This is a common question we hear at Compressed Air Advisors, Inc. So what is an Oil Water Separator and Why would you need one? Lets start off with your compressor. All compressors (except oil free) have some amount of oil pass through. That simply means that the compressed air coming out of your compressor has some trace amount of lubricant in it. Some will have more than others due to a multitude of factors but it happens to them all old and new. This trace amount of oil is not only in the air stream but is also in the condensate your compressor expells. In this blog we will just cover removing oil from the condensate and leave removing oil from the air stream for another time.
So, if you have been running your comrpessor for any amount of time. You are well aware of the amount of water your compressor will expell. That is totally normal and part of the compresstion process. This condensate has trace amounts of oil/lubricant in it. EPA / OSHA / Local / State laws prohibit the dumping of this contaminated condensate into a common sewer drain. This condensate must be treated before draining into your floor drain. However if you have a triple trap drain system or your waste water is treated you may not have to do anything to your condensate before draining it. You can contact us to help if you have questions on this.
This is where a water separator comes in. There are a couple of styles of water separators but they basically operate in the same way. They all have some kind of media that the oil laiden condensate flows through. The media then bonds with the oil and is permantly trapped within the media. The water is at that point able to be safely drained into a common drain.
Generally Oil Water Separator are sized with the CFM of your system. Life Spans very to multiple factors and the number of hours your system runs.
Protect your company from violations and make sure that you are in compliance with local laws by treating your air compressor condensate with an Oil Water Separator. You can find a solution by following this link Shop Oil Water Separators
