Question: Oil filter for air compressor

[ByrnBucks]

Hello there, hope everyone is well. I am waiting on a GRS GraverMax G8 and just discovered the oil-free air requirement. I have a 20 gallon Campbell Hausfeld compressor that of course has oil. Certainly this problem has been addressed before by you fine gentleman and I just want to be absolutely sure to get an adequate filter to ensure no harm comes to my new long awaited toy. If anyone knows of a proven brand or what to avoid any recommendations are appreciated. Thanks for your time.

 

[Chujybear]

i don't want to steer you wrong, since I have multiple coalescing filters in my line.. but I remember ray cover had two things besides his filter, one was a long section of tube right out of the machine this is coiled before any filters.. this allow the air to cool and for moisture to settle out of the air before it hits any filters.. he would change these out every so often.. then he had some kind of a tub with a roll of toilet paper in it.. i think I remember that right.. both of these measures just lesson the wear on your more expensive filters further down the line..
that's the answer you didn't ask for, I leave it to someone else to actually answer your question.

 

[ByrnBucks]

i don't want to steer you wrong, since I have multiple coalescing filters in my line.. but I remember ray cover had two things besides his filter, one was a long section of tube right out of the machine this is coiled before any filters.. this allow the air to cool and for moisture to settle out of the air before it hits any filters.. he would change these out every so often.. then he had some kind of a tub with a roll of toilet paper in it.. i think I remember that right.. both of these measures just lesson the wear on your more expensive filters further down the line..
that's the answer you didn't ask for, I leave it to someone else to actually answer your question.

well that does validate my concerns that it isn’t as simple as plugging one thing into the line as a simple google search had indicated. Thank you kind sir.

 

[Sinterklaas]

GRS sell filters for oil compressors. Also I have an oil compressor and 1,5-2meters of thick tube (gardenhose size) before the air gets to my machine. I dont have the extra oil filter. And have never seen any oil come out and into the machine.

 

[mitch]

all the major pneumatic component manufacturers make "oil coalescing filters" for this. i think mine was made by Bimba and cost about $50. put it last in line before your Gravermax so it's only wringing the last bit of oil out of the air, not any water or other crud.

 

[Aventuraal]

When I built a air filter system for 2 CNC routers (they require absolutely clean and dry air for the air bearings in the heads) it was on the end of about a 100 ft. run from an oil compressor (a really big one) across the ceiling of the building and across an open way between 2 buildings. We ran the line down into a PVC pipe zig-zag cooler system on the wall, with a drain at the bottom. The feed line to the routers came off the supply line about 2 ft. above the bottom, went into a moisture trap/regulator, then into a desiccant dryer filter, that used silica gel as a final element. The gel was a color indicator, and turned colors as it was exhausted. The gel could be "renovated" by drying it in a regular oven for a few hours, or replaced, as you wanted. We I left the company after 12 years, they were still going strong, with no issue ever about the air quality.

 

[pmace]

You cannot get true oil-free dry air in a home shop. A good coalescing filter is about the best you can do and in my opinion is about all you need. An industrial setup needs dryers because they use a lot of air. If your air compressor isn't running that much the air is about room temperature and it's as dry as it's going to get. You need to get the droplets of oil and water that have condensed in the piping to "coalesce" and fall out before they get to the tool. If the air compressor is running a lot for other tools then a few extra feet of hose prior to the filter will let the air get to room temperature before it hits the filter.

 

[ByrnBucks]

Thank you all for the information. I feel much more confident in installing an oil coalescing filter down line knowing it’s sufficient. I didn’t want to learn the hard way. Thanks again everyone, the support and knowledge of this group amazing.