Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need this breather? My
reservoir already has a vent cap.
STANDARD VENTS OR BREATHER CAPS DO NOT PREVENT THE
MOST HARMFUL ELEMENTS FROM ENTERING YOUR SYSTEM.
Most standard breather caps are intended to cover the
filler opening on a tank or reservoir and to keep out rain and large solid
particles. Most of these are only capable of stopping particles of about
100 micron or larger. Studies have shown that to have a significant effect
on abrasive wear, particles of 10 micron or less must be kept out of the
system. Air Sentry® breathers remove particles of 2 micron and larger
before they cause the silent destruction of your equipment. Most importantly,
standard filler/breather caps do not remove airborne water vapor which
causes chemical and physical changes resulting in loss of additive performance,
sludge, bacteria growth, and corrosion. Air Sentry® breathers remove
water vapor before it enters the tank or reservoir.
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I don't see any water in my tank.
Do I really need to pay for a desiccant breather?
IT'S THERE, EVEN IF YOU DON'T SEE IT - AND IT'S COSTING
YOU MONEY.
There are three states of water contamination in lubricants,
hydraulic fluid, insulating oil, etc.:
DISSOLVED WATER - these molecules are dispersed one-by-one
throughout the oil like humidity;
EMULSIFIED WATER - these microscopic globules of
water are suspended in the oil like fog;
FREE WATER - settles to the bottom of the tank like
rain. All forms of water are generators of other contamination: rust,
sludge, acids, soot, bacteria, varnish, and ice. All of these shorten
the life of the oil or fluid and the equipment serviced by it.
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I have a downstream filter already.
Do I need both?
DOWNSTREAM FILTERS AND DESSICANT BREATHERS ARE BOTH
IMPORTANT PARTS OF A CONTAMINATION CONTROL SYSTEM.
Harmful contaminants, both abrasive particles and water,
enter an enclosed system from three sources:
BUILT IN - this is debris from manufacturing and
service of the equipment. It includes dirt and dust, burrs, contaminated
fluids, etc.;
GENERATED - such as mechanical wear, additive precipitation,
hose fibers, etc.;
INGESTED - which enters the tank or reservoir from
the atmosphere. The breather prevents the ingested material from entering
the tank and causing harm to the fluids and the equipment. The downstream
filter removes contaminants that are already in the system before they
do additional harm.
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Sizing an Air Sentry® Breather
The size of the tank or reservoir does not determine
the model of breather to use. The airflow BOTH in and out of the tank,
reservoir, or gearbox determines the model to choose. Two factors create
airflow. They are temperature variations (which cause very low airflow
rates) and fluid volume changes caused by the stroking of hydraulic cylinders
or by tanks being filled and emptied.
The D-Series (D-100, D-101, D-102) are rated at 35 cfm
airflow. This is the amount of airflow created by 260 gpm of fluid level
change. At this airflow rate or fluid level change rate the pressure drop
through these breathers will be approximately 1 psi. Pressure drop is
an important concern because if there is too much pressure drop created
by the resistance to airflow through the breather, the sides of the tank
will be subjected to stress and could fracture, creating an implosion
or explosion.
Because the hole in the Mini Breathers (Z-131, Z-132,
Z-133, Z-134) is smaller (1/2" female NPT), they are rated for 10
cfm or 75 gpm.
For larger airflow requirements the D-108, which has
a 2" opening, will handle 100 cfm (750 gpm). The Steel Breather Model
M-107 has a 3" standpipe and is rated at 300 cfm (2250 gpm).
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Can a breather be mounted in any
position, vertical, horizontal or on an angle?
Breathers should be mounted in the vertical position,
or at least no more than a 45º angle. Even though the Air Sentry®
Breathers are vibrated during assembly to assure maximum filling, the
silica gel settles during shipping, creating an air passage above it when
the unit is in the horizontal position. Air, like people, takes the path
of least resistance, and in this case it would miss the silica gel and
would enter the tank undried.
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Must a breather be mounted on
the tank/reservoir or can it be mounted remote?
BREATHERS CAN BE MOUNTED REMOTE FROM THE TANK OR RESERVOIR.
In many applications it is desirable to mount the breather
away from the tank for better visibility or better access for changing
the units. Remote mounting can be accomplished using tubing or pipes for
the air to flow from the breather to the tank. Care must be taken to insure
that there is no airflow obstruction in the line and that there are no
air leaks after the clean dry air has left the breather. Piping can also
be used to achieve a vertical mounting position for the breather where
space limitations exist on the tank or reservoir.
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Why does it cost so much? Am I
getting value for my expense?
THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR AN AIR SENTRY® BREATHER
IS VERY GOOD.
A major bearing manufacturer has stated that bearings
can have an infinite life when small particles are removed from the lubricant.
Hydraulic fluid will last three, even four times as long if water vapor
is kept out of it. A power outage when a transformer fails is staggering.
An Air Sentry® model D-102 will hold up to a pint of water and will
filter out 2 micron abrasive particles. The price of a breather is well
below the cost of changing hydraulic fluid three times, or rebuilding
a gearbox or cylinder, or having electrical shorting in a transformer.
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How long does a breather last?
There is no set time frame that an Air Sentry breather
will last. The size of the breather, as well as the environment it is
in, will determine the life span of a breather. Generally speaking, a
small Mini breather will not have the same life expectancy as a larger
Disposable Breather.
The useful life of a breather has three variables. They are:
• Frequency of Breathing means how often does
a new batch of wet air pass through the breather. Each time this happens,
water vapor is retained and the breather life is shortened. Examples
of the extremes would be a storage tank that has fluid drawn out once
a day and a hydraulic cylinder stroking every 30 seconds.
• Quantity of Silica Gel: The water holding
capacity of a breather is directly proportional to the amount of silica
gel in the breather. Silica gel has the capability to remove up to 40%
of its own weight in water.
• Ambient Humidity in the Work Area: Most users
believe that the ambient humidity is the major factor in the life of
the breather. However, humidity works for us, as well as against us.
As each load of wet air passes through the breather, the air with more
humidity brings more water vapor to adsorb, but the silica gel can adsorb
more at the higher humidity level. The end result is a small decrease
in the life of the breather at higher work area humidity levels, but
this is not as significant as the other two life factors.
Most breathers in industrial applications will last
3 to 6 months, if sized properly. The first breather put on a tank or
reservoir that has been in operation for a period of time will usually
have a shorter life than subsequent breathers because it is having to
dry air leaving the reservoir as well as coming in.
Our customers have used Air Sentry breathers in nearly
every climate possible. Some breathers will last 2 months on a fluid storage
tank; some will last over a year. When the silica gel changes from gold
to green, it is time to replace the breather.
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How much water can a breather
hold?
The "Air Sentry® Maximum Water Capacity Chart
by Model" shows how much water vapor each Air Sentry® model holds
under ideal conditions; ideal conditions are approximately 70° F and
80% humidity, which, of course, seldom happens consistently. At this combination
of humidity and temperature the silica gel will hold approximately 40%
of its own weight; therefore, the major factor in a given application
is the quantity of silica gel in the breather.
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How do I know when the breather
has removed all the water it can hold?
AIR SENTRY® GIVES AN EASY TO READ INDICATION WHEN
IT IS SATURATED.
As the Air Sentry® adsorbs water the silica gel
turns from gold to very dark blue/green. In fact, it looks black to most
people. Seeing a light green color throughout the gold is not a signal
to replace the breather. When all of the silica gel has changed color,
to the very dark blue/green, the breather should be replaced. A breather
that still has a small amount of gold color, or even light green color,
showing is just as good as a new breather.
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Can the filter cloth get clogged?
In a typical industrial application, it is unlikely
that the 2-micron filter cloth will become clogged before the breather
has reached its full capacity of water. The filter cloth is a patented
polyester knit with the two sides made differently. The side that is placed
in the "up" position in the breather is knitted with a loose
pile surface that closes to 2-micron when hit by incoming air. When air
is expelled from the tank, it goes back through the filter and the knit
opens back up (loose) throwing off the particles collected on the top
surface. In the filter industry this is called "backflushing."
These particles flow out of the breather with the expelled air creating
a self-cleaning process.
In extreme situations, such as breathers being constantly
covered with dust and a customer is concerned, the Air Sentry® C-Series
is available with a 25-micron filter cloth.
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How do I dispose of a used Air
Sentry® Breather?
ALWAYS CHECK LOCAL REGULATIONS FOR SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL.
Air Sentry® breathers are manufactured with all
materials that can be disposed of as solid waste as defined by local regulations.
However, if a breather is used on a tank that contains regulated fluids,
the breather must be disposed of in the same manner as required for the
fluids.
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Will water enter the breather
if I wash the equipment or breather with water?
No, not unless you spray water directly upwards into
the top cap of the Air Sentry breather. Because of the design of our breathers,
water cannot enter the breather under normal conditions. Unlike some competing
breathers, normal splashing of fluids will not enter the breather. Washing
equipment is safe and will not reduce the breather life.
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Will the breather break if I
drop it?
It is possible. Our breathers are made of rugged ABS
plastic caps and a high quality acrylic tube, held together by Weld-On
glue. While they are sturdy enough to withstand most environments, the
acrylic tube can crack if dropped from the top of an 8-ft ladder onto
a shop floor. If the tube cracks or breaks, solid particles and water
can enter the breather through the crack. It is best to replace any breather
that is cracked or broken.
We do offer our Steel Breather line of Contamination
Control Breathers for harsh environments. These breathers are made of
steel plates and hoods and are able to stand up to heavy vibration and
extreme conditions.
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Can I replace the silica gel
myself?
No. Because of the design of our Disposable breathers,
you cannot remove the top or bottom cap of the breather without breaking
the breather. Our caps do NOT come off and the silica gel cannot be replaced
by the end user.
Why are so many adapters
available?
The wide variety of applications for breathers requires
us to make installation for our distributors and customers as easy as
possible. (1) A sales sheet describes the application for each of the
adapters for the D-Series models. (2) Standard fittings are available
to adapt the Mini Breathers to many different male or female connections.
(3) The Splash Sentry TM adapters are designed for off-road Steel Breather
applications where fluid might be splashed into the breather. (4) A sales
sheet describes a typical application for the Bypass adapter.
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Can I use an Air Sentry®
on my mobile equipment? It's a pretty rough environment !
AIR SENTRY® BREATHERS ARE DESIGNED FOR RUGGED ENVIRONMENTS.
Two groups of Air Sentry® products are designed for these applications.
The "R-Series" breathers were designed in cooperation with a
major U.S. railroad for applications with severe vibration. There is a
metal reinforcing plate in the bottom cap and the connection to the reservoir
is made with a steel pipe nipple. The Steel Breathers are designed for
applications where the units may be used as a step to enter a cab or hit
by flying objects or other equipment. They are designed with a 16 gauge
steel body.
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