The purpose of an air filter in a compressed air system is to keep liquid and solid debris from entering the air system. The primary reason to replace filter elements every 12 months (or 2,000 run hours) is to maintain air quality. Filter elements remove contaminants for specific air quality treatment pursuant to the manufacturing industry and the international standards for compressed air quality. Once the 12-month filter life has passed, the required air quality is no longer being maintained.
What about the differential pressure gauge fitted on the filter showing that the needle is in the green range? The differential pressure gauge is only an indicator of premature blockage. It only reflects the measure of the differential pressure not whether the filter should be changed.
However, the differential pressure gauge can alert you to pressure spikes that can rupture the filter element instantly, passing contaminated air through the filter into the compressed air system. If the filter element is damaged, even with a pin-point sized hole, the filter can rupture. Filter elements are constantly bombarded by high-velocity particulate matter as well as acidic condensates – oil, chemical additives, even hot water. 12 months of this type of operation and the filter media is more than ready to be changed.
Change the filter element once every 12 months will help avoid getting contaminates in the compressed air system. As your one stop source for air compressors and air compressor parts, we can provide you with the filters you need to keep up with your preventative maintenance checklist. Check out our extensive list of air compressor parts.
