I just bought a new nail gun and it reccomends an in-line air filter within 15′ of the gun to “significantly prolong the life of the tool.”
Does anyone use these? I never have. I can’t even find one on any tool site or even automotive site. Does anyone know where I can get one?
Thanks for any input. John
New devices showcased at the Builders' Show make it easy to measure glass performance, u-factor, SHGC, window thickness, and more.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
Call LI Staple 1 516 887 1010
They have good prices and ship every where and I know have what you need.
Tell them Andy Clifford sent you to them....been doing bizz with them for yearssss
BE well
andy
My life is my passion!
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Thanks for LI Staple.
Do you use a filter, does anyone? It seems like a reasonable idea, but I've still never seen anyone using one, that I know of anyway...
Are you'all talking about a filter that helps prevent the compressor moisture from entering the gun?
Edited 5/1/2004 11:42 pm ET by rez
I have water traps on my compressors, but no air filters and I can't say that I've ever seen one on anyone's compressor or gun anywhere. What gun did you buy that wants a filter? What do they think is coming out of your compressor aside from a drop or two of water?
A tip from an air brush artist: he stuffs his water trap with lady's tampon to make sure no water messes up his creation.
I bet she hates that! Pull that cord like a lawn mower eh?
View Image
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
I bought a Porter Cable FR350 round head framing gun combo, with a Porter Cable compressor.
Their quote is; "All compressed air contains moisture and other contaminates that are detrimental to internal components of the tool. An air line filter will remove most of these contaminates and significantly prolong the life of the tool."
How does your water trap work? That's in-line too, with a valve on the bottom, right?
Yeah, a water trap is the glass reservoir with the spring loaded pin on the bottom to let the water out. Sometimes it gets a bit of water in it, other times none. Your compressor probably has one and it also probably has an intake air filter. My Emglo does... it's a round plastic housing like a hockey puck that has a piece of foam rubber in it, and a thumbscrew to open it for cleaning. I'm sure you're OK to start using the gun without a filter... maybe buy one and add it if you feel like it. There are millions of guns in use out there and I doubt more than a few have air filters on the output.
As much as I think it's pointless . . . I see what they're getting at. If you don't think the air you breathe and that goes through your gun on a daily basis will gunk it up, look under your fridge or behind your computer. Probably haven't cleaned there, and it's gunked up. But I think it's real uncommon to put an inline filter on a nail gun, unless, as stated, you're working off of hard lines in a shop. But is it a bad idea, heck, no. Just a hassle. More power to you. It won't hurt anything and if it gives you peace of mind . . . go spend ten bucks and be the happy oddball."If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain
It's sounding like I would be the oddball, but who knows, if it doubled the life of my gun and didn't get in my way, it would be ten bucks well spent...
"If you don't think the air you breathe and that goes through your gun on a daily basis will gunk it up, look under your fridge or behind your computer"
Right, that's why there's a filter on the intake of the compressor. What's going to be contaminating the air after that (if you keep the filter clean)?
What about moisture as well as debris from the inside of the tank as it starts to rust out over the years?
everything it doesnt catch."If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain
I would disregard the advice.
Well Les,
Don't stop there. Tell us why and what else is going on.
He sells nail guns. Yeah I want to know if in-line air filter is a good idea.
I don't like to have any kinks or other obstructions on my air hose. Getting hung up is not coducive to a good day. The post indicated that the existence of such filters on job sites is rare. There are many reasons for this. I think an inline filter is great on the tank, if you are worried about really clean air in your gun. What is it about the last fifteen feet of hose that requires a filter? This seems nonsensical to me. I could have gone into some of these reasons but was in a hurry and thought the recommendation was obviously frivolous. I like the air filter in my MAX products, which is located in the handle and gets purged each time I disconnect a hose. Dirt is not introduced significantly into a hose at the compressor end if the compressor filter is working. I find that people who drag hose ends through the mud are the greatest cause of dirt in guns. The air filter 15 feet away from the gun would not solve this problem. Not to bore you, but, ... how would you connect this item? Would the manufacturer further recommend that each nail gun and stapler should have a 15 ft hose, a filter connector, a filter, and another connector to the next hose? This would create another pound of hangup potential. I could see the connectors separating as the hose gets pulled around an obstruction.
Makes one wonder why major manufacturer like PorterCable would take the effort of making a reference to the last 15ft of hose without more of a reasoning 'howcome' involved in the statement.
I agree with the dissagree...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
Id only use a filter if you run the nail gun off of hard air lines. If black iron or galvanized pipe is supplying your air then it would be a good idea to sediment filter and water filter your air. If you run rubber hose,m dont bother unless youre running a paint sprayer (HVLP or conventional)
The maker probably says use a filter for warranty purposes.
Min inline filters; something like this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=38159
'commonly used with spray guns. 'never heard of them being used with nailers, but I bet they would reduce down time.
Thanks for the link, that's exactly what I invisioned.
I just bought a filter for my stationary compressor similar to:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=42035
I doubt that you would want that hanging off your nail gun, but it would probably work on a typical portable compressor.
Related question:
Does anyone use an in-line oiler? Probably won't use one with my nail guns but I was wondering about putting one on the line I use for an air wrench, sander, and some other tools.
Put it on the actual tool if at all, so you don't end up with a hose full of oil and crud. We had one on the old DuoFast nailer 30 years ago, it wasn't big, about the size of a couple 1" hex nuts stacked up. I haven't seen one recently.
-- J.S.
Water seperator at the compressor and an oiler at the tool..
If you ever, just once, use the oiled airline with a nozzel to clean some thing...
What a mess.... you'll only do it once... and it seems that all of your air lines get crudded up if you use an oiler at the compressor..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
roger that..
really wreaks havoc with a sprayer too..but I wouldn't know about that.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
You mean the paint spray gun that yur using on that hyper white coating that's going on that 3K door... Or the MCU being laid down on all that Maple...
Does give ya an interesting kladiscope pattern...
Oil stains forever...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
Do Not put a filter inline with a framing nailer connected to a flex hose.
Do put three or four drops of air tool oil in the gun before you use it each day, and drain the condensation from the air compressor each day. check the filter on the compressor weekly to make sure it stays clean.
this regimen will provide extremely long lived framing guns, a filter will add contaminants if not properly maintained / regularly changed. save yourself the trouble and stick to a simple routine that you will remember and that works!
I'll second the oil the gun every morning and evening, and empty the damn compressor at night! Works for me.
I'm no expert but it sounds like a good idea if your gun doesn't have one built in. Some guns have them in the handle in a self cleaning arrangement. Idea being that when you disconnect the hose the residual air pressure in the gun blows back through the filter cleaning it.
Makes sense to have it in the gun as it is the last possible location. An in-line filter in the hose would allow any dust or grit downstream of it to get to the gun. I see a lot of hoses with quick connectors laying in the dirt. Compressors without effective, not uncommonly any, filters would be another source. It wouldn't surprise me to find that a considerable amount of crud travels through these hose.
I would think that grit would be a major cause of wear as any that gets into the cylinder of the gun could get trapped in the oil producing an abrasive slurry. Wouldn't take much. A pinch of fine sand would do it. Once in, discounting disassembly and a good cleaning, most of this would IMHO tend to stay there slowly wearing the cylinder wall and seals out.
IMHO water would be less an issue unless it was allowed to stand in the gun.
Thanks, I agree with all you said.
Again, it seems like you'd see more of them around for those reasons.
I'll put one on for good measure, I'm the preventitive maintainence type.
I have one on the male end of a short hose, about 15'. That's the last hose before the nailer. What it catches is mostly dirty oily water. The higher the humidity, the more water. You'll want to make some way of hanging it so it stays right side up and the water collects in the bottom.
-- J.S.