Compressed air has over the years become a utility, very similar to electricity or natural gas; compressed air is indispensable in safe operation of today’s manufacturer. It is critical to ensure that we operate without interruption and choosing dependable and properly sized air compressor system will pay off in a very short time.

Choosing an experienced compressed air specialist will make the task much easier, these professionals can draw from their experience in multitude of unique installations to provide advice and variety of solutions, they are your best friend in maintaining and servicing your compressed air system.

Typical system will consist of: air compressor, compressed air dryer, compressed air filters, condensate filter and air lines (pipes).

When choosing an air compressor we often make the mistake of defining the need by specifying the compressor’s brake horsepower, which is only related to how much energy will your compressor use, not how much air it will deliver. What we should do instead is calculate the air consumption rate of our facility and choose compressor which will deliver sufficient amount of air. In North America air consumption is usually expressed in CFM or cubic feet per minute at a specific pressure, which for majority of operations is 100 psi, an experienced compressed air technician will determine to specify compressors pressure setting to compensate for system’s pressure losses. It is very important that we specify the pressure correctly in order not to over pressurize the system, compressing air generates heat as there is an additional cost associated with each additional psi, for example: using a 145 psi compressor in a system which would require only 100 psi would significantly increase facility’s energy consumption.

Most equipment manufacturers provide us with average free air consumption rate for each tool or machine, those rates are normally added for each machine being used and the sum will give us a general idea how much air is needed. Consider using compressor that is slightly larger than your actual air needs to compensate for possible additions of air consuming equipment.