I am new to pcp airguns so I apologize if I am asking a stupid question. Obviously one wants to remove the moisture from the air used in charging the airgun to prevent rusting. I assume this is done by passing the air through some desiccant housed in a filter body. I have read several comments about the danger of these filter bodies exploding under the high pressure at the exit side of the compressor. My question is does anyone remove the moisture on the intake side of the hand pump or compressor rather than at the discharge high pressure end? There would be no danger of filter body failure since it would be at atmospheric pressure and the water would still be removed..
Moisture Removal In Hand Pumps And Compressors
- Thread starter kpaoletti
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Yes, there are several hand pumps that the incoming air passes through a dryer medium I use a Hill pump that does and the shoebox compressor recommends the dryer on the low side. There is always the possibility that during the pressurization more moister is extracted because of the pressures involved especially in say areas of the country with high humidity. Living in the desert southwest with low to almost nonexistent humidity I’m not overly concerned. Of course not only dryers as have been talked about the last few days can fail. There always the possible of other parts such as hose’s and we have all heard of some Chinese cheap compressor crating and blowing pistons. No matter we are handling very high pressure and the danger and safe handling should always be an important consideration.
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Yes. before getting my compressor I have been using a Hill pump. I did not trust the tiny bottle of desiccant at the intake so I replace it with a big jar of silica gel . The use of filter at the outlet of the pump can also be done but it's limited to small filters or you will have a hard time pressuring it every time you fill your gun.
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Filters are much more efficient at removing moisture from compressed air because a liquid does not compress but a gas does. Therefore a compressor is like a sponge squeezing out water as pressure greatly increases the ratio of water vapor to air. My advice is to buy a quality compressor that has a moisture bleed tower that removes a majority of the moisture before it reaches a high pressure filter. I read the compressor forums regularly and so far have only seen one unsubstantiated claim of a filter failure. This same story has been retold in several threads but the original claimant of a gold filter that "blue up" has not presented any photos or evidence. Hoses and fittings are weak links in the compression process rather than filters. Buy quality fittings and a decent compressor and don't be influenced by claims without any proof.
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