There are a couple of options for removing humidity from an air system. We recommend the refrigerant dryer for Body Shops because it seems to be the most efficient way to do the job. Moist air cannot exist without heat. This unit removes moisture by cooling the air that comes from your compressor below the point in which it can hold moisture. When the temperature of the air is reduced, the unit wrings the water out of the air like you twist water from a dish rag. It removes the bulk of the system humidity without the use of desiccant or micro filters that have to be replaced. Removing humidity without requiring replacement of consumable parts is a great cost benefit.
Depending on the shops location, chances are the ambient air contains high levels of humidity. Humid air will quickly corrode components and saturate downstream drying filters in the system. Refrigerant dryers lower humidity to around 10% which is acceptable for most of the air needs inside a body shop. There are 2 types of Refrigerant dryers, cycling and non cycling. Cycling Dryers are by far the best option for body shops because they operate only when needed. This reduces power consumption and extends the working life of the machine.
Refrigerant dryers should be located in a cleaner area of the shop and should have the coils blown out as needed to operate efficiently.
RTI has some great options for Refrigerant Dryers. Here is a product bulletin for the one we recommend.
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