Oil-lubricated piston air compressor maintenance will be the topic of this discussion. Water flooded, oilless, oil-free and high-pressure compressors require much more intense and extensive maintenance procedures. Ignoring specified maintenance tasks guarantees catastrophic failure. The result is only a fraction of the potential service life. Replacement intervals become more frequent. This is false economy of the worst kind; a three-year replacement cycle instead of a ten to fifteen-year replacement cycle.
False Economy
A few owners using small reciprocating compressors will opt to ignore maintenance. They run the units to failure then install a new unit. This disrupts production, places junk in the environment and takes up storage space for the old unit. They realize only a fraction of the potential service life. Replacement intervals become more frequent. This is false economy of the worst kind; a two to three-year replacement cycle instead of a ten to fifteen-year replacement cycle.
The result; they buy three or four new extra compressors and pay the additional removal and installation costs. Piston compressors are one of the few instances where old machines are better than newer units. Due to the incredible competitiveness of the compressor market, manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to cheapen the product to bring a lower cost unit to market. The result is a constant lowering of quality. High-quality compressors are available at a higher cost.
Basic air compressor maintenance is simple.
Perform These Tasks Daily Before Starting Unit
- Check Oil Level
- Drain Condensed Water From Oil Reservoir Or Crankcase
- Check And Clean Oil And After coolers
- Check And Adjust Belt Tension If Applicable
- Locate And Repair Oil Leaks
Establish an in-house maintenance schedule or contact a reputable air compressor service organization
Either way the service interval is a rigid requirement. A compressor maintained in observance of good standards and practices will have 28% more “up” time as well as several years of extended service life.
Choose a compressor distributor wisely
A compressor distributor that specializes in your brand will have factory training and be familiar with any special “quirks” your brand may have. They will also possess any specialty tools required for the service of your brand. Be very careful of any brand that requires special tools for the disassembly or service of their compressor. The purchase of a compressor with these requirements locks into the distributor regardless of the price or quality of their service.
Never exceed the manufacturers stated service intervals.
Keep It Clean
A dusty or oily compressor will run hot. In Summer it may operate hot enough to cause nuisance shutdowns. This results in lost production as well as unnecessary calls to the repair company.
Repair oil leaks
Oil leaks result in dirty coolers, a dust attracting oily film on the surfaces of the unit as well as the inside of the enclosure (if applicable).
Use quality service parts and oil
Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts are a requirement during the warranty period. In most extended warranty programs factory trained and/or approved technicians must perform all routine maintenance and repairs. Today’s aftermarket parts and lubricants are usually of very high quality. Be aware, though, that aftermarket oils will usually have a slightly different formulation and additive package than that specified by OEM suppliers.
An oil sampling program will pay huge benefits
The program is simple. Just mail a sample to a specified laboratory. The results indicate whether the oil is still serviceable or should be changed. At times the only recommendation is to change the oil filter/s.
Installation and monitoring of vibration monitors
Increased vibrating indicates a possible impending failure and should lead to a “tune-up”. This consists of disassembly of the air end allowing the inspection and replacement of bearings and seals. This results in no damage to castings. It’s usually much less costly to replace bearings and seals in an air end than it is to completely replace the air end.