components such as air compressors. This is because the compressor has to continuously run to make up for the air lost from leaks. By forcing the equipment to continuously run or cycle more frequently means that the moving parts in the compressor will wear down faster.
  • An increased run time due to leaks can also lead to more maintenance on supply equipment for the same reasons as to why the life of the compressor is shortened. The increase stress on the compressor and supply side components due to unnecessary running of the compressor.
  • Leaks can also lead to adding unnecessary compressor size. The wasted air that is being expelled from the leak is an additional demand in your system. If leaks are not fixed it may require a larger compressor to make up for the loss of air in your system.
EXAIR’s Ultrasonic Leak Detector

It is fairly easy to find these leaks, simply use EXAIR’s affordable Ultrasonic Leak Detector. This leak detector uses ultrasonic waves to detect where costly leaks can be found so that they can be patched or fixed. So don’t get stuck in some rainy day with your compressed air leaking everywhere; find those pesky leaks, mark them for maintenance and seal them up.

If you have any questions or want more information on EXAIR’s Ultrasonic Leak Detector or like products. Give us a call, we have a team of application engineers ready to answer your questions and recommend a solution for your applications.

Cody Biehle
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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Getting Better All The Time

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know that the week following the third Sunday in June is when I write about my annual Father’s Day Weekend Camp out…this week is no exception. My best friend and I treated our wives to a guy-free weekend at home while we and our sons:

*Watched the full moon rise from a hilltop near Malabar Farm on Friday night.
*Kayaked the Clear Fork River.
*Fished a couple of ponds at the farm (to no avail.)
*Gigged for frogs at a couple of other ponds (results below.)
*Had frog legs & scrambled eggs for breakfast.
*Hiked and climbed to the top of Big Lyons Falls at Mohican State Park.

With the exception of watching the full moon rise (and maybe the unsuccessful fishing expedition), NONE of this would ever have happened when we started this tradition nine years ago with two six-year olds and a four-year old. It’s hard to believe that, now that our whole party pretty much passes the height/weight requirements, we’re looking for a campground with zip lining nearby for our 10th annual camp out next year. It looks like my fear of heights is going to be confronted by my fear of being ridiculed by my teenage sons. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on which one wins out.

As time passes, we all have to “step up our game”…I’ve heard it said that if you’re not constantly improving on what you do, you’re actually getting worse, because it’s a given that others ARE improving on what they do, and it’s going to leave you in the dust, even if you are just as good as you were yesterday.

cc optionsEXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems are a prime example…over the years, we’ve gone from two sizes (1,700 and 2,000 BTU/hr) to nine (from 550 to 5,600 BTU/hr). To the original NEMA 12 (oil tight/dust tight, indoor duty) rated systems, we’ve added NEMA 4 (splash resistant, indoor/outdoor) and NEMA 4X (corrosion resistant, indoor/outdoor), so our Cabinet Cooler Systems are suitable for installation just about anywhere your enclosures might be.

High Temperature options are available for installation in areas with ambient temperatures up to 200°F (93°C). Non-Hazardous Purge systems maintain a slight positive air pressure to prevent internal contamination of enclosures located in particularly dirty surroundings. 316SS construction systems are available when the higher alloy is specified for food service, pharmaceutical, or particularly harsh/corrosive environments.

Oh, and all of these multiple-award-winning products are in stock and ready to ship today.  If you’d like to see if an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System is the solution to your electric/electronic enclosure heat problems, give us a call.  We’ll even throw in a free AC Sensor if you order before the end of July.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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