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Will depend a lot on your compressor, where you live and where your compressor is located. Down here in Florida, my compressor is in the garage with a line running to my hobby room. Humidity is so high that I actually run two moisture seperators and change them about once a month (the element can be recharged in the oven).
When I lived in West Texas, the air was so dry, I dont think my fliter ever needed to be changed during several years of use.
Small, low pressure compressors which are kept in houses with central air will tend to be closer to west Texas than Florida in most the US and a moisture seperator may not be needed for water based paints. Lacquers and enamels are more tempermental to water getting mixed in though.
All of that said, for airbrushes, the SMC filter is overkill and than some. It is rated at 300L per minute (right around 10 cfm). Most airbrushes run at around 0.5 - 1 cfm. The one CFM will run air hogs like single action external mix brushes, while most internal mix double action brushes are down closer to the 0.5 cfm requirement. The high flow can actually flow too fast for the medium to properly dry the air as a result.
Also, the little filter can be attached further from the compressor. This is a good thing. Warm air holds moisture better than cold. Compressing air raises its temperature (both due to the gas law, as well as mechanical activity in the compressor). If you allow the air to cool off more, the water is easier to remove, so a smaller filter becomes more efficient.
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