Is It Time To Switch To Oil Free Air Compressors?

I know that we’ve been hearing a lot about oil free air compressors of late. Some of you might be wondering about the hype. I believe they are worth the hype and they can represent incredible value to the right customer.

I suspect that as we move forward and the technology becomes more widespread, the costs will come down and we will see the broader market turn to oil free air.

So I’m going to share the ideal situation to consider an oil free air compressor.

Where I Would Look Long And Hard At Oil Free Air Compressors.

Gardner Denver Oil Free Air Compressors do deliver 100% oil free air. No conventional air compressor can offer that. Once oil is in your compressed air it’s impossible to get it 100% out. No scientist would make that claim and no company would guarantee that their filtration system can clean air from conventional air compressor so that you get 100% oil free air all the time.

It’s just a recipe for legal troubles.

You can make those claims with an oil free air compressor.

ISO-Class 0 air is air that is 100% completely oil free. The best you can get with a conventional compressor is .1 mg/m³ under ideal conditions. I’ll admit it can be good enough but it requires a filtration system.

You don’t need to invest in or maintain an oil removal/filtration system if you use an oil free compressor. There’s a savings and depending on the quality of air you need it can be a big one over the life of a compressor.

Then there is always the risk of a contamination ‘event’ and downstream damage. This can be either from oil in the compressed air contaminating your end product – e.g. pharmaceuticals or food and beverage applications or the oil could damage your equipment that runs on compressed air e.g. pumps and tools.

Where you are looking to replace your air compressors anyway and would like to eliminate the costs or the ‘risk of expense’ associated with maintenance and repairs or product damage, that’s where there could be a big payoff. Cleaning up a disaster could well cost you far more than the oil free compressor would have cost.

If you are looking for a new compressor, the team here at Pye-Barker can guide you through the process. Please call 404-363-6000 or drop us a line sales@pyebarker.com and we will explore a range of options based on your circumstances with you.