Top 4 Things to Evaluate When Considering Compressed Air Dryers
It’s critical to have clean, dry air running through your system. A compressor system with moisture present experiences reduced performance, which raises your energy costs. With Ingersoll Rand® dryers, you can save energy and protect your equipment and tools from harmful water in a very efficient and effective way.
Top 4 Things to Evaluate When Considering Compressed Air Dryers
1. Location, location, location. Where your shop is geographically located is an important factor to consider because it will impact the amount of moisture that runs through your compressed air system. A shop in the warm and humid south will need completely different equipment than one up north in sub-freezing temperatures.
2. The type of work you perform can also help you determine which dryer technologies are best for your shop. Do you mostly do mechanical work? Or do you work in a paint and body shop where really dry air is critical for your paint booth?
3. The load profile of your shop should also contribute to dryer selection. Depending on if you need air constantly or just for intermittent tasks, there are dryer options meet your demand profile and maintain an efficient operation.
4. How your piping system is routed matters too. If your compressor or piping is exposed to outside air, you need to understand the impact changing temperatures will have on the compressed air.
After considering each of these factors, you can narrow-in on the type of dryer you need for your shop:
Refrigerated Dryers: Refrigerated dryers provide appropriate drying for a comparatively low acquisition cost and low cost of operation. These dryers are ideal for mechanical work or areas where the ambient temperature is above freezing.
Cycling or non-cycling: There are two types of refrigerated dryers, if your air demand is high and constant, a non-cycling dryer is most efficient for your shop. Non-cycling dryers are designed to run continuously. A cycling dryer, in contrast, allows the refrigeration system to cycle on and off in proportion to the compressed air demand, which may vary over the course of a workday.
Desiccant Dryers: For applications like paint booths that require extremely dry air, or if the compressor and air piping is exposed to sub-freezing temperatures, desiccant dryers provide air with average pressure dew points ranging from -40 degrees Fahrenheit to -100 degrees Fahrenheit.
"People don’t realize the importance of high quality compressed air until it’s too late, especially in the paint shop. Now it’s even more critical with the new water-based paint formulas that are being used in today’s vehicles. The price of a quality dryer from Ingersoll Rand is much easier to deal with than an upset customer and the labor/materials needed to rework a paint job due to poor quality air.”
Richard Wood, Owner of Richard Wood Kustoms
To learn more about Ingersoll Rand dryer options for your shop visit our Vehicle Services Industry site.