Moisture and Air Ride Compressors DON’T MIX.

Categories: Suspension

There are many vital components within your air ride system, and keeping it running top notch is extremely important to ensure you are not dead in the water with your new air ride suspension system. To ensure your costly kit and specifically your air managements compressor hardware is running top notch there are a few things you should know.

One of the most important things to understand is that your compressor is one of the hardest worked components within your entire system and in order to keep this component running perfect for years and years there are a couple simple things that you can do. First it is extremely important to keep all moisture out or your system. There are many issues that can arise from excess moisture buildup within your pneumatic air system like rust, corrosion and seal deterioration or even complete seal failure. Many of the compressors on the market are susceptible to these kinds of degradation properties by moisture and as with any metal parts air compressors can eventually rust or corrode from the inside out leaving you stranded. There are many parts within an air compressor that are not treated against this sort of abuse and to add to this the compressor can get very hot which creates friction, water build up will ultimately break down any of the lubricant that was added to the compressor which will in turn create more friction and eventually prematurely wear out your seals and stop your compressor from working at its full potential. The reed valves within the compressor head which act as the valve system allowing air to flow into and out of the compressor will also begin to rust and then may break causing the compressor to quit functioning as an air pumping unit. Though these parts seem insignificant, any damage to them can really cause problems for your compressor power or even stop your compressor from pressurizing air all together. On top of this there are many seals and even simply rust on the cylinder walls can damage your seals within the compressor to the point were a rebuild or replacement would be necessary. Below you will find an exposed view of one of our basic compressor systems. This will give you a good idea at the parts and pieces that may become problematic when your compressor may be subject to moisture.

Air Compressor Exploded View, Air Ride Suspension Compressor

I would suggest anyone dealing with humidity levels of 45% or more on a consistent basis to get a water separator/trap to ensure longevity of this hardware. It is also great practice to use a light weight oil to ensure less friction and hinder corrosion and rust in the long run. This oil can be added to the intake of your compressor while it runs and only needs a few drops to guarantee a well maintained and long lasing use of your compressor unit.