toll-free: 1-866-650-1937 ph: 704-846-2004 fax: 704-847-0522 email: sales@ecompressedair.com
Corporate HQ: 7255 East 46th Street, Tulsa, OK 74145
Sales office: 2201 Crown Point Executive Dr., Suite A, Charlotte, NC 28227

Air/Oil Separators | Separator Cross Reference by OEM | Installation & Troubleshooting a Separator

Oil Separators

Troubleshooting Oil Separators
Air/Oil Separator Installation Guidelines

Troubleshooting Oil Separators

In general, oil separators are designed to provide 4,000 to 6,000 service life hours. Service life is dependent on many factors including:

Compressor package design
The amount of liquid oil removed before the air reaches the oil separator
Amount of contaminant getting past the compressor intake filter
Type of oil separator (air-oil separator design)

Here are some tips to help you get the best life out of your oil separator.

1. Oil Separator Pressure Drop or Differential Builds up to Soon
The most common cause of this is plugging of the element by dirt or water. If on physical inspection the oil separator appears to be plugged with dirt check your compressor inlet filter. Contaminant bypassing the inlet filter will stop in the air-oil separator.

If inspection of the oil separator reveals water the problem is usually running too cool or poor discharge piping. A symptom of water contamination is the presence of rust on and in the oil separator.

2. Oil Carryover Downstream of the Air-Oil Separator
The culprit of carryover oil can be one of several things. Here is a list to work your way through to find the culprit.

A plugged scavenge line or scavenge line filter or orifice
A scavenge line not properly installed (not reaching the bottom of the oil separator housing or not cut at a 45° angle)
The oil sump has been overfilled
An oil separator not compatible with the compressor lubricant is installed
A crack in the oil separators bonding or complete separator failure. Oil separator failure is usually caused by not properly grounding it or a severe surge demand

Air/Oil Separator Installation Guidelines

CAUTION: Be sure air pressure in the tanks is fully received before starting
CAUTION: In many cases horizontal and vertical air-oil separators have a ground to prevent static electricity build-up. The ground looks like a staple. Do not remove it.

The below are guidelines only consult your compressors installation manual for exact instructions.

Disconnect the scavenge tube at the air end (vertical mount air-oil separators only)
Remove the scavenge tube fitting and withdraw the tube assembly
Disconnect the air lines. Tag the lines if required.
Remove the bolts holding the tank cover in place and lift the cover off
Lift the air-oil separator element out of the housing and discard properly
Clean the gasket contact areas on the housing and cover
Remove any pieces of gasket that may have fallen into the housing while you were cleaning and ensure no foreign objects are in the housing for example shop rags and tools
Install the new air/oil separator in the housing making sure it is properly seated
Replace the housing cover making sure the air-oil separator is properly seated against it
Tighten the cover bolts with a cross-pattern to ensure proper seating and to avoid over tightening
Place the scavenge line tube so it is at the bottom of the housing and just touches thes air-oil separator element. Make sure you trim the scavenge line at a 45° angle to facilitate oil pick-up. Tighten fittings. (vertical mount air-oil separators only)
Connect the air lines in their original positions
Start the unit and check for leaks. Place in service

Better Business Bureau Reliability Program Seal

Air/Oil Separator Cross Reference by Manufacturer

Most Common:

All others: