During the summer, there are a few extra challenges your compressed air system faces. Heat and humidity can cause all sorts of problems if you don’t prepare your system to adequately address them. Here are a few simple compressed air summer maintenance tips to keep your system running efficiently.
Checking Your Compressed Air System
- Heat Exchangers – Check your after coolers and oil coolers to make sure they are clean and fans are operating correctly. These coolers are your primary defense for keeping your oil temperatures acceptable and removing the bulk of your liquid water from your compressed air system.
- Condensate Drains – With the extra humidity there will be extra water. Check all of your drains and drain lines to ensure they are sized correctly and operating properly. If you are using timer operated drains, you will need to adjust your frequency to allow for the increase in condensate.
- Air Dryers – Both refrigerated and desiccant compressed air dryers need to be checked and prepared for the summer heat and humidity. Condenser coils and condenser fans should be checked on refrigerated
dryers. Pre-filters and drains should be checked and serviced on desiccant dryers to protect the desiccant bed from slugs of liquid water and oil. - Oil/Water Separators – All the water that your drains and dryers are removing should be routed to an Oil/Water Separator. These separators help you safely and legally dispose of your compressed air condensate. Be sure to replace all carbon bags and filters every six months to ensure proper operation.
Lewis Systems & Service Co., Inc. carries a full line of drains, dryers and filters to help your compressed air systems to deal with the heat and humidity that the summer brings. So give us a call if you find yourself “under water” this summer.
