How The Heat of Summer Affects Your Compressed Air System
Posted on July 19th, 2022
As temperatures rise the heat and humidity of summer can put extra strain on your compressed air system. A hotter ambient temperature can put additional pressure on your system and can dramatically affect operation efficiencies.
Read about how summer heat affects your compressed air system below:
Increased Water Output:
One of the main causes of excess water in pneumatic air lines is temperature increases. Higher temperatures mean higher humidity. Warmer air can hold more water, which results in moisture build up in your system and more pressure on your filtration and drying systems.
Moisture in airlines causes major issues, ranging from component failure to unplanned downtime, and bacterial growth to contamination of the end product. Therefore, it is essential that correct filtration, drying, and drainage systems are installed and maintained.
Increased Draining:
As your system will be dealing with more water vapour there will be an increased requirement for system drainage. This can cause more wear and tear on your drainage system, so it is important to service them often during the summer months.
Lower Flow Rates:
Higher temperatures mean that air is less dense, which means you will have less air coming through the intake of your system.
Rising Temperatures:
Your air compressor will create a lot of heat on its own. When combined with higher temperatures in the summer months, the temperature of the cooling water or air will increase further, reducing your compressors efficiency. If a compressor gets too hot your system may overheat and shut down.
Read our top tips on how to maintain your compressed air system in summer and beat the summer heat:5 Top Tips for Maintaining Compressed Air Systems in Summer