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Ingersoll Rand 375 with oil in air when sandblasting | Air Compressor Guide
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Ingersoll Rand 375 with oil in air when sandblasting

  • Question Title: Ingersoll Rand 375 with oil in air when sandblasting
  • Asked by: Guest
  • Asked On:
  • Answers: 1

                        I have an IR 375 cfm tow behind with a cummins diesel that I use for sandblasting.  

The compressor is well used and has a good bit of blow by, but works well for my purpose.


I recently started getting air that would sting my eyes and had an oily kind of smell. I quit using it immediately. I asked around and was told to change the oil separator filter.


There was a lot of oil in the 1 1/2" air line and a rag held over the air outlet would have an oil stain on it.


I replaced the filter and the problem seemed to get better although there was still a faint smell.


After a while the eye stinging came back so I've stopped using it and borrowed a compressor.


Any idea what I could do to fix the issue?


Answers & Replies

avatar
Hi,

It could be the scavenge line/pipe.

The scavenge system sucks up any oil that is collected by the oil separator filter.

When the oil is separated by the oil separator. It flows down and collects at the bottom of this filter. There's a pipe, called the scavenge pipe that runs down to the bottom of the separator and sucks of any oil that collects there. If sucks back through the scavenge-line to the compressor element.

What often happens is that this pipe and/or the line is dirty and blocked.

It also happens often that the pipe doesn't reach the bottom of the oil separator.

If you open up the oil separator vessel and look down into the oil-separator, there should be only a tiny puddle of oil there. If it looks like a swimming pool, than the scavenge system isn't working.

Did you use this compressor for sandblasting without any problems in the past? Did you change anything in the setup?

When you use air intermittently at a high rate (blast-stop-blast-stop-blast-stop), it causes rushes of air through the oil separator, which prevents it from doing its job. It can also cause premature failure of the element.

Hope this helps! Cas

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