A basic guideline for maintenance personnel is to monitor the pressure drop of filters and replace elements before the cost of increasing pressure drop, due to dirt or dust build up, exceeds the cost of a replacement element. Inlet and oil filters left too long before changing can literally choke a compressor, reducing its flow. This will also accelerate the wear rate of rotating elements, such as bearings, in rotary screw compressors. In addition, you should remember that the air filter that came with the compressor originally may no longer be adequate for your changing facility. Systematically evaluate your air filtration needs to fit your application.
Liquid water occurs naturally in air lines as a result of compression.
Additional condensation occurs downstream as the compressed air continues to cool. Moisture in compressed air is responsible for costly problems in almost every application that relies on compressed air. Some common problems caused by moisture are rusting and scaling in pipelines, clogging of instruments, sticking of control valves, and freezing of outdoor compressed air lines. Any of the se could lead to downtime of your compressed air system. Compressed air dryers help to reduce the water vapor concentration and prevent liquid water formation in compressed air lines.