air compressor oil water separators


It’s commonly known that compressing air causes condensation. What’s not commonly known is that this condensate (from oil-injected compressors) is classified as hazardous industrial waste, due to the degraded lubricating oil it contains.

To protect the environment, it must be discharged in accordance with statutory regulations… or it’s considered pollution and comes with a hefty fine.

Air compressors can produce LOTS of condensate, 20 litres in the course of a working day for a 30kW oil injected compressor at approx. 7 bar (depending upon the humidity of the atmosphere). So what do you do with it to stay legal?

You could have it taken away and treated. This is expensive as you’d be paying to treat the full 20 litres, or whatever volume you had produced. Another solution is drain taps, but the most common solution is an oil-water separator which will isolate the oil (5%) from the bulk of the condensate—water. The separator’s job is to remove the oil, so that the water remaining is essentially ‘clean’. This makes disposal easy, cheap, environmentally friendly... and legal, with the liquid remaining going to a foul drain.

Maintaining this vital (but often underestimated) part of your compressor is essential, and the oil-water separator should be regularly changed as part of your compressor’s planned maintenance.

Compact, clean and cost-efficient, not just for your budget and the environment, but also for your company’s reputation.