Oil Water Separators

Oil Water Separators are vital to any compressed air system. The process of compressing air typically produces a substantial amount of condensate that contains air compressor lubricant carryover. Without an oil water separator in your compressed air system, this condensate/lubricant mixture will go down the drain and quite possibly find its way into the surrounding groundwater.

However, beyond environmental concerns, this moisture can create substantial issues for your compressed air system. The most serious is corrosion. Corrosion is a chemical reaction between a metal, oxygen and water; this is why metal rusts when it comes in contact with water. Additionally, moisture in the air stream may hamper proper lubrication or result in corrosion of air tools; Rust particles that develop in the air supply lines can become mixed with the air stream and damage equipment or harm the production processes; and if you’re using compressed air to spray paint, water can cause unflattering visual and texture effects in the finish. Other applications where moisture in air compressors is a real nuisance include sand and other material blasting, pneumatic tools, CNC machining centers, robotics, air cylinders and valve operation.

Oil Water Separators are mechanical separators that are typically installed downstream of the air compressor tanks. They look like an in-line air filter, and uses centrifugal force to separate water by directing the air in a spiral. Depending on the compressed air’s temperature, these Water Separators are able to remove 40-60% of water from the compressed air.

Best-Aire is an authorized distributor of Gardner Denver. We cover have branches in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, covering Grand Rapids, Detroit, Indianapolis, Toledo, Fort Wayne, Lansing, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Lima and South Bend.