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Do you need an inline filter for your air compressor? Chances are, the answer is yes! Inline filtration is the key to clean, reliable compressed air. Here’s everything you need to know about selecting, installing, and maintaining inline air filters for your air compressor. What Is an Inline Air Compressor Filter and Why Do You Need One? The inline air compressor filter removes oil and particulates from your compressed air supply. Compressed air contains contaminants when it leaves the compressor including oils, particulates, and even microorganisms. The inline compressor filter captures these contaminants before the compressed air meets your production... Read more »

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1. How large is your demand? Rotary screw air compressors are especially durable and are able to handle large amounts of demand for extended periods of time. They are still more efficient and durable in smaller horse powers than piston compressors, but this is noticeable when getting into larger demands (i.e. 15 horsepower and more). Rotary screw air compressors are designed to run at 100% duty cycle, day in and day out. 2. Is lifetime cost important to you? While yes, a rotary screw compressor may have a higher air compressor maintenance cost and/or initial capital cost, the lifetime expectancy... Read more »

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  The importance of understanding relative humidity to dew point when working with compressed air systems. How many of you consider the relationship between relative humidity to dew point and the effect it can have on your compressed air systems? We spoke with several customers, and people who work in the industry, and we have discovered that many don’t understand how important it is to know both terms when talking about compressed air dryness. Knowing the relative humidity percentage and dew point temperature helps you ensure your compressed air systems are functioning properly and can help save you from costly... Read more »

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Do you need an oil-water separator for your compressed air system? The answer is probably yes. An external oil-water separator is essential for proper maintenance of your compressed air system and compliance with environmental regulations for disposal of compressed air condensate.   What Is an Oil/Water Separator?  An oil-water separator (sometimes called a condensate separator) is exactly what it sounds like: a device that separates oils and lubricants from liquid water. The oil-water separator collects condensate from your air compressor, tank, filters, and dryer, and removes the oil from the water prior to putting it down the drain. It also eliminates... Read more »

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What kind of compressed air dryer do you need? It may seem difficult to choose between desiccant vs. refrigerated air dryers for your compressed air system. But once you understand the differences between these types of air dryers and what they can do, the choice is likely to be clear. What Is the Purpose of a Compressed Air Dryer? First, why do you need a compressed air dryer at all? Almost all compressed air applications will require some type of air-drying system. A compressed air dryer ensures a consistent supply of dry air for your application.  A compressed air dryer... Read more »

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 You’ve made a sizable investment into your air compressor, so you’ll want to get the most life from it that is possible. Here are some simple air compressor tips and tricks that will help you achieve years of trouble-free operation. Follow instructions – It may seem obvious, but reading the manual for your air compressor is a small time investment with big payoff. You’ll learn the maintenance schedule as well as operating guidelines for your compressor. With this information, you can extend the life of your equipment and minimize downtime. Check oil levels daily – For compressors that use oil,... Read more »

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Fluid-Aire Dynamics trusts PneuTech compressors, dryers, in-line filtration and parts and supplies. These quality products provide exceptional value while providing the highest efficiency. Learn more about the product line-up and why we strongly recommend PneuTech in this short video.

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Should you buy a reciprocating air compressor or a rotary screw air compressor? If you’re shopping for a new air compressor, you may be wondering about the differences between rotary and reciprocating compressors. But while both types of compressors create compressed air, there are important differences in how they work and the applications they are best suited for. Here is how to choose between a reciprocating and rotary compressor for your operation. What Is the Difference Between a Reciprocating Air Compressor and a Rotary Screw Air Compressor? Both reciprocating and rotary screw air compressors produce compressed air using “positive displacement”—that... Read more »

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Do you know how to calculate dew point and relative humidity for your compressed air system? Understanding these measures and how they are related will help you maintain your compressed air system at optimal performance. To minimize condensation problems in your system, it is important to know how much moisture is in the air vs. how much moisture the air is capable of holding. Measuring or calculating your dew point and relative humidity (RH) can help you avoid problems with your compressed air system and production applications. Here’s how to know if your pressure dew point is too high—and what... Read more »

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Wisconsin manufacturers can save energy and optimize their compressed air systems with the help of rebate programs and financial incentives from Focus on Energ®. Focus on Energy can help manufacturers save thousands of dollars in energy bills by improving the efficiency of their compressed air systems—often at a minimal cost. When you partner with Fluid-Aire Dynamics on a Focus on Energy project, you only pay the costs over and above the incentive, keeping your up-front costs to a minimum. What is Focus on Energy? Focus on Energy is Wisconsin’s statewide program serving the customers of the 107 participating Wisconsin electric... Read more »

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Are You Letting Money Escape Into Thin Air? If your compressed air system has unrepaired leaks, the answer is yes. Leaks in your compressed air system may be increasing your compressed air energy bills by more than 30%. Since compressed air is usually one of the largest energy expenses for a manufacturer using air-powered equipment, that represents a significant opportunity for energy savings. Fortunately, finding and fixing compressed air leaks is a relatively simple and cost-effective process. Thanks to energy incentives provided by most energy suppliers—including ComEd in Northern Illinois—you may even be able to get compressed air leaks fixed... Read more »

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Is the PSI of your compressed air system too high? As many as 80% of manufacturers are running their systems at a higher PSI than necessary for their production processes. Reducing the PSI of your plant may be your largest—and easiest—an opportunity for energy savings. Best of all? Many of the things you can do to reduce your plant pressure are very inexpensive — or even free!

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You may love the warmer temperatures in the spring and summer—but your industrial air compressor does not. Your compressed air system requires extra maintenance in the hot summer months to prevent unexpected shutdowns and damage to system components. Here’s how increased temperatures in the summer months impact your compressed air system—and what you can do to prevent costly damage. Risk 1: Overheating Your air compressor already puts out a lot of heat on its own: a 100 HP industrial air compressor produces enough thermal energy to heat four homes through the winter! This is a natural consequence of air compression;... Read more »

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You may still have frost outside, but spring is just around the corner. When you’re planning your spring cleaning, don’t forget your compressed air system. Spring is the perfect time to assess your industrial air compression system and perform critical maintenance to make sure it is ready for the hot summer months ahead. A thorough spring cleaning of your industrial air compressor and other compressed air system components can prevent expensive repairs and eliminate costly downtime. Of course, you should be conducting most routine maintenance checks daily or weekly throughout the year, following the preventative maintenance guidelines in the user... Read more »

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Are you seeing excessive pressure drop in your compressed air system? The problem may be the layout of your compressed air pipes. The design of your compressed air distribution system can have a substantial impact on overall efficiency. An efficiently designed piping system will save energy and money and reduce wear and tear on your air compressor. About Compressed Air Piping Systems Your compressed air distribution system consists of a series of pipes that convey compressed air from the compressor to the point of use. Most compressed air piping systems have multiple drops along their length to support different tools,... Read more »

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Changing the oil on your rotary screw air compressor is important for the life of the machine and can avoid large repair costs. On top of checking it regularly to ensure it’s topped off, you should change it at regular intervals. The length of this interval depends on the type of oil being used in your machine. Rotary Screw Air Compressor or Rotary Vane Air Compressor** Standard Oil every 8000 hrs or 12 months Food Grade Oil every 2000 hrs or 3 months If You Don’t Change Your Oil as Above a Few Things Can Happen to Your Compressor: Buildup... Read more »

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Filters are an important part of your compressed air system. Installing the right type of filters and maintaining them regularly will ensure a consistent supply of clean air to your operations and reduce pressure drop. Filters start at the intake of the compressor and finish at the point of use. Dirty compressor intake filters will reduce compressor efficiency and allow dirt particles to enter the compressor, loading up the separator and oil filters, contaminating oil, and possibly reducing the life of the air compressor. Filters downstream of lubricated air compressors will collect contamination in the piping such as rust and... Read more »

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This week’s discussion addresses what seems to be an unknown to most users of compressed air. Many calls come in from customers who say their compressor system no longer keeps up with plant demand. Of course, this could be due to many factors such as added production equipment, air leaks in the equipment and/or distribution piping, or the need of maintenance to the air compressor itself. To troubleshoot your plant pressure issues, we recommend beginning with the source of your compressed air. Is the compressor delivering its rated Actual Cubic Feet per Minute (ACFM)? ACFM is the air delivery rating... Read more »

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