Where should a Drain-All be installed?
At liquid accumulation points within a
system at compressors, air receiver tanks,
intercoolers, aftercoolers, dryers, separa-
tors, filters and drip legs.
Is this an oil-water separator?
No. Drain-All is a liquid drain and it will
drain oil, water, and particulates from the
compressed air system. Once this is
accomplished, the discharge should be
piped to an oil-water separator for final
processing.
Does this replace a dryer?
No. Drain-All works in conjunction with
a dryer. Dryers typically convert water
vapor in the compressed air into liquid
which is usually discharged through a
small automatic drain device integral to
the dryer. These small automatic drains
are often prone to clogging and failure.
When this occurs, such drains are nor-
mally replaced with Drain-All units
which do not clog. A dryer prepares the
moisture for removal from the system by
condensing it. It is the job of the reliable
Drain-All to ensure that the liquid is
actually discharged from the air system.
Is it mandatory to use a balance line?
Yes. The balance line provides a means to
handle the displaced air from the reser-
voir as the liquid enters the reservoir.
What is the capacity?
In each application, based on pressures
and piping layout for that application, a
Drain-All model will eject a specific
amount of liquid on each cycle. This
varies by model and application.
What size compressor can it handle?
There are Drain-All models that will
function effectively on any size compres-
sor, compressed air system, atmospheric,
or vacuum system. Provide your distrib-
utor with specifications on the pressure
and capacity of liquid you need to handle
and an appropriately sized Drain-All can
be selected for your application.
Can one Drain-All be used to drain
multiple tanks and/or compressor sys-
tems?
No. They will not all be of precisely the
same pressure level and the liquid would
accumulate in the lowest pressure drain
or system thereby bypassing the Drain-
All. Also, the use of check valves in mul-
tiple drains to one Drain-All installation
will not make this work properly.
Always install one Drain-All for each
item of equipment to be drained.
Can a Drain-All be used in systems
with pressure greater than 170 PSIG?
Yes. Higher pressure models are avail-
able. If the control air comes from higher
pressure systems, a pressure regulator on
the control air line may be used and set at
the proper control air pressure or option-
al control air components can be ordered
to accommodate higher pressures.
Can the balance line and the control
air line be hooked together via a tee
connection?
No. Do not do this. Each of these air
lines has its own specific purpose and
should never be tied together. The con-
trol air should be the cleanest driest air
available since it supplies air to the con-
trol circuit to operate the pneumatic actu-
ating cylinder which functions best and
lasts longer if clean dry air is used.
The balance line allows the air in the
reservoir to move out leaving room in the
reservoir for the incoming liquid. This air
contains moisture that would be drawn
across a tee fitting tied to the control air
line and be pulled directly into the con-
trol air circuit, which can damage control
air pathways and the air cylinder.
Is there only one model Drain-All?
No. There are models for a wide range of
special applications. Dimensional alter-
ations, design changes, component
options and special materials or coatings
are used in models to withstand high tem-
peratures and highly corrosive environ-
ments as well as accommodate high vol-
ume discharge requirements.
What if the system has an abundance
of metallic trash?
Before installing the Drain-All, blow
down the system being drained to elimi-
nate as much existing loose scale as pos-
sible. The large, smoothly contoured flow
paths in Drain-All units handle normal
levels of debris found in most applica-
tions. Should there be an excessive
amount of debris such as heavy rust, ask
your distributor about Drain-All’s Rust
Handler
TM
Model designed for that kind
of severe duty.
How can the Drain-All be used as an
instrument to gather data on conden-
sation in a compressed air system?
With the use of Drain-All’s optional
cycle counter, the Drain-All can provide
accurate data on the amount of liquid that
a compressed air system generates. This
is very useful when buying new com-
pressed air system equipment because a
Drain-All with a cycle counter is a
benchmarking instrument. Since the
Drain-All discharges the same amount of
liquid on every cycle, knowing the num-
ber of cycles over a specific period of
time under specific temperature and
humidity conditions provides the ability
to track liquid production. This bench-
marking can be correlated to ongoing
changes in ambient temperature and
humidity conditions to identify variances
in liquid production indicating changes
which need investigation. Too few cycles
would mean not enough liquid is reach-
ing the Drain-All and should be investi-
gated. Too many cycles would mean too
much liquid is being made or too much
liquid from somewhere is reaching the
Drain-All and should be investigated.
Knowing the amount of liquid a system
produces is also essential for properly
sizing oil-water separators.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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022802 Model 1700-IG
