Compressed air naturally holds moisture — and when that air cools rapidly, it condenses into water. In a blasting setup, that moisture can cause abrasive to clump, valves to stick, and rust to form inside your hoses and pot. Even a short blast job can turn into downtime if your air supply isn’t fully dry.

Moisture Separator vs. Air Dryer: What’s the Difference?

Many contractors believe that a moisture separator alone is enough — but that’s only part of the solution. Think of it like this: a moisture separator is like a ceiling fan, while an air dryer is like an air conditioner. One just moves air around; the other actually changes the environment.

A separator removes liquid water and some condensation, but it doesn’t cool the air. Warm, humid air holds more moisture — and as it cools inside your blast hose, that moisture turns back into water. That’s when you start seeing issues like inconsistent media flow, clogged valves, and flash rust.

How an Air Dryer Solves the Problem

An air dryer uses a desiccant system to pull remaining moisture out of the compressed air — helping ensure your blast media stays dry and your equipment operates at peak efficiency. A complete drying train should include:

• Moisture Separator: Removes liquid water and large droplets.
• Aftercooler / Cooler: Lowers air temperature to reduce condensation.
• Desiccant Dryer: Removes the remaining moisture using deliquescent media.

Why It Matters in Real-World Blasting

• Consistent media flow: Dry air prevents metering valve fluctuations and plugs.
• Cleaner surface profile: Less water = less chance of flash rust or smeared fines.
• Protects components: Reduces corrosion inside pots, hoses, and nozzles.
• Fewer stoppages: Minimizes freeze-ups and sticky valves in humid or cold conditions.

Quick Field Test You Can Try

Bleed your dryer after a long run. If you see a stream of water, that’s moisture you kept out of your blast pot and lines. If you don’t run a dryer, that same water ends up in your system.

What We Recommend

• Use a moisture separator at the compressor discharge.
• Follow with an aftercooler (or integrated cooler on your dryer).
• Finish with a desiccant air dryer sized for your nozzle CFM.