By Dean Bielanowski
Air compressors are very handy machines to have around the home or workshop. They can perform many tasks with appropriate air tools and accessories, like power nailing, spray painting, inflation and air dusting to name a few. Owning a good quality compressor pays off in the long run, but the compressor owner needs to keep their machine in good working order to guarantee its long term operability and protect your hard earned money that you invest into it.
Thankfully, maintaining a compressor is really quite easy. There are only a couple of things you need to do at home that will go a long way toward ensuring efficient operation and to extend your compressor’s life span.
- If you have a compressor that uses an oil-reservoir for lubrication, and the compressor came filled with oil out of the box, my advice is to be sure to either change that oil immediately before first use with a good quality oil designed for use in air compressors, or change the oil after the first hour or two of use. Some compressors on the cheaper end of the scale use cheap oil to prevent rusting of working components during shipping, so swapping it for the good stuff before first use is recommended. As compressors are run over the first few uses the pistons and internal components tend to seat themselves and form their own shape or produce a chamber shape, removing any minor dags or other imperfections in the chamber walls or on the piston itself. While these are generally on the microscopic scale, there is the chance of metal debris pooling in the oil reservoir. Cleaning this out and supplying fresh oil will ensure this debris does not affect piston rings or wear grooves in chamber walls. Also ensure the oil in the reservoir is replaced often according to the compressor’s stated maintenance schedule.
Check for leaks in any of the fittings on the compressor itself. Air leaks mean the motor has to cycle more often to replace the air it is losing through gaps in pipework fittings or air hose connected to the compressor. If you cannot hear the leaks then spray water with a drop of detergent over all fittings when the compressor tank is pressurized and look for bubbling or foaming of the water. Where you see this, you have an air leak to fix. A good quality plumber’s Teflon tape wrapped around the male threads of the fittings will generally seal up any air leaks.- Drain the compressor’s tank after each use. While this is hotly debated, i.e. whether or not you need to do this, I always make it a habit of doing so. Compressed air, particularly in humid or warm environments generates moisture, and there can be quite a lot generated in a compressed air tank. This moisture runs and settles in the bottom of the tank. If the tank is not drained regularly, there can be a good chance that this moisture will cause rust to form on the bottom of the tank. While this rust may take a long time to have any kind of major effect on the tank or actually create a hole in the air tank, the moisture built up in a tank can transfer to the air delivered from that tank, and if you are spray painting, that moisture in the air supply can have nasty effects on sprayed finishes. Not to mention that excessively moist air can also degrade virtually any air tool connected to your compressor. Why risk any of this when you can drain the tank regularly and avoid most of these problems. Leaving 20-30 PSI of compressed air pressure in the tank before releasing the drain plug on the bottom of the tank helps push the water to the drain plug where it can flow out.
- Check your air filter often and blow it out with compressed air or replace with a new one if badly clogged, damaged or soiled. Clean air in = cleaner air out, and contaminated air affects everything downstream, including your tools connected to the compressor.
Perform the basic regular maintenance mentioned above and you may add years to your compressor’s life cycle, and best of all, they take only minutes a month to complete. It’s cheap insurance!
