Water In My Air Compressor Line

As a result you might find water dripping out of the air tool.

Water in my air compressor line. Liquid water can also block control lines which prevents instruments from reading and actuating properly. This is why we see so much more water in our compressed air on a hot summer day after it has rained. The compressed air industry expresses the amount of water in a system by dewpoint and relative humidity. Warm or hot air can hold more water vapor than can cold air.

Excess water may cause water hammer events which can damage equipment and piping you may hear this as a knocking sound in your air compressor pipes. As that air cools it allows water to convert from vapor to free water in the air line. You risk that water being blown down the line to your tool. The warmer the air the more water the compressed air can hold.

The water picks up the rust oil and dirt in your piping and washes it downstream to clog your pneumatic components or even worse get all over your product. The water will rust steel pipes and act as a solvent for compressor lubricant. When we compress the air to 100 psi pounds per square inch the volume is reduced to eight times the original volume. Moisture in the air lines can cause rust the inside of the air tank or air lines or even your air tools.

The amount of water produced by an air compressor is largely dependent on the inlet condition the quality of ambient air in a given environment as well as pressure. It is only when it condenses into mist that it becomes harmful. As a general rule of thumb air will hold almost double the amount of water vapor in suspension with every 20ºf in temperature rise. Then as the air from the compressor tank moves down the air line to your air tools the compressed air cools.

As long as water vapor remains in vapor form it does no harm. Water in compressed air systems can result in other problems for your system too. Excessive moisture in your shop air can cause a decrease in performance as well as premature failure of the pneumatic tool. In fact it carries a part of the fluid power flowing through the system.

In simpler terms air temperature humidity compressor size and required pressure will determine the water content coming out of the unit and potentially into the compressed air piping. Water mist is harmful in a compressed air system water vapor is not. This temperature rise is normally anywhere from 170 to 400ºf 76 205ºc depending upon the type of air compressor being used. If you re using a paint gun it can also allow the moisture to creep into the paint gun and contaminate your paint job.

If this water is not removed it can travel through your piping and overwhelm your air dryer if you have one. More too much water in my air lines there s more sources of water in your air lines. A good air line filter can remove up to 98 of the water mist.