Common Pressure Problem With Air Compressors - Blog

Aug. 06, 2024

Common Pressure Problem With Air Compressors - Blog

It will take an experienced team of professionals to look at the system, locate the problem and solve it. Be sure to have professionals evaluate the big picture before purchasing a new, larger air compressor. Be sure to understand your demand needs. Was there a new process in place? Was there increased production? The professionals will look at the whole system and match up the best option for your needs.

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It&#;s commonly thought that a larger compressor will solve this problem, in reality it could be the result of a piping system issue. The pipe size might be too small to handle the volume or a loop may be needed to help against pressure drop. It could be as simple as a plugged-in line filter as well.

Many people find themselves turning up the pressure on their compressors because they think they&#;re &#;running out of air&#;. However, this would refer to volume in the compressor, also known as CFM/cubic feet per minute. Turning up the pressure, also known as PSI/pounds per square inch, will result in lowering the CFM and increasing energy usage

Solving the Moisture Levels in Your Compressed Air

When we talk about moisture being in our compressed air&#; we become mortified, right? The compressed air system can become damaged from corrosion, rust, and scale build-up. Negatively affecting the products and processes that require dry air.

Can Compressors Make Snow?

Winter sports are very popular here in Michigan and in other states that receive snowfall. The only thing about snowfall is that there never seems to be enough! At least here in Michigan, it can be tough to rely on just the snowfall to meet the minimum requirements for the resort to be open. Resort owners had to get creative and think outside the natural realm. This is where air compressors have come into play. Air compressors can create artificial snow, thankfully allowing ski resorts to be open and allowing our winter hobbies to continue no matter the weather.

Carbon Dioxide vs Nitrogen in the Food and Beverage Industry

Our atmosphere is made up of 78% Nitrogen. Nitrogen is not only used throughout the food and beverage industry, but surprisingly it is a huge part of it. Starbucks uses nitrogen to infuse cold brew coffee for a creamier smoother taste and feel. The fruit and vegetable industry uses nitrogen as well by storing it in non-oxidizing coolers to keep the fruit from perishing faster. Making your own nitrogen is efficient and sustainable. It reduces CO2 use and consumption by 70% when nitrogen is used as a replacement specifically in breweries, switching out all taps for nitrogen use. In high-traffic companies, for instance, Breweries. Healthier environments bring in happier and healthier customers.

Air Compressors Providing Us With Wine!

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about wine is most definitely not compressed air. In fact, it&#;s probably not second or third either. When wine comes to mind, we often think of social gatherings, dinner parties, gifts etc. However, I bet you didn&#;t realize that compressed air plays a critical role in the creation and processing of wine! Only certain systems can make this process happen, oil free compressors, nitrogen generators and blowers play critical roles in this.

Detecting Air Leaks

Air leaks may seem like a small inconvenience, but they can be costly over time and affect production. Leaks can be caused by a multitude of things like loose or cracked pipes. It&#;s important to stay on top of issues like this to save money and have timely production.

Farming Thanks to Compressed Air

The best time for fresh fruits and vegetables is during the summer! With farmers markets, gardens and warm summer air I think it&#;s safe to say summer is in full swing.

Air Compressor Oil and Lubricant

Air compressors need specific oil for their size and type just the same as a car engine would. Similarly, oil is used to lubricate the moving parts of the machine and keep things running smoothly. The lubrication helps the compressor from wearing...

Clean Compressed Air Management

It&#;s no secret that industrial air compressors require large amounts of energy and resources. That&#;s why we do our part in reducing the cost of energy along with the carbon footprint associated with our systems. What is...

Sustainability in the Compressor Industry

The business world is an ever-changing environment. In recent years we&#;ve seen more of an emphasis on taking care of our planet by recycling, electric cars, and sustainability efforts within companies. Over the past year Metro Air has...

Air Compressors at Ski Resorts

We all know that Michigan weather can be unpredictable, one day there&#;s six inches of snow and the next there&#;s none. This would be detrimental for skiers and snowboarders if it wasn&#;t for air compressor&#;s ability to create...

How Is Compressed Air Used In The Food Industry

There&#;s no doubt that compressed air plays a key role in food and beverage processing behind the scenes. Compressed air can be used for packaging and preparing, below we discuss the many applications air compressors are used...

How Do I Calculate The Lifecycle Cost of My Compressor System?

When purchasing a new air compressor system you should consider noise levels, flow capacities, and space requirements. However, a major consideration should be the lifecycle cost. Like many things in life, this too requires balance. Before...

Backup, Standby, and Redundant Compressors

Air compressors aid in the production of many products, for example, painting vehicles in an auto body shop, making snow at ski hills, and powering dental and medical devices. Even with the most up to date machines, there&#;s always the possibility...

Noisy Air Compressor?

Air compressors provide us with the resources to do many tasks such as, operate manufacturing equipment, construction equipment, and even assist in food and beverage production. Something else they provide is noise. If you&#;ve ever heard the...

Sizing Industrial Air Compressors

Wondering how to size an industrial air compressor? This can present itself as a challenge but don&#;t fear, we&#;ll walk you through it step by step! Making this decision requires the following knowledge, how many and how often jobs are being...

When Should I Upgrade My Air Compressor?

Have you been seeing service technicians more often recently? Is your compressor using more energy than you would like to admit? If the answer to these questions is yes, it might be time for an upgrade There are many aspects that go into making...

Keeping Your Compressor Clean This Summer Season

Summer is a wonderful season filled with warm weather, blooming trees and flowers. However, with the blossoming trees comes cottonwood seeds. Eastern Cottonwood is one of the fastest growing hardwood trees in North America. I&#;m sure we&#;ve all...

Why Is My Air Compressor Over Heating?

This is a common question asked by customers in the compressed air industry. To answer this, we need to understand where the heat is being generated. When air is being compressed the heat value becomes greater than the volume can contain. This is...

Choosing the Right Air Compressor Fittings: Ultimate Guide

When it comes to air compressor fittings (couplings and adaptors), industry jargon can often be confusing. For this reason, we hope this guide helps you find the right adaptors, couplings and connectors for the job you have.

Understanding Air Compressor Fittings

First of all, let&#;s clear up some industry jargon and what it means.

Couplings

Couplings are often referred to as either &#;sockets&#; or &#;couplers&#;. The non-threaded end (socket) that connects to an adaptor is always female.

Couplings can come in many different shapes and sizes, below are a few examples of a few:

Adaptors

Adaptors are also known as &#;plugs&#; or &#;nipples&#;. The non-threaded end (plug) that connects into a socket is always male. The Shape of the Male part is its &#;Profile&#;, which is important as most are not interchangeable.
Adaptors come in many different shapes & sizes and have varying nominal bore sizes too. Below are a few examples:

Browse our range of Couplings & Adaptors >

Actual Size Adaptor Profiles

Below is an image showing the actual size of the adaptors we sell. You can hold your adaptor up to the screen to see which one you have. Important: Please note that you will need to be on a desktop computer to do this, mobile devices will NOT display actual sizes.

Nominal Bore

Nominal bore is the term used for the internal diameter of the hole that runs through the length of the adaptor. In other words, the size of the hole that the air passes through.

BSP

BSP stands for British Standard Pipe. It is the most commonly used type of thread in the UK to measure air fitting thread sizes. Just to confuse matters, thread sizes are based on trade sizes rather than the actual dimension that it is.

Here&#;s where it gets even more confusing!
There are 2 different types of thread within the BSP category (BSPP and BSPT), the main difference being the type of thread they have.

What is the difference between BSPP and BSPT?

BSPP stands for British Standard Pipe Parallel (also known G or Rp)

BSPP fittings are straight (i.e parallel) and usually FEMALE in the UK, although there can be some male threads. The air-tight connection on a BSPP thread is made on a washer or &#;O&#; ring.

BSPT stands for British Standard Pipe Tapered (also known as R or Rc)

As you probably guessed, BSPT is a tapered thread (and usually MALE in the UK). An airtight seal into a parallel female is made using PTFE Tape or Liquid thread sealer.

How to Measure the A Coupling to Work Out the BSP Size

Step 1: Measure the thread

It&#;s always easier to measure a male thread rather than a female thread. This is because it stick out and is easier to see the measurement on a ruler.

A general rule of thumb is that if you have a ¼&#; BSP male thread, then it will screw into a ¼&#; BSP female.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit metro compressor.

Measuring a Male Thread Coupling

To measure a male air fitting:

Use a ruler to measure across the outside diameter of the thread and note the measurement in millimetres.

Don&#;t have a ruler to hand? No worries! Place your male thread over the circles below to find the correct measurement.

Measuring a Female Thread Coupling

If you did need to measure a female air fitting, this is how to do it:

Use a ruler to measure across the inside diameter of the thread and note the measurement in millimetres.

Step 2: Convert the measurement

Once you have the measurement of your male or female thread in millimetres, simply take a look at the conversion chart below to see what size that translates to in BSP (or BSPP / BSPT).

So now that we have busted some industry jargon and learned how to convert the thread size of a fitting to BSP, let&#;s take a look at air compressor fittings in a little more detail.

What are quick couplings?

Quick couplings are what we use in the compressed air industry to attach an air hose to an application such as an air tool (for example and air impact wrench). The benefits of having quick couplings means you can switch from one tool to another quickly and efficiently.

What is the difference between Male and Female Compressor Fittings?

A full air component is made up of two parts, the socket (female) and the plug (male). You would usually attach the female fitting onto the air hose end. Similarly, the male fitting is usually attached to the end of the air tool.
The easiest way to tell the difference between a male and female compressor fitting is by looking at the end. A male fitting has a visible thread and a female has a thread INSIDE the base (which perfectly connects with the male thread when attached).

How do I know what compressed air fitting I need?

As previously mentioned, you will firstly need to know the size of the thread. This is the part that fits on to a compressor, air hose or application and is applicable to both male and female fittings. The male thread is visible as it forms the connection whereas the female &#;thread&#; is internal (within the fitting).

We&#;ve already discussed how to measure a thread, the size you need may depend on the compressor and air tools you already have.

Most standard applications such as air tools require either a ¼&#; or ½&#; BSP depending on how big the tool is. In other words, the more heavy duty it is the more likely the BSP size will be higher. Fear not though, any good manufacturer will label the sizes you need for their tools and applications.

Secondly, it may also be useful to know nominal bore size.

Important to note: Nominal Bore size is NOT the same as the thread size. The nominal bore is the size of the hole which the compressed air passes through.

Nominal Bore Sizes

A standard adaptor has a nominal bore of 5.5mm, this is used for most air tools and applications that you would find in a garage or for your compressor at home. Some of the most popular couplings that fit into a standard adaptor include the PCL Airflow range, Vertex couplings and the non-corrodible fittings range.

The popular XF couplings & adaptors range from PCL have a slightly higher nominal bore of 7.2mm, thus, they are known as the &#;high flow&#; range. In other words, the flow of air is around a third more than those in the standard range.

As a rule of thumb, if you are working with bigger machinery then you will need couplings and adaptors with a bigger nominal bore.

To get a clearer understanding of the differences between the standard ranges from PCL (airflow & vertex) versus the higher flowing XF range, please take a look at the video below in which Gary explains the fittings.

Identifying your Adaptor profile

If you have been buying generic air couplings & adaptors, you may have noticed that there are no etchings on them to identify what kind of coupling it is. This is one reason why we always recommend PCL air fittings as they are clearly branded.

It&#;s important to be able to identify the profile of your adaptors (please refer to the actual size profile adaptor graphic above) so that you can ensure you are using the correct air flow required for your tool or application. Always check that your compressor fittings do not pass too little or too much air through for your chosen tool. Thankfully, all tools and applications bought from a reputable company (like us!) will have the information required about flow rates and maximum working pressures.

If you are looking to buy any air tools, workshop equipment or indeed compressors then we are happy to advise you with what size air fittings you will need, just give us a call:

Air Hose Compression Fittings

Sometimes you may need a more elaborate set up for your air compressor system. It&#;s not uncommon to want to include additional equipment to your hose line such as air treatment filters before your hose is connected to your desired air tool or application. Or you may wish to split your main hose airline into two separate hose airlines to enable the use of two air tools.
In cases such as this, you may need additional air hose fittings.

>> Read our Guide to Air Hoses here

You can get various air hose compression fittings, for example if you needed to fit a male component to another male component (or female to female). Another popular air fitting changes the direction of your airline (using elbow fittings) this is popular when designing an air system set up. When working from short air hoses and wanting to extend, often fittings to join hoses together is the most practical way to do it (rather than disconnecting everything you already have set up to attach a longer hose). As an illustration, we have shown a few of these fittings below.

< Shop for Air Hose Fittings | Read our Guide to Air Hoses >

Barbed Hosetail Air Fitting

The barbed tail fittings connect INSIDE the air hose, these are known as a hosetail. If you could see how a hosetail air fitting connects into an air hose, it would look like this:

Barbed hosetail fittings like this also require hose fastenings (or clamps) to clamp on the outside of hose where the barbed hosetail sits within it to make sure it is tightly secured.

Push Fittings

When using air tubing, you will most likely want to create a set up where air can flow freely around a desired space or area. The easiest way to create such a set-up is with push fittings. In short, the air tube can simply be &#;pushed in&#; to a push fitting without the need of any other type of connector to seal it.

Pushing in the release ring and pulling the tube will allow the tube to be released quickly and easily.

Help with Air Compressor Fittings

We completely understand that air fittings are confusing! That&#;s why we encourage you to give us a call: with any questions you have regarding couplings and adaptors. Whether you visit us in our Surrey air compressor shop, or buy from us online, we want to make sure you get the right equipment first time &#; every time! So, please don&#;t hesitate to contact us, we are more than happy to help you.

Are you interested in learning more about screw air compressor manufacturers in china? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

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