Guide
Oil-free vs oil-lubricated air compressor
Choose oil-free when the air touches people, food, medicine or paint, or when you want less upkeep. Choose oil-lubricated for heavy workshop use where a little oil in the air does not matter.
By Everest Hydro Pneumatic Solutions, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune. Updated .
Oil-free
The pump compresses air without oil in the chamber, so the air carries no oil from the pump.
Suits dental and medical clinics, labs, food packing, painting and electronics. No oil to check or change in the pump.
Oil-lubricated
Oil lubricates and cools the pump. These pumps are common in garages and workshops.
Needs oil level checks and oil changes. Fit filters if the air must be clean.
Cost over time
An oil-lubricated pump needs oil and oil filters. An oil-free pump skips these, but its parts are designed for its duty, so pick the size that fits your air use and do not overrun it.
Which one for which job
Dental chair, lab, food packing, painting: oil-free.
Garage, tyre shop, fabrication, heavy air tools: either works; oil-lubricated is common.
Air all day in a factory: a screw compressor.
Both need
Daily draining of water from the tank, a clean intake filter, and a check for leaks.
Oil-free silent compressors →Dental and lab compressors →Reciprocating compressors →Glossary →
Questions.
- Is oil-free air also dry air?
- No. Oil-free means no oil from the pump. Water still forms in the tank, so drain it daily, and use an air dryer where dry air is needed.
- Which is quieter?
- It depends on the model. Check the dB figure. Our silent oil-free models list their noise in the specifications.