What You Need to Know When Selecting the Compressed Air Filter?

Author: Sunny

Sep. 08, 2025

What You Need to Know When Selecting the Compressed Air Filter?

Compressed air is not fundamentally clean, like the ambient environment from which it is pulled. The air in your compressor system contains a range of particles, aerosols, and vapors that can taint end processes and products while also harming machinery and other equipment. Here’s where compressed air filters come in!

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Compressed air filtration is an essential component of your compressed air system.  Installing and maintaining the appropriate compressed air filters helps assure a continuous supply of clean air to your operations and reduces pressure drop. An industrial air compressor would need intake filters to remove impurities from entering air and an inline filter to remove particles, oil carryover, residual moisture, and smells from released compressed air. 

If you have an oil-flooded rotary screw, rotary vane, or reciprocating compressor, you will most certainly require many stages of compressed air filtration. Follow these instructions to choose the best air compressor filters for your system.

Things to Know Before You Choose a Compressed Air Filter

Filtration Efficiency

The filtration efficiency of a compressor air filter is measured by its Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV). The higher the MERV rating, the more efficient the filter is at capturing particles.

Airflow

The airflow rate is the amount of air that passes through the filter in a given period. It is important to choose a filter that can handle the required airflow rate for your compressed air system.

Pressure Drop

The pressure drop is the drop in air pressure across the filter. A high-pressure drop can negatively impact the efficiency of your compressed air filter.

Environmental Factors

Consider the environmental factors of your compressed air system, including temperature, humidity, and the presence of oil or water in the air.

Which Filter Is Right for My Air Compressor?

Different applications need different levels of filtration, so you must thoroughly understand your application before selecting the appropriate type of filter for your compressed air system.  

You should also consider whether oil can damage your process or whether any oil can still be present in the air. If your application is oil-sensitive, adding an inline coalescing filter can help reduce the amount of harmful oil that comes into contact with your end use. 

Consider how vital energy efficiency is for your facility! Low energy use means low electricity costs, and who doesn’t appreciate that?  High-efficiency filters may provide exceptionally clean air (removing pollutants smaller than 0.01 microns) while reducing pressure drop.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website inline compressed air filter.

When should I replace my compressed air filter?

When to change a filter is determined by factors such as the hours of operation of your air compressor and the needed quality of compressed air; pressure drop can also signal that a filter needs to be replaced. Consider these four questions before deciding whether to replace a compressed air filter:

  • Has the manufacturer’s service life expired?
  • Has an air audit indicated that the air quality is below acceptable standards?
  • Is the pressure drop above tolerable levels?
  • Do pressure dips reach the manufacturer’s change point?

How to Choose the Right Compressed Air Filter

Compressed air systems require air filters to get best results and meet clean air requirements. To determine which air filtration system, you should refer to your equipment manufacturer's specifications for flow rate and cleanliness requirements. This can sometimes be vague and very confusing; it's important to have someone walk you through the steps needed to determine these factors so you can be assured your system is running as efficiently as possible. Let's talk about how to select the right compressed air filter.

In this article, we'll how discuss the steps it takes to pick the right compressed air filter for your system:

  1. ISO Requirements and the Right Air Filter for You
  2. How to Pick the Right Filter
  3. Compressed Air Schematic
  4. Talk to the Compressed Air System Experts

ISO Requirements and the right Air filter for You

When it comes to air filtration, there are some standards that can be referenced to make this process easier. Many manufacturers provide vague descriptions when discussing the kind of air your system needs "Clean, dry air required" - there is more to it. Fortunately, some manufacturers use ISO standards to provide clarity for air cleanliness. The ISO chart below will help you when selecting an air filtration package:

If it looks daunting - we understand and are here to help. Generally speaking, the ISO standard provides different classes to each category; addressing particulates, water content, and oil content. If your application or equipment does not call out air cleanliness specs, a good rule of thumb is class 4 across all three categories as a minimum requirement. Many applications may require higher quality air when meeting class 2 or better becomes the most effective target when building or improving your overall air system and components.

How to Pick the Right Air Filter

Picking the right air filter depends on a few things: the flow rate, port size, your system's requirements as mentioned above, and the contaminants you need filtered out for your application to perform as intended. We have a variety of filter options and packages available for compressed air systems such as water separators, oil coalescing filters, and activated carbon filters.

Give us a call or an and we can answer all the questions you have about your unique situation.

Compressed Air Schematic

Our compressed air schematic walks you through the location for dryers and air filtration needed for your air system. Fine-tuning your air system to meet the needs of your equipment requires thoughtful consideration to equipment-air cleanliness requirements, work area location in the air system, and flow demands.

The Tsunami Air System Schematic is available for download and can be kept easily accessible for when these system changes are necessary. Fill out the form below for your printable download copy: 

Talk to the Compressed Air System Experts

Tsunami is here for you while you are on your compressed air filter journey. For over 40 years, Tsunami has set the industry standard for quality compressed air filtration and drying solutions. From start to finish, we walk you through the air filters we have, what your system requires, and work together with you to solve any problems or concerns with your air. We know our air filters inside and out, and can give you recommendations for the proper package to fulfill your filtration system needs. If you need somewhere to start before we chat, we recommend checking out our site and taking a look at our compressed air schematic.

Are you interested in learning more about hydraulic driven air compressors? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

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