Trying to research and understand which types of filters are preferred and where best to install them on a new airgun compressor.

the main thing to do is have the moisture filter mounted lower than the gun , making the compressor fill uphill to the gun . and yes some people use 2 filters and report no moisture in the 2nd filter making sure no moisture gets to the gun . Comfo9rt / piece of mind .

Common question, well discussed in archives. Upper right page corner search box, utilizing, "molecular sieve," "water-coalescing filter," and "cotton-insert filter," should provide plenty of information. Trapping moisture is agreed best accomplished post-compressor as opposed to pre-compressor. Anything pre-compressor also runs risk of restricting healthy airflow. Happy Reading, bring back any questions you need further clarification with. WM

Good question - better to ask than to ignore it and learn the hard way . . .

I'd start with two of the posts I wrote in the linked thread that explain what you are asking in pretty good detail. The link goes right to the first one, and then the second post is the one immediately following it. That will put you well on your way to understanding this topic. As others have said, lots of info written here on this, but if you read that thread and still have questions well be happy to answer them.

Some compressors already have a built in filter, some don't and the quality of them can differ significantly. I have a GX CS-4 that has an internal filter that does a pretty good job at catching moisture, but living in a humid climate like Florida, I like to hinge my bets and ensure no moisture enters my air guns.

GX Pumps recently released a new filter that is very well made and will work with pressures up to 5000 psi! I also like the fact it's fairly compact in size and has magnets to mount it to your compressor, so no drilling or permanent mounting is necessary. The compact size does not add a lot of extra time to fills, something inherent to larger filters. The magnets allow it to be easily moved from one compressor to another if you own more than one, or want to move it to a new compressor if you are upgrading. The price if pretty reasonable for a well made external filter. It also came with an extra filter pack and they state they only need to be changed once a year.


If you are considering an external filter, this is one you should add to your research list!

And be advised, forum members have there own opinions and empirical results/proof of what works for them.
How much moisture you need to deal with can dictate the type of filtration. A guy in Florida and a guy in Arizona deal with vastly different humidity levels.
But having maintained a scuba compressor in a dive shop along with factory training, in my book, and what I used at home for my airguns, a molecular sieve is the best way to assure clean dry air when maintained properly.
Best of luck in your new hobby.

Some folks will say that they run their home compressor in the basement of an air-conditioned house. Even with air conditioning, the humidity is between 30% and 50%. Air coming out of a molecular sieve will be .1% and most likely less than that. The dryer your air, the better, that’s why some airgunners will use nitrogen because it darn near or is 0.0% humidity/moisture.
To each his own as to how they run their guns.
Often, your budget has somewhat of a correlation to how dry you process your air.