Every experienced airbrush user knows that it is critical to keep moisture away from your working area while airbrushing as moist air can spoil all your work. To purify and provide dry, clean, and cool air we recommend using refrigerated air dryers. These highly efficient and reliable air purifying units allow for smooth spraying and fine paint patterns. With air dryers, you don't need to worry any longer about wet air and this won't distract you from your creative work.
Reasons to buy a refrigerated air dryer
A refrigerated air dryer is one of the ways to remove wet from compressed air, avoid paint spraying issues and protect your airbrush tools and piping. And as you may already know sometimes to have an air tank and moisture trap is not sufficient to prevent unwanted moisture from getting into your airbrush compressor. It can be confusing and you may think you're doing something wrong. But there are some factors you should take into consideration:
- Think about your working area. Is the air dry enough for airbrushing in your working area? Maybe there is a change in temperature within the room that can result in moisture formation or condensation?
- How often do you drain your air tank? The safest practice is to drain it daily. However, even that cannot help you in some cases.
But it is still possible to relieve your pains with the help of air dryers. These are easy to install and maintain and all they require is electrical power and air connection. They offer a simple design and what's more, their price is relatively low.
Of course, a refrigerated air dryer alone isn't a guarantee of a flawless work of your airbrush too, but you can use a combination of tools to remove the moisture from the air.
Operating principles of refrigerated air dryers
A refrigerated air dryer cools down the wet warm air that the airbrush compressor sucks in. In the meantime, all moisture in the compressed air condenses into water which further a water-trap removes. And then, the air is re-heated again to the ambient air temperature.
For cooling down the air, air dryers use a liquid refrigerant in a separate circuit. While the liquid gets warmer and then is evaporated, the air gets cooler. After that, a small compressor raises the pressure in that circuit and by that cools down the refrigerant in the condenser.
Types of refrigerated air dryers
Generally speaking, we distinguish between two types of air dryers:
- cycling
which cooling capacity depends on the air use. This allows for energy and cost savings
- non-cycling
These air dryers are considered the most common type. They are extremely reliable and do not require particular maintenance.
Tips on choosing a refrigerated air dryer
When picking out an air dryer make a point of:
- the maximum pressure provided by the air dryer. It should correspond to the pressure that your airbrush compressor gives, maybe higher, but not lower.
- the maximum airflow that can go through your air dryer. It should also be higher than your compressor delivers.
- the maximum inlet temperature specified by the air dryer. If the temperature is higher than needed, the dryer won't be able to reach the dew point that can cause damage to some parts of the air dryer.
Installation and maintenance of refrigerated air dryers
For every refrigerated air dryer guidelines on installation, maintenance, and operating conditions are clearly specified. So, we recommend that you follow the instructions given in their manuals. For the better work of air dryers, clean your purifying air unit regularly. Note that some parts such as fins (the small plates) are quite sensitive that's why they require special care and delicate treatment.
We hope this short buying guide has helped you out with choosing an air dryer. If you still have questions, feel free to contact us.
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