Category: Breather Valves

Breather valves are rated for two different pressures: Cracking pressure and full-flow pressure. The difference between these two measurements is another significant source of misunderstanding on part of many design engineers.

After moisture or water vapor enters a sealed enclosure, it diffuses through the air inside, where it can later condense during temperature changes. Condensation is a common obstacle in designing sealed enclosures intended to house electronics or other moisture sensitive equipment. To make things worse, moisture will enter a sealed enclosure in four different ways.

Breather valves and immersion breathers both relieve pressure but operate differently and have different implications for moisture control. We'll look at the differences here and provide best practices for installation.

Rapid decompression can create dangerous pressure differentials in a fraction of a second. Such differentials cause sealed cargo containers to rupture or explode if the pressure is not quickly relieved and brought to a tolerable level.

Diurnal temperature-cycling is the fluctuation in temperature that occurs throughout a day; or, more specifically, throughout a 24-hour period. As the day wears on, temperatures rise steadily, beginning just after dawn, and then cool, starting in the late afternoon and continuing through the night.