A different compressed air problem

[Bigrhamr]

Yesterday I fired up the plasma after not using it for about a week, which is unusual. The low air pressure light was on
so I started checking for pressure at all the filters and traps, determined that I had plenty of air up to and out of the refrigerated dryer, but nothing after the coalescing filter which is right at the back of my Hypertherm. So I pulled the line off of it and out flys a couple of winged insects, then I look inside the line and it's jammed full of little insect larvae
like caterpillers.

I don't even remember when the last time I had that line off was, it's been a long time. I have no significant air leaks. So, for these critters to get in there and hatch they would have had to go through the compressor plus mutliple drains, traps. and the refrigerated dryer, or back through the plasma and the coalescing filter, or through a tiny pinhole leak in a line small enough that it doesn't loose air pressure. Or, somebody was screwing with me and planted them in there. None of these seems even possible.

How in the heck did they get in there?

[bob49]

wow,now that's a weird one. I'm in the southeast part of Missouri and we have alot of what they call dirt dobbers. they are a wasp that uses mud to build there nests, usually 1 wasp per mud nest. they lay eggs and stuff the rest of the nest full of live insects they catch and seal the end of the mud tunnel. the insects become food for the newborn larva. But here is the kicker. these dirt dobbers get lazy and will use anything with a hole in it to lay there eggs. I have had my oxy torches and other equipment completely clogged because of this and they can do this in less than an hour. You may have something similar.

[elkriverfab]

We call them mud dobbers here Same as dirt dobbers......
They get into everything here that has a hole or an opening.

I have an old forney welder with inputs for all the different amp settings you can plug into (little round holes).
Every week they are sealed off with those dobbers.

They even get into open pipe ends, the holes in nuts and everything else.

Every so often in the summer I have to pull things apart to see if they may be in there.

Today I saw many flying around the shop so I know they are causing me problems......

[Anna65]

I do not think there is much of a difference between dirt dobbers and the ones that you have mentioned here. As Elk River fab has mentioned, it more or less seems to be mud dobbers. You can get them out the same way as you would do in the case of dirt provided the mud gets dry.
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