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mbrooking's avatar
mbrooking
Explorer
Aug 17, 2014

pulling air lanyards

Do you pull the air lanyards with the engine running and aired up or engine off and some of the air bled off? It would seem with a high air pressure that any moisture would not come out due to the high volume of air. I've been pulling mine with the engine off, but tanks not fully depleted of air.

4 Replies

  • Terryallan wrote:
    Be careful pulling them in freezing weather. The water can frees the valve open, and let ALL the air out.


    Thanks for the tip... I've never actually seen any water, but sometimes it sounds like it's spitting.
  • Be careful pulling them in freezing weather. The water can frees the valve open, and let ALL the air out.
  • mbrooking wrote:
    Do you pull the air lanyards with the engine running and aired up or engine off and some of the air bled off? It would seem with a high air pressure that any moisture would not come out due to the high volume of air. I've been pulling mine with the engine off, but tanks not fully depleted of air.


    mbrooking,
    You can pull those lanyards anytime you wish. Air is air. Pressure is pressure. Pulling them during engine running will yield the same as when pulling them with it off. In theory and for the most part, in practice, the air dryer will work for about 95% of the time. I say 95% because, there are more HUMID times and, more HUMID parts of the country. The more humidity, the harder the air dryer has in drying the air processed through it. Eventually, in the more humid times and those parts of the country, you'll have "some" get by and, you will see it when you pull the lanyards. Not very often though.

    Pulling them with full tank pressure, around 120-130 psi., will work just as good as with lower pressure. The difference will be that, if you have any moisture at all, it will be jettisoned at a fast rate and make more of a MIST as it's spit out of the nozzles than it will at the lower pressure. Moisture is heavier than air so, naturally it settles to the bottom and, usually right on top of the discharge valve that the lanyard is attached to.

    So, typically, if there's any at all, it will be the first thing that comes out of those tanks then, it will be just regular, dry air. No need to pull them any longer. Hope this helps some.
    Scott
  • I do ours after the tanks blow off and shut off engine. I'm guessing the drains are the low point so any water would accumulate there and removed when the lanyard is pulled. But in reality the dryers should be removing that water. So if there is some it might be worth getting it looked at.