Everything You Wanted to Know About Spare Compressor Parts

Unfortunately, compressed air systems may encounter some issues along their life span and spare compressor parts may be required in order to repair them. Each component of your air compressor is essential for its overall performance and when replacing them with spare parts, it’s important to know the difference between genuine and non-genuine pieces.

Difference Between Genuine & Non-Genuine Spare Compressor Parts

Air Filters

As a vital component of your air compressor, ensuring it keeps impurities and particles out, the air filter needs to be genuine otherwise your entire operation and equipment is at risk of contamination. Features to look out for in non-genuine air filters are:

• Poor Seal Design – Instability and imperfect fit causing leakage
• Unstable / Loose Pleats – Loose or deformed pleats causing dust build-up
• Absence of Support Ring – Additional glue strings or metal grating instead causing collapse or higher pressure drop
• Inferior Paper Quality – Less, low quality cellulose paper causing dust saturation

Oil Filters

Capturing dust, deposits and other foreign particles, oil filters ensure a clean oil flow and long life span of the air compressor components, plus the oil itself. Features to look out for in non-genuine oil filters are:

• Inferior / No Bypass Valve – Week bypass valves let unfiltered oil through and no bypass valve leads to a clogged filter causing breakdown
• Deformed Pleats – V-shape of pleats is deformed causing dust build-up and pressure drop
• Inferior Paper Quality – No in-depth filtrations causing increase of pressure drop and shorter life span
• Imperfect Sealing – Deviation in thickness causing unfiltered oil leaking and spilling into the system

Oil Separators

Oil separators separate the oil from the air that leaves your compressor element. This is done by liquifying the oil into droplets which is then filtered and sent back to the compressor element. This cannot be efficiently achieved by using non-genuine parts with these features:

• Poor Quality Earthing – Inferior materials or absent earthing causing static electricity and fire hazards
• Weak Metal Structure – Bending or collapsing structures causing damage to the entire compressor
• Poor Filter Media – Cheap filter paper or incorrect layering causing lack of efficiency of separator elements fast-rising pressure drop, premature saturation and oil carryover into the outlet air
• Poor Fitting Scavenge Line – Incorrect shape or positioning causing early saturation and shortened lifespan of oil separator

Line Filters

Filtering out impurities such as solid particles, moisture, oil aerosols or vapour, line filters minimise pressure drops and save energy. Features to look out for in non-genuine air filters are:

• Poor Sealing – Improper sealing of both the top and bottom caps causing untreated air leakages and compromised air quality
• Weak Core Structure – Expanded sheet metal cannot withstand pressure pulses causing risk of explosion
• Inadequate Filter Material – Incorrectly selected or low-quality filter material causing poor filtration performance and high pressure drop
• Uncertified – Often claiming certification of ISO 8573-1, however does not reflect the same level of testing and certification as genuine parts

Air Compressor Products & Advice from Air Power East

In order for your air compressor to remain reliable for its entire lifespan and perform to the highest standards and energy efficiently, it’s important every component is genuine. Ensure you don’t put your air compressor at risk by coming to Air Power East for expert guidance. Contact us today to see how we can help you.