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Old 11-26-2017, 04:03 PM   #1
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Air System Desiccant dryers

How often do you all normally change the desiccant dryer and coalescing filters in your air system? And what is your reasoning behind your replacement intervals?

I have a Freightliner chassis and replaced both filters when we purchased in April of 2015. I have been told annually, by Freightliner, and I've also been told 4 to 5 years for an RV by Freightliner as well. I was also told that the annual recommendation was more for over the road trucks that pile on the miles and air system usage.

I manually purge the two air tanks prior to first drive of the day, and I can hear the short pssst of the tanks as they automatically purge periodically when running (at a standstill).

So what do you folks out there do?
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Old 11-26-2017, 04:34 PM   #2
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Unless you are putting on big miles changing it every 4-5 Years is just fine. I’m sure someone will chime in to say that if you don’t change sooner then you risk a chance of contaminating your system with desiccant when the filter fails. This indeed would be true but you will be safe with 4+ yrs of 20k per year. I know of many trucks that run 100k + per year that don’t change annually. They change every 2 yrs and feel that is very safe.
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Old 11-26-2017, 04:41 PM   #3
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Can you see or feel any moisture coming out of your tank drains when you manually drain them? If not, your filters are still doing their job.
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Old 11-26-2017, 04:47 PM   #4
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One more thing ...... You should have 3 tank drains. Wet tank, front and rear dry tanks.
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Old 11-26-2017, 06:22 PM   #5
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I always used a 3 year change interval and never found any moisture in the air system. Mileage of 5000-8000 per year, often in damp climates (the Southeast & New England). In dryer climates, e.g. the western US, 4-5 years is probably adequate. You can figure your own safe interval simply by waiting x years and then pulling the tank valves to see if there is any water. If not, go several months more and check again. As long as it stays dry, your dryer is still doing its job.

3 years was the suggestion at the Freightliner Custom Chassis factory service center (Gafney), said to be adequate for a typical motorhome. Few motorhomes have the engine (and therefore compressor) running enough hours to require any more frequent changes.
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Old 11-26-2017, 09:06 PM   #6
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Keep in mind, draining the tanks manually should be done, even though automatic drains are working fine. If you do get water out of the front or rear tanks, it might be serious. This can allow water/moisture into your brake chambers and cause brake problems.
I change the air dryer filter every 4 years on our coach.
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Old 11-27-2017, 06:05 AM   #7
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I don't see any water or vapor coming out when I manually drain the two tanks up front. I will check for a third tank. I have two pull cables in the right front wheel well, and one in the left front wheel well. I had thought one was a duplicate, but it appears that it is for the third tank. Thanks for that info. I will replace the filters this next spring.

We will probably only use the coach twice more this year, over the next two weekends, so I will wait until Spring to change. Thanks to everyone for the assistance!
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Old 11-27-2017, 06:42 AM   #8
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I always heard it was good to drain immediately after a long trip - if moisture present, replace filter.

I did just that on my last 2 long drives. Bone dry - but since I didnt know when mine had last been done, I just replaced it. I figure ever 2-3 yrs should be fine.
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Old 11-27-2017, 01:13 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hit_the_Rhod View Post
I don't see any water or vapor coming out when I manually drain the two tanks up front. I will check for a third tank. I have two pull cables in the right front wheel well, and one in the left front wheel well. I had thought one was a duplicate, but it appears that it is for the third tank. Thanks for that info. I will replace the filters this next spring.
One of the two tanks you see is a split tank. There will be a partition inside the tank. One side wet tank, the other dry. The two pull cables in your RF wheel well will be going to the two drains on this tank.
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Old 11-28-2017, 06:52 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 96 Wideglide View Post
One of the two tanks you see is a split tank. There will be a partition inside the tank. One side wet tank, the other dry. The two pull cables in your RF wheel well will be going to the two drains on this tank.
Thanks! That makes sense as to why there are two pulls going to the same tank. I just assumed that they helped purge when the tank (and RV) was un-level.
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