I’m asked quite often to troubleshoot different types of compressed air dryers when they’re not working. It’s not just Van Air Systems dryers—I get calls on every make and model imaginable, from Atlas Copco, Parker, and Schmidt; from regenerative to desiccant dryers. Air dryer dew point problems can include: Wet…
Last week a customer called to say he was very pleased with an MDV-400I Motorized Drain Valve he had purchased. His MDV-400I included a ½” stainless steel valve. He purchased the MDV400 to periodically backflush and clean a filter for sediment separation. While he was pleased with the excellent clog…
Picking the right type of automatic drain valve can be tricky. You need to consider initial cost, product reliability, operating cost, and any constraints that are unique to the application. Auto drains remove condensed liquid – usually a mixture of water and compressor lubricant — from compressed air systems. Automatic…
With summer approaching it’s a good time to check your compressed air system. Some much needed maintenance prior to summer heat and humidity will keep the air system running well. The best place to start is at the compressor or compressors. Start your inspection by checking the suction filters for…
A customer recently called me saying his Van Air Systems model HL-250 desiccant air dryer had failed. The compressed air lines at his metal fabrication shop here in the Denver area were full of water. He’d installed the dryer 18 months earlier. The unit worked great. And then suddenly it…
A deliquescent compressed air or natural gas dryer can be installed outdoors and operated in low ambient conditions. Indeed, this is among a deliquescent dryer’s most important characteristics. One challenge of operating a water saturated pressurized gas system outdoors is, of course, the threat of forming ice within pipes, valves,…