Missing airfilter

[RedOrZed]

I've bought a small (50l or so) compressor to do up as a present for the F-i-L. It needs a bit of a clean up - covered in over spray, and with a cork for a oil filler plug!

The major problem is the air filter has been knocked off - looks like it's completely broken off. The machine doesn't seem to be any known brand.

So, can I make one out of an old car air filter? Small one attached some how or a larger one with some bracket to hold it on?

Will post some pics tomorrow, but ideas would be helpful

 

[rtbcomp]

I use a throw-away car oil filter cannister on mine.

 

[Country Joe]

I use a throw-away car oil filter cannister on mine.

Got me thinking, there.
The one on mine (Abac 3hp- 50L ) looks a bit like a small oil filter.
I'm not sure why, but I assumed an oil filter would be a bit restrictive air-flow-wise, and an air filter seems a bit too big, and would be prone to getting snagged on things, hit by things, broken off etc. Also wouldn't have a handy threaded hole, either.
Did you just go out with a same threaded bolt & choose one to fit?

All the Best,
CJ

(Off out now to find out what thread it has!)

 

[rtbcomp]

I'm using a Metro oil filter on a 3hp compressor, I may try a longer one or fit two using a T-piece.

Just make sure the flow is from the outside to the centre, or you may suck the element into the compressor.

I'm not sure what the thread is, it's not BSP becuase it locks up after a few turns, this however, becomes a feature insomuch as it is self-locking!

 

[R Kraft]

I've used oil filters as air cleaners for years.
An oil filter is not very restrictive and makes one run a lot quieter.
Here is an old thread on the things.:http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=8692&page=8
Robert

 

[rtbcomp]

I've used oil filters as air cleaners for years.
An oil filter is not very restrictive and makes one run a lot quieter.
Here is an old thread on the things.:http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=8692&page=8
Robert

There's a pic of one of mine in post #82 of that thread.

Yes it does make it run quietly too. On one of my compressors I extended the intake with some vacuum cleaner hose and put the filter in a filing cabinet drawer, even quieter and stops the pump sucking warm air in from the motor.

 

[Country Joe]

I dunno what mine is, but it's bigger than an M12, maybe 16ish mm.
I've just tried a Fazer 1000 (bike) oil filter, but it has a threaded hole in it, and so does the compressor. So (even if they're the same sized thread) it'd need a hollow threaded bar type of thing to connect them together.
Someone's probably just about to come up with a link to them - all at £1.50, to make this into a fool's errand, but the old one was a totally different colour inside & out, and I've been thinking about it for a while, too.
While I was there, I blew through it, and it's very free-flowing - hardly any resistance at all, so maybe it looked worse than it was.
Firmly on the radar now, though - so I'm off to poke about or maybe look for some links, before I break anything!
Just seen your filter in the other thread, seems to be placed a bit near that belt, but I suppose it'd be turned off when you remove it.
Was the hollow threaded tube already there, or did you have to put it on. Mine has the female version of this, just an internally threaded tube, so an oil filter method will need a bit of adaptation to work.
I put the whole contraption inside a cupboard a few days ago to reduce the noise, and just saw too, on that same other thread, that you can end up with hot air being drawn in.
Is this likely to make the air damper? Or overheat the compressor instead? Or a bit of both?
I'm starting to think the air intake should be elsewhere. Maybe I don't need to, as I don't make mine that hot* - RTB does a lot of blasting, so maybe his gets worked hard.
The trouble is, when you're using lots of air, say, using a plasma cutter, you don't (or at least, I don't) think about going to see how hot the compressor gets.
If it stops working, I'll wish I had, I guess!
I'm quite drawn to the idea of an oil filter making it quieter, too - so I'll not give up just yet.
All the Best,
CJ

* Guesswork here, never felt it - but never smelt burning either!

 

[rtbcomp]

This is the sort of thing I used

http://www.airlines-pneumatics.com/webcat/Detprod.asp?ProductCode=S060149

 

[RedOrZed]

Thanks all! It's a plastic fitting, at least on the outside, so I'll need to take that off and find out what's underneath. I love the idea of using oil filters, esp. on my bigger 'pressor!

two more questions: would a bigger "plenum" chamber quiet it down more (like a motorbike airbox) or would it be easier to have the filter simply further away? (as rtbcomp said).

And, how does one check the directionality* of an oil filter?



*is that even a word??

 

[rtbcomp]

And, how does one check the directionality* of an oil filter?

I looked at the workshop manual for the Metro.

 

[R Kraft]

The oil filters that i am familiar with, pull the oil into the engine from the large center hole.
The oil enters the filter through the small outer holes.:http://www.miataclubphilippines.com/Tech/Oil Pics/oilstud.jpg
Robert

 

[brightspark]

The oil filters that i am familiar with, pull the oil into the engine from the large center hole.
The oil enters the filter through the small outer holes.:http://www.miataclubphilippines.com/Tech/Oil Pics/oilstud.jpg
Robert

which is quite obvious realy the outer of the element has more surface aeria to strain the oil and filter out contaminants

 

[the snooper]

hmm the oil is pumped into the filter through the centre hole
note the spring at the top
if the filter becomes blocked the pressure builds inside the element and lifts the element to let oil pass under it to prevent you engine seizing up

 

[Country Joe]

The oil filters that i am familiar with, pull the oil into the engine from the large center hole.
The oil enters the filter through the small outer holes.:http://www.miataclubphilippines.com/Tech/Oil Pics/oilstud.jpg
Robert

R Kraft - I never knew, only ever wondered about it.

rtbcomp - Thanks for the link - Looks handy!

brightspark - I would expect it to have the same surface area, regardless of flow direction.

the snooper's filter would be going the opposite way on mine as it would draw through the hollow centre fixing. I'd rather it was that way round too, as I expect there's some fine wire mesh somewhere inside too, that would stop bits of filter element coming through.
With it running the other way, (as snooper says) the filter blocking theory seems a good fail-safe.

Seems never to get any simpler!

All the Best,
CJ

 

[shenion]

It is the other way around. Notice the anti-drainback valve on the bottom. It only allows oil in through the outside holes.

 

[brightspark]

the oil is sucked in through the outer holes in filter and forced throuugh the center hole to feed the engine . there is a bypass valve built in to the filter housing to open on blockage of the filter as said

 

[brightspark]

filter flow

heres the flow of filter

 

[Country Joe]

So do they all operate in that direction? It does fit in well with the compressor "pulling in" from the centre.
I promise not to ask any more!
And this is really RedOrZed's thread anyway!
Besides, I'm going to be ages finding out thread sizes, now.
CJ

 

[R Kraft]

The air compressors that I have, use standard pipe type threads,so I just screwed a short piece of pipe into the block and screwed the filter onto that.

I suppose that you could use a remote oil filter kit, to mount the filter where ever you want.
But I would start to worry about inlet flow friction if it was a very long inlet pipe.

 

[RedOrZed]

So do they all operate in that direction? It does fit in well with the compressor "pulling in" from the centre.
I promise not to ask any more!
And this is really RedOrZed's thread anyway!
Besides, I'm going to be ages finding out thread sizes, now.
CJ

Don't worry about asking questions CJ! There's loads of knowledge on here and the more people asking the more the knowledge gets spread

This site is just about the best one on t'interweb IMO