Top tip: How to manage your air compressor's water condensate
Why is condensate management so important?
Switch this question around - don’t think about the compressor house. Instead, think about what moisture can do to your product, your tooling and your valves.
When moisture isn't removed correctly at generation, it could travel through your air lines and leaves you with unexpected surprises. It is, however, quite simple to prevent such issues. All you need to do is regularly ensure that all drains are working and removing condensate from the system efficiently. Make sure all your drains are zero loss as you want to get rid of moisture not compressed air which equals wasted energy.
The next question to ask yourself is 'Am I looking after the environment'? If you are proactive in managing your air system and remove condensate regularly, you should remember that there are certain regulations surrounding its correct disposal.
If you are running Atlas Copco oil-free compressors, then there is no need for concern as our machines are certified oil-free and oil never comes into contact with the compressed air produced – your condensate has no oil contamination either! However, if you are running an oil injected unit – no matter the make – the condensate will have some traces of oil in it, which need to be removed before the condensate can be disposed of. By simply installing an oil separation system you will ensure that you comply with local water authority regulations and look after the environment.
