Frequently Asked Questions

Dropout is a unique patent protected product designed to remove water from compressed air systems extremely efficiently at point of use. When fitted in close proximity, upstream of your spray gun, air tools or in fact any product utilizing compressed air it will remove all of the water and contaminant down to 0.5 micron from the compressed air system.

It’s unique design allows it to efficiently remove water and provide water free air at the point of use without the need for mains power, costly consumables or any maintenance whatsoever.

It will compliment existing dryer solutions where there is still water contaminant evident in the system when installed upstream of you existing equipment or downstream at point of use.

Dropout is certified using ISO 12500, which is the validated performance data for compressed air filters. As opposed to Air Classes to ISO 8573 which are purity classes of compressed air with respect to particles, water and oil; independent of the location in the compressed air system. 8573 does not dictate the pre-filtered air quality and therefore filters can be tested using any air making their results unreliable. To give a rough indication as a comparative
Dropout performs to Class 1 or better for solid particles and Class 4 for Dewpoint, Class 1:4:x
Adding the Desiccant filter takes the Dewpoint down to better than Class 3, Class 1:3:x
The activated Carbon Filter will remove Oil Vapour and the MicroFilter all particulate down to 0.01μ making the Oil Concentration better than Class 1, Therefore The Dropout Range is probably better than Class 1:3:1

Dropout conforms to ATEX  Ex II 2G IIC T6 Gb

Should you forget to drain the product then naturally the product will become contaminated with water. However, to clean the unit simply turn the drain tap for 10 seconds with the air on and the unit will self clean and also dry ready for further use. Alternatively install our DOAD128 mechanical auto-drain available online at www.dropouttechnology.co.uk. We now have Aluminium units with integral auto-drains

Dropout is unique in the way it operates. The patented design uses multi-impact technology directing the air through multiple chambers at acute angles thereby forcing the water droplets to coalesce and drop out of the air. It is not only unique in terms of the way it operates but the technology has been designed to make the units easily scalable to achieve high flow rates as well as operating at low flow rates in point of use applications.

Dropout uses no mains power or consumables. In essence it is maintenance free apart from requiring frequent draining on manual models. We recommend that if fitting our auto-drain (DOAD128) that you replace this periodically, 12 months as a guide to maintain optimum performance.

 No there are no consumables requiring replacement with this product. Simply drain the water regularly and the unit will operate at maximum efficiency.

The answer is NO other than frequently draining when auto-drain not installed. Once installed the unit will operate without the need for any maintenance in terms of replacement filters. The unit is sealed for life.

Once you select your SCFM requirement from the drop down list, the unit size and weight is shown under ‘Additional Information’

 Dropout can be used anywhere where there is an issue with water ingress at point of use. It can be used as a stand-alone unit where there is no provision for drying the air or in conjunction with a refrigerant dryer should you still be experiencing water ingress at point of use.

 Yes. Dropout uses BSPT or NPT thread sizes and the thread dimensions are detailed under ‘Additional Information’ below each model.

Dropout is designed to remove liquid water to be installed as close to the point of use as possible. Installation is relatively easy as there is no mains supply or complications other than simple plumbing. It should be installed at the last point in the air stream where cooling of the air has reached its lowest point.

As Dropout is extremely efficient at removing water you might find the need to drain the unit more frequently than traditional filters. The water removal frequency can change dependent upon the usage of air and also humidity. We suggest you drain as frequently as you feel necessary initially starting daily or for the first few days twice per day. Alternatively you could fit our unique auto-drain (DOAD128) available online from www.dropouttechnology.co.uk

Not at all. Dropout will run efficiently with no need for costly consumables and has no mains power requirement.

If a manual unit is used, the Dropout product is supplied with a 1/2" manual drain valve. Simply turn the valve to the open position while the air is still turned on to remove any water contaminant from the product. This normally take around 2-3 seconds to complete. Alternatively fit one of our unique auto-drains (DOAD128) available online from www.dropouttechnology.co.uk

 As a general rule there is no need to clean this product. Each time the water is drained this will clear the unit of water and any contaminant. However, if you feel it necessary or if you forget to drain the product and it becomes contaminated then simply open the drain valve and run the air through the unit for 10 seconds. This will clean and dry the unit in preparation for further use.

There are some examples where refrigerant dryers are installed and there is still evidence of water ingress at the point of use. If this is the case then it certainly would be beneficial to install Dropout in conjunction with your existing dryer to remove final droplets of water. However if you are not experiencing any water issues then there is no need to install the Dropout product.

Yes. If you prefer a dropout with a manual drain, Dropout product has a 1/2" BSPT male thread on the base of the unit for installation of both manual and automatic drain accessories. Alternatively you could install our own unique auto-drain (DOAD128) available online from www.dropouttechnology.co.uk

For optimum performance we recommend Dropout for installation on facilities using rotary screw, rotary vane and piston (reciprocating) compressors.   However, care should be taken not to overload your Dropout unit with bulk oil or installing too close to the compressor. Dropout cannot stop oil when in a vapour. Only in aerosol

Yes it certainly will. Dropout is designed to remove water and particles down to 0.1 micron where standard filter/regulators perform at around 20 to 50 micron and has significantly better water removal performance than traditional filter/regulators. Under test conditions standard filter regulators or water traps as they are sometimes known achieve less tan 92% efficiency compared with the Dropout’s 99.9999%. They remove water using the cyclonic method rather than the patented multiple-impact coalescence of the Dropout. Cyclonic separators experience significant drops in performance when the air velocity changes and cannot handle stop/starts unlike Dropout which works from a standing start in a fraction of a second.

 Dropout has been independently tested by SGS Japan as a particulate filter and is certified to remove particles  down to 1 micron.  A copy of this certification is available upon request.

Dropout is possibly the most efficient liquid water separator available and is capable of removing 99.9999% of the liquid water in your system. Technical speaking a dryer reduces the temperature of the air vapour prematurely saturating the air-stream and should prevent further saturation downstream. In reality this is extremely hard to achieve. Dryers also cannot handle liquid water and require a water separator upstream to remove this liquid.Therefore if water already exists in the system pre-dryer then it will pass through the dryer. Dropout goes one better than this and removes ALL liquid water.

 We are confident there is no equivalent water separator on the market. Dropout is incredibly unique when compared with standard water separators. Competitor’s products achieve a typical water removal efficiency of 92% and there is no mention often of particulate removal. They also operate using the cyclonic principle which requires constant flow and pressure to maintain optimum performance. In reality compressors NEVER run with a constant flow and demand starts and stops. Dropout recovers from this start/stop in a fraction of a second unlike traditional cyclonic methods. This is why we believe our product is unique with liquid water removal achieving 99.9999% and particle removal down to 0.1 micron.

 Dropout is manufactured in Aluminium Grade 6061, Stainless Steel 304 & 316 and a reduced range in Nylon

Conventional water separators require both high velocity and constant flow rates to perform effectively.  Dropout will perform at exactly the same level regardless of the flow rates and its unique design is not velocity or stable flow dependent. This is why we can can confidently claim 99.9999% liquid water removal regardless of the flow!